I have written often that my husband and I love museums of all kinds.  We have been fortunate enough to visit places from the Louvre in Paris to a tiny little museum in Skagway, Alaska.  We did a little research and discovered a gem of a museum in Naples, Florida that is part of four Collier County Museums.  We could not believe it was free and the five acres was full of interesting Floridian relics, both inside and out.  As someone with a strong American Indian heritage, I often have a difficult time seeing archives of the “development” of places, as it certainly meant destruction for those Native peoples.  This museum did a nice job though of showing what Native American life was like and the various ways they implemented shells:  from their currency to regalia to shoring up their living quarters to protect it from water.  They even went as far back as prehistoric times and we were all able to marvel at some fascinating remains of indigenous animals who once roamed the area.  Exhibit A is this picture of a Saber-toothed cat.  I never mind studying animals when I know they died a natural death; it’s the hunted ones that sicken me.  We were stunned to discover there was once a giant beaver during the last Ice Age that grew to eight feet!  Roaming about freely, we were able to learn about all sorts of things at our leisure.  The American author Melody Beattie said, “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”  It was a lovely way to spend our last day in Florida and we were grateful.  We delighted in the present, looked forward to returning, and took time to learn a little about pieces of the past.