I’ve spent the last several days in Ft. Myers, Florida visiting my grandfather. It was a quick trip but really great to spend time with him and return to a few favorite spots in the area.

From my Instagram feed:

I snagged a window seat on my flight from White Plains, NY to Ft. Myers — I always keep my camera within reach on airplanes because it’s so unique to see the world from this perspective. Whether it be from a plane or helicopter or hot air balloon, the earth looks so different from above.

This is part of Lover’s Key just south of Ft. Myers Beach. Since I watched the Netflix show Bloodline not that long ago, that world immediately springs to mind when I think of the Florida Keys (even though Ft. Myers is quite far from the Keys… that will be a separate trip someday).

And here is the entirety of Ft. Myers Beach — I can just make out where my grandparents’ old condo is. We started coming down here when I was about five years old.

My grandpa has been in a rehab facility the past month or so. He has PT (physical therapy) and OT (occupational therapy) every day. I sat in on some of his sessions and it was neat to watch various exercises and hear therapists recommend adjustments to strengthen his posture and limbs.

He’s in really good hands with this team.

I brought Grandpa’s longtime girlfriend Jane over to visit from the senior community where they’ve lived for the past several years. They’ve had to be apart since Grandpa’s been in rehab and it was sweet to see them together again.

On the evening of July 4th, I drove over to Ft. Myers Beach to visit the area where my other set of grandparents lived for a few decades after they retired. I think we started coming down to visit them here around 1990? This was the first time I’ve been back since the condo was sold. I couldn’t resist snapping a photo of the complex before walking the beach.

A storm seemed imminent but I didn’t let gloomy skies stop me from walking the beach. Mercifully, it stayed dry during my visit.

Afterwards, I couldn’t resist stopping at Royal Scoop, a favorite ice cream shop in nearby Bonita Springs. I’ve enjoyed so many cups and cones — perhaps too many! — from this place over the years.

Orange Pineapple has been my favorite Royal Scoop flavor for years — I’ve never even seen it elsewhere. My other favorites here are Cherry Vanilla, Key Lime Pie, and Heath Bar Crunch.

I showed terrific restraint by only ordering one scoop… though it was a very generous scoop.

I balanced out ice cream with dinner from The Fresh Market, which is sort of like Whole Foods. (I only just now realized that Fresh Market has locations across the States.) They have a great deli and salad bar, so I ordered small amounts of various salads and brought them back to my hotel room, along with a bottle of sangria and Skinny Pop (so addicting).

On two consecutive nights I treated myself to a movie — Inside Out and Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl. Really liked Earl but LOVED Inside Out. I would recommend Inside Out to anyone who is human.

So glad to spend quality time with Grandpa!

And upon flying back to New England yesterday, I stopped by to visit my Grandma. Really special to see my two living grandparents on the same day, a thousand miles apart.

I’m really grateful for this trip to Florida. Hope you enjoyed the photo recap!