Arrivederci, Naples!

Our stay in Naples is coming to an end. We leave tomorrow for Myrtle Beach. It's kind of sad, but I get to play on the beach with Phaedra when we get to MB. Oh Boy!!!!!! Plus, we miss Parker and her parents, too. We’ve had fun these last two weeks once Papa got to feeling better. Besides, a week of rest wasn’t too bad. We spent lots of time together around the camper and got in good family time.

Our friends, Sally and Jim, returned from Chapel Hill, and they all made plans to have adventures. Without us, of course. Mom and Papa celebrated Papa’s birthday by going to a great restaurant on the water for breakfast, and then went to dinner with Sally and Jim that evening at a place called Snook Inn on the Isle of Capri. It was cold and rainy, but they still had fun eating outside by the waterway. They didn’t even bring anything back for us. Fish or steak would have been just the thing. I wonder if they even remembered that they had two great girls waiting patiently for them back home. Fish would have been really nice, don’t you think?

The weather went back to being cool, again, and it even rained. Mom never put on her swimsuit. Papa did – to wash the truck, once. They were pretty bummed out! It didn’t get warm until the 23^rd. It finally got up to about 80 degrees, and Mom and Papa went kayaking with Sally and Jim and their friends, Phil and Pat. Their friends had their own kayaks, but Mom and Papa rented one. They had pedal sea-kayaks and thought it was really wonderful. They went shelling on an island right near the Gulf, saw lots of birds and even kayaked beside dolphins. They were gone for 5 long hours while we stayed home. By ourselves, of course. Alone!

All of us went to Ding Darling Nature Preserve on Sanibel Island a couple of days ago. It was amazing that there were any birds out at all because it was so cold and windy. Mom got great pictures of herons, roseate spoonbills, and white Pelicans. The best part was that they visited with their friend, Sherree, from Madison, Wisconsin. We got to go this time. We had to stay in the car, though. I kept guard for them.

There was a nest with osprey right outside the house. Mom really liked that. Phae and I barked at it, but we didn’t scare it. It was bigger than we are. I’m glad that it liked the fish it was eating so it didn’t want to eat us.

The next day, we all went back to Turner Road in the Big Cypress Swamp. We saw great birds and alligators. Since it was the last trip out there, Papa thought we should go panther hunting, too. This time we followed the GPS and didn’t get lost!

We saw a pair of bobcats but no panthers. There were new signs up all over the area, though, warning that it is a designated panther area. The folks wondered why the signs were new. Maybe we weren’t the only ones to see panthers there recently!

It got cold again. Phae and I don’t mind too much. We have nice, warm coats and I get to sleep under the covers next to Mom at night. But, it rained so much that the truck was in the middle of a puddle yesterday. It got colder too. I didn’t think it could get much colder. People say that this is the coldest February on record. EVER! Just as we are getting ready to leave, it’s supposed to start to get warm. Go figure!

Oh, guess what? I don’t need my den anymore. I haven’t eaten any pillows and the comforter hasn’t had a malfunction again. It’s been difficult, but I’m a really good little girl. Mama always says so. Phaedra doesn’t agree, but she’s just jealous! I just get better and better, don’t you know!

Tomorrow we hit the road so we probably won’t write until this summer when we head out for the west coast. We’ll be in touch in a couple of months.

So long for now.

Ciao,

Zoe (and my sister, Phaedra.

Phaedra and Pigs to Pelicans

Finally we recovered from the Great Swamp Trip! Zoe and I still can’t believe that we didn’t get stuck in one of those road-wide ponds, and my headache from hitting the ceiling of the truck is doing better. When Papa washed the truck the next day, the whole driveway was gray with the mud that came off the truck!

Do you think that stopped all of us from going to the ends of the earth? NO! A couple of days later we went to Rookery Bay. It isn’t more than 5 miles from our place, but we might as well been in the middle of the Everglades! Driving down the road toward the kayak launch, we had to lie down on our bed in the back and hold on for dear life. If someone tried to create the most bumpy road in the world, it would have been this one. We didn’t go fast. Thank heavens! That’s probably why all of a sudden Mom said, “Look over there! Wild pigs!” I barked and barked, and they ran off right away. They might be bigger than I am, but they are really skittish. Zoe and I could have had BBQ for dinner if we could have gotten out of the truck. We met a man on our hike that said you wouldn’t want to meet a wild pig because they are really mean. Bring them on, I say! Zoe, not so much - she hides behind Mama or Papa when another dog comes up to sniff her!

At the end of the bumpy road, we stopped and hiked a trail on Rookery Bay, which has manatees and dolphins and birds – so many birds - and is really pretty. There were really good smells, too. Maybe this came from the pigs.

We did have a surprise, though. We were walking along a waterway and there was a really loud splash. Zoe ran behind Papa. I barked. And Mama and Papa cautiously walked through the mangrove to the edge of the water. They thought an alligator had crashed into the water. Not so! A really big White Pelican was the only life form visible! It was big – bigger than two of Zoe and me. There it was just floating along in the inlet. The only way this walk could have been better was if we could have gone swimming. The folks wouldn’t let us swim because they didn’t want us to be someone’s dinner they said. I’m glad about that for sure.




Naples is really beautiful. Dogs are really liked here. They go into shops and even into Bad Ass Coffee. Not us, though! We don’t always get to go with Papa and Mama when they explore. (The good news, though, is that Zoe hasn’t eaten any comforters or pillows since the first “comforter malfunction”! Maybe she won’t need her “den” after this trip. Dad isn’t so sure about that, but we’ll see.)






There are really unusual things to see in Naples, too. We were driving down the street one afternoon and we saw some other people looking up into a tree. There was a flock of Ibis grazing two blocks from shops and restaurants and art galleries! In the tree was a crazy thing. It looked like an upside-down owl to Papa and a furry animal like a sloth to Mom. Turns out, it was a gigantic bee hive and honeycomb. Oh, the things you'll see if you just look around!



Zoe will probably write you about a kayaking trip the folks are planning. Maybe we'll get to go this time. Anyway, take time to look around! You'll be surprised at what you can see.

Phaedra

Please Drive to Designated Route…

Please Drive to Designated Route...

If we heard that once, we heard it a hundred times. Phaedra and I were in the back of the truck when this bossy female voice (no not our Mom) came on the GPS over and over again.

The maps were out in the front seat and Papa kept saying, “If you just stay on 78^th Avenue it should go straight into Sable Palm Blvd. And, we kept holding on with every toenail we have.

Then, to make matters more interesting, Mom, who was driving, poked Papa and said, “Look!!! That’s a panther!” We didn’t believe our eyes as this really big, black cat calmly walked across the road in front of the truck. It was huge! Boy, am I glad that we didn’t stall or weren’t having a picnic outside. I would have been sandwich meat for that big cat. We were somewhere in the Picayune Strand State Forest not too far from Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park and in the middle of nowhere. The GPS voice thought we were in the middle of a swamp. Guess what, we were!

Phaedra and I heard Mom say that she hoped that we found the right road before the sun went down. I hid under my pillow. Then, Mom poked Papa again and said, “Bobcat!” They were so excited to see a Black Panther, a Bobcat, and 3 White-Tailed Deer. Forget about the alligators and birds – we have arrived in a totally different world by this time.

Guess what came next? The “road” turned into a mud hole and Mom drove through a lake that came up to the front bumper. The truck started to swish back and forth, and I thought “I’m not going swimming even if we get stuck out here. I don’t care if we don’t have cell phone reception or aren’t on the GPS, I’m not getting out of this truck.”

Phaedra was getting a tad anxious, too. After going across the lake, they came to another bigger lake and decided to turn around. Back across the first lake they went, but this time Papa told Mom to drive faster. Mud covered the front windshield and up the side of the door. We made it, though. In just a couple of minutes, another truck came toward us. The folks stopped the truck, which had two twenty-something guys and the biggest pit bull dog I’ve ever seen in the bed of the truck. The kids in the truck said that we were on the right road and that we could make it to Naples before dark. Sounds fun, right? NO! Anyway, the kids told us they’d lead us out so back through the flooded road we went. We were bumping and swerving along at a hundred miles an hour and I got carsick! It really was that bad! It took about 20 minutes and at least 50 flooded places before the kids pulled over and told us that all we had to do was to follow the new road and stay on it and we’d get home. We got back to cement roads just before the sun went down. I was so happy and Papa told Mom that he had wanted to get out and kiss the ground when he got out to thank the kids – who mom thought were right out of Deliverance!

What a terrible ride that was! I don’t know why the folks were so excited and had so much fun. Can you imagine? I don’t think we will go back there again. If I hear the name again, I am going to hide under the bed until they leave!

It was really cool seeing the Panther and the Bobcat, though. I guess it made it worth the ride to hear the folks talking about how rare Panthers are and how few people ever see the Florida Black Panther in the wild.

BTW, if you think anyone took pictures on the road from Hell, think again. They just tried to hang onto the “Oh, Jesus” handle or steering wheel and keep from hitting their heads on the roof.

Phaedra might be up to writing the dog blog again soon – once she recovers from this trip!

Hanging on by a toenail!

Zoe

Happy Mardi Gras

LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULER!






Phaedra, Zoe, and the gang!

It's a Dog's Life! Thank Heavens!

Coffee, coffee, coffee! Zoe and I get left home again. In Chapel Hill, it’s Panera, but in Naples it’s Bad Ass Coffee. At least they don’t go every day! They missed two days.

Mom and Dad have left us alone twice this week. The first time was to the historic district of Naples. Bad Ass is located there, but they, also, took their bikes to go for a ride along the beach road. From what I heard, the homes were HUGE. Mom and Dad couldn’t even afford a driveway to these homes. One even had a waterfall! I’d love to swim in the pond under the falls. I know Zoe wouldn’t like it so much. She’s such a wus!

The next day, they went to the Corkscrew Sanctuary which is an Audubon Society property located about 20 miles east of Naples (although, when you’re stuck at home it might as well be a hundred miles, right?). There wasn’t much wildlife, but they did get to see a Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, a Florida Black Racer Snake, and a raccoon.

Zoe and I get to see nothing. What do they think we are, chopped liver??? Hmmm, that sounds good and it is almost time for me to eat. (BTW, I’ve become a foodie as long as it is expensive or hot dogs. Don’t give me any of that soy stuff Mom eats, though. It lacks that “je ne sais quois” for me, anyway. Zoe eats anything so she wouldn’t care. The comforter actually enticed her the other day. Mom calls it the “comforter malfunction” and I call it just being naughty!)

We got to meet Karen and Herb whom they saw last week on Sanibel. They were really nice and even brought treats for us. Peanut Mutter Treats!!! These are real friends. (Darn it!!!! They are going back to Chapel Hill this week. No more treats for us! Poor us!)

We, also, met Papa’s other niece, Carla. She lives in Bradenton and came down here with her husband to see us. Boy, are they nice. Zoe got them to throw the ball over and over and over. They liked me, too! Again, we stayed home while they went to the city to eat at the Old Naples Pub! No doggie bags came home so I went on strike. Not Zoe, though.

I can’t wait to tell you about a road trip we took on Saturday afternoon, but Zoe really wants to tell the story. You won’t believe our crazy parents! What a doozie!

Well, so long! Hopefully, we’ll survive to write again. You know maybe it isn’t so bad that we don’t get to go everywhere with the folks. The verdict is still out on that one…

Phaedra, The Great!

Zoe in Naples: Florida that is, not Italy!

Buon giorno a voi tutto da Napoli piena di sole!

In case you don't read Italian like I do, that means "Good day to all of you from sunny Naples." Aren't you impressed? Phaedra certainly is, but she thinks I am just showing off. I'm not - just a faster learner than she is!

Anyway, after a week, we left Mt. Dora for Naples and are happy to be here now. We will be until the end of this month. The first day guess what mom did? That’s right, she dragged Papa to a coffee shop in downtown Naples. It was called “Bad Ass Coffee” and their coffee came from Hawaii. Mom sure liked it. Dad had fun talking to people from Toronto and from Germany. You know the folks – coffee in the morning along with conversation is a necessity of life. They have been riding bikes and reading lots of books, too.

Yesterday, we went to Big Cypress Swamp and saw so many different birds and many, many alligators. The folks were standing on the side of the waterway when all of a sudden a huge alligator plunged into the water. You should have seen the folks. They were surprised to say the least. I’m glad that Zoe and I were in the truck watching this happen. He sure was noisy when he went into the water – and did I mention big???

Today, the folks drove up to Sanibel Island to visit with friends from Chapel Hill. They got to go up to Captiva Island to eat at The Mucky Ducky, which is right on the gulf. How lucky was that?

I could have gone swimming if I had been there. Then they learned that friends from Madison are there, too, and are good friends of Karen and Herb. Mom kept shaking her head and saying, “It sure is a small world!” They tried to see Sherree today but couldn’t connect.

So, guess what… we get to go back to Sanibel in a week or so to visit Ding Darling National Park and see Sherree and Mark. We get to go that time! I can’t wait.

Maybe they’ll have good treats for us like Dusty Rose’s folks did. Yum, yum, yum!

Arrivederci per ora!

Zoe