You Never Know What You Might Catch!

Hey! I'm not talking infectious diseases! Although there is some flu going around and some colds with our blogging friends...But we're not sick...although we are being BUGGED by no-see-ums! At least that's what we think they are. Eldy's got a slight allergic reaction to them it appears...(SLIGHT????? These are the biggest bites and itch the most of anything I have ever seen and experienced!!!!) They seem to like him a LOT. He's got really big bites all over the backs of his legs and they itch like crazy! He's downing Benadryl and applying cortizone cream and After-Bite (rub on stick), but to no avail. And today, they got ME a few times. We don't even feel them biting, but boy, do we have the big red welts to prove it! I wasn't feeling too sorry for Eldy until I got bit. Now I know why he's complaining! (YEAH! See what I mean? he says, vindicated.) He's been miserable for the last few days, the bites and itching last more than just a couple of days....

Down to the Naples Pier I went today to see what I could find....HOPING to find dolphins, but not even a pelican today...just lots of people! The beach was FULL of them, imagine that! Everybody has come in for the holiday and what a difference a couple of days make! The beaches were relatively empty last week when we set out for awhile in our cabana. Today---wow! Too bad Eldy wasn't here, he was off running errands. His eyeballs probably would have popped out of their sockets, tee hee! Mine were bugging out at the latest bikini apparel and old guys wearing Speedos....and that's all I'm going to say about THAT!

At any rate, LOTS of people were fishing off the pier today...the usual old farts with all their gear...I stayed for a little while, chatting at the railing with a lady from the Netherlands. She had excellent English as most of the foreign tourists do. They put us to shame with all their language training they get in school. Her English was flawless. It turns out they come over to the U.S. to winter in Naples and have bought a house here to do that every year. I had no idea that people from EUROPE did that. I know there are lots of people from the U.S. that are snowbirds that have two or more living arrangements for the seasons, I just didn't realize people from Europe choose to winter over here in Florida...I guess I was born yesterday. As my dad always said..."Well, I wasn't born yesterday, you know!"

After a little bit, I saw a cormorant swimming close around the pier, looking for something to eat. I was just thinking about whether they ever steal the fisherman's bait like the dolphin did the other day when all of a sudden, he snatched the bait hook in the water from a fisherman standing a couple of feet away from me...An expletive came out briefly as the guy realized the hook had been completely swallowed by the cormorant and the bird was totally caught by his hook, line and sinker! (groan!) It looked like the line was completely around his bill as well. A commotion ensued, and as soon as I saw the fisherman reel the bird up with the hook totally down his throat, I felt sick to my stomach....The guy grabbed the bird by the neck and said, "What am I gonna do, guys? He's swallowed the whole damn hook!" Everybody was offering advice and none of it was going to work because the hook was too far down. I heard the guy say, "I'm going to have to kill it." And at that point, I left, it was too upsetting to hang around and find out what was going to ensue....I'm hoping for a happy ending, but I doubt it....I felt badly for the bird AND the guy whose hook was swallowed! He was very upset as well.....

I'm the kind of person that when my second husband took me rabbit hunting and shot a rabbit and asked me to put it in his game bag, I took one look at the rabbit with its big brown eyes and started bawling. That was the last time I ever accompanied him hunting! And the last time he ever asked if I wanted to go. I can't even look at fresh rabbit in a grocery store meat case without remembering that bunny rabbit from years ago....

Modern art at the parking garage in Naples

The rest of the day was uneventful.....Not sure what we'll do tomorrow....maybe hang around home as the traffic is really heavy now in town. Lots of accidents happening everywhere...the radio station says that you know it's "high season" because of the uptick in traffic accidents as all the snowbirds arrive.  On TV today, the feature story was interviewing tow truck services and body shops. They are having to hire extra help to handle all the extra calls and accidents!  That's a little unnerving!  Well, it's almost Christmas and a great time to hang around home in the lush palm trees of Neapolitan Cove, our RV park. We might see you there tomorrow....Or, we might find something else we need to do, who knows? I've yet to look at all the shops....(And you don't need to, right? worries E.) No worries, mate! Just thought I'd see what unusual things they are selling in all these cool shops if I can work up the nerve to step inside and see. It might be interesting to see what things are selling for in downtown Naples that I can't afford, lol! Then again, not being a shopper, I might check out something else instead!...See you tomorrow......