Day #17 - Embracing Island Life!

If yesterday was all about taking it easy, today was about coming to a full stop! Today we really chilled like neither of us have done in a long time. 

To start with, we took advantage of the resort's free bike rental and took a leisurely ride around the island, which given that Captiva island is only 1.64 square miles (4 miles x 2.5 miles) that didn't take too long, especially since the northern most tip of the island (where James has stayed previously as a child) is exclusively for (rich) residents - no cars, pedestrians or bikes allowed past the security gate unless they belong to a resident. One wonders if it's so exclusive, even the hurricane wasn't allow in. 

We had breakfast at the joyful R.C. Otters (we assume that was the proprietor's name) which was a truly an experience in relaxed and friendly dining. Even though we had hit the morning rush hour, the bubbly servers were keeping everything flowing and making everyone feel welcome. We definitely felt we were in America with all the "free" coffee refills, pancakes and French Toast!

We weren't the only ones dining there however. On an nearby tree, an osprey landed and was enjoying its fishy breakfast it had caught earlier. Apparently, these rather magnificent looking birds are rather careless and frequently drop their meals and scraps on the restaurant's patio area!

On returning to the resort, our plan was to swap one mode of transport for another and take a kayak out on the water until lunch. Well, due to sightings of a bull shark in the waters yesterday, this activity was off the cards. While we were disappointed, we were also quite relived we didn't do it yesterday and had an encounter with a shark that hadn't been reported yet. And in case you didn't know what a Bull Shark looks like, I've googled this image for you. I think you'll agree, best stay out of the water! 

So, what to do? Well, retire to the beach of course. So we spent the rest of the day relaxing in deckchairs on the beach, enjoying the ocean, audiobooks, Kindle books, watching the birds, chatting, swimming and generally enjoying life. Apart from popping back to the resort's pool bar for lunch, we spent the whole rest of the day there which was lovely.