Life In Bonita Springs

Things TO Do - Art Festival

Looking for things to do in Naples and Bonita Springs, Florida? The Downtown Naples Fall Art Festival has set its 10th anniversary event on Oct. 18-19 on Fifth Avenue South.

The Art Show is to feature 150 artists and $15 million in artwork available for sale. Admission is free. This is an outdoor event.

The event is produced by Howard Alan Events. It is a juried art show. All of the local and national artists are selected from hundreds of applicants.

Original artwork will cover a variety of artistic mediums, including paintings, sculptures, photography, glass, ceramics, mixed media and many more.

Festival hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both October 18 & 19^th, 2008.

See you at the Naples Fall Art Festival!

The Gorton's Fisherman

Yes, it's true, the Gorton's Fisherman lives on Hickory Blvd. on Bonita Beach.  He's a couple of doors down from the Mermaid Mailbox.  It's been a spell since I've taken this photo.  It's been a while since I've even been able to post something on the blog.  I've been a hostage.

The good news is I only missed a few days.  The bad news is that I am behind and totally stressed. I only have to upload a few more programs to my *spankin' new laptop* and I'm on the road like a toad.  I am no longer typing on a keyboard with the keys scotch taped on.

Randy from Platinum Coast Technology hooked me up with a sweet Acer still running on XP.  He was kind enough to shovel the junk from one computer to another.  I almost feel spoiled with my new computer....almost.  I was told it's under warranty - except for the keyboard.  Since I have a habit of going through keyboards like gym shoes, Randy joked I wasn't covered.  That was a joke, right? ;-)

If you're looking for computer help, a new computer, a business network or just someone to soup up what you have going call Platinum Coast Technology.  Spend your money locally and help local businesses who employ local families.

Wind at Bonita Beach & Kite Surfing

Maybe I’ve lived in Bonita Springs too long. I literally don’t visit the beach, as in Bonita Beach, as in the Gulf of flipping Mexico as much as I should. It has been taken for granted for years by this gal.

My skin is lily white and my eyes hurt when I see the sun. Back in the day I was a jet ski racing, riding, ramping fool. I had a few stellar machines that I broke on a regular basis. Never fear, each part was replaced with racing parts, stainless steel this and that until it was better than new. For those of you who know me, remember the Bumble Bee?

I started acting my age, not my shoe size a couple years ago. Now, I have to schedule in my trips to the beach. Last Wednesday I hit Bonita Beach. I think it was Access #2 with free parking and dragged my chair and camera to the shore.

A fine young man named Jaime Hudson who was totally kicking it kite surfing. To say the least I was envious. He’s in such good shape and has a decade or two on me so he wouldn’t feel as bad after doing something so strenuous. He sure did make it look easy, though – really easy. The photo above is of him explaining the harness around his ribs, the mechanism and the sail.  I heard a few war stories that curled my toes when I went over and listened.

Jaime also will teach kite surfing lessons in addition to his home pressure washing business. If you’re interested in either of his ventures email and I’ll to hook you up.

Maybe I should try wind surfing. Whattaya think?

Enjoy a few more pictures of kite surfing at Bonita Beach:

Jaime's friend showed up a little later.  He was just pumping up his sail:

Here's both of their sails in the air, are they not pretty?

I could bore you to tears with the dozens and dozens of photos I took of the kite surfers at Bonita Beach.  You can watch the rest here:  Kite Surfer Slide Show

Today I stopped by Dolly's for lunch and then stopped into Lumberjack's to see how things are going since he moved it.  He's a first time home buyer that has taken a few hits to the chin.  First, he found out he had termites about three weeks after the termite inspector didn't find them and today when I stopped in all of the doors and windows were open.

What gives with the doors and windows pal?  Air conditioner crapped out.  There's a whole in the ceiling where water over flowed and it just quit working.  He's got a new one on order but it will be Monday or Tuesday before he'll be living in human conditions again.  It's still too hot this time of the year to not have A/C, in my humble opinion.  It just started raining, it has to be horrible to live there at this point.

I took a tour of the house, after getting attacked by a friendly black lab cross that thinks it's a lap dog.  I laughed so hard at some of the things I found.  Mind you, two single men are room mates in this home.  First, I noticed this, a transmission rebuild kit on the kitchen counter.  (That's where I keep mine.)

A tour of the bathroom revealed a tragic event that occurred when the dog decided it was on the wrong side of a closed door.  I didn't bother taking a picture of that because I was distracted by the broken shower curtain rod that is functioning by balancing on a window frame.  Lumberjack would like to point out that the seat is at least down.

Welding helmets on top of the fridge.  Anyone can put a cookie jar up there.  It takes "outside of the box" thinking to put a welding helmet up there, classically posed beside the "designated drunk traffic cone hat".

Required decor for any single man's home. It makes different tractor noises on each one.  Seriously.

I call this "Refrigerator Irony".  A column I wrote in the Naples Daily News is on the fridge with magnets titled "Home Inspections: Are they really worth it?"  not more that 5 feet away from where termites ventilated many portions of the wall and floor.

Finally, after he asks me how I like his red neck palace he goes around the corner and comes back with this on.  Halloween is around the corner.  That is the excuse he used for why he's donned this get up.  Yes, I had permission to publish this:

His buddy "Gravy" had on a coon skin hat and was "Gravy Crocket".  Gravy didn't want to be famous, not pictured.

Bonita Springs Boat Parade Sign Up 2008

Folks are looking for the date, time and deadline to sign up for the Bonita Springs Holiday Boat Parade.

The Boat Parade Captain's party is on Wednesday, November 19th from 6-8:00p.m.  The Captains Dinner is at Fitzgerald's Pub.  Captains, bring your first mate for dinner and your $35 entry fee.  If you're not able to make the sign up at Fitzgerald's call Bay Waters Boat Rental 239-495-0455 for more information.

Date and Time: The Bonita Springs Boat Parade December 6^th, 2008 starts at 6:00 pm at the Fish House Restaurant on Bonita Beach Road and ends at Fish House Restaurant for the award party.

The Route: The Parade route is from the Fish House, up the Imperial River to approximately Flossmoor Drive off of West Terry Street (where the turn around is) and back to the Fish House.

Sponsorship: The Boat Parade is being sponsored and coordinated by the Rotary Club Noon this year, not the Chamber of Commerce.  Do not call the Chamber, for more information call Bay Waters Boat Rentals 239-495-0455.

A printable brochure with sponsorship information and entry information is available here:

http://lifeinbonitasprings.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/boat-parade.pdf

The Rotary Club is seeking corporate sponsorships to defray costs.  Sponsors will receive recognition at the captain’s party, on the lead boat, and on all parade materials. Interested sponsors can contact Lori Nelson at 239-992-4443 or call Bay Waters Boat Rentals. Donations from the general public and residents who live on the parade route are gladly accepted.

Bugs, Mold and Missing  Refrigerators

You know how those foreclosure homes and short sales homes often don’t have a refrigerator? Where do those refrigerators go? Sucked up by aliens? Stolen and sold on Craigslist?

I see it all the time. The fridge is gone and cha-ching the buyers think, “There’s $1,500 we’re going to need”. Well, today the question was answered. While showing a home in Stoneybrook at Estero the instructions were, “Do not open refrigerator” with a little mention of the pool being green and undergoing treatment. Double yummy!

One of the last utilities to go is the power. Sometimes the tenants bail out and the absentee owner doesn’t know their home is festering in the sweltering Florida sun. Sometimes the owners are just down on their luck and can’t afford the electric. I’m not sure what happened in Stoneybrook but it was obvious that the power was out long enough for anything that could start reacting biologically to get ugly.

At any rate, it’s just a fridge and can be replaced. I pity the gent that scores the job of moving and disposing of it!

I showed about a half dozen short sales in Estero and Bonita Springs this morning. They’re sort of getting worse and worse with time. I feel that people are so bummed by the environment, their circumstance and the woes of our economy that they’re giving up and not even taking care of their own environment. I’m not necessarily talking about the icky fridge house, it was in decent shape compared to others.

Short sale people, groom your homes and condos for the competition. It’s still a harsh real estate market out there. If you were a contestant for Miss America would you not at least brush your hair, put on decent clothes and put on makeup?

Brush Hair = Vacuum

Make Up = Paint

Decent Clothes = Pick Up Dog Poo

(Yes, we see *everything* out there)

I've watched these rabbits for months.  I don't know how they got there or if they're just left over from Easter.  I think they're cute looking over the driveway.  They must be cheaper than a surveillance camera.

Meet Millie, Jeff and Stach

Armadillos Stink, Both Figuratively and Literally

My house seems to attract them.  Actually, my house didn't but my crappy lawn service did.  Since they didn't take care of the insect issues with the grass, the armadillos entered my yard and took advantage of the buffet.  They then decided that my crawlspace and under my porch would be their version of Club Med.  They were nice to rearrange all sorts of things and stink up the place, too.  Armadillos, unbeknown to me, can damage a lot of real estate.  Lawns are dug up, they're like pigs tearing up a yard and they dig holes and such.  Not to mention that smell and whatever they did in that crawl space.

Let's remember, I've gone thru a herd of possums, already.  The ‘dillos don't hiss and scare like possums but they're creepier looking.

My best calculations tell me there are at minimum four of these mini Rhino's.  The head armadillo, Alejandro is smart.  We'd made an attempt to catch them in our Havahart trap and failed.  I want them gone, not dead, so we're being humane about it.  The first round of trapping didn't go well.  We then caught one by accident.  An armadillo accidentally walked into the trap.  He was promptly relocated to east Bonita Springs on the dirt roads.  One down, three to go.

By now it is no secret that I'm not a professional animal trapper.  It should also be known that the animal trapping gods are helping me.  My second armadillo accidentally walked into the trap today.  We took Mariolina to East Bonita Springs again, just east of Bonita Grande Road and gave her a better life.

If you head out that way have a high suspension and four wheel drive. There's tons of water, gators and some great photo shots, of which I have none because I was with a man who wasn't havin' it.  He was helping me relocate animals; it wasn't a flower pickin' trip.

At any rate, I thought I'd let you see Mariolina and her trot down some sandy old lane in Bonita Springs, Florida during the rainy season.   Yes, I released her at the same spot as the other one so they'll find each other.  Hearts and flowers...

I look forward to more hearts and flowers when number three and four hit the happy trails too.

Mariolina begs for release from her captor, Sargeant Tango Delta Niner.

He caves and "conveniently" leaves the door unlocked and becomes "distracted".

She sees the small window of escape and breaks for it.  She pauses long enough for the classic "look back".

She's on the road like a toad.

I'm hearing theme music to Prison Break.

Now we're just out here by ourselves and I think I hear banjo music.

Back to the base to reload.