11/19 A Whale of a day on the Captiva Island

What  beautiful day!  It was clear and sunny without a cloud in the sky.  The breeze off the Gulf of Mexico kept it from feeling uncomfortable even though it was in the 80's.  The boat needed a good inside cleaning.  Yes, we do vacuuming and wash the floor just like any other home.

The best of the day was yet to come.  We took our beach chairs and walked across the street to the beach on the Gulf of Mexico.  It was so relaxing to sit quietly and look out over the Gulf.  At this point, we are directly across from Mexico.  Some boats went back and forth and we saw some dolphins.

All of sudden, I realized the animal I was following off the coast was a WHALE!!!!!  Yes, a real whale.  It was much bigger than any dolphin with a huge spout.  I had seen them in Alaska but didn't expect to see them here.  So I did a quick Google search and learned a lot about this.  According to National Geographic, over 500 Orca whales live in the Gulf of Mexico.  The University of Texas counted 28 different mammal species in the Gulf.  Many of the mammals were dolphin and whale species.  The list included manatees.

We had lunch pool side with frozen drinks.  I spent time at pool side talking with my sister and reading.   John took a swim before supper.   We had an early dinner.  The stars are out and so clear in the sky.  The breeze has picked up too.

Tomorrow, we head for Fr. Myers to stage for our crossing of Florida on the Okeechobee Waterway.