During our stay on Marco Island, Walker's parents rented a boat for us to explore the mangroves and gulf.
![Florida2016-6868 Florida2016-6868](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/0bb9c306e0f42108bb50e20d74a0ec30/Florida2016-6868-900x900.jpg)
![Florida2016-6630 Florida2016-6630](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/3a469f91f0f76d3b17eb096c6ed946fb/Florida2016-6630-900x900.jpg)
My first surprise were the pelicans swarming at the boat rental; they were enormous, dino-looking creatures with awkwardly bent wings. I don't think I've seen them so close before.
![Florida2016-6902 Florida2016-6902](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/79256650094a3593f022e07156d96c9b/Florida2016-6902-900x900.jpg)
My second was the bright green and blue water.
![Florida2016-6658 Florida2016-6658](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/29b37ee54b92d4b8e581fa56b16160f4/Florida2016-6658-900x900.jpg)
I had thought of Floridian water as bit muddied compared to the Caribbean, and it is a bit, but the colors off the sky were bright.
![Florida2016-6619 Florida2016-6619](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/73776573392a34aaa645379e69f33e94/Florida2016-6619-900x900.jpg)
We started our cruise through the canals that zipper across Marco,
![Florida2016-6622 Florida2016-6622](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/4bb23aa813644c791c0429f77de3d98c/Florida2016-6622-900x900.jpg)
![Florida2016-6868 Florida2016-6868](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/0bb9c306e0f42108bb50e20d74a0ec30/Florida2016-6868-900x900.jpg)
and first navigated to Woodlands, a restaurant in the middle of not much, but mangroves.
![Florida2016-6701 Florida2016-6701](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/02f25a096b0c59d9684d0a455c556146/Florida2016-6701-900x900.jpg)
Along the way, we saw many sandbars, seabirds
![Florida2016-6711 Florida2016-6711](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/e5f2800361b135e4ea1a5e64a6f0fd89/Florida2016-6711-900x900.jpg)
(see them standing in the trees?)
![Florida2016-6720 Florida2016-6720](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/2d50cdcc7a896d66cd106064f7ea5747/Florida2016-6720-900x900.jpg)
and best of all, dolphins! So many came by majestically throughout the day, and only showed themselves briefly, but the moments they were there, I held my breath.
![Florida2016-6749 Florida2016-6749](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/46b3875e92e8e9e5883a22109b0b98b9/Florida2016-6749-900x900.jpg)
![Florida2016-6746 Florida2016-6746](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/a514ff599f63c18821c046ea5729f558/Florida2016-6746-900x900.jpg)
We pulled up for lunch at Snook Inn, a local favorite.
![Florida2016-6829 Florida2016-6829](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/0a9be7c4ee7f4effde0f9ab684394a47/Florida2016-6829-900x900.jpg)
There was a wait, so we sat on the dock
![Florida2016-6800 Florida2016-6800](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/4a36386692a52dd1c78b541f1be451a2/Florida2016-6800-900x900.jpg)
watching the pelicans
![Florida2016-6814 Florida2016-6814](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/5a8a6963fd9604455e49b4e2abe0c06c/Florida2016-6814-900x900.jpg)
and the hilariously tacky pirate boat tour, where kids could shoot a 'pirate' in a speedboat with water spouts off the boat. What was most funny was how long this lasted, nearly 45 minutes!
![Florida2016-6822 Florida2016-6822](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/7e512b60c763b501491265fde56cb33f/Florida2016-6822-900x900.jpg)
The water was quite choppy heading into the Gulf, but we managed to scoot around the Capri islands and see a good bit of the island's perimeter. Such a fun way to get some sun and hang out with the local fauna.
![Florida2016-6887 Florida2016-6887](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/df526504738b22ba307abb253116bb6c/Florida2016-6887-900x900.jpg)