Tag Archives: I Gots Friends

Ruby Tuesday, Southwest Florida

The Sea Star Cafe at the Sanibel Inn

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© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
http://MyMobileAdventures.com

IMG_4005-Sanibel-Sea-Star-Cafe🙂 I went to dinner with some friends on Saturday night – they gave me the choice of venue, so I selected the newly-opened Sea Star Cafe on Sanibel Island. It’s located where Ellington’s used to be, at the Sanibel Inn. When we first arrived, it was after 6:00 PM and there weren’t any other cars in the parking lot. We thought perhaps it was an indicator that the restaurant was not being kindly received, but later on, our waitress reminded us that it’s off season and what few tourists do make it to the island in the summer want to be on the beach as long as there’s daylight. Sunset doesn’t really occur until after 8:00 PM – and the sunsets are amazing down here in the summer time, so I don’t blame those tourists one bit for delaying the dinner hour! There’s a sample menu posted here, but it doesn’t show the wine list or mixed drinks. If memory serves, I ordered a Sanibel Iced Tea, pictured at left, but I don’t remember what was in it – clearly, something that makes it look like a sunset! It was cold and fruity and delicious.

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ATMOSPHERE
I like the ambiance of the restaurant – exposed beams in a rotunda, lots of clean wood surfaces and just an airy feel to the place. The booths are very roomy too, but ours looked out over the garbage dumpster in the parking lot. Get one toward the back of the restaurant along the road if you want a better view.

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APPETIZER
I started my meal with the house salad and citrus vinaigrette on the side. The salad was fresh, the dressing was a little on the peppery side but overall good, and the bowl was a fail. You cannot tell from the photo, but the square salad bowl is sort of a wedge shape, with the bottom of the bowl being MUCH narrower than the opening at the top. Consequently, when you stab into your salad with your fork, lettuce and stuff erupts onto the table. Maybe if they filled the bowl a little less…??? Honestly, if I were the manager of the restaurant, I’d just ditch these bowls and get something a bit less adventurous.

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ENTREES aka THE GREAT LOBSTER TAIL FAIL
Gary and I both ordered the grilled lobster tail. You will notice it was sliced in half lengthwise. This probably worked well in getting a lot of contact with the grill, but it was a fail logistically in terms of trying to pry the meat out of the shell. At some point, you have to pick the meat out with your fingers or just miss out on half your lobster tail. And honestly, if I’d wanted to pick at something with my fingers, I would have ordered an entire lobster or a crab or something. The whole point of ordering just the tail is that you can eat it with your fork and keep your hands clean. We didn’t have extra napkins or wet naps on the table, so things got messy fast. I also have to mention that the lobster tasted like steak. Oh I liked it, but it suggests that fish and meat are cooked on the same grill here. If you are allergic to seafood, then you should probably specifically mention that to the staff here so they will cook your steak separately.

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Tootie ordered the shrimp basket and was overall pleased, I believe. I haven’t been over to her blog yet to see! I sampled one of her shrimp – it was a huge portion and they were pretty big shrimp, too. I love how the tail comes RIGHT off when you pull – A+ for that! Tootie said her fries were really good, too.

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DESSERT and SERVICE
No, there’s nothing floating in my coffee – it’s the reflection from the overhead light fixture. But it does look like I’ve got “clouds in my coffee, clouds in my coffee”, doesn’t it? 😉 We did receive a fair amount of attention from the staff – probably there were two reasons for this. One, there weren’t a lot of people there so their attention was not divided much. Two, when patrons whip out cameras and start taking pictures of the food, chances are pretty good a review is on the horizon 😉 Well, maybe they didn’t notice the photo-taking, not sure. We did let the manager know about the lobster tail fail and made him pinky-swear that he would never let the chef do that again! For our trouble, we received these humongous double portions of dessert! I had to ask for a box to take half of it home (which I demolished last night after dinner – the cheesecake is totally wicked good!).

OVERALL IMPRESSION
I really did like the atmosphere and the friendliness of the staff at the Sea Star Cafe. I would like to come back at some point in the future and see how they are maturing. Also noted – there’s a bar, and the place is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, which means this is a potential new stop on the Sunday Sanibel Bar Crawl. Well, we’ll see if we can get Gary to go back… 😉

Click the photos to see if a larger version is available in Flickr
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Outdoor Wednesday, Southwest Florida, Watery Wednesday, Wednesday Meme Trifecta, Wordless Wednesday

Portrait of a militant sheller

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© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
http://MyMobileAdventures.com

IMG00286-Sanibel-Island-militant-sheller

❓ How can I tell this is a militant sheller? Well, for one thing, he’s carrying “the claw”, an implement of liberation and retrieval which exists in the toolkit of most serious seashell seekers.

Don’t bother googling for “the claw” – the actual name is The Treasure Scoop. Whatever you call it, it’s a handy device. You can use it to dig or else to fish something out of the water without having to perform the “Sanibel Stoop”.

The other reason I can tell this is a militant sheller is that I actually know him. Personally, even! 😉 Some of you reading this may even recognize him. How much trouble do we think I’m in for posting this? Personally, I think it’s a lovely shot and he’s going to like it. Well, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it! 😉

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Mobile Blogging, Southwest Florida

Sanibel causeway sad lane

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Sanibel causeway sad lane, originally uploaded by Tink*~*~*. 25 May ’09, 8.58pm EDT PST

Awesome day with friend vacationing on Sanibel – screen name "steinbecke". We gabbed over brunch for several hours, and gabbed for several more hours hours sitting on the beach with cold Coronas. And then we went shelling for a couple of hours. We found great stuff in the tidal pool. I found a LIVE alphabet cone, and there were lots of live olives too, something I’ve personally never witnessed before. What an awesome day!

I Gots Friends, Sanibel Island, Southwest Florida, The Sunday Sanibel Bar Crawl

LIVE from Sanibel on Sunday afternoon

Hi everyone! Starting around 2:00 PM Eastern, the usual suspects will gather for lunch and the next episode of The Sunday Sanibel Bar Crawl. Scroll down to see if I’ve started mobile blogging yet. See ya real soon!

NOTE:  If it says, “This Video Is Being Processed”, click it anyway – you can view it in Flickr

Haiku Friday, Looking At The Sky On Friday, sky-related, Skywatch Friday

Friday the 13th at Walt Disney World

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© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
http://MyMobileAdventures.com
All photos taken Friday the 13th of October 2006 at Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida.
click the photo to see the version posted to Flickr

IMG_2952-WDW-Swan-Hotel-sunrise-sky-clouds

Friday the 13th
Who says unlucky? Not me!
Looky, rising sun 🙂

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Friday the 13th
Who says unlucky? Not me!
Looky, pretty day 🙂

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Friday the 13th
Who says unlucky? Not me!
Looky, I Gots Friends 🙂 🙂 🙂

Respectively, that was the sun rising behind the WDW Swan hotel, the sun reflecting off the front of the WDW Dolphin hotel, and my fellow Long Island transplants watching the SpectroMagic parade in the Magic Kingdom that evening – Barbara, Austin, Lexie and Debbie In Paradise.

Hey, did you spot the “hidden” Mickey heads?

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Blogging, mophoblogging, Southwest Florida, Sunday Sanibel Bar Crawl, The Sunday Sanibel Bar Crawl

Yellowbird at McT’s Shrimp House and Tavern



Sunbird at McT’s Shrimp House and Tavern, originally uploaded by Tink*~*~*. 8 Feb ’09, 4.45pm EST PST

Yellowbird, the official drink of the Sanibel Sunday Bar Crawl

PS – I had to edit this as I’d mis-identified it as a “sunbird”

Blogless Thursday, The Sunday Sanibel Bar Crawl

Blogless Thursday: Memes I Owe

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© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
http://MyMobileAdventures.com

Blogless Thursday: Memes I Owe

Blogless_Logo_smYou might think that I have forgotten my vow not to blog on Thursdays. Well, I have not forgotten. I am writing this on a TUESDAY and setting it up to publish itself on a Thursday. Therefore, I am not blogging. My blog is, in fact, blogging for me. In a court of law, the most I could be convicted of is conspiracy to blog, or perhaps pre-meditated blogging. But not actual blogging.

Anyhow – I owe people memes. I got tagged a bunch in the past month or so, and never made good. So I’m-a-makin’ good now! I used the feature in the dashboard of my blog that shows me who has linked to me in order to find all the blogs of all the people who tagged me. If you have tagged me and I didn’t respond or list it here, please bring it to my attention!

Flickr Six Of Six
To friendshipLast in, first out – it’s my pal banannie The idea is to go to page 6 of your Flickr photostream and select the 6th photo to post on your blog. So that’s what I’ve done, and what I found there was this photo that I mobile photo blogged a couple of weeks ago from Biddle’s Bucket on Sanibel Island while I was there with my friends doing the Sanibel Bar Crawl. The caption is “To Friends”. Ain’t that the truth!

I don’t think I actually know six people who use Flickr that I could tag on their blog. I think I know two aside from the person who tagged me. So here’s to you, Elaine – tag, you’re it! And you too, Gayle – tag, you’re it!

Six Random Things About Myself
Up next, we’ve got a two-fer. Both Debbie and Robin tagged me with this one

The Rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you – see above, it was Debbie and Robin
2.Post the rules on your blog – this is what you are now reading
3. List 6 random things about yourself.
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog

SIX Random Things About Myself
ONE. I am currently wearing a gold fishie necklace that was given to me by Niece No. 5
TWO. I call the bathroom in my master suite “The Palace” because it is so freakin’ huge
THREE. I miss crunching the leaves while walking up to my voice teacher’s house every autumn – she had the best leaves!
FOUR. Can’t wait to see The Biggest Loser tonight!
FIVE. I wish I had started studying earlier for this exam I’m taking on Saturday morning in Orlando. I keep doing practice tests each night, and I’m getting a little better each time, but still not where I want to be…
SIX. I’m going to violate the rules of this meme and NOT tag anyone. It was hard for me to come up with “six random things” and I have read that on other people’s blogs too, so I’d rather not torture them!

Kreativ Blogger
Kreativ Blogger AwardI got tagged with this one by Gayle. It’s not just a meme, it’s also an award called Kreativ Blogger. It even has it’s own logo! For this one, I have to name –

SIX Things That Make Me Happy
ONE. Being able to enjoy the sunshine and warmth of Florida year-round makes me happy.
TWO. Having time for a life makes me happy.
THREE. I’m an information junkie, so the internet makes me happy.
FOUR. Dove miniatures make me happy
FIVE. Seeing my family and friends makes me happy, especially if they come to visit me here!
SIX. Music makes me ecstatically happy.

Wow that one was MUCH easier than “random things”! And now, I have to tag six people.

Tootie at Sanibel Toot’s Lazy Days , Snowbird at Sand Between My Toes Christa at Teetering on the Edge of the Empty Nest , Melora at A Little Slice of Life Ed at Caribbean Soul and Christene at ChrisCandJonJ – Our Vanilla Life – TAG, YOU’RE IT!

This last one is also from Gayle. It’s actually a SEVEN random facts meme. Since I’ve already done six of them, I’ll just add one more –

SEVEN. I hate putting on makeup, but once it is on, I’m all like, “Dang, woman – you look EXCELLENT” 🙂

And with that, I do believe I’ve caught up on every meme I owe! If I didn’t catch them all, please drop me a comment with a link and I shall mend my memeful ways and get right on it!

Ruby Tuesday

RED Stuff from out and about today

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© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
http://MyMobileAdventures.com

RED Stuff From Out And About Today

(a Ruby Tuesday post)

12082008488-Price-of-Gas-Ft-Myers-FL-12-08-2008I had to go to the doctor today to get something that will kill this evil sinus infection from hell. On the way back, I stopped to look at the price of gas – would you look at this? If it keeps falling like this, could we possibly hit double digits any time soon? The sign just happened to be printed red.

12072008475-Tampa-Bay-Bucs-logo-PublixI headed to my local Publix supermarket, to get my prescription from the doctor filled. In the vestibule where all the shopping carts are stored hangs this poster depicting the logo for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team. Football is definitely bigger in Florida than it was on Long Island; in fact, it may actually qualify as the state religion of Florida.

12072008484-Publix-Pharmacy-Decorated-for-ChristmasAh, there’s my target – the Publix Pharmacy. I’ve got to fill this here prescription for a Z-pak full of anti-biotic goodness. Doesn’t Publix look pretty? They go rather berserk with it all – there are wrapped “gifts” and cute penguins in Santa hats strewn on the shelves and garlands of paper candy canes arching over the ends of the aisles. Very festive!

12082008494-Box-and-card-from-AlaskaWhen I got home, I went to collect the mail from the mailbox and spied a package sitting at the front door. I could not imagine who it was from, but braved the perils of the wasps (yes, they are at it AGAIN, but that’s another story for another day) to go collect it. Much to my surprise, it was from Alaska! I’d forgotten that Gayle had asked me for my snail mail address – I provided it, and then promptly put it out of my mind. Oooo, gifty-treats! I wonder what it is?

12082008496-Card-From-AlaskaInside the card with the deranged chihuahua on the front is some of the prettiest handwriting I’ve ever seen. Here’s part of the note from Gayle – whatever is inside the box is directed at the “Sanibel Crawlers” – that’s me, Gary, Tootie and the Snowbirds. I reach in and start pulling out small objects wrapped in newspapers…

12082008501-Booty-From-Alaska-Bar-Crawling-AidsOh, too cool – we each get our very own shot glass – booty from Alaska, with mooses on them (yes I know that the plural of “moose” is “moose” but I like saying “mooses” – it’s kinda like “operculii”, ok?).

So, Crawlers – here’s what I’m envisioning. We all take our Alaskan shot glasses on the next crawl with us, and have the bartender make a pitcher of… something. Kamikazes? And we’ll drink to our blogger friend Gayle in Alaska. Sound like a plan?

Oh and I’m looking forward to reading the newspaper from Alaska, too! 😉

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2008 Thanksgiving, Southwest Florida

Thanksgiving Dinner at the Old Captiva House

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To those of you in the United States, hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and may your turkey be golden and moist!  I’ll be driving out to the islands today to have dinner with friends at a restaurant called The Old Captiva House, which is at the Tween Waters Inn.  I’m a little excited because I’ve never eaten there before, so this should be new and fun.  Will be sure to mobile blog a little while I’m out there!