Sanibel Itinerary … Just About as Close to Perfect as it Gets

I love that some of my friends have been to this special place and love it as much as I do. If you’ve never been to/never heard of Sanibel Island, I highly recommend it for the kind of laid-back, low-key vacation that is hard to find in other parts of Florida. Of course, we’re very, very lucky because we’re closely related to a pair of people with a lovely home there who let us visit several times per year — provided, of course, that we bring their grandchildren. 😉

Last week was one of our best visits yet. The weather was ideal just about every day (mid-80s and sunny) and the island was, well… it was just what Sanibel should be.

Saturday: Arrived in time to dye Easter eggs. Unpacked while Dad barbecued. Mmm… grilled anything is always good.

Sunday: Easter egg hunt, then church, then brunch, then shucked off the nice clothes, put on our bathing suits and spent the afternoon at the beach. Lovely big waves (for Sanibel) meant the boys could boogie-board to their hearts’ content. They’re getting so big… HWDD and I went swimming with the boys for a while, as the water was so warm and perfect, but when we decided to sit on the beach and read, we realized that both kids are big enough to be allowed to swim in the ocean alone. Huge milestone! Saw a pod of dolphins, pretty far out.

Monday: Biked up to Blind Pass to watch the dredging that’s reopening the filled-in channel. Strolled the beach, biked back, then made our mandatory trek to Cheeburger Cheeburger and spent the afternoon shopping with the boys for new sandals and a bike helmet to replace the one Thing 1 outgrew. I saw a lovely palm-tree necklace that I might be seeing again on Mother’s Day, if I’m lucky.

Tuesday: The boys went to sports camp at the Club in the morning and had a ball playing tennis, golfing, and swimming. HWDD and I took rode our bikes (alone!), went kayaking (alone!) through Clam Bayou to Silver Key and Turner Beach, watched nesting Bald Eagles trying to steal a newly-caught fish from an Osprey, walked the beach (alone!), swam (alone — good thing, as the wind and waves were pretty high). Afterwards, we sat on the lanai and watched the week’s only thunderstorm, before taking Great-Grandma out to dinner on the mainland. Had coffee and ice cream at The Bean while HWDD synched up his email. (I guess there has to be one place on the island that’s linked to civilization).

Wednesday: Spent all day at the beach on Captiva. Saw the usual assortment of egrets, herons, pelicans, etc. The boys boogie-boarded, built a sand construct (could not really be described as a castle), and tried to identify shells. Thing 2 declared every one of them to be a “rare find.” HWDD and I ate dinner out (alone!) at the Mad Hatter while Meme and the boys had their own date. Mad Hatter was amazing: every table with a perfect view of the beach and sunset, and food on par with the best of San Francisco restaurants. How have I never eaten at this restaurant before?!? (Oh, yeah… I have kids. And the prices here also are on par with the best San Francisco restaurants.) After dinner, we strolled the beach in the twilight, then decided to drive up to the Mucky Duck for drinks and to see if they had music playing. They did — the beach bar and the guitarist were still going strong, and a few people were dancing. We joined in. Margarita in hand, stars overhead, beach at my feet, the sound of waves in the background… can I live like this all the time? Please?

Thursday: Boys went back to camp at the Club. HWDD and I ate breakfast under the palms at Key Lime Bistro, strolled around the shops, and decided to try our hand riding a Waverunner. What incredible fun! I want to do this with the boys when they are big enough to hold on. Holding on is not a minor thing at full speed on a Waverunner. We spent the afternoon sitting outside, reading and watching the boys play in the pool.

Friday: The boys wanted to golf, but the course was too busy so we all went to the driving range. Thing 2 got very frustrated. I told him that’s pretty much what golf is all about. We biked to the new playground with a rock wall next to Bowman’s Beach, then came back and played in the pool. HWDD and I played many hands of gin. We all drove by Meme’s dream beach house (the boys approve the idea of her buying it) before going out for an evening at the Cracker Box. The food was terrific, as always — fried fish, fried shrimp, fried green tomatoes, fried other stuff, and cold beer. The music was wonderful, the dancing was great fun, and I was asked to sing a number with the band. It’s wonderful to visit a place where you’re remembered and welcomed, and the Cracker Box is that kind of place. They even made room for the boys to curl up and go to sleep in a corner booth when it got late.

Saturday: Long day at the beach — just my kind of day. It was sunny and the water was very calm and warm. Thing 1 wasn’t happy about the lack of waves for boogie-boarding, but the opportunities for wading far, far out into the water were excellent. I taught the boys how to spot sandbars by the change of color in the water, and we saw many, many small fish in the clear water and watched a dolphin fishing close to shore. He (she?) jumped, darted and spun several times in the course of catching a meal. Our best wildlife sighting of the week occurred soon after: I saw two stingrays swimming just below the surface, just ten feet or so away from me. We got to watch them swimming around, in tandem, quite close to us, for about five minutes. Somehow we spent eight hours at the beach. It felt like two.

Sunday: Up at 4:30 Eastern time to begin a long, long day of flying home. I don’t suppose there’s likely to be a direct flight from San Jose to Ft. Myers in the near future, but I can keep dreaming.