Fort Myers

March 18, 2008



We arrived that evening around 6:30 p.m. The office was closed but they left a note as to what space we were assigned. The RV park roads were narrow and we had to make a tight turn and then a quick right turn into our site. Some of the neighbors came out to watch because they couldn't believe that we were assigned to this site because of our length. We finally got into the space but we did run over their concrete patio pad and busted it up good. The neighbor said not to worry about it that most the patios had been cracked. The park is not maintained very well and apparently their under new management. Not exactly a good place to stay for a week but we will manage.


We came to Fort Myers to visit Marty and Kay Casper. Marty is one of Larry's best friends and he had a heart attack three weeks ago. They haven't been able to do any tests because his kidneys were not functioning properly. When we arrived we got good news that his kidneys had improved and hopefully next week they can do the tests they need for open heart surgery. Kay has Macular Degeneration and is legally blind so it makes it difficult for her to help Marty. Kay's sister is coming to stay with them until Marty is back on his feet. Anyway it was good to see them both.

The first night we sat in their patio and enjoyed catching up on all the news. Kay fixed us a wonderful dinner. I don't know how she does it. The next day we met for breakfast and looked at another RV park that we could stay in next time we visit. Marty went home to rest and we met again around 5:00 p.m. After a drink at their house we went to a restaurant where we met two other couples who are friends of theirs. The restaurant was a lot of fun. We sat outside and they had entertainment. We were able to dance and Larry of course got to sing to all of us.
We told Kay that we had errands to run the next day and would let Marty rest during the day and come to see them around 5:00 p.m. So we drove north to Gasparilla Island to take pictures of two lighthouses. It was a nice drive and the island was very quaint. We walked on the beach - the sand is very white making it hard to see. There are sea shells every where. We found a cute little restaurant for lunch where we could sit outside on their deck. We had soup and salad and enjoyed the scenery. Drove back and had dinner at Marty and Kay's house.
On Saturday it rained all day. I caught up on all the laundry and did some house cleaning. It was nice to relax and enjoy the rain. We picked Marty and Kay up at their house around 5:00 p.m. and drove to a restaurant for dinner. It was excellent and we were all stuffed to the gills.
Easter Sunday we went to an Easter Brunch and some friends of the Marty and Kay's. We had some appetizers and then we had an Easter egg hunt. Our host and hostess had hidden 12 plastic eggs. We were instructed to look for the eggs in the living room and dining room and we could only find one egg. On the outside of the egg was written a number and also instructions to do something. The first egg I found had instructions to sing Here Comes Peter Cottontail. I quickly gave that to Larry and took his egg. His egg said to trade with the tallest person in the room which I did. Then someone came to me to trade with someone who had an orange egg. Then someone came and traded with me for the shortest person. Now we were all done. The number on the egg indicated your dining partner. My dining partner turned out to be Marty. It was a great brunch and we met some very nice people. One couple at my table was from Venezuela. They told us about some friends of theirs that took their family to China for a vacation. They had two daughters with them in their early teens. They went into this market and quickly discovered that the Chinese eat cats. The cats were on display and the girls told their father that he had to get one. He said what will I do with the cat? They said they would let it go but at least they would save it from being killed and eaten. So the father gave in and told the clerk which one he wanted. The clerk took it down, chopped off its head, cut it into pieces, put it into a bag and handed it to the father. This all happened right before their eyes and the girls were devastated. The girls couldn't stop crying and it ruined their whole vacation. In fact, they went home early.
Larry and I left the brunch and told Marty and Kay that we would see them later. They suggested that we meet at the Taco Bell for dinner. They think the Taco Bell has the best Mexican food. We chuckled - what do you expect from people from Connecticut?
We went back to the RV and changed our clothes. Drove out to Sanibel Island to see the lighthouse and look for sea shells. Sanibel island is a crescent shape island and the wind blows the shells right up on the beach. We found a parking lot and walked down the beach toward the lighthouse. Not far from the parking lot was an osprey nest high up on a pole. The female was in the next and the male was sitting near by on a branch standing guard. The male practically posed for our cameras. They are as big as an eagle and the same coloring.
I found a few shells as we continued our stroll on the beach. The lighthouse was built in 1854 and looked rusty. We took our pictures and then started walking back to the parking lot. We noticed a short pier where people were fishing and decided to go out there and see what they were catching. Some people were throwing big round nets from the short and then pulling them in by hand. Others were fishing with poles. Didn't see anyone catch anything while we were there. As we started to leave we saw a guy on the beach waving a fish and three pelicans floating in the water in front of him. When the pelicans got closer, he dropped the fish and threw a net over one of the pelicans. He took it out of the net and covered it with a towel. I was really upset until I saw one of the beach policeman helping them. We couldn't get to the man before he left to ask him why he netted the pelican. We assumed that the pelican was injured and needed help.
On Monday we met Marty and Kay at a cafe for breakfast. It was time to say good by and we thanked them for a great time. Wished Marty good luck on his tests and also Kay on her cataract surgery.

We drove to Orlando and parked at Coach Care for our scheduled appointment for maintenance for the engine and generator.