Cruisin’ With The Dolphins!

Cruisin’ With The Dolphins!

I am sure the first thought one has when seeing this post title is: …. Sports! and the Miami Dolphins!

However, one would be wrong!

True, I am a sports fanatic, not for the Miami Dolphins…but the Kansas City Chiefs!

No, this post is about real dolphins…Flipper if you will. 🙂

Last week, the Captain and I decided to take a much needed break from making decisions on our Flip houses and take one of the many day cruises offered in our area. 

My dear “dancing friend from across the pond” and I took this very, same-day cruise last year in September/October and had a wonderful time.

So the Captain and I set off early one morning for “breakfast by the sea” and cruisin’ several of the many islands in the Gulf of Mexico!

When my English friend was here….we enjoyed our early breakfast at a cute little cafe called “RC Otters” on Captiva Island ……and I thought, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.…and so the Captain and I ate there too!

Since moving to Florida…outdoor eating has become a favorite of the Captain and I.

We then drove to the departure Marina at the South Seas Resort… (which had manatees maneuvering slowly around and about the pilings) and boarded the “Lady Chadwick” and set off for Cabbage Key and Useppa Islands.

The Captain relaxing as we head for the open waters……he is wearing one of the shirts I bought him for Father’s Day…yep! it is lime green!

Isn’t he a good sport?  That is why I luv ’em!

And what a treat we had after getting under way….lots of dolphins!

There are many dolphins in Pine Island Sound as well as the Gulf of Mexico…..and the dolphins loved putting on a show in the front, sides and back of our boat.  

There were so many, I lost count but here are a few pics of these beautiful creatures.

I just can’t get “enough” of dolphin watching!

There are so many little islands around Captiva Island and Sanibel Island (which are both very inhabited and frequented by vacationers)….and realizing that many of these islands are basically untouched by man, is awesome!  

By the way, Sanibel Island is rated as one of the top 5 vacation resort areas, and shelling is very popular too!  

But we are talking Cabbage Key Island today!

However, Cabbage Key Island is inhabited by the owner of the Island and his caretakers … and can only be reached by boat. Servers and cooks go to work by boat!  How cool is that?

I took this pic as we were eating lunch….many, many boats kept pulling in for lunch.

This is the restaurant, Bar and Inn….

A small marina with showers and a gift shop are at the bottom of the slope. 

This is the climb-a-ble water tower (sort of like Petticoat Junction) and there are many nature trails to explore on Cabbage Key.

Tour guides will tell you that Jimmy Buffet wrote the song Cheeseburger in Paradise at the only restaurant on Cabbage Key…..and while we can attest that the char-broiled cheeseburgers are delicious…Management states the following disclaimer:

“The story that “Cheeseburger in Paradise” was written about Cabbage Key is a rumor started many years ago…something Cabbage Key, Inc. has never endorsed nor advertised. However, in the 1970’s, Jimmy Buffett did spend time at Cabbage Key before he performed a concert in Ft. Myers. Some of the Cabbage Key staff, at the time, were invited to the concert and Jimmy Buffett acknowledged the staff and then played the “new” song, “Cheeseburger in Paradise.” We have been making our “Cheeseburgers in Paradise” since the early 1970’s! Thanks again for the feedback and we hope to see you again soon!”

If you, my dear readers, ever come to SW Florida, I highly recommend this little Island of Cabbage Key, which in my opinion, is a must see…. to be enjoyed and embraced for its natural beauty and eco-friendly habitat.

The Captain and I ate our lunch surrounded by beautiful skies and turquoise waters and a few other inhabitants of the Island.

This is a gopher tortoise which is native to Florida and it is not a water turtle. We took pics of him as he “waddled” near our outdoor lunch table.

Another visitor, was this common gecko, although there are many species all over Florida.  I have little anole geckos in my Secret Garden. They are harmless and they eat lots of mosquitoes 🙂 

We had a very relaxing boat trip to the Islands, wonderful cheeseburgers and potato salad, cold, thirst- quenching drinks enjoyed at our outdoor table under the shade trees…and a scenic, enjoyable boat trip back to Captiva Island through Pine Island Sound.

And seeing the dolphins, turtles and manatees, ain’t a bad experience either! 🙂