Wow! I always have a plan on where we will go on a trip, but sometimes nature presents itself and you enjoy what's in front of you. Plans A, B, and C found a dusty shelf and stayed there. That is how the trip went with Christine and Susan . We started our trip with a southwest wind and traveled to the north end of Captiva Island. We observed Manatee in their natural environment. This was a first for Christine. The weather was perfect as we traveled across the shallow water east of North Captiva. We went into the protected harbor of North Captiva and observed the red mangroves and a historic fishouse built in 1926. We continued traveling to the next island to the north, Cayo Costa. I brought the boat to a slow idle and we enjoyed looking at the clear water when Susan spotted a dolphin. I put the boat in neutral and we saw two dolphins cruising the grass flats in 3 feet of water. The dolphin started to get closer to the boat as we drifted with the tide. It was amazing! The water was so clear we could see them checking us out. I have not seen the dolphin this close to my boat in that clear of water ever. I took many photos. Susan, Christine and I just looked in awe. All I could muster up was "WOW" over and over as I clicked away with my camera. Twenty minutes later the dolphins decided to move on. What an experience! Next we explored a remote beach on Cayo Costa Island. The beach was tranquil. The sun was starting to get closer to the Gulf of Mexico, so we moved on. I anchored the boat over a grass flat, thinking we could explore one more flat before the sun was down. Susan had other plans. She proceeded to pull out a cocktail flag and announce,"its sunset time, do you have a stick or something to put our flag on?" I managed to find my boat brush handle. Susan was quite the girl scout- she had brought twist ties for the flag. She went to work hoisting the flag while Christine was busy getting the cocktails ready. I just had to get a picture of this from the water, so I stepped in the water with camera in hand and took a few photos and was bitten by a blue crab on my right foot. The sun went down while great conversations were had about plants, fossils, pearls, minerals, rocks, and dichotomous guides.
