Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Monday, April 29, 2019

Sunday, April 28, 2019

Beach


Surf, sand and shells on the long beach along the southern side of Sanibel.

Saturday, April 27, 2019

Bubble Room Emporium


The Bubble Room Emporium is a small gift shop adjunct to the Bubble Room, 
an iconic Captiva restaurant.

Friday, April 26, 2019

Gopher Tortoise


Gopher tortoises face serious threats in southwest Florida as real estate development infringes on
the tortoises' native habitat.  This gopher tortoise lives at Barefoot Beach County Preserve.

Thursday, April 25, 2019

Flamingo


A flamingo at the Everglades Wonder Gardens marches to its own drummer.

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Another Beauty


A free range turkey walking around the Everglades Wonder Gardens in Bonita Springs.

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Peacock


A male peacock preens to attract the femmes at Everglades Wonder Garden.

Monday, April 22, 2019

Easter Egg Hunt


There was much less competition at Sunday's Easter egg hunt.


Willa, almost four, Hazel, two.

Sunday, April 21, 2019

Royal Scoop's 25th Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Royal Scoop, a terrific local ice cream shop, holds an annual Easter egg hunt in the field of a church across the street.  Hundreds of little kids (and their larger parents) look forward to it.


Volunteers sprinkled the field with thousands of colorful eggs.


Many of the egg hunters in the 2-5 year old hunt looked much older.


Some worried hunters got separated from parents.



Afterwards, the hunters examined their haul.



There were, of course, slides and swings and bounce houses.



Then, racing with an egg in a spoon.



And finishing with the egg toss.

Saturday, April 20, 2019

Ice Cream


Even though the City of Bonita Springs has undertaken a major renovation of Old Route 41,
it still has the feeling of long lost days.  A small ice cream shop shares space with a flower shop.

Friday, April 19, 2019

Beach Gymnastics


Get some American teen girls together on a beach and pretty soon the cheers, back flips, 
somersaults, handstands and other gymnastic moves will begin.


Some good.


Some just enthusiastic.

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Mysore Fig Tree


Shangri-La Springs has two huge mysore fig trees on the property.  One was recently named the biggest in Florida, but construction in the area makes it unphotographable.  This is the second mysore fig tree on the property.  It is considered the third largest in Florida and is called the Challenger Tree.

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Shangri-La Springs


Shangri-La Springs is a hundred year old hotel complex on Old Route 41 in Bonita Springs.
The property has statues and signs about relaxation and meditation, citing influences like the
Calusa natives who once lived here, the Spanish settlers, and Chinese and Indian.

I don't get it.

Monday, April 15, 2019

Bonita Springs Fire Station


A fire station on Bonita Springs' Old Route 41 has a new park beside a mural honoring firefighters' contributions in dealing with the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center.
The artist is Laurent Dareau, a naturalized citizen from France.


See Monday Mural for other photographs of murals.

Sunday, April 14, 2019

Water Lilies








Water lilies are captivating.  I can see why Claude Monet was fascinated by them.

Saturday, April 13, 2019

Volunteers

 





Volunteers at Naples Botanical Garden planted 150 clumps of native grass is a wetland.
The grasses are part of a natural cleansing process for rainwater and stream overflows.

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Symmetry


An attractive new house on Gulf Shore Boulevard.
They really need to move the right planter eleven inches to the right
 and give the flowers in the left planter some extra fertilizer.

And maybe move the sun.

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Guys and Dolls


I went to a performance of Guys and Dolls by the Naples Players at Sugden Theater.
The Naples Players is an amateur theater group with a long history.  The performance was pretty close to the quality of an Actors Equity show, especially the dancing.


After the show, the lead performers greeted the crowd in the lobby.


On the way out.

Monday, April 8, 2019

Colorful and Funky Matlacha










A visit to the fishing-village-and-quirky-art-center-plus-trinket-shops
 Matlacha (mat-luh-SHAY) is a seasonal ritual.

Visit Monday Mural for more murals.