The Austins' Travel Blog: February 2013

Snowbirds for a while...The Austins go South!

Part I

Every fall, our Canada Geese assemble noisily on the Ottawa River, ready to start their migration South. After all, by October isn't their work usually done. Are our parking lots and sidewalks not amply fertilized? And isn't their yearly quota of frightened children always reached before school takes in? And despite their busy schedules, they still have had time to create the next generation of little poopers.

Call me misguided, but I do marvel at the Canada Goose's ability to call it a day and head South. Thanks to a migratory reflex and god-given navigational skills, they head South successfully every year. The question is:

Could Linda and I learn from their example? Could we drive south?

Ottawa pedestrian bridge after storm

Oh, Winter Wind!

You see, winter was no longer a season for us, it had become an occupation.

It was time to make the move and follow our Canada Goose south.

We haven't yet named our new GPS.

Gladys, our original was a gentle guide,

who recently retired from regular duty..

After all, we had navigation skills too.
O.K. So we purchased them at Canadian Tire.
The GPS selection is great there.

Each state does its best to capture your tourist dollar.

Taking advantage of a break between two winter storms, we set loose early one Sunday morning.

Our biggest surprise: the speed that 18-wheelers travel at in the States. It seemed that the farther South we got, the faster they drove...80 mph wasn't unusual. We just followed in their draft.

The bridge we crossed to get to Jekyll Island.

In two short days, we were at the Georgian border. What a feeling when we opened the car doors! For the first time in months, we were bathing in moist warm air and vitamin D enriched sunshine. Wow!! Why didn't we do this sooner?

Sprague, Beverly, and Linda

The Plato's abode.

Our first stop was Jekyll Island where we stayed with our Snow Bird friends Sprague and Beverly at their winter paradise.

They showed us everything possible about this beautiful island...its history, its beaches and walks, its customs. customs.

We also spared no expense or time learning about Southern Cuisine and how to pronounce things "suthern styl".

One of a thousand different shots of Driftwood Beach

The Hortons' House....no Timmies to be had here though.

Jekyll Island is a tortoise paradise. This is Charlie.

The bridge to Sanibel is called the "Causeway".

By Sunday, we were crossing the bridge to Sanibel Island, Florida.....

Our living room, kitchen, and dining room.

...where we were going to spend the next two weeks with our friends, Louise and Dave in this house.

Our bedroom-week one.

Indeed,........

....all four of us would agree that the place is great but the real highlight here is the wildlife.

This guy landed with his fish just 15 meters

from the house. He didn't appreciate my curiosity.

The inlet outside our house comes to life just after sunrise.

Fish, the occasional dolphin, and tons of bird, all doing what birds do naturally.

From osprey to eagles, pelicans to wood storks, and Egrets to Ibis, they all seem to be here.

A turkey vulture.

Nearby there are some fascinating discoveries to be made. During a walk one morning, we were being distracted by the incredible variety of birds around two big ponds when we came upon this guy.

Since the cull (300 removed), opportunities like this are becoming increasingly rare.

Our baby gator goes stealth.

Meanwhile, behind us, this little guy scampered dramatically into the water with a splash and disappeared. Silently, we followed him to his new hiding place across "Pond Apple" where upon he submerged until only the outline of his eyes was visible, and then disappeared. Seconds later, he re-emerged covered in the camouflage he had gathered. Secure in the thought that his stealth maneuver was successful, he spent the next five minutes watching us as we watched him. He won me over. It was just too cute!