Category: Travel

Port Charlotte? Where is that?


A view of the harbor, from Laishley Park

Port Charlotte? Where is that? It does not sound like a place where there will be much to do. That is usually the way the conversation goes when I talk to strangers, right after the standard introductions; almost everyone I meet says the same thing. To which I respond, as if on autopilot, “we are in Florida, on the Gulf Coast of Mexico right between Fort Myers and Sarasota”.  Suddenly, an Aha moment—as Oprah would say–I know where that is, my grandma’s friend has a house down there somewhere. LOL

Funny thing is, there are enough things to do in Port Charlotte and its surroundings; the area boasts some of the best beaches–Boca Grande, Siesta Key, Sanibel, Clearwater, come to mind—that you can find anywhere on the Gulf Coast, all within less than an hour’s drive. Sunsets are beautiful and plentiful; except of course, on those days when the skies open up and let out the thunderstorms and lightning we are so famous for, which earned the Tampa Bay’s area the dubious “Lightning Capital of the U.S.” moniker.

During this time of the year, when the freezing weather up north ensures our population swells with the arrival of “snowbirds” looking to escape the snow and cold, there is so much going on, locals have a difficult time finding a place to eat where the wait is less than an hour.

Sunset at the beach

Arts, film, and music festivals, and gallery exhibits, block parties, plays and everything else you can think of, are in plentiful supply. In addition, there is always fishing and boating, or year-round drum circles at nearby Venice and Sarasota beaches, where every Saturday evening you can let go your inner hippie while enjoying the music–bring your own drums, food and drinks and prepare to welcome the most beautiful sunsets ever!

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Life is a beach…winter season in SW Florida


Lifeguards on duty

It dawned on me today, after talking about the weather up north and in other far away (from me, anyway) cold places–Ireland, London, Seattle to name a few, that either I have it pretty good or we always seem to think the grass really is greener on the other side. Truthfully, we all have exactly what we need, when we need it.

I lived in New York for over twenty years and never complained about the weather there as much as I do here in Florida; but that is mostly because NY provided relief from heat when Fall, Winter and Spring arrived. There was the change of seasons to look forward to, the anticipation of shedding one type of clothing for another.

Life is a beach, Manasota Key, FL

During winter, of course, you bulked up with coats, layers of clothes, donned boots, and gloves, and hats and whatever else you needed in order to stay warm–leg warmers? I have not seen or heard of those things in years! And even though I did not like the winter months, especially when it snowed, I still looked forward to some of the things that came with it–ice skating (the children, not me), concerts, plays, etc.

Our side of Florida offers no such season changes, but it does allow for the occasional sweater or light wind breaker now and then, and a common outfit for this time of the year might be shorts, sweatshirts and sandals–a compromise I guess.

Most people assume it is hot down here all the time, not so. In the years we have lived on Florida’s West Coast, we have experienced temperatures as low as 30s and as high as the 100s; good thing the average stays in the 80s and the extremes only last for a couple of days. Sometimes that’s good, sometimes not. When it is cold up north during the winter months, our days are pretty good, cold fronts from the north produce really nice weather; mornings and evenings are nice and cool, sometimes even cold (for us) but daytime temps stay comfortable enough to sometimes warrant a trip to the beach.

Row, row, row...

That was the case this week, it started out with a couple of cold days and by Thursday it felt like Summer. So I took myself and camera to the beach, to verify what I already suspected. Our “snowbirds” (tourists) where there, not an empty parking spot could be found at the first three beaches I stopped at–Stump Pass, Englewood, Blind Pass and finally when I arrived at Manasota Key–I found a parking space, and all I wanted to do was to take some pictures.

Aah, yes, I still remember those days when I thought nothing of diving into 65-70 degree waters, brrr… thank goodness that was a long time ago. But still…what was I thinking?

And now… we dive into a New Year, 2012. Does anyone still remember how we were freaking out as the New millennium, Y2K, approached? It came and went along with 11 more years, yikes!!! Time sure flies…

Lea Michelle sings Auld Lang Syne  Happy New Year to one and all, let’s keep on reading and writing, and let us enjoy life!

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More photos from Fishermen’s Village, FL


Northerner in Florida, riding his motorcycle. It is 80 degrees outside today.

My day trip through Fishermen’s Village continues, I had a willing Northerner (New Hampshire) volunteer for this picture, I think it was because he noticed me trying to take his picture–on the sly. LOL

A replica of the Nina and the Pinta were on display
Fishermen's Village stage and outdoor seating
Everything looks so good in there!
That's all from Fishermen's Village... Have a Happy New Year!

Good thing he was gracious and willing; we spent a few minutes congratulating ourselves for choosing to live in Southwest Florida.

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It is that wonderful time of the year… again


It is December…again. Just like it was just Monday… and it is now Saturday, again. Time is passing by so quickly I can barely catch my breath!

Bok Mansion's entrance

As of Thanksgiving day–Christmas officially arrived; never mind it was already here since before Halloween. I love the holiday season, even when they begin to sneak in Christmas carols on the radio when I am not paying attention. I happened to notice this when I began to hum along, suddenly it hit me–I am humming “It is a wonderful time of the year… la, la, la….

Dont’ get me wrong, I love the holiday season; the songs, the trees, the Menorah and the candles,  the Kwanzaa celebrations, lights everywhere, Macy’s windows, Rockefeller Center, etc… (hey, I lived in NYC for over 20 years, the “melting pot” as it is known, and we all celebrated together) but Christmas is my favorite.

Winchester Roller Skates, 1960s

Christmas is what I grew up with in Panama; my first recollection of a Christmas present was getting a pair of Winchester Roller Skates, and these were nothing like the rubber skates of today. I mean, these were steel and I felt like a powerhouse when I clamped them on my shoes. I was about five years old when I got the first pair of training Winchesters, fell many times and promptly learned how to skate. By the time I was a teenager I was a pro on those babies; my siblings and friends will have skate parties on the streets, (no rinks, for us daredevils) and we ran competitions to see who could make the most pirouettes without breaking a bone, and then we held on to each other in groups of ten or fifteen kids to form a train or “cola” (long line), and proceeded to jump over the many sets of steps found in “Paseo Las Bovedas”; that memory will be forever etched in my mind. So much fun and… there was always a broken bone and a trip to the emergency room, lol!

Pretend play is not the same as the real thing

Kids today don’t get such physical workouts, like we did. Everything happened outdoors, we played with hacky sacks, which we made ourselves (from old socks filled with lentils), and rode bicycles, roller skated on the streets, went swimming, played every kind of ball there was: baseball, basketball, soccer… you name it. We were fit, brassy and healthy! Today it is all about Nintendo, Xbox and the like, kids and adults can even pretend they are being active by playing games (indoor) on their Wii. What’s up with that?

I don't wanna...

Enough of that, I am afraid I am dating myself; but yes, I am a child of the age of Aquarius, and the Beatles, and The Temptations, and Aretha Franklin; but make no excuses for that–they were the best of times to grow up in. There’s no mountain high enough to keep me from getting to you…

Here are some pictures I took last week when we were in Orlando and ventured 45 minutes out-of-the-way of the usual sites, to visit Bok Tower Gardens. We enjoyed their Christmas decorations, quiet surroundings and gardens; it was a beautiful experience, and I highly recommend it!

Bok Tower, in the distance

I will post some more pictures during the month as I am now officially–in the Christmas and holiday spirit!

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From Ponce De Leon to Beach Complex Park


Pelicans at the PRWC park

Last Wednesday, I took the camera out and headed to unplanned places, some days are just like that. Living in Southwest Florida, 1 and a half-hours south of Tampa, 3 hours west of Orlando, and 3 hours north of Miami, gives me great latitude to explore all things Floridian, pretty much at will. However, on a beautiful, sunny, breezy day such as it was on this day, I did not have to travel very far at all, thirty minutes at most.

Mangroves in the park

I let my instincts guide me south to Punta Gorda, as I enjoyed the landscape while driving along US 41, Tamiami Trail as it is known. I quickly decided on a visit to Ponce De Leon Park. First stop, the Peace River Wildlife Center (PRWC), at the park’s entrance. I took my time strolling along; taking pictures of the rescued animals that inhabit the center; which according to its website, was “founded in 1978; dedicated to the rescue, care, protection and preservation of native small wildlife. Since its beginnings, the wildlife center has treated over one hundred thousand birds and small animals, offering a high level of skilled care by trained and permitted wildlife rehabilitation specialists with years of experience in treating native fauna disease and trauma”.

The center and the park for that matter are hidden gems in Charlotte Harbor. Its location almost makes one forget of its existence, but if you are in the mood to explore nature, see native birds and enjoy some quiet, you cannot go wrong by paying a visit; just make sure to bring enough bug repellent since a walk through the nature trail is sure to bring out some uninvited guests. It is totally worth the trip.

What a great way to end this day!

On the way back home I made a detour into the Port Charlotte Beach Complex, as it was soon time for the sunset and I wanted to snap a couple of shots. One of the benefits of living on the Gulf Coast—water is everywhere we go. Be it the ocean, rivers, lots of canal property, pools and more. So catching a sunset from anywhere is not difficult—for whatever reason we always seem to head toward the water.
Another benefit, you can have all of this for less than the price of a movie ticket. All I spent during this day trip was $0.80 cents for parking, the cost of adding two new batteries to my Canon, and less than a gallon of gas; you can not get it any better than that!
That was my unplanned day trip near home. I am sure there are gems such as this one hiding in your own backyards; the economy being what it is today, it pays to go out of the way to find places near home that can provide inexpensive entertainment, while providing family and guests with fun activities to do this holiday season.

Go ahead, explore!

Links:
http://bit.ly/vdJg00

http://bit.ly/tQQ188

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