"forever"

Way back in 1976, we moved into our "forever" house on Creekside Lane.  That same summer, our next-door neighbors, Penny and Jim, also moved into their "forever" house.  Little did we know that "forever" meant different things to both of us.

"Forever" to P&J meant until a year later when Kodak shipped them off to Sao Paulo, Brazil.  We were devastated.  Our two kids were the same ages and the girls had gone off to kindergarten together.  Our two-year old boys would play side by side and often together as they lurched through their toddlerhood.  We had found the perfect neighbors and they were leaving us.

Thankfully, they decided to hold on to their house and rented it to a lovely English family who had been sent to Rochester from Rank Xerox. (We even visited them at their home in Ross-on-Wye when we went to England and Scotland in 1981).  But we were holding our breath for P&J to come home.

They did come for a visit about a year later and we were all so glad to see each other.  Penny and I were chatting away on our back porch while the boys were playing quietly in the house.  Soon it seemed that they were too quiet.  We went looking for them and couldn't find them in the house.  Once outside, we saw that Penny's rental car was missing from our driveway...and was on the lawn of the house across the street, with two little grinning boys on the front seat.  The boys had somehow gotten themselves into the car and put the gear shift into neutral.  The slight slope of our driveway gave them enough momentum to roll down the driveway, cross the road and end up on the grassy lawn, missing a huge maple tree by inches.  That was a day Penny and I will remember "forever."

P&J returned to Rochester after what seemed to me was about 10 years, but in reality was only about two and a half.  The kids all grew up together, we added another one, and P&J were Aunt Penny and Uncle Jim to our kids.  Then Jim decided to take an early out from Kodak and they moved to Maryland, after their son graduated from high school.  Once again, we were sad, but we understood the rationale and it was an easier separation; we were older and wiser, I think.  Well, I know we were older... and perhaps wiser.

We visited each other on occasion and then one day we heard that while visiting Florida, P&J had made a somewhat precipitous decision to buy a lot in Lakewood Ranch, near Bradenton, and build their next "forever" house.  They're still there.  Each year during our Sanibel sojourn, Penny and I have met at the Miromar Outlets in Estero for a day of shopping, and more importantly, chatting non-stop to catch up with each other.

This year, we decided to prolong the visit and I went up to Lakewood Ranch for an overnight visit.  What a wonderful time we had: shopping in St. Armand's Circle, where we bumped into a former neighbor who later owned the house across the street where the boys coasted to their stop by the tree; talking non-stop from beginning to end; and finishing up with BROWNIES FOR BREAKFAST!!



What a treat! and what a treat to visit with Penny and Jim.  We had a wonderful time together, telling old stories and showing off pictures of our grandchildren to each other.  We're already planning next year's visit, and will keep our reunions going "forever."  Love you guys!

two of our favorites

Over the years, we've come to love certain things on this island and make a point to visit them each at least once a trip.  Putting cows and birds into the same group would seem a stretch, but they are two of our favorites, especially on Sanibel.  A few days ago, we visited them both in the same couple of hours.

First we went to the Island Cow for an early dinner.  This place opens early and closes late, serving from breakfast through the dinner rush hour.  The best way to get a dinner table without waiting (no reservations), is to plan to arrive no later than 5:30pm.  They advertise extensively and it pays off, because the place is always packed:

The menus are delivered along with a serving of cornbread:



and soon it's time to dive in to a tasty crab burger.  At least I've been told (more than once) that they're tasty.

If you don't plan your arrival time right and have to wait, there's always the bean bag toss on the back patio to keep you entertained:

After the crab burger and my chicken salad sandwich were polished off, we went to the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Refuge to see the birds come in for their evening meal.

One of the best deals out there is a lifetime Senior Pass (for those 62 and above), called the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass.  For a one time fee of $10, your entrance fees are "free" forever.  We've used the pass on Sanibel and at Yellowstone, among others, and it's paid for itself over and over.  You can get the pass at the entrance gate to any national park or federal recreational land:

It was low tide when we entered the "Ding" and many of the birds were feasting on the small fish that were trapped on the flats:

And as we drove along the one-way road, at the required 15 mph, we saw this anhinga in the mangroves, drying off his feathers:

We had a lovely time that evening, visiting two of our favorites, and we plan to do the exact same thing next year.







a perfect day

Our friends Dotty and Alan live part-time in Ft. Myers and part-time in Colorado.  Dotty and I knew each other growing up and then lost touch when we both left Rochester to go to schools away from home.  We reconnected a couple of years ago, through a mutual Sanibel/Rochester friend.  It was like 45 years apart just disappeared. 

Dotty, Alan and Cody, their 11-year-old dog who is the prince of the family, are constantly on the go.  They love to fish, and after the outboard motor of their fishing boat was stolen (not the boat and motor...just the motor!), they decided to upgrade to a new (used) boat that has better overnight space for them.  They can now comfortably travel by boat up and down the coast and even over to the Bahamas.

Yesterday, they treated us to a day on their lovely boat.

They pulled in to the new Sanibel public boat launch near the causeway, with Dotty as first mate and Cody as supervisor:

With Alan at the helm, we took off for Useppa Island, a two-hour ride through choppy waters:

Boat traffic was heavy as we passed the coasts of Sanibel, Captiva, North Captiva and Pine Island.  I can't image what it's like on a weekend.  The waves were mostly from other boats, but they did slow us down.

What didn't get slowed down was a seaplane.  Just as we approached Cabbage Key, a red and white seaplane swooped in and landed in water just off our bow.  The pilot sure did cut it close and we were all aghast at the near miss.  The seaplane completely ignored us and just taxied on over to Cabbage Key for lunch.  Perhaps they were late for their reservation.

We continued on to Useppa Island, just to the east of Cabbage Key.  Alan and Dotty's neighbors, Bob and Mae, had been 27-year full-time residents of Useppa, but now live across the street from Alan and Dotty in Ft. Myers.  They were renting a cottage on Useppa for a family reunion and very kindly invited Alan and Dotty (and us) to come over to have lunch at the private Useppa Island Club.

Captain Alan radioed to the dockmaster and we were given an assigned slip.  Working the thrusters, Alan backed in and the dock staff helped us tie up. Taking Cody for a little walk was first on the agenda:

We decided to take our own little walk before heading to the clubhouse for lunch.  Here's a view of part of the main dock from the shoreline:

An osprey had made its nest nearby:

and birds of different feather were spotted closer to the water:



As we continued our walk, we ran into Bob and Mae, who were coming to look for us.  With Bob and Mae as guides, we continued our exploration, walking along the pink path made of coquina shells:

Bob knows every bit of history of the island and the club.  We couldn't have had a better introduction to the island and the Collier Inn, which serves as the clubhouse. We had lunch outside on the patio, overlooking the beach and the pool:



After a delicious meal topped off with Key Lime pie, we continued our exploration of the island with Bob and Mae leading the way.  We passed the croquet court, with play in progress.  (The nurse in me is pleased to report that the man lying on the grass is fully alert and is making sure his opponent's shot goes through both wickets):





Down by the water again, we came upon the one-man fire and rescue squad.  I asked him to turn his back for the camera, so we could get the full effect of his working uniform:

As we strolled along, we discovered that Bob and Mae's daughter, Beth, to whom we had been introduced at the pool, and I had attended the same boarding school in Dobbs Ferry.  We weren't there at the same time, but I'm sure we have some of the same memories.

We saw house after house, all designed in the Old Florida style so that the island's architecture is very cohesive.  The grounds are well kept and many club members toot around in their own golf carts....no roads or cars are allowed on the island.  This house was one of the prettiest we saw:

Soon it was time to return to Sanibel. 

We said goodbye to Bob and Mae and thanked them for hosting us on a day we'll never forget.  Back in the boat, we returned more quickly than our trip over to Useppa, as the wind had shifted and the seas were less choppy.  We pulled up to the boat launch and after tying up, launched ourselves up and onto the dock.  Alan and Dotty took off for Ft. Myers:

Thank you, Alan and Dotty, for a perfect day on the water.  And thank you, Bob and Mae, for a perfect day on your picture perfect island.

a real estate merry-go-round

We first visited Sanibel in 2001 and stayed for a couple of nights with our friends Gayle and George.  G&G had been long-time Sanibel seasonal residents, and they were just the right people to introduce us to the island.  They showed us around, from the Lighthouse to Captiva, and we loved what we saw.  We were used to visiting my Dad on the east coast of Florida, where his lifestyle was much more formal than we enjoyed.  Sanibel, we were pleased to learn, was all about being casual and comfortable, but restaurants still served superb food and the shopping was as sophisticated as you wanted.

The next year we decided to visit the Keys, as we had heard they also had a low-key lifestyle.  We soon learned that the Keys are all about fishing (and eating fish, which I don't) and the beaches are rocky, with only a few sandy strips sprinkled throughout.  We did enjoy a lovely lunch on Little Palm Island, and our day trip to Key West was eye-opening, but getting stuck on the Seven Mile Bridge for 4 hours, due to a car bombing, made us realize the Keys were not for us.

As 2003 was approaching, we decided to return to Sanibel for a couple of weeks.  I went online and found a rental agency's website that was full of possibilities.  I had 3 must-have requirements for a rental condo:

1. A view of the water
2. An elevator
3. A BBQ grill

I found a 2-bedroom condo on the top (third) floor of a complex that had 3 buildings with 12 condos in each.  These 36 units shared 3 tennis courts, 4 gas grills and a swimming pool.  All units looked out onto the beach.  It sounded like heaven and we booked it. 

For the next 7 years, we and our family enjoyed staying in that condo, which I found just by chance.  And we got to know 2 other couples on the same floor who rented year after year at the same time as we did.  It was like returning home each winter.

In the fall of 2009, we received a phone call from our Sanibel neighbors in the adjoining 3-bedroom condo.  They told us that they would not be returning in the winter for health reasons, and that they wanted us to have first refusal on renting their larger unit, now that our family was expanding.  We gratefully took them up on their offer and we have been happily enjoying the larger unit for 4 years.

We also have gotten to know the owner of this condo, who is a friend of a friend of my aunt and uncle.  The small world including both Sanibel and Rochester continues to amaze me.  When we received a phone call from Micki in October, telling us she had had an unsolicited purchase offer from someone totally out of the blue, our hearts sank.  She kindly gave us the opportunity to match his offer, and had we accepted, it would have been ours.  But we decided we did not want to own long-distance, hurricane-susceptible property, and would continue to rent. 

We checked in a couple of weeks ago to begin our fourth year in this unit.  And when we went to renew for next year (required on Sanibel within 72 hours of checking in or the unit goes back into the rental pool), we learned that the new owner was going to take the unit for himself during our February/March rental period.  We were up the creek without a paddle and quickly contacted our longtime rental agent.

She worked with us to find another spot and came up with an identical 3-bedroom unit in another building of the same complex that we called home.  We took a look at it, signed on the dotted line and paid our deposit.  Three days later the agent called to say that the owner of that unit ALSO wants to have his unit available for his own use next winter.  Once again, we were homeless.

After a few days, our agent called again to say she had a unit in another complex that she thought we would like.  To make sure we didn't get burned again, she had already called the owner to make sure it would be available for us and that he didn't want to use it himself during our time frame.  He said it could be ours if we wanted it and FINALLY, the real estate merry-go-round started to slow down.

Today we went over to check it out, and we fell in love.  It has a view of the water, an elevator and a BBQ grill. It also is a one-building complex that has only 6 units total, 2 to a floor.  It's three bedrooms, 2 baths and has lanais on three sides.  The amount of light coming into the living spaces is wonderful.  There's a dining table for 6, a kitchen table for 4, 4 stools at the kitchen counter and a table on the lanai with room for 4.  We could feed an army!

We returned the borrowed key, signed on the dotted line and transferred our deposit to this new unit.

If we can't be in our familiar home away from home, this new place is a wonderful replacement.  Finally, our ride on the real estate merry-go-round has come to a stop and we're happily looking forward to staying in our new spot next winter.

clewiston 2.0

How many people in their right minds drive 1500 miles to meet for lunch?

Six, that I know of, including us.  OK, maybe using the term "in their right minds" wasn't exactly correct.

Repeating our successful 2012 foray to the Clewiston Inn, located in downtown Clewiston, Florida near the shores of Lake Okeechobee, we met our good friends Kathy and Bill, and Stephanie and Art, at noon today for Clewiston 2.0.  Three vehicles with New York plates pulled into the parking lot within minutes of each other.  One came from Penfield via Palm Beach Gardens, one came from Canandaigua via Punta Gorda, and we came from Canandaigua via Sanibel. 

We entered the historic Clewiston Inn expecting the dining room to be almost empty, like it was last year:

Much to our surprise, the place was hopping.  Half the dining room was almost full and the other half was empty, waiting for the arrival of several tour buses.  Once those folks arrived, the walls were about to burst.  The new owners, who began running the Inn last year, had certainly worked overtime to bring in customers.

The staff was prepared for the crowd and took orders promptly.  Our food arrived quickly and was delicious.  Amazingly, the bill for all 6 of us was a very reasonable $75.00.  How do you beat that? 

Well worth the drive of 1500 miles, we all agreed this should be an annual event.  We told stories, laughed and giggled throughout the meal, and had a thoroughly enjoyable time. Clewiston 3.0 will be scheduled for March of 2014.

Here's a shot of the participants, minus the photographer.  I think they all look to be in their right minds, don't you?

call the cops!

Last year's vacation on Sanibel was full of medical emergencies - not ours, but the neighbors next door.  Three times they called me to assess and three times I called the ambulance for them.

This year it seems that it's all about calling the cops.

Shortly after we arrived, our friend Gayle told us there had been a string of burglaries on the island, with beachfront condos being entered and jewelry and cash being stolen.  The burglaries were being well publicized in the hope that a tip would produce a lead and then a suspect.

Little did we think we might become involved.

Then yesterday morning, someone pounded on our door.  I went to the door, asked who it was, and the answer came back, "Maintenance!" 

I opened the door to find a man and woman standing there.  The man was holding a large ring of keys and said "they told us this unit was empty."  I explained that we had been in residence for a while and would be here a while longer.  The woman said she wanted to look at the unit to see if it would be a good one for her daughter to rent.  I asked why no one from the rental agency had called to ask if we would let someone in to see the unit.  No answer.  I decided it would not be a good choice to let two unidentified people into the condo and said it wasn't a good time, but that she could come back today.  She said "what time?" and I said 10.

After they left, we called our rental agent and learned she had no knowledge of this couple.  She said she'd do some calling around.

This morning she called back to say she had spoken with just about every rental agency on the island and no one knew anything about these people.  She advised us to not let them in when they returned.

Ten o'clock came and went this morning and no one came to the door.  We talked it over and decided that we should alert the police to our visitors and file a report.

The next knock on the door was Officer Boots of the Sanibel Police Department.  He sat at the kitchen counter so that he could ask questions and write his report at the same time.  After getting all our info about the encounter yesterday, together with the info from the rental agent, and having a quick phone conversation (at my suggestion) with the condo's longtime owner, he called the property maintenance company. 

We all then learned that indeed, the man at the door yesterday was the property company's on-site maintenance man and the woman was a renter in another building who was from Switzerland.  She had approached the maintenance man about letting her into an empty condo, he called his company and they told him ours was empty.  (Not!).  After we declined to let them in yesterday, the company told her of another empty condo and she looked at that one.  She didn't bother to notify us that she wouldn't be keeping her appointment.

The officer handled the situation well, telling the woman at the property management company that there had been a break in the circle of communication and that she should not authorize entry into condos that were occupied.  She told the officer that the rental agencies don't always inform her company when condos are full or empty, so she just sends the maintenance guy to accompany the interested party.  He informed her that especially with the spate of burglaries that had been occurring along the beachfront, we "absolutely" handled the situation as we should have, and that the communication link between the rental agencies and the property management company needed to be fixed.

We thanked him for his time and he left...in his marked car that had been sitting in the parking lot for about an hour...and who knows what the neighbors think now!!

Some time after he left, I went to the Sanibel Police Department website and learned that there is a $25,000 CASH REWARD for information leading to the arrest of the burglary suspects.  What an unexpected coup that would have been, if our visitors had turned out to be the bad guys.  And as the condo owner said, "I thought you were going to break the case."

Not this time, I'm afraid.  And let's hope that the rest of our vacation is uneventful and there is no need to again call the cops!

5 new books

The weather at home can be pretty terrible at this time of year.  And while the skiers are happy to have mounds of snow on the ground, I am not.  I'd be happy if it snowed on December 24th and then all melted on December 26th.  Repeat annually.

So to avoid the snow and resulting unhappy thoughts of shivering, damp, grey days, we abscond to the delightfully laid-back island of Sanibel on the west coast of Florida each winter.  This year is our 12th visit.  And while I know that at home March lasts at least 180 days, here in Sanibel March goes by in a nanosecond.

There are all kinds of vacations; on some we like to do virtually nothing, while on others we are scrambling to immerse ourselves in cultures and places that are different from our own.  Being on Sanibel is all about doing next to nothing.  We certainly get out, see the island, see friends, occasionally drive to other spots in Florida to visit family and friends and eat out more than we do at home.  But we also enjoy the lack of responsibilities and commitments that we have at home. 

A Rochester friend who has been coming to Sanibel for years told us about the wonderful library on the island.  She mentioned that on rainy days she likes to go to the library, sit on a rocking chair on the sheltered porch overlooking the mangroves and read a good book.  Simple pleasures are always the best.

We became fans of the Sanibel Library during one of our first visits here, and learned that visitors can pay $10 annually for a library card.  All the library privileges afforded to permanent residents are then available to the visitors.  We both love to read and we both love this library.

Housed in a bright, modern building, the Sanibel Library is one of the best I have ever visited.  There are stacks and stacks of books, CDs, DVDs, magazines and newspapers available.  The children's section is extensive and there are storytimes scheduled for different ages.  There's a large computer area that always seems to be filled with patrons checking email and doing research.  Meeting rooms are full of folks attending lectures or community gatherings.  But the most impressive part to me is the New Books section:

The image above shows only a sixth of the shelves devoted to new books.  Fiction, non-fiction, biographies, large print and mysteries are all represented here and the selection is wide and varied.  I always walk out with at least 5 books at a time and wish I could read even faster than I already do.  And I am saddened when I think of the New Books area at the library at home.  While the Canandaigua library has struggled financially, it's on firmer footing now, and I hope the New Books section will be upgraded and expanded.  Recently I went to the library looking for new books and saw only 10 books on the shelves.  Seriously. 

Look at the above image and picture this selection in Canandaigua.  Wouldn't it be wonderful?  And remember that Sanibel is a little island with a small year-round population.  It appears that their resources are huge compared to the ones at home.  I'd love to be able to feel like I'm on vacation at home when I go to visit the library.  And I'd love to be able to find at least 5 new books I want to read.