We arrived in Sanibel on October 31 and moved into the condo a day early as we were anxious to get off the road and settle in to our winter environment. We spent the first few days getting acclimated and falling into a routine. After being here a week we went to the Everglades National Park on an eco-safari with Nick and Jane. The day consisted of a van ride through an area thick with alligators and bird life where we saw many different varieties of birds including the endangered wood stork and the pileated woodpecker, a mile and a half walk through a wooded area on a boardwalk, a boat ride through the 10,000 island area and an airboat ride that took our breath away. We got Marilyn to hold the baby alligator but she drew the line on holding snakes!!! They fed us a nice lunch which included alligator tail!!
Nick and I have been fishing twice with some action but we have not caught any big fish or any good eating fish that are in season yet. This past Saturday we took the girls on a boat ride across the bay to St. James Island and found a restaurant called Woodies and had a nice lunch along the canal and got lots of good fresh air and enjoyed the day.
We have found a nice Lutheran church just off the island and we went again Sunday for the second time. This church caters to northerners like us so they made us feel at home. As you can see, sunset on the beach is spectacular, particularly when the birds cooperate as they did the other evening. We have done lots of walking on the beach and have collected a few shells and just generally enjoyed the temps of 80 during the day and 60 at night. We will be here through mid December and back to Iowa for Christmas and then come back around the first of the year. For those of you would like to come and visit, please let us know when you can come and we will have a place for you.
