FORT MYERS, FLORIDA--THE HEAT IS RISING!

Estero, Florida

January 23-29, 2012

Boat ride on the gulf, Trivial Pursuit, shopping and more shopping, dog races, and checking out

retirement communities ---we kept very busy in Fort Myers! Tim’s brother and sister in law, Tom and Carol, moved to Ft. Myers in September. They have a beautiful home with a great screened lanai where we could enjoy breakfast every day! The temperature just keeps going up as we travel further south. Tim's brother Tom and his wife Carol invited us to stay for several days at their home in The Cascades off Estero Drive in Fort Myers.

Monday, January 23:              After we left Dade City we stopped in Zephyrhills, Florida to see Southport Springs retirement community. We really liked it here—we could move into a brand new modular home on a golf course, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, golf cart garage, screened lanai, large carport, fully furnished and appliances for $88,000 with $340/month site fee. That was very tempting, but we know nothing about the quality of various manufactured homes. We can do research! I wish this home and opportunity was closer to Ft. Myers. We arrived at Tom’s about 4 p.m. and visited Tim’s nephew and his wife, Jeff and Carmel. We also saw their daughter Trisha and husband Nick, and Tim’s adorable great grand nieces, Kennedy (4 yrs.) and Meadow (16 mos.)

 Tuesday, January 24:             We drove to Ft. Myers Beach, strolled the boardwalk, saw dolphins, and had lunch at a delightful restaurant, Smokin Oyster Brewery (SOB).

 Wednesday, January 25:             The Miramar Outlet Mall has to be one of the best! That said, my charge card survived, unused!    Steak dinners on the grill, baked potato, and tossed salad a la Chef Tom. What more could we ask? Tim is enjoying family!

Thursday, January 26:            Coconut Grove mall condos were advertised in the newspaper ($429,000 condos selling for $199,000 now/$350 or so a month fees) and we made an appointment to look. The condos were nice, and overlook a great mall, granite countertops, screened balcony, and so on, but I don’t think 4^th floor living, even with an elevator is for us. If it overlooked the ocean, maybe. The condo building felt like an apartment house to me. From there we went to Jamaica Bay, a retirement community. This is a popular site with beautiful pools and other community amenities. We could have a brand new modular home for $104,000—3 bedrooms, 2 baths, screened lanai, etc. but the site fee was $800/month. It is good for us to look.

            Mary Lou and Scorchy arrived from Dade City and we spent the evening playing Trivial Pursuit, a family favorite.

Friday, January 27:                 After breakfast at Cracker Barrel and good byes to Mary Lou and Scorchy, we definitely shopped til we dropped. We started at Fleamasters, a flea market I would definitely recommend. 900 vendors!! Gulf Coast Mall is very nice too—Belk’s, Bass Pro, St. John’s, RonJon’s, and lots more. We had the best fried fish dinner at Miller’s Ale House. We returned to Miramar Outlet Mall for a quick revisit! Tim is the most patient shopper I ever saw!!

Saturday, January 28:            What a day!! Jeff belongs to a club where he can order a boat prepared for a ride. We drove out to Ft. Myers Beach, expecting lots of Saturday traffic. Miraculously, it was a quick trip. We spent about 2 hours with Jeff, Carmel, Tom, and Carol on the Gulf of Mexico in a 26 ft. inboard/outboard. Sunny and warm, but cooler when the boat went fast! We saw a sting ray, people fishing off the boardwalk, Ft. Myers beach full of sunbathers, a lighthouse, and fabulous homes. We had a very nice lunch on the water at Doc Ford’s restaurant.