Just Modern Day Gypsies: More Sun, More Beach

Dusty & Char 1st time at Sanibel Island

Isn't it beautiful?

Dusty just chillin

OK, so sorry to those of you that are wearing your coats inside or freezing or sitting inside while it's raining outside....BUT...we are so enjoying the sun and beach!!! Dusty promised me one day just at the beach and since he is not one to lay out, this was very nice of him. We bought him a beach chair with shade built in and spent 4 hours just relaxing. He took his e-reader and was content....I just soaked up the sun. If you ever come to Ft. Myers YOU MUST come out to Sanibel Island....you can walk the beach looking for shells, swim in the warm shallow water, there are no big waves, the ocean floor is sandy and so seaweed to walk over....just perfect. For those of us who were raised in the Pacific Northwest where when you go to the beach you wear coats to wade in the water and sunbath (my sister and I use to do that) this is heaven. the water is such a beautiful blue I can't wait to get to the Florida Keys.
But on Sunday there was commotion when a mother lost her 7 year old girl at the beach...any mother who has gone through this knows the panic and the screams of a mother looking for their child....I was in the restroom (surprise surprise) when she came in screaming. When I walked out Dusty was there talking to a man on a cell phone, they told me to go find the mother has they had the police on the phone and they needed to talk to her, it seems Dusty had locked our keys in the car and we had no cell phone with us and he had originally asked the man to call a locksmith. I went to the beach to get her, believe me she didn't want to come, she was maybe of Muslim faith..she was wearing head wear and spoke broken English, but I finally got her to come . On our way back to the Parking lot she saw her other daughter and asked her where she last saw her sister, she said in the ocean. Oh my the screams from that mother, my heart broke, one lady heard her say her daughter was in the water and screamed for everyone in a swimsuit to get in the water. People were great...running up and down the beach, diving in the water,just coming together. when I finally got her to the parking lot the Police Officer was there. The mother didn't want to talk, she wanted to keep looking, but I stayed with her holding her hand and trying to console her has she sobbed. The Police officer, a woman, finally let her go back to the beach, an hour had gone by now. The officer was calling for support, when finally a young man, 14 years old, came running up out of breath saying he had found her and had gotten her to her father who was looking for her. She was down the beach, 2 miles, she had thought her younger sister was drowning and couldn't see her mom, who had left the kids with the dad while she went to change the baby, and had gotten caught in the water and drifted down the beach and washed up on shore and had no idea where she was..a miracle and thank goodness for gentle waves and undertow. That young man kept hugging the mother and saying it's OK she is safe, don't worry, she is with her dad, she is coming. The police officer called him a hero, I told him he was a very mature young man and when I saw his mother I told her so and said I truly hoped that if my grandson's were in the same situation that they would have acted the same. Back to our lost keys, Dusty couldn't reach a locksmith, the man offered to take him back to the campground and Dusty climbed into a window, would have loved to see that, and got our extra keys.
To continue how kind people are, yesterday after being at the beach we came back, had a Margarita and went for a walk around the park and started to walk to a few shops. Was it the heat, was it the Margarita, who knows but I had one of my black out spells...Dusty said I was talking & laughing when I just collapsed. He said 5 cars stopped to help,isn't that great to know people still care, but Dusty just sat on the ground holding me until I could get up, got me back to the park, gave me one of my pills for this situation. I don't remember any of it, other then hearing one person asking is she OK? When I collapsed I sprained my foot and sit here this morning with ice on it. I know you who are very cold are saying Ha Ha...but it still is going to be 86 today...so there!! LOL :) We move off the Island today to just Ft. Myers. So more later...stay warm and dry friends and family..oh and watch the tornadoes!!!