I'm exhausted. Bill and I left the house at 7:30 this morning and rode our bikes to Fort Myers Beach and back. The "to" was a lot easier than the "back." The beach was beautiful and we walked up to Bowditch Point picking up shells before we headed home.
Let me tell you about our bikes. One day while driving through Parker Lakes, we saw a sign - "FREE." The two bikes that it was sitting on were ours! We rode them home. Bill's is great with just some rust on the back - but mine had some problems with gears, so I purchased another bike at a garage sale with a basket, speedometer and bell for $20 and we are set to go!
After our day on the road, we relaxed in the hot tub before enjoying one of Bill's fabulous dinners.
On the beach, these cute Sanderlings run back and forth with the waves.
This is a Double-crested Cormorant. Apparently, the double crests only show during the breeding season and even then, they are hard to see.
This is also a Double-crested Cormorant, but it is a juvenile with slightly different coloring.
The Super Bowl just started. As a former Pennsylvania resident, I should be routing for the Steelers - but I can't help hoping the Cardinals win.
On Wednesday my oldest grandson Zachary arrives. I can't wait! We are taking him and his parents to Orlando to see the Mouse.
This is Mike and Mel on the beach at Sanibel. We crossed the $6 causeway and toured Sanibel and Captiva, stopping for drinks and appetizers along the way. Mike likes lighthouses and fishing piers so we stopped at Lighthouse Beach to walk and take pictures.
This Royal Tern was sitting on the pier.
There were loads of Brown Pelicans diving for fish. I think they were having better luck than the fishermen. This guy had just caught dinner.
Over the side of the pier we watched the Snowy Egrets run and play. This bucket had bait in it and one Snowy decided it was his and did not want to share. He chased off anyone who came close.
Click on this picture for the larger version and you will see a dolphin following the "Sanibel Thriller." I think the passengers were feeding the dolphin and it followed the boat for sometime.
Today we went to Bunche Beach to walk. It's a strange beach with mudflats to the right and left of the short sandy area. This large group of Black Skimmers and Royal Terns were enjoying the calm waters. We found oyster shells of every size and shape and saw lots of live Crown Conch crawling around the flats.
These Red Knots and Sanderlings were sitting on some driftwood that was covered with barnacles. I love the browns and blues in this picture and will have to make a print with the new photo printer Bill gave me for Christmas. 
