Dinkin' around Marco Island today

We got up this morning, and spoke to Curtis, the dock master at the "dockominium" we tucked into last night.  He was very cool, and didn't charge us for the night or the shore power.  He even pointed us to an anchorage with good holding across Factory Bay.  That's just what we were looking for, but couldn't find in the dark, so off the dock we went.  We were all of three minutes away, and got the anchor set on the first try.  After a quick breakfast, we set out to go exploring Marco Island in the new dinghy.

If you see at the top of the sign, Marco Island is the largest, and most northern of the 10,000 islands.  The majority of the islands are a part of  Everglades National Park, and far too shallow for us to go exploring in Marquesa.

We dinked into Rose Marina, just across Factory Bay where we are anchored.  We walked the docks to look at boats, visited the ship's store, and then found this little watering hole.  We bellied up to some chili dogs for lunch.  The guy sitting next to Donnie was a coal miner from England.  His first son was born at Lakenheath, where our daughter Jennessa was a labor and delivery nurse while she was in the USAF.  Small world :)  He took pity on my broken toes and drove us the six blocks or so to town as I was jonesin' for some ice cream.  Though the day started out looking stormy, the sun came out, burnt all the clouds away, and it was a HOT one again today.  Ice cream was the ticket.

The flowers are beautiful here at Marco Island. 

I have no idea what this tree was, with these red fuzzy things.  The bark looks a bit like cypress, but the 'leaves' were more like an evergreen that smelled like rosemary. Actually the leaves look like rosemary...I have a rosemary plant in my galley :)

We stopped at a gas station on our way back to the dinghy.  Chili dogs, beer, and ice cream?  Donnie can never go back to this gas station ever again!  However, they did sell wine by the glass...perfect for a sailboat.  We got some for later...

This momma and baby dolphin went right under our dinghy- twice!  I was too excited to snap a picture until it was all over.  It was way cool.  Donnie had his hand in the water and nearly touched them!

They have osprey here, too, though I hope to see a bald eagle up at Estero Bay (if we get there).

We dinked up Collier Bay, which we couldn't navigate last night, and found this pretty beach...

I was so happy...it was loaded with seashells!



There were 20 or so horseshoe crabs...which are very strange creatures...cross between a stingray, turtle, and crab...that seemed to be beaching themselves.  I think God wanted to do a science experiment and that's what he came up with!  Here Donnie is saying, "Well, I never...if that don't beat all...OMG, this is a red letter day!"  Why all the fuss???

We figured out they were having SEX ON THE BEACH!!! lol  At times there were three or four males piled up on a female that was three times their size.  (They like their women big, I guess)  After they were done, one male would kindly push the female back into the water!  Donnie naturally tried to pull them apart...(to see a horse shoe crab weenie) but they were having NONE of it.  They were hanging on for dear life!  It's best just to let them finish. I felt like a voyeur, y'all.

On our way back from the beach, we saw this little place that said Gas, Bait, Tackle, Refreshments with some old codgers lined up on the porch.  We HAD to stop for some refreshments :)

I loved the minnow can lights that hung over the bar...a DIY project when I get back home.  We met some interesting people, as always.  We pointed to our sailboat anchored in the bay, and that we rode up on our dinghy.  They said we were living their dream.  We are living OUR dream...

Willis was guarding the boat while we were gone! 

So, we had the best time finding this "upscale" thrift store by the ice cream place earlier in the day.  Donnie got two books and a watch, and I got a really nice sailing outfit, a bamboo candle holder, a Tupperware egg holder for the boat, and this EVENING GOWN for $6.00!  What's a girl to do?  All dressed up and sitting on a sailboat at anchor?

Toast the sunset with our cheap glass of wine, of course!

It was lovely.

Willis enjoyed it, too, when he wasn't busy watching the dolphins surface by the boat...or the tarpon wallowing in the water...or the pelicans dive bombing for fish.

He won't sleep a wink tonight...he'll be all over the boat watching the water and smelling the salty smells with a twitchy tail.  He had better not fall overboard, or he will quickly become a tarpon snack.  They ate last night's left over pizza!

He was playing peekaboo while I was fixing dinner.  Donnie grilled ham steaks, and I made fried potatoes with garlic, onion, green peppers, zucchini and rosemary.  We had a candlelight dinner in the cockpit with a dolphin surfacing around the boat.  You could hear him 'puffing' out his blow hole.  And after dinner?  There were fireworks in the sky.  Could this day get any better?!

Besides my thrift store finds, here's today's treasures :)  Also, Donnie fixed the autopilot today, and serviced the dink engine, too. So, I think tomorrow morning we will weigh anchor for the 10 mile sail up to Naples.  Until then, G'nite, y'all!