Sanibel Island Vacation Diary - January 15, 2007Susan was anxious to start our first full day in Sanibel, and she headed out to the beach about 9 a.m. I remained in bed, choosing to sleep a bit longer. Susan had her choice of location on the beach, as there was no one there yet. Her only competition was a large flock of birds, resting on the beach. We noticed a different type of bird here this time of year, and they flocked on the beach in large numbers, unlike the summer birds. I finally got out of bed about 9:30 and took my laptop to the conference center here at Sanibel Moorings. I plugged into the network and began downloading the 2,200 e-mails that had accumulated since late Saturday night. I also phoned home to check in with the person who processes the orders at my company. It was 11 a.m. and we wanted breakfast. Our only possible choice was Lighthouse Café, our favorite restaurant on Sanibel. We went to the car and drove to the restaurant. The parking lot wasn't full but we did have to wait for a table. Fortunately, we were seated in about three minutes. During the summer, we have waited 30 minutes or more or have no wait at all. Our meals -- granola nut pancakes and hash browns for me, French toast and sausage links for Susan -- were excellent, as usual. The service is quick, efficient and attentive. The food is superb, and the staff -- many of whom have been here since we began visiting -- are friendly. The meal was $25.63 (including tax & tip). I took home about half of my pancakes, since they were so filling. We drove back to the condo, and I gathered my beach supplies. We walked out to the beach together and we started soaking up the sun. The temperature and humidity are quite a bit lower than in the summer. I actually enjoyed being on the beach. Since kids are in school now, the beach is much quieter, and there weren't many people, period. We got off the beach about 4:15. The days are shorter so it gets dark earlier. We both got ready to go out to dinner, leaving the condo about 5 p.m. Yes, it was early, but we were ready to eat. We drove to the restaurant, but the parking lot was empty and the restaurant looked dark. Susan got out and checked the door, where she found a notice that said they were open Tuesday through Sunday. We would have to come back on another night. We already had a backup plan, since we had noticed that a restaurant that is not open during the summer was, in fact, open now. The Greenhouse Grill is located near the west end of Periwinkle, very close to Redfish, Bluefish, so we were there in just a couple of minutes. There was only one other table of customers when we sat down. The menu revealed some rather pricey items, many being Italian dishes. Susan chose a chicken dish (Chicken Bianco) with sautéed vegetables, potatoes in a white wine sauce ($19.95). I ordered a chicken Panini sandwich with fries ($12.00). Susan ordered a glass of wine for an extravagant eight dollars. We both ordered diet Pepsi, which the menu stated included one free refill (come on restaurant owners, stop being so cheap!) for $1.95 each. While we waited for our food, the waitress brought us some fresh cooked bread and olive oil mixture for dipping. The bread and oil was appetizing. Our meals arrived in a reasonable time and we dug in. The fries with my sandwich were excellent. The sandwich itself was also very good. I especially enjoyed the sliced avocado on the sandwich. Susan thoroughly enjoyed her chicken as well, practically licking the plate. I tasted her chicken and I must say it was delicious. Our service was adequate and cordial, but I felt a bit abandoned, as my drink sat empty. The restaurant did fill up somewhat while we were there. The final bill was $45.37 plus tip. After eating, we went to CVS to get Susan some sunscreen, then to Winds to look at T-shirts. Winds was practically empty. CVS was very busy, reversing their respective statuses during our summer visits. I think the average age of visitors to Sanibel during this time of year must be about 65, while it's probably 20 during the summer. CVS probably rakes in on prescription meds this time of year. We came home and I ate the rest of my Blizzard left over from last night. We both walked to the conference center where we used the wireless hotspot to check e-mails, and returned to the condo to watch more of 24. Susan turned out the light about 11 p.m. and I stayed up working on this diary until 12.
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