Snow Birds and Spring Break

Crowded but quiet Fort Myers Beach

Boats gathered off the Lani Kai Island Resort, Fort Myers Beach

There were waaaayyyy to many people on that boat -- but it sure looked like they were having fun

As I said in my last post, say "Beach" and they will come.  So it was for us in Fort Myers Beach, and continued that way through the remainder of our stay in Florida.  We hadn't had many guests along the Loop -- once we hit the inland rivers there were not many easy places for guest to get on and off in close proximity to airport, or even a rental car to take them to the airport. So, it was fun to once again share our adventure with family and friends.

In late February our friend Andrew came to visit for a cold and foggy few days. We made the best of it though, eating lots of good seafood, touring the Edison/Ford Estate in Fort Myers and visiting the the ancient Calusa Indian Mound House, Estoro Island's oldest standing structure. The Calusa built large mounds made of oyster and other shells as a focal point of their communities. The tribal leader would live atop the mound. Over the years more and more shells would be added. It was interesting to see this mound after viewing the ones at the Shiloh battleground.  Here is some information about the Calusa from the Mound House website:

The Calusa resisted Spanish political, cultural, and religious insurgence for 200 years. The first documented contact with Europeans occurred on June 4th, 1513 when Ponce de Leon’s flotilla of three ships anchored for re-supply near what is today San Carlos Bay. The flotilla was attacked by twenty Calusa canoes some of which were tied side by side and all were equipped with barricades protecting the warriors inside. In the ensuing battle five canoes and four Indians were captured, and many others were killed. Two Indian captives and a Spaniard were sent to meet the Calusa chief and arrange a meeting. This was done, but the following morning the flotilla was confronted by a force of eighty canoes prepared for battle that likely represented a force of over 800 Calusa warriors. The show of force was enough to convince the Spaniards to leave. When Ponce de Leon returned in 1521, he was again attacked and this time mortally wounded.

A brief mission effort by the Spanish amongst Calusa at their capital on Mound Key between 1567 and 1569 ended in failure amidst continued tension. A second mission attempt in 1697 lasted only three months before the missionaries were stripped of their clothing and marooned in the Florida Keys. The Calusa made it clear that their interest was in Spanish goods not beliefs.

Eventually, many of the Colusa died after coming into contact with European illnesses. It is believed that the majority of those who remained relocated in Cuba.

Our next guest was favorite son Chet who shared his final college Spring Break with us. No one was happier with his visit than Hamilton!The weather was a bit better by then and we got some good beach time and dinghy rides in:

Reunited: Brothers from Different Mothers

A new Cap'n at the helm

The Spring Break scene really revved up in time for Deb and Don's arrival.  Fort Myers Beach is a big draw for college students from all over the south and mid-West. Party central is the Lani Kai Resort, where college student and banners lined the open air walkways and balconies. Adding to the frenzy were the daily beach side dance performances of the Cincinnati Fire Department. After I saw an ad on TV for the daily shows, with a curious Cap'n and Don Deb and I decided it would be a good idea to wander over and show our support for these men in uniform who had made such a sacrifice  to travel so far from their cold hometowns to a warm and sunny locale full of women in bikinis. Let's just say, they really heated things up.....

Awaiting the arrival of the Cincinnati Fire Department at the The Lani Kai Resort, FMB Spring Break Central

I'm all yours, ladies...

The shark worked for Katie Perry, so why not for the firemen?

The firemen strutting their stuff for the young and young at heart spring breaker's

The guy in the hat had a lot of self confidence  -- 

This was the 28th the CFD has performed at FMB, this year raising money for the local Araba Shriners.

During Deb and Don's visit it became apparent that Ham had had enough of us -- he spent as much time as he could snuggling with Deb (and she graciously obliged him)

Next up on the list of Spring Breakers/Northern Winter Escapees were my brother Peter, sister in law Mary, and niece Caroline, also on her last college spring break. They came aboard FREEDOM in Fort Myers in anticipation of our trip across Lake Okeechobee.  In the past we have done that trip in 2 days, but this year we stretched it into 3 -- I liked it better that way. The weather was warm and our guests spent a lot of time on"FREEDOM Beach", soaking up the rays after a long cold winter.

When we weren't making them hold the lines in the locks,,, (our last locks on the Loop!)

And scrub the boat....

We hope they'll come back,,,,,

Fun in Fort Myers Beach & Fort Myers

We purchased FREEDOM 4 years ago in Fort Lauderdale, FL. We have spent 3 of the 4 winters since then in the Sunshine State and I must say it has never been more vibrant. From the Panhandle to St. Pete to Stuart the restaurants were bustling, shuttered storefronts have re-opened their doors and the traffic: Yikes!  Even before snowbird season began things were hopping.

We had a very good winter in Florida. I already posted about our time on the Panhandle and in St. Pete, and I am way overdue on a Fort Myers beach post.  So here it is, in words and pictures......

We had never even heard of Fort Myers Beach until someone along the way suggested we stop there this winter. So happy we listened.  It has just enough beach shops, bars and restaurants to keep it lively and the colorful homes and storefronts give it a Key West feel with out the Key West craziness and pricing.

The Cottages of Paradise Point look about perfect to me

Another colorful house

24/7 you could hear Jimmy Buffett music playing from the deck of this whimsical inn

A false front hides the parking area for a row of townhouses

Palm trees line the beach

Outdoor cafes, live music and a sunset ceremony keep the "Times Square" area of Fort Myers Beach lively day and night.

And the beach -- it was lovely. I am not usually a big fan of beach sitting or even sand, but the Fort Myers Beach sand was soft and white and it was always hard to pack up my things and leave after a few hours of sunbathing.

Moss Marina, our home from mid-February to mid-March was perfect. We docked on a T-head giving us a front and center view of the bayside activity. A steady stream of boats passed by from morning to night, even mid week: pleasure craft, shrimpers, tour boats, the local Pirate Ship, and the Big M Casino boat.

After dark departure for a shrimp boat

We saw a few commercial tugs and barges, but they looked small after what we had seen on the Mississippi!

The Coast Guard Station across the bay sent out training and rescue ships almost every day.  The rescue boats always left in a hurry -- leaving us to bounce in their wake.

Pieces of Eight, the local Pirate Ship, passed by at least once a day.  We knew when to Hurrah! and when to Aaarrrrggghhhh! and when the Limbo contest would start. It always sounded like fun....

The was the  view of the Big M Casino boat form our side deck as she returned to the dock.  Yikes - one day she came so close we almost abandoned ship!

The activity was not only in the water....the marina has a few large boat storage sheds.  All daylong the dockhands removed boats from their stacked slips, drove them to the water and launched them.

Where Boats Fly:  Moss Marina, FMB

The marina is family owned and even the great grandchildren of the owner, GT, work in the office and on the docks.  A handful of the dockhands live on site -- one on a boat, with Ham's arch enemy Moola the dock dog, and others in a camper in one of the large storage sheds. It was a lively place. There was so much to look at on shore and in the water that many days I never made it to the beach.

The Annual Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Fest took place just before our month was up.  A morning parade was followed by a two day craft fair, a Shrimp Queen contest, and a shrimp eating contest.  We might not have eaten any shrimp at the shrimp fest, but we certainly had our fill from the local fish market Trico's. With a fleet of shrimp boats right out their back door, we figured it couldn't get any fresher (other than the shrimp I bought directly from the shrimper in Mobile).

King Neptune led the Parade (kinda scary at 10AM)

Neptune's Shrimp Court

The Red Cross is always at the ready

A big ovation for these local beauties

Everyone stood up and cheered for our armed services

I loved this boat

We took a break from the parade and wandered over to the food tents. Lots of shrimp, crayfish and grouper on the grill

Meanwhile, back at the parade the topless women showed up -- advertising the local tattoo and henna parlour. We had never seen a topless float -- yes they were tastefully hennaed, but it was a bit shocking....( there were children in the crowd!) 

Finally, the clothed members of the yacht club appeared.

With our bellies stuffed with shrimp and grouper and a little more sand on the decks, FREEDOM departed Fort Myers Beach on Monday March 16th, destination Fort Myers. We were thrilled to learn that a block party was on tap for St. Patrick's Day.  I've never seen so many green shirts and wigs in my life.

Who says Snow Birds can't have fun?

When I saw this group I told the Cap'n "We need to up our game next year!"

Beer Mug hats were popular....

I'll admit, I stalked this hand in hand father/daughter pair. Loved his kilt, loved her confidence..and there are no words for the hair

The Hip Natuticals...loved them...my new (second) favorite band

Even the beard....

We had a lot of guests while we were in Florida( say "Beach" and they will come), but that is another post for another day.....

Lazy on the Loop

Yes, a good while has passed since my last post. I guess we've just been having too much fun and/or I've gotten lazy.  My camera and cell phone have lots of photos that tell the story of the past month, and now it is time to put it into words......


Our slip at Moss Marine in Fort Myers Beach was on a T-head, affording us a front row view of birds and boats along the bay. Pelicans were everywhere, sitting on pilings, skimming the water, waiting anxiously for fishermen cleaning their catch to throw a scrap into the water.

Here is one lucky bird who caught some dinner, but then had some trouble getting it into his gullet under the watchful eye of a "friend". This guy (gal?) was clearly not as unfocused as I have been over the past several weeks......

Hope no one can see I have a fish in my beak...

Rats, they might know..maybe I'll hide it under my wing...

Fish, what fish? I don't have a fish

Phew, fooled them -- I got away with my fish

Ok, I'm all set to toss it in the air and let the whole thing slide down my throat...just the way us pelican's like to eat

Ooops, now it's draped over my bill and I can't open it..

Gullet extended and all systems are go.....

And nothing.....and so it went for about 10 minutes. He finally got it in his gullet and  dinner was served.

All in a day's work for a pelican......nothing lazy about that.......