Sunday 11-2

I got up early, brewed myself a coffee, and enjoyed the sunrise from the balcony. Afterward, I had a protein banana smoothie with fresh persimmon slices. Then we drove to the Sanibel Sunday Farmers' Market, where we stocked up on vegetables, fruit, fresh red snapper, and Polish sausage. We were happy to see the German couple again — they’re still selling their homemade breads and treats, now beautifully displayed in a European-style food trailer. The wait line was too long, and we decided to postpone our visit for another Sunday..

Anina & Jeremy will be joining us next week for a week of sunshine. We have been visiting this island every year for the past 20 years.

This is our first visit to Sanibel Island since Hurricane Ian devastated the area in 2022, when our timeshare at Shell Island Beach Club was severely damaged. It’s emotional to be back, yet heartwarming to witness the island’s resilience. It feels good to see life slowly returning, even though a full recovery and rebuild will take many more years to come.

The drive from Texas is roughly 20 hours, but this time it felt much longer, even though a significant amount of roadwork has been completed over the years. The ride in our small Toyota Prius was nice and smooth. When we were younger, we always made the trip in one day, but in recent years, we’ve been splitting it into two — I guess we’re getting older.

The first 10-hour leg took us through Mississippi into Alabama, where we spent the night in Daphne, just across Mobile Bay. The second 10-hour leg usually carries us east through the Florida Panhandle and down to Sanibel via Interstate 75.

This time, however, we stopped about 90 minutes short, in Nokomis, to visit our friends Melida and Ernesto. Both grew up in Cuba and immigrated to the U.S. after Fidel Castro came to power. We were reminiscing about many fond memories of working together for 14 years at Ebel USA, along with our mentor and service director, Francois.

After a quick afternoon nap, we went down to explore the beach for a bit. It was as beautiful as ever, and we noticed that the hurricane had added nearly fifty feet of new sand. We didn’t get far before running into some old friends — Pam and David from Canada, and Felix with his daughter from Switzerland. Time flew as we caught up, but we still managed a pleasant two-mile walk — just short enough to avoid a sunburn!

Dinner tonight will be grilled red snapper with potatoes and fresh vegetables.Læs mere