Manatee Mailbox

Bonita Springs Mailbox Series

Did you ever see such a patriotic Manatee mailbox? Me either. Bonita Springs has a ton of manatee mailboxes, by the way. They’re right up their with dolphin mailboxes. This is what a manatee is if you didn't know: West Indian Manatee Facts.

Last week one of my readers, the mysterious “Mr. J”, escaped the bars of his fortress for a planned lunch meeting with little ol’ me at Rodes on Bonita Beach Road. I was a little early so I decided to buzz back on Meadowlark Ln. to snoop around. For the record the homes on Margina Circle and a few of the other neighboring streets are on Imperial River. The homes are charming and their views are exceptional. You should take a drive back on Meadowlark and see a little bit of Bonita Springs off the beaten path.

Years ago I recalled seeing a manatee mailbox that had an eye patch, black Pirate hat and saber on a sash back on Margina Circle. He was a real swashbuckler. It had been years since I’d even thought about it but I headed to the riverfront and lo and behold the mailbox was still there and had been seasonally dressed for July 4th. I hopped out and snapped his picture just for you.

It wasn’t but a few moments later that I realized the bell in my car was ringing because my seatbelt wasn’t on. It’s a rental car. My car is in the shop getting face lift and bumper implants complements of a Toyota Tundra towing a boat that couldn’t quite stop in time. Since I wasn’t really familiar with the car, it was then that I noticed the gas light was on. For how long? Who knows. I high tailed it to Rodes for my appointment and waited inside because I didn’t want to idle my fuel away and be stranded on the far side of Bonita Springs from my office or home.

Naturally, the grouper at Rodes was superb and meeting Mr. J was like having lunch with a friend I’ve had lunch with dozens of times. I’ve met tons of people through my blog, the newspaper column and online networks like Twitter and Active Rain. The internet sure makes the world a much smaller place, don’t you think?