Naples has been fabulous! We have spent lots of time with our friends Rusty and Betty, seeing the sights and sharing meals. Naples is a beautiful town, with lots to do. We didn't even scratch the surface!
They drove us around the Everglades and took us to a dog-friendly restaurant for stone crab claws and grouper fingers. Ryder and Gigi were happy to get out with us. We had dinner at Rusty and Betty's house one night, a beautiful home on a golf course. Lunch on another day was at one of their favorite sandwich shops. Last night we had phenomenal pizza at a very cool Italian restaurant - outside on the patio, with lighted trees and live music.
Betty and I went to the botanical gardens here - wow. The garden is huge, lush and well maintained by an army of volunteers. It has quite a few "rooms" or garden areas with different themes: oriental, Mayan, Caribbean, Florida, children's... I took LOTS more photos than I can put up here. There is a zoo here in Naples as well - we didn't make it there!
We did make it to the Marco Island farmer's market. Betty and I cruised the booths of vegetables and fruits, baked goods, pottery, ethnic foods, jams and jellies, and crafts. A group of older musicians was there, singing songs like
"Bicycle Built for Two". A wonderful morning!
The dock here has been entertaining as well. Each day when the charter boats come in, the pelicans and seagulls show up for snacks. It is fun to watch the birds, but also fun to watch the people standing around. They don't expect these huge birds to land so close to them.
We have had a great time here and have enjoyed getting together with Rusty and Betty again. We will be leaving later today for Marco Island.
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| Great place for a dog-friendly lunch |
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| We watched the air boats go out |
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| This is an old trading post turned museum |
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| Back at our dock, the pelicans are gathering |
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| Notice the bird on the left waiting for a bite |
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| They don't mind getting close |
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| This is the view from our boat, with lots of folks watching |
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| The botanical garden |
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| They had a cooking class in progress |
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| A beautiful water garden |
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| Going into the oriental section |
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| A small rice paddy |
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| The Mayan section |
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| There were sitting areas and viewing areas all throughout the property |
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| A beautiful labyrinth with a fountain in the middle |
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| A "pouch" herb and lettuce garden |
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| Raised vegetable gardens in the "idea" section |
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| Gardening in a water trough |
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| Moving into the Caribbean section |
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| Pawley's Island hammocks! |
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| We couldn't resist |
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| Just a few of the many volunteers who prune, weed and sweat! |
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| Going into the children's section |
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| The butterfly hut |
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| They used old purses as planters |
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| A basketball backboard with golf shoes in it |
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| Outside the playhouse they have little watering cans for the kids to use. |
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| This little guy was having a ball! |
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| Lunch at Bamz |
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| Really good sandwiches! |
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| Bleu Provence, the French restaurant where we had dinner the first night |
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| The Farmer's Market at Marco Island |
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| A nod to Pirates of the Caribbean near our marina |
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| Third Street in full tourist mode |
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| Campiello - a great Italian restaurant |
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| Our last beautiful sunset here |
