Tuesday, June 30, 2015

A BORING VACATION?

Marco Island
Team VFH tries to get the most out of spending the least and so our excursions are usually wroth with activities and exploring adventures with little “down” time. Relaxing on a vacation is a foreign concept as we run hither, thither, and yon.  Our reasoning is that we’ve spent so much money we’d BETTER enjoy the trip and see EVERYTHING! Gosh, after our vacations another vacation is needed for us to recover. With this current thinking about currency and travel it has been a good long while that our main objective was to simply relax on a vacation, but this was our very aim for our recent trip to Marco Island in southwest Florida. We were traveling there with Janet’s expansive family, including her new grandchild, so our antics would have to be somewhat curtailed. We would not be able to just flit off on a whim. Janet warned me that it could be boring, but looking back on our week is was a wonderful time.  Perhaps this is a new concept in travel for us? Imagine…relaxing while on vacation.

Marco Island Beach

PATRICK TV
Courtesy of Janet’s cousin the family was arrayed throughout several apartments of the Charter Club of Marco Beach time share with our balconies overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. The water was warm and placid the beach hard packed powdery white sand with sea shells. We spent much of our days at the beach, either lounging on the chaises we rented for the week from the club or lolling about in the water just chatting with other family members.

Starfish and sand dollars could be found in the water and shelling was a week-long activity for us. Free activities at the Charter Club also included ocean kayaks and paddleboards and Hobie Cats. We also went Parasailing, rented a Waverunner for an hour and went on the Calusa Spirit Eco Tour through the 10,000 islands of the Everglades, these last three, courtesy of the Marco Island Watersports.
Sunset from the porch

By far though our favorite pastime throughout the week was watching the young Patrick, Janet’s five month old grandson; frolic in the water or sleep on one of the rented chaise lounges or flounce about in the pool. Some people like to toss a ball or a Frisbee on the beach, but we took turns holding onto the cooing Patrick. (Of course, when Patrick TV switched to the Creature Feature of the day, he was foisted upon his Mom.)

 
Turtle nest on Marco Island
TURTLE NESTS
Sea turtles drag themselves onto land to lay their eggs. Nightly volunteers walk the beach looking for signs of these large lumbering, endangered creatures and their nests are cordoned off by police tape so they would remain undisturbed. After 9 pm the curtains in the apartments are to be drawn tight so no light would be emitted which would lure the turtle hatchlings away from the sea. Evidently hatchlings are attracted by the heavenly lights reflected off the water and any other artificial light will lead them astray and sadly to their demise. We got a phone call one night telling us to close our curtains and one time when we were out for dinner someone from the Charter Club entered our apartment to draw the blinds. We were embarrassed that we had not done our civic duty! No one wants to hornswoggle a baby turtle.

CRITTERS GALORE
Sadly the sectioned off nest sites were the only visible signs of the sea turtles. We did not see any turtles swimming in the waters off shore, like we did last year in Hawaii, although, we had the great fortune to see a manatee passing by one morning, looking like a massive swimming potato. Dolphins were a regular sighting. One afternoon while out on paddleboards, one dolphin breached a few times within just a yard or two of us.
Little silvery fish darted about in the surf line to poke at the sand kicked up by our thrashing and curious schools of larger fish with black stripes on their back circled us at times. If we remained still enough we could “pet” their tails as they slowly swirled around us. The water was warm and gentle. On one occasion I picked up a shell for collecting and discovered it was still occupied by the original tenant. I had already taken the little fellow up to the room when his foot nudged my hand looking to make a speedy escape. I marched him back down to the gulf where incredibly there was another of his kind right there and they began to fornicate.
She's a Manatee!

CONCH FRITTERS AND GROUPER!
We ate a lot of seafood while in Florida although we did gravitate to less fancier restaurants. Nonetheless the food was fresh and good wherever our palate alighted.
I insisted on getting conch fritters each time we went out although I was hoping for a ceviche of the delicacy, but never found it on the menu. We had a full kitchen in our apartments, but we never used the facilities except to keep our beer and wine cold.

Here’s a quick list of some places we ate during our week.

CAPRI FISH HOUSE
I was overdressed in my Aloha shirt as we sat at the water’s edge at this very casual restaurant a few miles off Marco Island proper. The fritters were so so and expensive, but the Grouper Sandwich was huge and was excellent. Ja net says her fried oysters were “yummy.” Drinks, like Margaritas were reasonably priced. They made a very good seafood chowder.
 
Goodland FLA awaits
LITTLE BAR RESTAURANT
Locals in the small community of Goodland, population 267 +/- tool around in golf carts and the Little Bar Restaurant was hopping. There was a band playing inside and hundreds of nutcrackers staring down from the walls approved of our presence. This popular local joint served better fritters and Grouper Balls for appetizers. Janet and I both had blackened Grouper drizzled with a mango curry sauce.  http://www.littlebarrestaurant.com/

THE SNOOK INN
A very popular Marco Island bar and restaurant, The Snook Inn is also located at the water’s edge, although the seating was all out in the open. The other two had screened in seating. A busy but convivial setting, the wait staff handled our large group readily without getting too many of our drink orders wrong. The menu was massive and varied. There was a seafood buffet but we all ordered. Great fritters and spicy blackened Caribbean style Grouper for me. Afterwards we posed for pictures along the dock.



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