Hartian Family Vacation Day 7

We had a slow start to our morning, eating breakfast late. The kids ate inside due to the fact that we kept getting bit by No-see-ums. We played Uno while we ate. It is an American themed Uno game with the pictures on the cards being jukeboxes, the Liberty Bell, the American flag, and an eagle (which I said looked like Cato from Jenny L. Cote’s new book).

We left Sanibel Harbor at around 12:00 noon, and drove down a road that is close to our condo to see what was there (when we turn into our street, there is another road right next to it, and mom always wondered what was down there). It was another hotel and more condos right on the beach. Then we drove to Shell Point Retirement Communities, because the friends we met up with last night told us we could see manatees there. It is a beautiful retirement community. It is also a Christian one, and they have a ministry elderly people can be a part of that helps send money to a publishing company that produces Christian curriculums and Sunday school tracts. We did get to see the manatees, and it was fun watching them poke their snouts up to breath. They were so cool!

Then we left, and drove back to Sanibel Island – we drove right through Sanibel, and up to Captiva Island. Well, on the bridge connecting Sanibel to the mainland, we saw a dolphin jump. It was the coolest thing! Before we went to Captiva’s beach, we drove around exploring the island. It was a small island, and didn’t take us that long to go through. There were a lot of big houses. Captiva seems like a place where a lot of wealthy people live.

After driving around, we went to the beach. It was beautiful! And there were more shells than there were on Sanibel or at Lovers Key. Mom, Ricky, and Dad found a lot of conch shells. While we were swimming, three (or more) dolphins came playing around us. They were not more than 20 feet from us. It was amazing! We played on the beach and in the water for two to three hours, then cleaned up and went to dinner.

We ate at Doc Fords. It was DELICIOUS! Before the main course came, Dad ordered calamari and all of us ate it and really enjoyed it. Then he told us it was squid (it still tasted good after I learned what it was, though😂). I ordered shrimp tacos. They were yummy! All of us ate till we were stuffed. I would definitely go there again.

After dinner, we drove to the shopping center Love Boat Ice Cream is in on Sanibel, because mom saw a sweatshirt she liked, and wanted to buy it. The drive was long enough that we were able to listen to the Pineapple Guy (for an explanation look at day five), and pray on the way home. Then, we came back to our condo (which I keep accidentally referring to as home), and packed, because this is sadly our last day (unless we extend our trip). Then, I read my Bible and went to bed.