Day 8 - Cows, bubbles, and Whistlin’ Dixie

Our Holiday Inn was the same one I found for Dave and me for our first encounter with Sanibel years ago…a Great Escape.  It was also the nest of choice for the Smiths on their honeymoon.  It is a tiny resort-like space just a few steps down the trail to the beach, pool, and tiki bar.  I was up early, and got ready in the dark so as to let El and Sarah sleep in, squeezed past all the beds, out the door to daylight.   It was already past dawn, and I spotted Dave walking down the beach the opposite way.  The morning waves were familiar in their calming rhythm and mild chilly temp, but there were lots of people…conspicuous after our week of uninhabited dawns and sunsets of Upper Captiva.  How strange it feels now to realize my slight resentment of the others who had come earlier than I to share the island wonder of sunrise.  Whose beach is it, anyway?  (Father spoils us sometimes…I feel sheepish ).

I found myself once again unexpectedly frolicking in the gulf waters…swimming, giggling…forced myself to be mature and get out, rinsed off by the pool, and on my way so as not to make the others late for our lovely Island Cow breakfast.  Ran into Ely and Josh who had already filmed me in the surf!  Ery and Brad were already half way there evidently on the bikes from the Inn, so off we went.

The Island Cow!  This is indeed the restaurant that must have been created by a TOTAL ‘YELLOW’ PERSON (in the Color Code personality test a yellow is one who values and thinks in terms of play and recreation!)  Cow memorabilia, cow signage, cow menu items, cow themed decorations for Christmas.  

The Santa in a sleigh pulled by 8 dolphins that sits in the lawn out front provided a perfect photo op for several of our party.  Brad, Eliott, and Sarah had never been there.  

During breakfast, Elyssa told a story of a baby bird she was watching that morning - through her story-telling gift of napkin sketching....

The culinary winner of the day was my very own berry-n-cream chilled bisque with champagne finish.

  

The wonderful tropical birds (real) added a perfect zoological touch to kick off our festive morning in Sanibel.

Off to the Bubble Room and its Mucky Duck neighborhood.  Rushing now to make it to Atlanta before bedtime, we all piled into the door of the Bubble Room just before noon. 

That much movie memorabilia and that many colors (I can’t even think of names for some of them) and that many decadent cakes in one location in the span of about fifteen minutes threw my inner wonder equilibrium off for the rest of the day.

Part of my own delight on this one was watching Sarah try to take it all home in photos!  Our circuits were overloaded.  Eliott and Dave talked dive talk around the Christmas-lit-life-size-old-school diver guy in one of the rooms.  El and Brad also mused over some of the early film star photos.  In a tempered frenzy, I ordered three cake varieties for all to sample on the road, and took my place with Dave in the van, providing a very responsible anchor (move over Lisa’s playful side) to help others wrap up their visit and be on time for our date with Atlanta.  Blasted off the islands in a flurry of color, light, and sugar that successfully overshadowed our sadness, at least for an hour or so.  So begins our journey home from …perhaps the most idyllic family trip ever. 

Revolving from driver to driver once again, we journeyed our way in to just north of Atlanta by around 10 p.m.  Ely had discovered a real find:  a Hiatt with a four star rating for about  $90 per room…suites with a discount.  With Ery’s collaboration, they booked.  The Gembos, El and Sarah van arrived first.  Ery got us all a beautiful surprise view of the multi fountain courtyard lit with gorgeously festive Christmas lighting.  That and the fantastic beds and space provided us with a wonderful last night on the road.  

Tomorrow…home.