A Day With Friends

Today was one of those completely unplanned days that was full of unexpected adventures and fun. Friends Randy and Annette (who are from home but have a house here as well) picked us up and took us on a unique outing. We headed south on I-75 toward Fort Myers. Our first stop was at Manatee Park, a spot where manatees like to hang out in the winter. They are attracted to the warmer water discharged by the power plant. There were plenty of these strange-looking animals s-l-o-w-l-y swimming around. An adult manatee eats about 100 pounds of vegetation, like mangrove leaves and sea grass, in a day. That is a lot of green stuff!

Our next stop was Fleamasters Flea Market. It was quite a place- 900 stores! We prowled around for awhile and moved on.

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve was next.These 2,500 acres are home to a diverse array of plant and animal communities. A boardwalk trail winds through about 80 acres.

Cypress trees

Strap Fern and a tree with lichens growing on it

We weren't finished yet- we moved on to Sun Harvest Citrus to buy fresh juice and ice cream. Orange juice and also Strawberry Orange juice- fresh and delicious. Our ice cream cones were a chocolate/key lime twist and and orange/vanilla twist- perfect after a hike in the swamp.

We returned to the boat for pizza. Having friends show us the sights was wonderful!