Beach Explorations - Day Two

Day 2 - Saturday, June 6, 2026

“Albert”, the name we’ve given to our alligator in the pond behind our condominium, made an early morning appearance again on this day.  He passed through the pond slowly in an unconcerned manner, with his tail propelling him along using back and forth motions that hardly made a ripple.  Kris regretfully missed this event, and that only heightened her desire to spot him again.  Even though she made frequent trips to the lanai to search for him, he had slipped away to his daylight hiding place, having apparently finished his nocturnal wanderings for this day.

After breakfast, we decided that another trip to the beach was in order.  Dressed in shorts to facilitate walking in the water, we also grabbed hats to ward off sunburn potential.  Slathering on sunblock lotion, we felt ready to head off to the beach.  The destination this time was Englewood Beach on Manasota Key, located due west of our condominium and a forty-minute drive.

     

Seashells are not as prolific at this beach, but Kris diligently searched for them and was rewarded for her efforts.  The water was warm, and the beach was fairly full with Saturday leisure seekers.  We walked for some distance on the sand and got our feet wet in the water with some waves reaching our knees.  Finally,  we crossed over the highway from the beach parking lot to the “Sandbar Tiki & Grille” for lunch.  This was a return visit for us, and we felt Kris would enjoy the outdoor dining, the live band, and the food.  We had a good meal, and then Kris changed into her bathing suit for the return walk up the beach.  She enjoyed the water, searching for more shells, while we watched from the water’s edge.  Sadly, when we reached our parked car, we realized that there were no water showers to wash off the powdery white sand that clung to our feet and legs.  We rubbed off as much as we could with a T-Shirt, and then headed home.

En route, we found a geocache location near our route, and stopped so Kris could claim her first Florida find.  Hidden cleverly by people, these items require a signature on a paper list enclosed in the small container.  Then an online report can be made in an App for recording the find.  An electronic badge is then assigned in the App commemorating the finder’s effort.  Watching was fun and interesting to the uninitiated observers that Jim and I were before that moment.

We finished the day with a stop for ice cream at Culver's, completing yet another good and satisfying trip to the beach.

Beach Explorations - Day One

 Friday, June 5, 2026

We’ve been enjoying the beaches of Southwest Florida for the last few days.  It all began with the arrival of Jim’s daughter, Kris, at Fort Meyers International Airport on Friday, June 5th.  The airport is directly south of where we live by traveling about 45-minutes on I-75.  Leaving the airport, we opted to head straight to Sanibel Island, famous for the abundant shells on its beaches, and chose Bowman’s Beach Park as our destination, because according to the Lee County website:  “Isolated and picturesque, this beach is probably the most popular on Sanibel. Great shelling and amenities make it worth the five minute hike from the parking area to the beach. Adventurous beachcombers can walk for several miles on unobstructed white sand beaches covered in shells. The shoreline at Bowman's Beach has experienced little of the intense development seen on the rest of the islands.”  It turned out to be completely true.

    

We observed several luxurious waterfront homes as we drove onto the island, then we turned northward and drove several miles to reach Bowman's Beach.  The parking lot was busy.  No matter the temperature, there were lots of parked cars and people heading to the beach laden with beach equipment (more on that later.)  The park has pavilions with shaded benches, bathrooms, water stations to rinse sand from your feet, and informative billboards about what you can potentially see strolling to the water along wooden boardwalks and sandy paths.  Pausing on a bridge crossing a canal, we spied two manatees in the water below.  Nicknamed “sea cows” as their noses resemble a cow’s nose, these gentle creatures rose to the surface to breathe often enough that we were able to photograph them, as fish jumped in the water around them.

As are most Gulf Coast beaches, the brilliant white sand spread out before us north and south as we reached the water.  Indeed, there were lots of shells, and we spent some time picking up several pretty ones.  Still being careful to not spend too much time in the sun to avoid sunburns, we headed back to the car with our shell prizes.  A late lunch was in order then, and we found a hotel nearby with a restaurant called “BRGR Kitchen and Bar” which not only had a great atmosphere, but good service and burgers that were truly delicious.  

We headed home, and ended the day with a beautiful sunset.  The alligator in the pond behind our house made an appearance, gliding by in the silver water just before dusk set in.  We’ve since learned that they feed at this time of the day and it is more likely to see them in the early evening, or sometimes in the early morning as daylight arrives.  Kris was impressed and spent many moments looking for “Albert” during her stay.