As much as Fort Myers Beach was a crazy, loud, party town, beautiful Captiva Island, just north of Sanibel, was the exact opposite experience. What a relief to bask in its private serenity and wander along the lovely, quiet, shell-filled beaches. The historic ‘Tween Waters Island Resort was built in 1931 and has a relaxed, old Florida feel with adorable cottages, pools, hot tubs and multiple restaurants. Anne Morrow Lindbergh vacationed here and was inspired to write her classic book Gift From The Sea. I loved it and want to return some day! Craig had a few initial concerns about the relatively unprotected marina but we secured her along the dock and had no trouble.
Plus we had wonderful guests! My Uncle Joe and Aunt Lynn drove down from Ohio to catch some Florida sun and stayed with us for several days. My uncle worked for the Ford Motor Company for 30 years, so we visited the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers. Thomas Edison built his snowbird getaway home in 1885, complete with a laboratory for his experiments. In 1916, Henry Ford, a great admirer and friend of Edison, bought the property next door. What struck me most was how modest the homes were – simple, open designs to bring in the breeze with big porches to relax on. We were amazed that Edison was granted 1,093 patents for inventions created by him and his team.
Then our friends Jim and Sherryl flew down from Minnesota. Unfortunately, Craig had a bad cold, so we didn’t do much boating (but they did travel part of the Loop with us when we returned to Fort Myers). Sherryl and I combed the Captiva beach for shells every morning and collected a great variety of beauties. (You never have enough!) I haven’t mentioned it before but last year I made jewelry from my North Carolina shells and I hope to create some new designs with this year’s collection.
We hosted a mini college reunion on Joy Girl. Craig, Jim and Olaf all attended Gustavus Adolphus College together in Minnesota. Olaf now lives in Naples, FL with Jamie, who is also a “Gustie”, and they joined us on Joy Girl.
Because of health issues we are still in Ft Myers. Scully and I are struggling with tummy problems which both require endoscopies. Mine was clear (whew!), but pending biopsy results. Due to a lack of vets able to perform one on the area, Scully’s may wait till Hilton Head. It’s a special challenge to feel sick so far from our regular doctors and vets.
We are anxious to get “home” to Shelter Cove Marina in HH after 9 months of travel. But there are some great stops before then – Cape Canaveral, New Smyrna Beach, St Augustine, Fernandina Beach, St Simons Island. We have a combination of “dock itch” and desire to finally “cross our wake”!
Team Joy Girl Adventures 
Thanks for sharing. ..such a lovely place. Glad you could share the time with such dear folks who visited! God bless AND heal you Marina
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Thank you, Marina! I’m feeling better with more meds and we’re hoping for Scully to be better soon. Take care over there!
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Hi Craig & Niki, Captiva looks beautiful. I hope all are feeling ok. Almost there with some great stops ahead! My sister lives on a canal just off the bridge onto Marco and that is a nice place as well if you have time. Hopefully you will get to see a launch at the cape too. Quick question too….I just noticed in one of your pics the chairs on the stern. Are those Kittler brand Tiffany chairs. I ask because when we got back up to Newburyport in the spring of 2018, we bought those chairs as well and they are not common in our area. Would be somewhat ironic if we both went in the same direction with our similarly styled tugs. Either way we love the quality and comfort of those chairs if you need replacements in the future.
Safe travels,
Dan – SOULSHINE.
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Good to hear from you, Dan! Good eye, sir, those are indeed Kettler chairs.I wish we could say we were so smart as to pick the note, but they came with the boat. They have cushions that go with them as well, but we typically keep them inside to keep them dry in the 97% humidity down here.
There is going to be a launch at the cape while we are still in Stuart, Florida, but from what I hear, we should be able to see at least something from there.
We hope all is well with you guys, right now we are feeling our way across Lake Okeechobee in some fog. Keep in touch!
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Craig and Nicki- I’ve been watching your map to see when you left Captiva- you sped across Florida. Your pictures of Captiva-Ft Myers were awesome! The drone view of Captiva puts a whole new perspective of that island. Hope your health(s) are such you can enjoy the rest of your loop. Smooth cruising as you head north!
R.J.
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I agree about the drone shots, the bird’s eye view is amazing. We are all feeling much better and enjoying our trip! Not much to see on the waterway, so, yes, we made two long days of it and got across in a hurry. We press on! Hi to Ginny!
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