Smith Reunion Reunion at Ft. Meyers, Florida
The Ft. Meyers Adventurers
Day One
Our flights left Friday morning destined for Ft. Meyers, and among the “Smiths”, Tim and Laurel’s flight was the earliest departure. They were the first to arrive in Ft. Meyers, and within 30 minutes we met them at our gate. As soon as we hit the gate, I called Tim and said, “we’ll see you in about 10 minutes” and he responded back, “no, I think more like one minute”…he was right.
After we obtained our rental car, we started searching for provisions – enough food for two breakfasts for the family, chips and assortments of other food items, and of course…beverage. After getting our supplies (we had bags, etc. all over the car along with our luggage), we made our way to Sanibel Island.
After crossing the causeway bridge, we found ourselves on Sanibel island that consisted mostly of condominiums, small homes and few restaurants and stores. The one that caught our eye was “She Sells Seashells”…of course each of John and Ruth’s children made their way to this store over the next three days. We finally reached our hotel – Casa Ybel – which turned out to be a fabulous place to stay.
By mid-afternoon, all the siblings were in one of the rooms talking about their flight, excitement to see everyone and catching up on recent events. As Tim and I are remote from the rest of the clan, we generally hear about major family events (such as deaths) about once every two years…coincidentally, we hear about them at our two year reunions. I recall sitting at a baseball game in Chicago (at a Ryan Reunion) a few years ago, and someone said, “isn’t it sad that Frank died within a month after Eleanor died?” To which, I could only say, “Frank died?”
That evening we made our way to Matzaluna…not certain of the name’s origin, but the food was good. Because it was a long day, we began to break up around 10:00 o’clock.
Day Two
A number of our family members went down to the beach to view the sunrise…plus collect a few seashells. As we had to make our way to the marina, breakfast consisted of coffee cakes and coffee. Around 8:30 we were at the marina, and by 9:00 we were on our way.
We started our adventure in the bay area and ultimately made our way to the Gulf of Mexico. The weather couldn’t be more perfect as we raced along the coast, occasionally stopping so that our guides could tell us the highlight that was “in front of us.” We learned of the area’s history, famous pirates that roamed the waters around Ft. Meyers, and of course what goes on during Spring Break. We also passed by an island (Love something?) where two pirates spent their honeymoon…yes, one was a woman pirate. We also learned where the rich lived, as well as the “rest of the world.” Eventually we reached our goal, which was an island where we were told the seashell collecting was the best in the area. Once we landed, we spent about a half an hour scouring the beach for seashell treasures. Several found sand dollars, a number of us found Conch shells, coral also became part of our finds, and we loaded up on many types of other shells.
We soon found ourselves out riding the waters of the Gulf of Mexico again, and learned that our next destination would be bathrooms located on a remote marina used by fishermen. After spending a few minutes here, we began making our way to an island that, at one time, was the site where the Indian Chief lived who dominated over all the tribes from Miami to Tallahassee. As we made our way to the island we saw dolphins.
On the island, we walked through dense vegetation. The Indians had build hills on this island using seashells. The process to build these hills took hundreds of years, and the seashells were forms of tribute to the ruling chiefs and spiritual leaders. We passed by cactus and several large turtles, and about half way we decided that “we’d had enough.” Our guide told us that we hadn’t reached the highest hill…but that was OK…
After leaving the island, we again saw dolphins. This time, they were playing with the boat and riding the wake that it created. Fortunately we had digital cameras…can’t tell you how many shots we took just to get the few we have on our web site.
Our next stop was the restaurant where we have several photographs reflected in the slide shows. The food was good…the beer was better. By now it was getting hot again. After leaving the restaurant, we made our way back to the Marina. Before we left for open waters, our guide told us that manatees were spotted nearby. We made our way to this place, and sure enough, there were three of them. You will see these photos on the site.
By the time we got back to the hotel, many of us took naps (thank goodness we did). During this time, Steve went out and bought shrimp and steak, and later we used the outdoor grill to barbeque. That was fun, and because of the long day, many of us retired early.
Day Three
This was a free day for everyone. The four girls decided to bicycle the 12 mile path on Sanibel Island. The heat and high humidity took a toll on Ann. Steve had to come retrieve her, by car, somewhere along the 12 mile route. Tim, Laurel, Elizabeth and I decided to go down to the Everglades.
Everglades City, our destination, was 80 miles away, and by noon we were at the place where we would be departing on airboats. We chose this place because it went through both the mangrove trees and the grasslands. There are no seatbelts on the airboats, but because its quite noisy they give you headsets (or ear mufflers). This turned out to be quite a bit of fun…I liked it because there is no constant chatter going on. Every once in awhile the guide would slow down the motor…point his finger…and yell something like “alligator” or “white bird.” He told us that he’d been doing this for 17 years.
Afterwards we had lunch in Everglades City, which is a misnomer because it really isn’t a city. It’s a collection of a few houses and businesses…at least that’s what it looked like to us. We ordered the Everglades sampler: frogs legs, alligator and Conch. Surprisingly, they were all prepared well. Afterwards we decided to take our picture on the stuffed alligator inside the restaurant.
That evening Steve and VJ brought back barbeque chicken and ribs, along with other side dishes. This was a great idea and we didn’t have to leave the complex.
Day Four
This was to be our final morning together. All of us made it to the beach to watch the sunrise, and even collected a few more seashells (for the life of me, I don’t know why – we already had more than enough). We had decided to take group pictures that morning, and many of these you can see on the web.
Elizabeth made breakfast consisting of waffles and sausage…Steve brought in the ribs and chicken that weren’t consumed the night before…and we had quite a feast. As we began eating the ribs, we decided that it needed some “beer”. We actually felt a little guilty drinking so early, but after the first sip…the guilt went away.
As our flights were leaving about the same time, we left for the airport. At the airport we met up again….said our goodbyes…and left Ft. Meyers with a lot of happy memories.