We flew north last Saturday as is our ritual. We spend about six weeks in Michigan to be with family for the US Thanksgiving holiday and for Christmas. Granddaughter Lindsay Mary will turn 9 in January and we will be south again so we have promised her a birthday party on New Years Eve. She reminded me when we talked on the phone last week.

One of our routines of Florida living is going out for breakfast on Tuesday mornings because it is the day that the gardening gets done with noisy mowers and blowers and whackers that are a huge source of irritation. I know it needs to be done because things grow so lush and fast but still… Because it was our last week in Naples for a while we decided to go to the beach and then have breakfast at the Neighborhood Cafe.

I had taken the above picture of Naples Pier a couple of weeks ago when we were at the beach for the sunset. It was originally built as a freight and passenger dock in 1888, when Naples was developed as a resort destination. That dock burned down and then hurricanes got it three different times – but each time it was rebuilt and now is used as a fishing pier and is a Naples landmark. It has been a while since I walked it so that became our destination.

Egret were having breakfast at the water’s edge. They are so graceful and are easier to photograph than sandpipers, who scurry so quickly.

These black birds were making a lot of noise – I guess they watched too many political advertisements and decided they need equal time with the pelicans. There weren’t any pelicans on this day but they can be a problem for people fishing. They swoop down and catch the bait (and hook) as they are cast out. Of course this isn’t what was meant when they say don’t feed the pelicans.

These nets are used to catch them and bring them up on the pier so the hooks can be taken out of their beaks. There were quite a few people fishing but we only saw one man catch a fish.

We saw some dolphins playing (or feeding) along the pier but they were always on the other side or way ahead or caught out of the corner of my eye so I didn’t get any good pictures. Seeing them smoothly break the water and then disappear relaxes me.

There are turtles inlaid in the walk going from the street to the pier. I enjoy seeing them and wonder about the artist who did the work. There is a thriving artist community in Naples.

But hubby was pulling me along because he was getting hungry. We go to the Neighborhood Cafe quite often because it is a fun place and the food is good. 

They have seven choices for breakfast and another seven for lunch – all priced the same. And they welcome dogs as you can see by the water bowl beneath the sign.

The two people on the right are the owners and three generations of family work here. Their grandson runs a walk-up window in the rear where he sells ice cream on a stick.

We place our order here, get ourselves a cup of coffee from the back, resisting the delicious looking pastries and cakes.

After coffee is poured and cream is found in the frig, we find a table outside while someone fixes our order in a kitchen that makes a galley kitchen look spacious. While we wait, Jim reads the morning paper…

and I work the crossword puzzle. I love working this one because it is easy enough that I can always finish it.

One of us usually orders the walnut pancakes and the other orders the eggs and bacon and then we share with each other. That way we both get some protein and something sweet.

We are sitting by the Ford Model T Taxi that sits out front and while we are eating he tells me that the horn was made by Spartan in the town where we grew up.

His father worked there on the line and as a supervisor. Jim smiled when he said that his father probably touched that horn. His father died when Jim was in his early twenties and he has mourned the fact that he wasn’t able to share the joys and sorrows of adulthood with his father.

The rest of our morning was spent snooping around the household resale shops that are so plentiful in Naples. We were looking for another end table – and anything else we might take a fancy to.

I’m happy to be back in Michigan but sure will miss Florida until we return in January.

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