For the last two days we have been anchored off of Sanibel Island on the side west side of the J. N. "DIng" Darling NWR (cartoonist/father/founder of National Wildlife Refuge), a birding paradise. We launched our beloved Hobie kayak sailboat and sailed for many glorious, sun drenched hours over to Pine Island; a roseate spoonbill flew overhead so close, it felt as though I could reach up and touch it; a very rare treat, also saw wood storks that are fairly rare and for a short while a dolphin consented to gracefully glide next to us....nesting osprey's decorated every channel marker; feeding osprey gracefully glide on silent ribbons of wind, momentarily hover then fold their wings back to swiftly dive for unsuspecting prey which they carry aerodynamically aligned as they fly to their nest to feed a spouse sitting on eggs (they mate for life) or young.
Last week we departed from the comfortable, well-appointed Bob and Jeanne Resort in Jupiter and headed for the the east coast. Neail B. accompanied us as did glorious weather conditions as we traversed the somewhat seemingly endless miles (150) of Okeechobee Waterway that connect East with West coast Fl. A peaceful anchorage under a blanket of stars near Indiantown brought us to the entrance of Lake Okeechobee which means "big water" in the Seminole Indian language. The lake has a surface area of 730 square miles and is a key component to south Florida's fresh water supply and natural habitat to fish, birds and wildlife (the latter remained hidden.) Our second night our was spent at a county park dock where overnight docking was "strictly prohibited." We managed to spend the night without being fined or arrested for theft of services and left at daybreak for the final leg of the journey down the Caloosahatchee River to Ft. Myers.
While spending a couple of days in Ft Myers at the Royal Palms Yacht Club we toured the 20 acre Thomas Edison and Ford winter Estates which are situated immediately next door to the Yacht club. On the grounds of the Edison Estate is a Immense Banyan tree that was a gift of Harvey Firestone and currently covers an square acre of land (43,560 square feet!) The sap from the banyan tree provided latex from which tires were made for Henry Ford's cars. A tour took us through the gardens, museums , pool complex, caretaker's house, Botanic Research Laboratory and the Thomas Edison's winter home which was built in 1885; the yellow pine post and beam home was pre-cut in Maine and transported by ship to Ft Myers where local laborers assembled it. We gazed at the dining room table where Thomas Edison sat and dined with such notables as Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, Charles Lindbergh, Marie Curie, and President Herbert Hoover....very humbling.....to think that one man, in his 83 years of life was responsible for inventing the tin foil phonograph, electric lighting system and filament for the light bulb, and other inventions totaling 1093 patents that have had such a profound impact on mankind.
Nothing can compare with the pleasure of walking down the dock and spying a momma bottlenose dolphin teaching her baby to fish, of course I felt a little sorry for the fish who was clearly not having a "good day," but the baby dolphin certainly was, throwing the poor mullet up in the air and catching it and swimming helter skelter, jumping with glee, splashing gracefully only to give the poor fish another toss into the air….imagine the thoughts of the poor fish as he was being clenched between the rows of glistening white razor sharp cutting instruments of death while being propelled sideways through the water; in-between being lofted into the alien environment for an air born glimpse at the heavens where was likely to soon be residing. The lesson continued for 20 minutes and I'm happy to report that the fish lived to tell the tale of horror and likely live with matching rows of small puncture wounds and PTSD.
Others of his school however were not so lucky as the baby dolphin was a fast study and the fish were smaller and better suited to the baby's little pallet, Momma and baby delighted in dining; swiftly slicing through the school of mullet, chasing, chomping, throwing unsuspecting victims in the air and leaping to catch them mid-flight, landing gracefully with the sun sparkling like diamonds and reflecting in long rays off their steel grey bodies.
God and Mother Nature are grand.
Coincidentally we just passed G37A adorned with two majestic Bald Eagles ( in Lemon Bay, Manasota, south of Venice)
