Day 40: Bike Ride down the Island

We decided to get some exercise this afternoon so we dusted off the bikes and filled our water bottles. The bridge going over to Estero Island is fairly steep so we walked to he top. There is no bike lane along the road so you must ride on the sidewalk with the walkers. Once out of the main business area it's pretty open. We picked up Betty at her boat and headed south.



We have been looking at several homes on the island to purchase so along the ride we stopped to show a few of them to Betty. We also stopped by Betty's friend Patrick's house to say hello. On the way back the girls saw a store they hadn't yet visited so we had to stop in to check it out. It was filled with nautical stuff so it was pretty interesting. Here we are out front of the store sitting in the "Big Old Chair".




This evening we decided to have one of our favorite meals at "Skyline Chili", then we went to see a movie with Julia Roberts, "Duplicity". It was a little different but has a good ending.

Day 39: Barb's Birthday Party

We headed out for a bike ride this afternoon. We thought it might be fun to check out some of the property for sale on San Carlos Island. The island is at the foot of the bridge to Ft. Myers Beach. There are a multitude of manufactured home developments here.

Later in the day Kathy rode her bike across the bridge to do some shopping at the beach side stores. She found a swimming suit she had been looking for.

Early this evening we went to a birthday party for Barb at Matanzas Marina. Barb and Gary are friends of Keith & Betty. They along with another couple are both from the Dubuque, Ia area. What a small world.

Day 38: Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones & Elvis

Once again the traffic was terrible getting across the bridge to the beach. Here's a shot from the top of the bridge looking westward. The marina in the foreground is Matanzas where Keith & Betty keep their boat.

This evening we headed to Parrot Key Caribbean Grill with Keith and Betty. It's part of Salty Sam's Marina, an upscale marina on Matanzas Pass. It's certainly not an inexpensive place for food and entertainment but it's always hoppin' and a lot of fun.


Tonight the entertainment at Parrot Key was Frank Torino. Frank has a great voice and puts on an action packed show. He utilizes a karaoke type system without a monitor and sings hits from a variety of famous performers. He kicked off the evening with a group of Frank Sinatra tunes.

Frank loves to interact with the audience, especially the women, and in this case Betty.


Kathy really enjoyed a Tom Jones song he sang to her early on in the show.

For each of his songs he adds clothing or wigs to impersonate the entertainer he is portraying. One of our favorites was his Elvis wig and medley of songs.

The show went on for 3 straight hours without a single break. We had a great time!

Day 37: Fleamasters

Our camp site has worked out well for us. We're not much further from the beach and we have gotten to know several of our neighbors. It's also a fairly decent size lot and the site next to us is vacant.



Not a lot going on today so we are taking it easy. This afternoon we drove to a gigantic flea market. There must be over 500 booths. Most of it was junk, as I call it, but Kathy did find some nice plants to take back to Des Moines. On the way back we checked out the different RV parks in the area. There are some much nicer parks but none are as close to the beach as we are. That wouldn't be a problem except for the traffic that builds by noon each day to the beach. There is only one road and it takes 30-60 minutes to go 2 miles from the other locations.

One of the nicer RV parks, Seista Bay, has a couple of ponds where several of the tenants race model sailboats.

Day 36: Return Sail to Matanzas

We shoved off early this morning because we are heading north to Boca Grande Pass and out to the gulf.



It's much easier to sail in the Gulf than the intra coastal because you don't have to stay in the marked channel. The only draw back is it's 10 mi. longer. Here is Betty keeping and eye out for the buoy's coming out of Boca Grand Pass.



And here is Kathy doing her part.



No matter where you sail the views are great. This is Sanibel Island as seen from the Gulf.



We arrived back in port about 5pm. It was a very relaxing 2 days especially when your doing it with good friends like Keith and Betty

Day 35: An Overnight Trip to Cabbage Key

This morning we headed out of Matanzas on K&B's boat to Cabbage Key. Keith & Betty got married at Cabbage Key 11 years ago. It's a great little island, accessible only by boat, with a couple of private homes and a historic restaurant with rooms and cottages.



The sail north on the intra coastal was about 25 miles and took about 5 hours. That left us plenty of time to explore the island. Betty and I climbed the water tower which provided a great view. Kathy chickened out, she's frightened of heights.



For dinner this evening we feasted on fresh seafood.

Day 34: Cincinnati Firemen Entertain at the Beach

Each year 36 firemen from Cincinnati rent a beach house in the heart of all the action in Ft. Myers Beach. They build a pool from a tarp, bring in 100 cases of beer and 17,280 strands of beads and invite loads of girls to join them in the pool. They are known for their fantastically choreographed performances each weekday for two weeks in March. The show is absolutely the funniest thing I've seen in years. Below they are singing and dancing to YMCA.

The Michael Jackson "Thriller" routine was a favorite of the crowds.

Of course they have to throw in a little country with "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy".

And a skit from Grease's "Your the One that I Want"had us belly laughing.

The Blues Brothers got the girls up and dancing withe the cast.

And of course no show would be complete without Elvis.

These guys went high tech setting up a MySpace page. You can see them at MySpace.com/450743100 or just search for "CFD Party House" on the site.

Wednesday their last show will be on www.news-press.com

Day 33: A Leisurely Sail

In a previous post I believe I mentioned that our MH was parked at a friends trailer park about 75 yards from the bay. It's been a great location because it is so close to everything and it's free. However, the landlord Jim told our friend Wayne that he was afraid the city might object if we stayed much longer. So we moved to Oyster Bay Campground this morning.

With fair winds and sunny skies we headed out for an afternoon sail this afternoon on "Bar Hopper" with Keith and Betty.



We met up with the group for cocktails this evening at the "Tiki Hut". Here's Rex and Wayne enjoying their favorite libation. Wayne owns a marina in Pittsburgh on the Ohio River and spends his winters here at Ft. Myers Beach.

Day 32: Space Shot

The temps hit the mid 80's today so we decided to hit the beach to stay cool. It's always 4-5 degrees cooler at the beach and there was a nice breeze. I never saw so many people there, of course it was Sunday and the last day of the "Shrimp Festival".

A space launch was scheduled for last week. Unfortunately it has been postponed 3 times. We were all happy to here it was on for this evening at 7:42pm. Even though Cape Kennedy is almost 150 miles away we were told that you could see the the launch on a clear day/evening. A group of us gathered on the pier and we were not disappointed. We could even see the booster rockets as they broke away.

Day 31: Ft. Myers Beach Shrimp Festival

The Lyons Club hosted their 37th annual "Shrimp Festival" in Ft Myers. Over 30,000 people attend the 2-day festival. There were 80 vendors set up in the park with about 10 of them serving a wide variety of mostly seafood. The festival gets started with a 1-hour parade down the one and only main street on the island.

Of course there are always classic cars transporting the festival princesses.


The parade even had a representative from Iowa, our friend Patsy Cater with the Power Squadron

This group on this float from the Yucatan Bar was having a great time as they reach the end of the parade route where we were sitting.



I'm not sure what this was, but placard said it was a working prototype.


And of course what's a parade without the girls from "Hooters". I think the "Rent Me" sign was referring to the motorcycles/mopeds on the float.


Indian Creek RV Park sent their version of the "Chippendale Dancers" (retired).

Day 30: A Day of Rest & Recreation

Kathy started off the day with a walk to the farmers market while Betty and I played two sets of tennis. We're both still struggling with making unforced errors. The important thing is we're getting some great exercise.

Following tennis Kathy and I met up with a realtor to look at a couple of homes that are for sale on the island. Prices have dropped considerably during this recession. There may be some opportunities so we are checking out the offerings.

A late afternoon nap is a great way to recharge your batteries after a busy morning. Kathy can't help snapping this shot of me.



There is always a happy hour somewhere. Tonight we all headed to the Channel Mark for a few before dinner drinks. Following tacos on K&B's boat we visited with Greg and Sandy from St. Louis. They a have a 44ft trawler next to K&B.

Day 29: Awning Repair Day

My mission this morning was to repair the 20 ft awning that provides us with afternoon shade on these 80+ degree days. The tube it rolls on contains 2 springs which allow it to roll up along side of the MH. Yesterday I took a brief stab at repairing it but I decided to hold off for Keith's assistance. There are 2 garage door type springs that must be wound up tight. I originally thought one of the springs were broken. Fortunately the spring just needed to be rewound on the shaft. Keith wound the spring to the required 16 revolutions and we were back in business. Cost: $0.00



After lunch Kathy and I explored the north end of Estero Island and walked along the beach at the state park.

This evening the 4 of us headed to Jimmy B's for cocktails and music. We struck up a conversation with a couple from St. Louis, Webb and Shirley (I think). They have been coming to Ft. Myers Beach for years. Webb and Keith compared experiences at the various Mississippi marina bars in the St. Louis area they each had visited.



For dinner we headed to Snug Harbour to try the Ahi Tuna (rare) with Wasabe, Ginger and a bowl of Conch Chowder. It was great!!!

Day 28: A little tennis and a little shopping

Not a very exciting day today. Betty and I played tennis this morning. There is a couple of public courts where a variety of players gather to play doubles. Neither one of us have played recently so we elected to play singles on another court. By next week we should be in good enough form to join the daily group.

It was a struggle for both of us. She played better as we started and I played better as we finished. By the end I was up by 1 game. Most of the points were won by unforced errors for both of us. We'll give it another shot on Friday morning.




Keith and Betty decided to join us for lunch at Skyline Chili. We have spoken so often about Skyline they had to find out for themselves. Typically when we take someone new their reaction is so-so. Well they both liked it. Of course I think they like most foods.

Following lunch the four of us headed into Ft. Myers to check out a couple of marine surplus stores. Keith has picked up some inexpensive teak in the past and was shopping for more to construct a cabinet. I had a variety if items I was looking to buy, stereo, speakers, waste cap, 12v bulbs, etc.

We had planned on watching the shuttle launch from the docks. Unfortunately the launch was cancelled so we played 313, and Widows Hand.

Day 27: A Boat Trip with Wayne

Yesterday our friend Wayne suggested we head north through Matlacha Pass to have lunch at one of his favorite restaurants, "Bert's. Late this morning we lowered Wayne's pontoon boat from the lift, loaded our refreshments and headed up the intracoastal waterway. Our destination Matlacha is located between Pine Island and the mainland.

Patsy took the opportunity to catch some rays as we ventured 20 miles north. To reach Bert's, we turned away from the main intracoastal waterway. This part of the waterway is marked but the depths were quite shallow in many areas. In a couple of spots the water was only 2 feet.



Bert's has great seafood and is always quite busy. It has outlasted multiple owners and numerous hurricanes in the last 75 years. Bert's came into fame when a local restaurant owner rescued it after a sordid past as a house of ill repute.

Day 26: Lost our 12 volt power?

We awoke this morning to no 12 volt power in the MH. We had 110AC that runs the TV, and the microwave, but no 12DC meant that the lights, water pump, and toilet didn't work. I tried the circuit breakers and checked the fuses but still no luck. The repair would have to wait, Betty and I were scheduled for tennis and Kathy was off to the laundromat.

Following a round of tennis, Keith stopped by and we figured out the relay which sends power to the MH was not functioning. We pulled it out and headed to NAPA. It was a rather simple starter solenoid and for $67 it was mine. Once installed, everything was back to normal. It's in the bottom center of the photo.


Kathy returned and said let's head to the beach. So off we went!




There are a lot of interesting people walking the beach. Kathy and I really enjoy sitting back and watching all of them pass by. Here's a couple of the people I noticed right away.

Day 25: The 80's are Back!

The temps are back to normal in southern Florida, the low 80's. It has been unseasonably cool in Ft Myers with highs between 60 and 70. We were fortunate to be in the Keys last month where we saw the low 70"s. The warmer temps always bring a lot of people to the beach. So we headed to the beach for the afternoon.


Threre are always some great sights. Here are a couple.



Not just sights for the guys, but the girls as well.

Day 24: Wow! Another Skyline Chili Parlor

We took it pretty easy today. We repositioned the MH after a complaint from a neighbor that we were blocking her view, then we setup camp more permanently, shade's on the windows, leveled the coach, unloaded the scooter and bikes, etc.

In the past you have read about our passion for Skyline Chili. We'll there is a restaurant here in Ft. Myers. So we headed there for lunch today. Kathy had a regular 3-way and I had a super 3-way.



The traffic returning to the MH was horrendous as we reached the beach. It was backed up for 3 miles and took us 1 hr. to make our way back.

This evening we met up with the gang for cocktails and to watch the sunset.

Day 23: Travel Day to Ft. Myers Beach

Keith and Betty headed out about 8 am this morning. They talked about heading to Naples for the evening but decided with the good winds to go on to Ft. Myers.

We broke camp about 10 am and drove over to Marco Island to check out the area. What a beautiful location. Everything is manicured and well maintained. You can tell it was a planned community, nothing hodge/podge. After our tour we headed to the grocery to replenish our food and drink supplies.

We arrived in Ft. Myers about 3pm and began setting up camp. Wayne Jones received permission for us to park the motorhome in an empty trailer lot across the street from his trailer. Wayne is a good friend of Keith, Betty, Patsy and Rex. Although we have no view to speak of it's a great location. We're at the foot of the bridge going over to the beach. It's less than a half mile across the bridge to the beach.