Naples, Florida

 Phil and I left the kids with Grandma and Grandpa and got to take a mini vacation to Naples, Fl.  

 At the hotel, we rented bikes and rode to the beach.

We noticed a sign on this hotel requesting that no one feed the alligators.  I didn't expect to see any, but sure enough, there was one lazing in the grass!

 The next day, we drove to the Everglades and took a boat ride through the Ten Thousand Islands, home of North America's largest mangrove forest.

 

Our pontoon boat looked something like this.

 

We were told we might spot manatees, dolphins, alligators and many kinds of birds.  An osprey made her nest on this sign.

 A mangrove island.  The roots of the trees make up the entire surface of the island so there is no solid ground.

These pink birds are spoonbills, not flamingos.  Apparently, the only flamingos you'll find in Florida are on someone's lawn.

The dolphins were very friendly and came quite close to our boat.

 After the boat tour, we drove further into the Everglades to look for some alligators.

Not big enough to be an alligator...

 

 Aha!  We've spotted one!

 I didn't want to venture to far away from the car...

 Phil was certain they couldn't drag him into the water so he went a bit closer...

Our pool at the Hilton Marco Island.

Going for a swim in the Gulf.

We found an enormous shell in the ocean.

 We found 3 awesome shells, each with a living creature inside.

 The hermit crab is trying to get away from us!

 

First, his little claws come out...

Now, we see a bit more of him!

I have never found such a big shell before.  I wanted so badly to take it home.  Unfortunately, it was already a home to a snail.

 The huge snail inside the big shell.

 Us with a storm in the distance.