My friend Sharon rented a two-bedroom condo on Southwest Florida’s Pine Island for the month of January and invited me to share it with her. Of course, I accepted.
The weather there was rather better than in Boulder, Colorado, where each of us live. While the temperature reached 84° on Pine Island when we were there, Boulder’s temperature dropped to sub-zero for three days, going as low as -6 degrees on January 15. By comparison, the worst cold snap that we experienced in Florida came on January 18, when the temperature only reached 66°.
January was also a dry month in Southwest Florida, while Boulder got several inches of snow. Rain stopped us from getting out only on the morning of January 7 and until late morning on the 31st. The birding and photography were so good that we logged more than 386,000 steps, the equivalent of 123 miles, according to my new pedometer. We chose a good place and time for an active vacation.
The condo that we rented is on Blue Crab Key, 25 landscaped acres surrounded by water on all sides and connected to the rest of Pine Island only by a short causeway. It is a townhouse condominium development with 120 two-story units in 20 buildings.
The Front of Our Condo, the Second Unit from the Left
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This Macaw Parrot was One of Our Next Door Neighbors
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The Landscaping Includes This Coconut Palm in Fruit
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This Orchid Bloomed by Our Building
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This Pond at the Causeway Attracted Both Birds and Us
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Three White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) Rest by the Pond
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Moonrise in our Back Yard
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When we returned to the condo at 8 p.m. on January 28, a full moon was rising over the arm of Charlotte Harbor that separates Pine Island from the undeveloped Little Pine Island. We always enjoyed the view.
7 responses so far ↓
1 Gretchen // Feb 4, 2013 at 12:56 pm
All your photos are great, but the one of the pond at the causeway is especially great.
2 David Mendosa // Feb 4, 2013 at 1:01 pm
Dear Gretchen,
Thank you. I bet that you noticed the Anhinga in the tree at the upper left. Right?
Namaste,
David
3 Gretchen // Feb 4, 2013 at 5:23 pm
No, I hadn’t seen the Anhinga until you pointed it out. In fact, I’d never heard of an Anhinga.
What I liked was the complexity of the composition.
4 Bob Fenton // Feb 5, 2013 at 2:46 am
I also had not heard of the bird. I hope that you will have more pictures of this bird. I do enjoy the orchid picture.
5 Linda Fuller // Feb 26, 2013 at 3:50 pm
Thank You, David * * Your photos are gorgeous !!! and to think I provided a safe haven for your vacation time warms my heart… Thank you for choosing this condo. Also, I have one on Anna Maria Island (North end) which you would probably enjoy in the future…. stay in touch.
Namaste… Linda
6 Pam Schroeder // Jun 2, 2013 at 5:33 am
I also go down near Pine Island in the winter
& would love to get some info about renting
one of the condos. The birds down in that area
are absolutely amazing. Thanks
Regards,
Pam
7 David Mendosa // Jun 2, 2013 at 6:42 am
Dear Pam,
We worked with Linda Fuller at forlindalindaonly@tampabay.rr.com and she represented an owner of one of the condos that was absolutely perfect. I recommend that you contact her.
Namaste,
David