April 25
Jay and I knew we’d have some free time this spring. All winter long, he looked at air fare, hotel accommodations…yet somehow, we’ve wound up in Florida again.
Okay, circumstances being what they are, it was a no brainer. When we thought “Rome!” we didn’t realize that Tyler and Megan would be in the midst of moving back here and we wouldn’t want to be on the other side of the world while that was happening. When we thought “Hawaii!” we didn’t realize that Jay’s brother Tom was buying a lovely condo in Florida. When we thought “Puerto Vallarta!” we didn’t realize that buddy passes to Florida are much easier to come by. (Also, that it’s in Mexico.)
WHAT?
Why go somewhere that demands a passport and you can’t drink the water when you can get all that in Florida?
And Cubans are way cooler than Mexicans.
KIDDING!!
Jeez, lighten up. I’m not the one who made a movie saying we should build a space station for white people and let the Mexicans stay here to rot in their own filth; that was Matt Damon.
I love Mexicans.
Or I would if I knew any but since I can’t afford a housekeeper or a yard man…
KIDDING!
See, this is not racist humor, this is political humor. They look alike but they’re very different. Like Mexicans and CubansAAAAHH! STOP IT.
Seriously, I’m just making a point here about political correctness being the death of humor; If you don’t understand that, it’s your own fault for not being nuanced enough.
It’s not me; it’s you.
It's not your fault; you're probably blond.
See? I'm equal opportunity offensive! ( it's because I'm Irish, so I'm usually drunk.)
Anyway, our lovely friend got us buddy passes and we hopped a flight this morning. It’s the off season in the tropics and rental cars are cheap too. We’re driving a very nice Hyundai Sonata. The taxes on it are as high as the rent. And it’s still costing us less than $200.00 for the week.
This is why Florida in the spring is wonderful!
It’s everything Minnesota isn’t yet; green, fragrant, hot and somewhere else.
The flight was great; uneventful and fast.
We arrived well before lunch time, hit the road and had no plans to be anywhere fast. Tootling down old US 41, Jay called a friend who grew up near Sarasota and asked about good seafood places. The best places are always the ones the locals don’t tell the tourists about.
E told us to look for the Phillippe Creek oyster bar. It took us awhile but we found it and it was totally worth the Uturn. We got there when the lunch rush should have been over but the place was still packed nearly to capacity. We did get seated right away, out on the dock. It was close to 90 degrees but that’s what we’re here for so we didn’t mind at all. There were a few folks who went back inside because they thought it was too hot but they’re probably not from Minnesota. You’d think that people who dash outside to eat dinner the moment the thermometer hits 60 would find 90 too much but you’d be wrong. (You’re wrong a lot today. Maybe you should just zip it and let me do the talking.)
Jay ordered shrimp and gumbo and I got a soft shelled crab sandwich. All the food was marvelous.
When we finished eating, we hit a gift shop, where I bought myself an aqua blue straw cowboy hat. I dug out my watercolors for the first time in years for this trip and I need a hat to paint in.
Then we continued our trek down the left coast of Florida to the #1 Beach in America: Siesta Key! We didn’t actually see the beach. We forgot two important things; in Florida, there are always hotels and condos between the road and the beach. You have to park the car, get out and walk to actually see where the sand meets the shore. We also forgot to take into account that off season or not, it was Saturday and the crowds at the beach were fierce. We’ll go back to Siesta beach later in the week when everyone else is at work or school.
A bit further down the highway, we went in search of Casey’s channel. To find it, we had to get off the highway and drive through the touristy little beach town. It was GREAT. Lots of terrific shops and restaurants, all beautiful and enticing. When I spotted a needlepoint shop, I did the Charlie’s Angels dive roll out of the car while Jay was slowing down for a red light. I told him to find a parking spot and meet me inside. He was fine with the plan. It was a good plan. It would have worked if it had been ten minutes earlier but it was five after 3 and the place closed at 3.
I had my nose pressed up against the window, scoping the canvases I could see when Jay joined me. He’d parked around the corner. We walked a few blocks and did some window shopping before retrieving the car and driving to the end of the road, where we found the BEACH. We parked again and found some shady benches upon which we could sit and watch the parade of sailboats that had just finished their regatta sail back up the channel to their moorings. It was wonderful! The sky was punctuated with fluffy clouds, the water was the most gorgeous aqua blue imaginable, the sails were sparkling white against all that green and blue and colorful umbrellas dotted the beach and the fish shacks we could see and everyone was having a great time.
I love Florida; everyone is older than me and everyone is fatter than me.
We arrived at Tom’s place around 5. We unpacked, jumped in the pool and then I took a nap. After I was refreshed (Jay made sure I didn’t sleep too long by turning on the TV right outside the bedroom door the minute I fell asleep. I think it was payback for earlier: As soon as we got our bags at the airport, he ran into the men’s room to change into shorts. I told him to be quick about it and not waste a lot of time primping. I don’t care; it was still funny.) I forgot where I was going with this.
Oh yeah; after my nap, we went to the grocery store and got dinner and breakfast. Jay grilled us some tenderloin steaks which we ate with the perfect tomatoes we bought from two guys selling them out of their pickup at the side of the road. Mmmmm…pickup bed tomatoes are the best. We also got some shrimp because they were dirt cheap and all the fixin’s for breakfast.
Sunday, April 26
We got up, had coffee and went to the 11:00 mass. It was a lovely church and the arrival of Jay and myself (both under 60) lowered the median age of the congregation to around 75.
Then back home where Jay cooked us a terrific breakfast. I cleaned up and then we packed our bags and drove down to Ft. Myers beach. We rented chairs and an umbrella and I got to work with my watercolors while Jay went off to visit his favorite cigar shop. I haven’t had my watercolors out in years so I was actually pleased that the only thing I forgot was my palette. I improvised. You can use a lot of things as a palette. I kept my painting simple. Blue sky, green water, blue umbrella and three beach chairs in the shade beneath it. Its very dull but it felt good to lay down a few washes.
After we’d played around in the water and exhausted ourselves, we stashed our bags in the car and walked down the beach to the changing area. We put on our clothes and headed back up towards home. We stopped for groceries on the way. Got chicken kabobs and oreos. I ate the oreos while Jay grilled the chicken. We added an avocado to one of the tomatoes we’d bought the day before and everything was tasty.
Jay went to bed around ten. I stayed up a little later, reading my book.
April 27
I slept till 9 in the morning. There’s nothing like being outside in the heat all day to wipe you out. Except maybe being outside in the cold all day. Okay, fresh air! The best sleep aid in the world.
Jay went to work out while I ate a bowl of cereal and read the news. Then we packed ourselves up and headed to Punta Gorda for lunch. We ate at Laishley’s Crab Shack. It was aces! Before lunch, we hit the gift shop attached to it. It was huge; I don’t know how many rooms but everything from clothes, jewelry, accessories and paintings to ironwork, table ware and sculptures. The gal who ran the place told us they represent tons of local artists. I didn’t care for the watercolors but I saw a lot of things I really liked. I bought a white, embroidered top.
Then we went upstairs to eat. We sat out on the deck overlooking the marina. There were sailboats, houseboats and lots of beautiful sporting yachts of various sizes. We watched what looked like a shopping expedition on one called the Bada Bing. Nice, sleek little yacht that probably sleeps four. It didn’t have enough outside deck for me; nowhere to sit while out on the water. I’m not really a yacht type, I guess. I prefer the sailboats. And I have no dreams whatsoever of living on board a boat, although I have, in fact, had dreams in which I traveled around on a boat from beach to beach, painting. I don’t think I’d like the logistical reality of such an endeavor. I need more room than a boat provides.
In the afternoon, we drove over to Englewood beach. We’d heard it was lovely and it was half the distance as Siesta Beach. It was lovely!
We rented an umbrella and chairs from the Beach Guy and set up shop. I got out all my watercolors and told Jay his stuff was safe with me. He went off to buy a pair of water sox because the beach was a shell beach and hard on his feet. I sat under my umbrella and painted another very simple piece; a kid lying on the beach with his head on a soccer ball. It’s even duller than the first one I painted but I enjoyed it. The water today was very aqua and the surf was rolling in on three foot breakers. After I laid in my first wash I discovered that today, while I remembered my palette, I’d forgotten my book.
Half the fun of watercolors is that you have to wait for your washes to dry so you get to do other things, like read your book. So I’d effectively cut my fun in half by that boneheaded move.
Jay quickly returned so I didn’t have to spend too much time staring into space, berating my forgetfulness. I went swimming instead!
The rolling surf was like a very playful dog that doesn’t realize it weighs 200lbs and will knock you off your feet the second you let down your guard. I battled through the breakers so I could float on the swells. Then I let them toss me back to shore. It was exhilarating and exhausting! I forget how much fun it is to bob around in the ocean. I also forget how bad it tastes.
We stayed until it was time for the Beach Guy to collect his stuff. Then on home, stopping to pick up burgers for dinner. When we got back to the condo, Jay went for a dip in the pool and I took a shower. Then I discovered that my computer had frozen and I couldn’t fix it. I was so mad and frustrated by the time Jay got back in the room that I wanted to kill him for looking at me funny. I took a walk around the block instead.
By the time I returned, Jay had unfrozen my computer and was fixing dinner. See how good it is not to kill your husband just because your computer froze?
Along with the burgers, we had some fresh corn, cucumbers and tomatoes that we’d bought at a roadside stand. It was all perfect.
We were both sound asleep by 11 and woke Tuesday morning to the sound of thunder.
April 28
What do you do when you wake up to a thunderstorm? Go to Waffle House for breakfast, of course!
I think the last time I ate at a waffle house was in 1989 when my kids, sisters and I journeyed down to Pensacola when my brother got his wings. Tyler and I may have eaten in one in Texas but I think we got all our waffles at the Magnolia café.
Waffles are a good thing.
On the way home again, we stopped at Walmart to get Jay a new swim suit and pick up some borax; we’d spotted some tiny ants in the kitchen.
My plan was to sprinkle some borax around the edge of the counter, where we’d seen the ants. Then Jay decided to clean the Keurig. He took the reservoir off to wash and….
That’s where the ants were coming from.
The coffee machine we’d been using for three days.
It was like something out of a horror movie.
We (Jay) scrubbed the thing out as thoroughly as possible, then wrapped the whole shebang in a plastic bag which we taped up in our attempt to asphyxiate anything left alive in there. It’s still on the counter. Those machines aren’t cheap. For all I know, Tom and Kelly like their coffee ant-infused. Hey, to each his own, I always say.
But we’ll be going out for coffee for the remainder of our stay.
I told Jay I planned to write all afternoon so he was rooting through the movies Tom and Kelly have but shortly after noon, the skies cleared up. He grabbed Tom’s clubs and went to play golf. He had a great time, I got a lot of work done and before he came home, he grabbed two prime rib dinners from a local food truck we’d heard great things about.
The rumors were well founded! The prime rib melted in our mouths.
We went for a dip in the pool and when the sun went down, watched the first episode of the Sopranos, which we haven’t seen since it first aired. That was a great show.
April 29
We cleaned up Tom and Kelly’s place, shut everything down, locked ‘er up as instructed and hit the road. Jay has a friend who hooked us up with beach front accommodations on Sanibel Island, our favorite Florida place, so off we went.
We couldn’t check into our new digs till late afternoon so we headed for the beach. It was hot but overcast and we knew Ft. Myers beach would be very different on a Wednesday morning than it had been on Sunday afternoon. We practically had the place to ourselves. We rented the chairs and umbrellas we needed, Jay went for a walk and a smoke and I painted a sketch of an aqua hotel with a line of palm trees fronting it. It’s not much to look at but I relearned a few things painting it, which was my intention, so I’m okay with it.
I chose to paint that because it was quite windy and the position of the morning sun made it convenient. The surf was very choppy and we watched a small boat nearly capsize, attempting to get over the surf and away from the beach. They finally managed it but I don’t know what the skipper was thinking, bringing it so far in toward the beach.
We watched a young man prepare to do a little para-surfing from the beach. It was fascinating. He had a buddy there to help him get his ‘kite’ ready, with the inflatable edge and all the lines. It took about twenty minutes of prep before the guy was ready to slip his feet into the stirrups of his board and take off but when he did, he took off like a rocket.
We left the beach around 3, intending to grab some lunch and then check in over on Sanibel. We ended up narrowly avoiding a speeding ticket on our way out to Captiva, where we sat beneath some palms, drinking beer at the Mucky Duck.
Despite the fact that Ft. Myers beach and Captiva are not far from each other; the sky was completely different. It had been overcast and threatening on Ft. Myers beach but it was clear and blue on Captiva.
If money were no object, I told jay that Captiva is where I’d want my Florida house to be. I just love it; It’s the prettiest island in the state. But its also very high end and very private. I love it.
We were starving by the time we got back to Sanibel (which is my close second favorite place in Florida) and checked into our room.
The place we’re staying, the Song of the Sea, is absolutely beautiful! Our room is a ground floor unit, with a screen porch. The dunes and a lovely yard with tables and chairs. The tables have thatched umbrellas. There’s a boardwalk to the beach and we can hear the surf. I can see the water if I stand up but I like sitting.
Our unit has a kitchen so we ran over to Jerry’s and got French dinner with shrimp. We ate out in the yard as the sun set behind the complex. We’re on the southern curve of the island so our beach actually faces south. We’re not far at all from the light house. I know Josie and I have walked this beach. I never thought I’d be staying in one of the gorgeous condos over here but here I am!
After dinner, we walked over the footbridge to the beach. WE can see Ft. Myers beach, down to Estero and off on the horizon, looking like it’s rising out of the ocean; Naples.
The sun set behind us but the sky was gorgeous. WE went in when the bugs came out. We slept with our sliding doors open, listening to the surf.
April 30
It was overcast when we woke up. Not rainy overcast, but heavy cloudy. I made the coffee that came with the room but I didn’t read the directions properly. I added way too much water and it was terrible. Fortunately, breakfast is available in the complex so Jay walked over to the commissary and brought back coffee, bananas and hard boiled eggs.
This place is lovely and the location is perfect but whoever designed it wasn’t too great with details.
There’s a kitchen, equipped with sink, stove, microwave and fridge. There are plates, flatware, glasses, bowls and even some pots and pans but no stopper for the sink, no dishtowels, paper towels, sponges or cleaning supplies of any sort. I made do.
In the beautiful bathroom, which has a granite counter and lovely fixtures, there is no towel bar except the one in the tub. You do understand the problem with putting the only tower bar right inside the shower, don’t you?
We have a wonderful porch and direct beach access but there’s not a hook, knob or bar to hang wet swimsuits or towels.
Jay discovered also that there are no convenient outlets into which we can plug our phone chargers, ipad charger, etc. See what I mean? God really is in the details.
We make do.
I of course, noticed that there’s acres of wall space and no original island art work. That just strikes me as a missed opportunity.
I’m only pointed out ways in which this place could be even better than it is: I love it here.
After coffee, Jay went down to the beach anyway and I sat on our screened porch and painted.
Mid-morning, I packed up my paints and we headed out to one of our favorite places to eat; The Island Cow. By the time we got there, it was sprinkling a bit so for the first time, we actually ate inside. We split a short stack of blueberry pancakes and some crab cake eggs benedict. Yes, it was as good as it sounds. We also drank a lot of dark, rich coffee.
It stopped raining in the afternoon. It was cloudy but beautiful; a nice breeze and not too hot. We walked down to the beach and walked all the way around to the light house point. It didn’t seem like it was that far. We saw lots of dolphins frolicking in the waves. There were folks out swimming and everyone gets all excited when a pod of dolphins swims by. Down at the light house, we used the facilities, then crossed the little park to the other side of the island. The wind was heavy on that side, waves crashing against the fishing pier. A pair of dolphins were doing…um…really close to the pier. I don’t think they noticed several dozen people watching them and pointing. I’m not really sure what those dolphins were up to but they really seemed to be enjoying it.
I’m glad we used the restrooms at the light house because for some reason the walk back to our place was about six miles.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Texas, Tyler and Megan closed on the sale of their house.
I hope the new owner has as much fun there as we did. It seems so strange to me now; when Jay and I drove away at dawn last September, we had no idea that we wouldn’t be coming back. Now the house Josie, Megan and I spent a week painting belongs to someone else. I hope Ty remembered to remove the “Pivec” sign I painted from the driveway gate. He had painted the name on it himself originally but he spelled it wrong. That’s my boy.
At the end of May, they’ll be closing on their new house which is better in every way from their first house. I’ll help Megan paint any rooms she want to change and I can sleep in my own bed when we'
We showered, dressed and drove out to the resort at the very end of Captiva, where we’d booked seats on the sunset serenade cruise. The skies had cleared enough so that we knew we’d be able to see the sunset. We’ve booked sunset cruises in the past but always went to a marina back over the causeway; this was the first time we launched from Captiva. The marina where the charter takes place was home to some fairly spectacular yachts. The biggest was a ship called the Wendy I and it was pretty darned cool. A fellow was washing the upper windows on it when we arrived and he was still scrubbing the sides down when we left the port. He was still scrubbing when we returned an hour later and in fact had been joined by another worker. I think they’re job is to keep that yacht looking fresh out of the box all the time.
The cruise was great fun! We got some drinks, then went up to the top deck, where we were serenaded by Mr. Gene Frederico (I think that was his name), equipped with an electric guitar and a rhythm box. We were encouraged to dance.
Jay went to get a second drink and stopped at the bridge to chat with the captain.
Jay thinks being skipper of a sunset cruise would be awesome.
The Captain thinks being a college basketball coach would be more fun.
Grass is always greener, eh?
We saw more dolphins while out on the cruise.
We also saw some of Captiva Island that one must usually book extremely expensive accommodations to see. It was all worth the price of admission. A lot of the condos on the very tip of the island must be privately owned; their hurricane doors were all closed, indicating that the owners were gone, probably for the summer.
No one was out on the balconies overlooking the sunset. I don’t get that.
There was a wedding going on at the marina, which looked like a gorgeous venue for such an event. Workers were also setting up a huge screen and projector on a beautiful lawn right next to the pier. Outdoor movie night!
If I had unlimited funds, I’d want to spend some time at that place.
The sunset was spectacular.
The sky had mostly cleared by the time the red ball express hit the horizon. It was a classic south Florida sunset; worth the applause.
After we were back on shore, Jay called ahead to a place on Sanibel that does pizza. We ordered and picked it up on our way home.
It was after 9 by the time we ate the pizza, out on our porch. We didn’t watch any TV, just read a little, then lights out.
The wind had died and the surf wasn’t crashing anymore; it was a beautiful night and very quiet.
May 1, 2015
We awoke to a perfectly clear blue sky. Jay immediately said “Let’s stay another day.”
Our original plan was to catch an afternoon flight today and be home around 1 in the morning. I had no qualms about spending another night; we have the condo either way. So Jay rebooked us and headed down to the beach.
I stayed on the porch and painted two quick pieces. The first was an unmitigated disaster. No biggie, I’ll use it as scratch paper. The second one I kind of like. All things considered, its about as good as I could hope for. I mean, I’m six years rusty!
I have to keep my watercolors out when I get home. This habit I have of only using them on vacation is insane. I’ll never get better if I don’t work at it and there are far more things to paint outside my house in Minneapolis than there are in Florida. I mean, yes; palm trees and cerulean seas are lovely but if you’ve painted one, you’ve painted them all.
I live two blocks from the Minnehaha creek and one mile from Lake Harriet. There are six or seven lakes within biking or walking distance of my back yard and frankly, my backyard is pretty paintogenic itself.
For lunch, we drove over to the Marina and met a friend. We ate at Grandma Dots’ and I had another soft shell crab sandwich. It was different but just as delicious as the one I had last week at Phillippe Creek. We enjoyed our lunch then headed back to the condo to throw on our swim suits and hit the beach.
The sky was clear, the temps low 80s and a breeze was blowing. It was perfect. Then the wind kicked up a bit and threw our umbrella in the ocean. With the help of another sunbather, we got the umbrella back up. I sat in the shade and read my book while Jay walked the beach and smoked a cigar. That’s about as close to a perfect existence as one can achieve here on earth.
When the wind threatened to take the umbrella out again, we adjourned to the pool. Jay swam and I pulled out my needlepoint. We stayed until hunger drove us back to our room, where we pulled what was left of the pizza out and ate it at the thatched umbrella table in our yard.
As evening came on, we decided to drive over to Bowman’s beach to watch the sunset. We’d been there before but had forgotten just how gorgeous that particular beach is. You have to walk through a hundred yards or so of jungle, including a bridge across a river to reach the dunes. The beach is located on the western curve of the island. Unlike our beach, you can’t see the Florida mainland or any of the city skylines from Bowman’s beach. Standing on the long stretch of sand, you could easily believe you were on a deserted island in the middle of the ocean. As we walked through the jungle from the parking lot, we encountered a bridal party and photographer; the ceremony had just finished and they were on their way to the reception.
Down on the sand, there weren’t very many folks hanging around for the sunset; a few dozen on a mile or more of beach. There was a stiff wind blowing, the surf was raucous and the breeze was cool. I had teased Jay about wearing his fleece but down near the waves, I wished I’d brought my own. The sunset itself was breathtaking. It was actually prettier than the one we’d watched from the boat the night before. There weren’t enough clouds in the sky for the colors to become brilliant afterwards but it was still worth the drive.
On the way home, we stopped at Jerry’s, made ourselves salad at the salad bar, bought a croissant to go with dinner and ate salad when we got back to the room.
I packed up most of my stuff while watching episodes of Modern Family. We were sound asleep by 11:00.
It was another grand vacation in Florida!