Christmas time on Captiva — Early mornings are always cool, though the evenings are warm, so warm that people wear shorts to the restaurants. And at bedtime the breeze through the bedroom windows is sweet and warm. Somewhere between night and day a dip makes the air heavy with dew and the cold gets in.
.Early morning in Ding Darling is the time to see the birds in the mudflats, colors of pink and brown, salmon and blue in the light filtering through the mist that lifts off the ground. The long- legged birds pick their ways through the slippery, coal black mud that crawls with insects and microscopic creatures. The flamingos, roseate spoonbills, herons, an occasional wood stork, all act like you are not there.
One morning we saw a bald eagle hovering above us, planks outstretched. The water on one side of the road is salty, on the other side, fresh. You might see an alligator; we had one close to us once who darted away. It is hard to get up early enough for this, but always a good idea.
