Day-24 to Day-29 .. Oct.26-31

Hi.  I will use this post entry to record activities and some photos for my stay with Barbara & Barry in Captiva for this last time period before I begin my big trek back home through Florida-Georgia-Tennessee-Illinois-Missouri-Kansas-Colorado-Wyoming-Idaho and Oregon starting next Thursday, Nov.1, when I plan to stop at Atlanta, Decatur(IL), Leavenworth, Wichita, Ft.Collins, and Thermopolis.    KEEP CHECKING THIS POST ENTRY UNTIL THE NOV.1 .. ENTRY.

Day-24 / Oct.26    and then there were THREE.    Jeanette + Matt + Cameron + Maggie left in the morning for Orlando.   They will be spending Saturday at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park.  I drove David & Ruth Ann and Marty & Jessie to the airport after lunch.   They were flying on the same airplane to Denver.  I stopped at Jiffy Lube for an oil change.  Very windy and a wild big surf today.  I did take a few photos at sunset (of course).

Day-25 / Oct.27    This was a bike ride day.   Over 11-miles.    Very windy and a heavy surf.  Not a beach day.  We first biked to the library.  Read some magazines and papers. They have a neat historical display showing the history of Captiva.

We then biked down to the Tween Waters marina and browsed through their shop and dock.    Jensen Marina was next.   A mama manatee and her baby were next to the dock.   South Seas marina was next. Another mama and baby were there also.   Lots of yachts in the harbor were decked out for Halloween.  Rode up to Land's End and watched fishing boats arriving due to the incoming rip tide conditions.   Pelicans by the dozens were feeding in the 'roiling' waters.  Later in the afternoon we took another bike ride down to the Beach Stuff store and the shops at South Seas' entrance.    I continued up to the South Seas marina and took some more photos in the setting sun.

Matt sent a couple pictures from their trip to Disney's Animal Kingdom, showing Cameron enjoying a dinosaur dig, this time with BIG bones.    Here he is at the entrance :

Day-26 / Oct.28    Sunday in Captiva means a bike ride to The Lazy Flamingo for lunch and watching some NFL action.    Before this trip I rode up to Land's End to look at the effects of the powerful winds we have this morning.   Many ospreys and turkey vultures were out riding the stiff winds.

Look at these palm trees!      When I returned to the unit we headed down the main road.   Had a good lunch.   Barbara left before us to go through an open house on her way back.  Barry & I stayed to watch the Denver Broncos vs Kansas City Chiefs game through the first half.  We left and had to battle a stiff head wind all the way back.

Another sunset tonight :

Day-27 / Oct.29    Monday  .. another PERFECT day in Captiva !   Temperature very comfortable most of the day.   We biked down to Tween Waters marina's gift store so that Barbara could look over their hand puppets.    They ARE cuuuute!     here's a couple :

 We then rode to .. The Mucky Duck and I texted my former workplace and asked Joe.S to confirm that he could see me on the 'live cam'.   He texted back and said that he, Lisa, Ben, Rishal, and Frank did indeed see me in paradise!   Fun!    Rode on to the South Seas Resort store and the Ships' Store.

After lunch it was  ... BEACH TIME!       view from my chair :

little windy,  see the extra 'ballast' to hold the umbrella against the northerly wind?

If it's Monday,  it must be ... BUBBLE ROOM dinner night !       10-1/2 miles of biking today!

and ... a few more SUNSET pictures from tonight  ... capping another PERFECT Captiva day!

Jeanette replied ...  can you see the  HEART  ?

Day-28 / Oct.30    Tuesday        David's birthday -today,   Ruth Ann's birthday -tomorrow.    I biked up to the marina to see the manatees again and to Land's End to see RedFish Pass.    We biked down to the library to return Barbara's books on the Canadian Rockies, a road trip they're planning for next summer.     We stopped by the Jungle Drums gallery on our way back.   Bought several painted cards.

GAG  -  you'd love this gallery/store     ...    by owners & artists  Kathleen & Jim Mazzotta

We biked back for lunch and spent the afternoon on the beach.     Very pleasant.     Dolphins were putting on another show.     Ospreys were in the trees preening their feathers.

And, of course, after a delicious dinner that Barbara & Barry cooked, a walk out for ... sunset.

Tomorrow, Wednesday .. is laundry day, packing day, and squeezing out more beach and sunset time.

Thursday .. oh dark thirty, starts the long trek home.

Day-29 / Oct.31    Wednesday     Happy Halloween!     LAST day in paradise!     Or, as I have discovered, paradise is anywhere you can spend time with family and friends!    We spent the morning packing and preparing the unit.    We did take time to do one more bike ride.    Rode to the South Seas entrance to Starbucks and an americano and a picture in front of the sign :

Then, thanks to Matt's free ice cream coupons, we rode back to the 'Scoops & Slices' diner next to the main pool for an ice cream cone.    I found another interesting sign :

After lunch I set up the umbellas for one last beach afternoon.

We had a visitor :

After dinner, of course,  ....  is our last beautiful    ..   S   U     N       S         E           T

Good BYE  CAPTIVA  and  Barbara & Barry.    Thanks!  for a fantastic time and visit!   
Thanks!  for hosting all of us, Jeanette+Matt+Cameron+Maggie+Jessie+Marty+Ruth Ann+David+me.
Looking forward to visiting friends and relatives on the northern trek home.    More highways, back roads, interesting signs and small towns and buildings.     Stay-tuned.

mileage while at Captiva :  286             (airport pick-up & drop-off trips and Sanibel visits)
accumulated trip mileage :  4407