Lunch on Fort Myers Beach

Today the temp- erature finally reached 70 degrees and the sun shone brightly; we began to feel like we really ARE in Florida! After a morning of errands by our hosts, we set out for Ft. Myers Beach and the Gulf Shore Cafe, which has a view of the water. Once on the road, we realized this was not an original idea; even though it was a Monday, traffic stacked up and it took us three times as long to get there as it did to get back. Even so, it was worth every minute.

Norm and I opted for the grouper sandwich: delicious. We saved room for dessert and split a chocolate caramel lava cake. Enough calories for a week but quite yummy.


Our view from the restaurant included some parasail antics as two different crews crossed each other on the way back to their respective boats. This looks like fun but I'm not sure how long I could just dangle between parachute and the choppy water.

We also had a great view of the beach. This is looking north toward the pier. This stretch was mostly occupied by people walking up and down the beach, some of them with dogs. One dog was wearing sunglasses! This is the beach seen from the air as we were flying in.


Looking south from the restaurant, the scene was much more crowded. Most of this stretch is a private beach for various hotels along the strip. People were playing various games in the sand, sunning, and just wandering around. Although it's a bit early, it looks like Spring Break has begun. While Fort Myers is a winter home to many retired people from up North, FM Beach attracts a younger crowd for spring break.

As we enjoyed our delicious and leisurely lunch, we stayed enchanted with the dancing waves coming in and the sparkling light playing on the water. How wide is the Gulf of Mexico, one of us wondered. The answer: over 800 nautical miles. So hello, Houston, even though we can't see you from here!