Ladder

Down a side street in Bonita Springs.

Gull-Billed Tern

A gull-billed tern flew overhead at Barefoot Beach in Naples.

Beach

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

Bubble Room Emporium

The Bubble Room Emporium is a small gift shop adjunct to the Bubble Room, 

an iconic Captiva restaurant.

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.

Flamingo

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

Another Beauty

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

Peacock

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

Easter Egg Hunt

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

Willa, almost four, Hazel, two.

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.

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.

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.

Pelicans in Flight

Barefoot Beach, Naples, Florida

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.

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.

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.

Water Lilies

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

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.

Attention to Detail

Nice mailbox.

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.

A Yellow House, Three Ways

A fine house on Gulf Shore Boulevard.  Three ways.  Pick one.

1

2

3

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.

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.