Sanibel and Fort Myers, Florida

We made our way to Fort Myers to see our friends from long ago, Elaine Keeler and Sid Rheuban. I worked for Elaine in MRI Education and Testing for Picker International starting in 1986 through 1989. So it had been quite a while since we last saw each other, only keeping up with each others’ lives through Christmas/Chanukah letters. It only took an instant and we were back in the swing of our beautiful relationship. Elaine gave me a wedding shower in 1988 at her home and the pictures are still risqué in 2016. I’ll have to post them in a separate blog, but that’s for another time.

Elaine and Cheryl

Elaine and Sid were fantastic hosts, playing tour guides for four days. We visited Sanibel Island, via a bridge connected to Fort Myers, and we toured the J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge. The highlight of the trip was when we observed flocks of pelicans, both white and brown, two Roseate Spoonbills, and many smaller birds gathered for their “Happy Hour” before they roosted for the night in the trees behind these pictures. These birds ordinarily don’t get along and fight for territory while feeding. But here in Sanibel, while wintering in Florida, the birds make a truce and it is rare to find them squawking at one another. The highlight was just seeing the volume of birds in one place! Also watching Sid dance with his three wheel ‘walker’ to stay warm while the sun set and we waited for dinner at the ‘Mucky Duck’ on Captiva (adjoining Sanibel).