Marco Island, Naples and Home, November 28 and 29, 2016

Yesterday, Monday the 28th, we drove the short distance down to Marco Island.  Many years ago we had stayed on Marco for a week with friends, Lloyd and Margaret Jones.  The place has changed in that the it has increased in growth.  We had stayed at Eagles Nest, a timeshare penthouse, which at that time was one of the larger buildings.  Today that building is one of the smaller high rises.  We then drove back to Naples.  Tom wanted to take some pictures of the beautiful houses and wanted to get lunch at Pincher's restaurant, a seafood restaurant that we had seen at several locations.  We went to the Pincher's in Tin City and were not disappointed.  We both ordered a shrimp skewer and crab cake dinner.  Since we have not found anywhere in Florida to have crab cakes as good as the Maryland crab cakes we were wondering if we were going to be sorry for our choice.  We both agreed that these cakes were the best we have had in Florida and were pretty close to Maryland style, lump crab meat with little filler.  After lunch we drove around taking some pictures of the stately homes along 3rd street,  walked out on the Naples pier,

walked about some shops in the area and then as we returned to the motorhome we stopped at Culver's for some ice cream.

Today, Tuesday 29th, we packed up the motorhome for our return to home.  We were on the road by 9:20am and drove 250 plus miles arriving at the storage lot about 1:45pm.  Before going home we did eat a late lunch at Oakwood Barbeque.  We had a real nice time in this Naples area and the Naples Motorcoach Resort was exceptionally nice.

Sand Sculpting and Swamps-November 26 and 27, 2016

Saturday (26th), we drove north to Fort Myers Beach for the American Sand Sculpting competition.  A couple miles before the beach a parking area was designated.  So we parked, paid our admission fee, $7.00 for me and $6.00 for Tom a veteran, and then rode a bus into the beach area.  An area of the beach was bordered off for this competition.  There were numerous  sculptures by master sculptures, amateurs and pairs of masters.  Some were completed and some were still being worked on.  We attended a talk about sand sculpting and how it is done.  Fort Myers Beach has some of the best sand to do sculpting in the U.S.  Sculptures were from various states and countries.  The sculptures were really beautiful and seemed to be such a pity to hear that on Monday they would be leveled out.

Today, Sunday, we went south to Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park.  Big Cypress is west of the Everglades.  We stopped at several Visitor's Centers.  At the Oasis V.C. There was a canal that had alligators, numerous fish and birds.  I had packed a picnic lunch which we ate at the picnic tables at the V.C. and then we heard a talk from a ranger about alligators.  This preserve is in the dry season that is causing areas to become drier making the fish move into the canals which attract birds and alligators.

 Big Cypress water supply comes from rains where the Everglades is fed by Lake Okeechobee.  On our return trip we took a Loop Road that was through cypress and palm forested  swamps.

 

;Beautiful day with temperatures in low 80's.

Tin City - November 25,2016

Today we returned to Tin City and found it to be bustling with people unlike yesterday.  This rustic area situated in the harbor of old Naples has many stores selling touristy stuff-  tee shirts, soaps, and decorative items to name a few.  Several restaurants are also located here and the fare is mainly seafood.  We ate lunch at Riverwalk restaurant on an outside patio alongside the harbor.  The fish and chips that we both had was a platter of several pieces of fish, fries and slaw and was very good.  Beautiful day with temperatures in the low 80's.

Naples, Florida for Thanksgiving, November 23 and 24,2016

Yesterday, Wednesday before Thanksgiving, proved to be a busy day for us as we were going to travel south to Naples, Florida in the motorhome for a long weekend.  Before leaving home I had an appointment to have my annual mammogram at 11am.  We packed up the Jeep with food, clothes and other stuff and then we went off stopping at the imaging center for my test.  PDQ restaurant, a fast food chicken place, was the next stop for a quick lunch and then off to the storage lot for the motor home.  By 12:20pm we were on the road going further south.  Most of our travels were on I-75.  We had reservations at Naples Motorcoach Resort and arrived there at 4:45pm, 265 miles.  After getting  checked in and set up we went to a little diner close by,  Amigos.  Good Mexican food and very busy.
Today, Thanksgiving, after taking a morning stroll about the campground, or I should say resort, we drove to the historical area of Naples.  Homes in this area are beautiful, big homes with a Spanish or Mediterranean style,  millions of dollars here.

 There were some nice shopping areas but most everything was closed except for some restaurants.  We did walk around the commercial area looking for a place for our Thanksgiving dinner.  Molto, an Italian restaurant, caught our attention and we were not disappointed.  Staff all spoke with  strong Italian accent.  We started with a shared antipasto of true Italian meats and cheeses, then we each had a pasta dish  with a very meaty sauce and finally, shared a tiramisu for dessert.  Scrumptious!

A word about Naples Motorcoach Resort- this is truly a resort.  The sites all have concrete pads,  streets are lined with royal palms, at least 2 swimming pools and hot tubs.  This is a gated resort that a site can be purchased although there looks as if there are many sites not sold.  We are not buying or care to discuss buying.  A special offer of staying for 4 nights and then receiving 2 nights free attracted us.