Harns Marsh and the Apple Snails - sounds like a band!

Since I like collecting shells, I thought today we would go inland to find some snail shells I had read about on the I Love Shelling  blog. (www.ILoveShelling.com)  We loaded up on bug spray and took a "gator" stick (Noel's walking stick) and drove about 30 minutes out of Ft Myers to the Harns Marsh Preserve.  It was a beautiful morning and we were amazed at the number of bird species we saw, including herons, hawks, limpkins, ducks, coots, egrets, grackles, sparrows, woodpeckers and king fishers!  We are going to go back again soon just to do some birding.  But this time we were on a mission!  I wore long pants (even though its 87 degrees) and both of us trekked out into the marshy muck to find some snails.  It didn't take long to spot some and there turned out to be hundreds!

I'm ready to hunt me some snails....

The Island Apple Snail is an invasive species, but the rare Everglades Kite and the Limpkins have adapted to add these to their diet.  Once eaten, the empty shells are scattered about, some as big as a small apple, and they are really pretty! Obviously, there are some well fed birds - these were all in one spot.  Like a snail snack shack!

Noel was helping me!

See why I wore long pants?  Those little burrs are sharp!

 

Some of the birds we saw, including the rare Limpkin!

 



After collecting several dozen, we squished back in our soggy, stinky shoes, drove home and immediately showered!  The shells are now soaking in some bleach-y water for me to clean them all out and send some to my friends Jean and Linda, keeping one or two here in the trailer to remind me of our fun "Snail Adventure - 2013".

See how big and pretty they are?

Our TENTH week on the road - Time flies when you are having fun!

It's been a fairly busy week for the Traveling Lemons'!  We are finding lots to see and do in the Ft Myers area.  A friend from high school (since reconnected through Facebook) had let me know she was going to be in this area and asked if I had wanted to get together.  Of course I said yes!  Noel and I met Sheri and her cousin Elaine Carter (and her hubby Rich) over on Sanibel for "Taste of the Island", a wildlife fundraiser held on the golf course.  We tried lots of yummy food, including lobster rolls, shrimp, crab-fennel bisque and of course left room for key lime pie and salted caramel ice cream.  It turns out that Sheri's cousin Elaine and I have a lot in common, including a love of sea shells and photography.  We've since gotten together to do some shelling, and its so nice to have a friend here that loves the beach as much as I do (seeing as how Noel is not much of a beach person).

Sheri and I at "Taste of the Islands"

One thing Noel and I BOTH like are farmers markets and thrift stores - and those are in abundance here!  There has been no shortage of fresh tomatoes around here, and the next good read is always at hand.  They even have entire Goodwill stores that are just books!  Heaven!

Noel had read in the paper that the Sanibel library was looking for a maintenance man, and since he really, REALLY, misses working, we went over to the island so he could apply for the job.  Unfortunately, they really want someone to work for the entire season (through March).  He was bummed!

While on the island we rode our bikes a bit, and came across this young gopher tortoise.

 

 

They had the coolest water fountain at the nature center we stopped at - you can refill your water bottles!!

 



 

 

 

Afterwards, we drove through the Ding Darling Nature Preserve, and was excited to see these white pelicans (they have a 9 foot wingspan!) -

 

 

 





 

some Roseate Spoonbills

 



 

 

a tri-color heron

 



 

 

lots of Anhingas, crabs and other shore birds

 



 

 





On another day, we drove to Naples to sightsee for the day.  I know the economy is bad in places, but obviously not in Naples!  So many nice stores, expensive cars, chic restaurants and lush landscaping.  We window shopped at all the expensive places ($36,000 diamond necklace anyone?), then stopped at a few consignment shops on the way home looking for a more comfortable chair for the trailer.  We couldn't afford the consignment shops in Naples either!  We also stopped at a Farmers Market, where I thought $6 for a bag of cracklin's was a bit high, but the produce was affordable, so we stocked up on fresh fruits and veggies.

 

Various pics from Naples:

 

cute Christmas decoration

cool bar

farmers market

beautiful glass

lush archways

palm tree lined streets

nice architecture

adorable shop

funky flowers

 



On another day we went to a fine art show, but I hadn't been feeling well, and I finally had to admit I was going to need to go to Urgent Care.  I have Interstitial Cystitis, so I often have bladder pain, and its hard to tell the difference from the regular bladder pain, especially if I have eaten something that is an irritant, from bladder infection pain.  Good thing we went - I had a raging bladder infection so now I'm on antibiotics.  Geez, always something!

 

We've been eating a lot of fish and seafood, but no Noel, we don't have room in the freezer for this one!

 

 

I forgot to show you one of my finds from shelling in Sanibel - I found this fist sized heart cockle, and was about it throw it back (no room in the trailer for big shells!) when I felt it rattle.  Inside was this perfect, and un-occupied banded tulip!  The cockle must have eaten the little guy in the tulip, and then something else ate the cockle!  How cool!!  Had to keep it after that just for the novelty of it!

 

 

While on the beach with Elaine the other afternoon, we saw the "Sanibel Thriller" going by - I zoomed in with the camera to see what they were all looking at, and there were dolphin jumping behind the boat!  Wheeeeee

 

(you can click any of the pictures to make them larger)

 

The skies here are always so pretty in the evening...

 

 

 

that turned into a beautiful full moon.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reading on the Road - Book Reviews

I’ve managed to misplace the cord that transfers pictures from my camera to the computer, so I’m not able to post about all the fun things we’ve been doing! So frustrating - it’s a small space! What could I have possibly done with it? Infuriated - I ordered a replacement from Amazon and its set to arrive on Monday.

Until then, I was planning to post about all the good books I’ve read since beginning our RV adventure, so I figured now was as good a time as any. Neither of us has felt particularly stellar, so in between all the fun things you see me post about, there is a LOT of down time, during which I usually have my nose in a book.

With the help of the Dayton Metro Library (thanks Greg!) I have been able to download books to my Kindle, and since Noel and I both love to thrift shop, I have a stack of books always at the ready. As I read them, I just leave them at the campgrounds because almost all of them have had a “book exchange” area in their community rooms.

I’ve read 14 books in the 10 weeks we’ve been on the road! I love to read, but I probably only read 14 books all of last year, so it’s a record for me! I was originally going to give a full description of the book, but don’t want to spoil the read for you in case you want to read it too, so I will just list them and tell you whether I liked it enough to recommend it or not. So in case you are interested, here is what I’ve been reading -

Title: The Most Beautiful Thing
Author: Fiona Robyn
Notes: An interesting, heavy read about a young man with mental illness. Certainly not a “feel good” 
    story.
Recommend: Only if you like a more serious, heavy read.

Title: The Time Keeper
Author: Mitch Albom
Notes: By the same author as “Tuesdays with Maury”, it’s a well written fantasy story about how  
     “keeping time” began and about Father Time himself.
Recommend: Yes

Title: Casting Stones
Author: GM Barlean
Notes: Talk about depressing! Set in the 20s, a young man loses his wife to drowning and how
     horrible his life is after that….
Recommend: No

Title: Heartburn
Author: Nora Ephron
Notes: Written in 1^st person, conversational style, the book is about her cheating husband and the
     effects it has on their marriage.
Recommend: No

Title: Missing Sisters
Author: Gregory MaGuire
Notes: I love anything by Gregory MaGuire! The story of a child in the 60s being raised by nuns.
Recommend: Yes

Title: Moon Women
Author: Pamela Duncan
Notes: The story o9f 3 generations of women (last name “Moon”) and their interactions, memories
     and life lessons. Very well written.
Recommend: Resounding YES

Title: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Author: Rebecca Scoot
Notes: The true story of a black woman with cervical cancer, and how her tissue sample of cells,
     taken without her permission, live on as “super cells” and have been used in research for decades. 
Recommend: Yes, for a serious, educational read - especially if you like biology/medical science

Title: All the Single Ladies
Author: Jane Costello
Notes: By the same author of the book/movie “Bridesmaids” - a fun, light read.
Recommend: Yes, especially if you are a fan of Sophie Kinsella, as their writing style is similar

Title: The Art of Racing in the Rain
Author: Garth Stein
Notes: I would never have thought I would like this book, since it is written from the family dog’s
     perspective, but it is very poignant and well written!
Recommend: Highly!

Title: The Returned
Author: Jason Mott
Notes: Stopping short of being a zombie story, people that have been long dead begin returning 
     to life and how people in a small town react to their return
Recommend: Not really - not particularly riveting or compelling

Title: Book of Someday
Author: Dianna Dixon
Notes: At first a bit hard to follow as each chapter jumps from a different person and time period.
    There are 3 main characters, and the author ties them all together eventually in a surprising twist.
    I really enjoyed this one!
Recommend: Highly! Well written!

Title: The Weight of Silence
Author: Heather Gudenkauf
Notes: Excellent book! A real page turner! The story of 2 missing 7 year old girls.
Recommend: Yes

Title: The Life List
Author: Lori Nelson Spielman
Notes: A light read with the moral of the story being, moms know best!
Recommend: Yes, a fun light beach read

Title: Rainshadow Road
Author: Lisa Kleypas
Notes: A typical chick-lit love story, but I picked it up because it was about a glass-artist! A typical
     girl meets boy love story.
Recommend: Yes, another light beach read


So, there you have it.  I would love to hear your thoughts on any of these books, or your recommendations of what I should be reading!  Since leaving comments is rather arduous on this blog, feel free to email me at MetroAnnaM@msn.com

　

Island Life is the Life for Me!

I've been without easy internet access, so I haven't been able to keep up the blog, but that should be resolved this week.  We are settled in to our new home at the Groves RV Resort in Ft. Myers, and my friends Jean and Linda have left for home.  I had a wonderful two weeks with them on Sanibel Island, and miss them already.  I'm so thankful for good friends...

The three of us, Jean, me and Linda, having dinner at Doc Fords.

Most days were spent on the beach, relaxing and picking up all the beautiful sea shells that Sanibel beaches are so famous for.  We enjoyed the gorgeous sunsets and wildlife - but I was most excited to see a bald eagle.  I don't recall ever seeing one "in the wild", and at first thought it was just another Osprey. 

My first bald eagle sighting!

This is the biggest Blue Heron I've ever seen, and he flew by my head so close I could have reached out and touched him.





Every day is different on the beach, some days there are lots of seagulls, other days we found lots of shells, and one afternoon we saw hundreds of horseshoe crabs along the shore, mating.

Those are all horseshoe crabs!

I never got tired of these beautiful birds, the Snowy Egret with their yellow feet.  They stalked the fisherman and were quite funny to watch.

as were the other shorebirds - osprey, gulls, terns, pelicans, and more...

One afternoon I enjoyed watching a young family play on the beach.  It's funny, you can always tell the European tourists because they have no hesitation about stripping their kids down and letting them play naked, and they readily change their clothes right on the beach.  I'm 1st generation Hungarian so I'm not phased by it, but watching the disapproving reactions of others on the beach was amusing to me.

 

 

 

It's funny how easily we assimilated to "island life".  Back when we were in Ohio, I didn't even like to come out of the dressing room in a bathing suit - here it's all I wear.  At the beach, stopping to get gas, stopping at the grocery store on the way home from the beach, all done in a bathing suit!  If we stay much longer, I can easily see myself becoming one of those leather-y old ladies wearing a bikini well past the appropriate bikini-wearing age!

 

The bathing suit lifestyle "suits" me!

 

 

In the meantime, while I was hanging out with my friends, Noel stayed back in Miami an additional few days to go to the Bengals/Dolphins football game with Jason.  Bengals lost in overtime, but it was Noel's first professional football game and he thoroughly enjoyed himself!

 





Noel and Jason at the football game

 

 

Once Noel got the trailer settled in Ft Myers, he came over and joined us a few times in Sanibel - I even got him out on the beach at sunset!

 





 

One of my last days at the beach we were there close to low tide and saw thousands, if not millions, of live sand dollars!  They looked like little blobs where the sand was exposed -

 

but you could pick them out of the sand and see they were live sand dollars

 

 

 

Once I waded out into the water, I saw dark areas on the bottom and then realized those were all baby sand dollars!  I was stepping all over them!  Yikes - I made my way back to the shore saying "sorry, ooh, sorry, excuse me, sorry, pardon me, I'm sorry".... I felt so guilty stepping on them!  Two days later we went back to that section of the beach and they were all gone! 

 

This little guy was out in broad daylight,

 

as was this curious, endangered gopher tortoise.  He came right up to my camera lens and sniffed it and was ready to take a bite had I not moved it away!

 

 



 And this guy was in the retention pond just outside of Ross Dress for Less (my new favorite store) -

 

 

One day Linda and I walked out to the seawall on the Sanibel side near Blind Pass, twice since I didn't take the camera the first time.  I paid the price of all that walking in the soft sand the next day, but it was worth it!

 

 

I leave you with one last Sanibel sunset....