FORT MYERS, FL - ANGIE'S PARENTS COME FOR A VISIT

Monday, February 23rd to Friday, February 27th, 2015

Day 203-207
Miles Traveled: 0
Total Miles Traveled: 2644


  Monday morning was spent preparing for the arrival of Angie's parents, Bruce & Joyce.  They were our second overnight guests and stayed for 5 days and 4 nights.  They arrived safe and sound and were happy to be out of the cold and snowy Ohio weather.  Florida welcomed them with some beautiful weather.  Angie's aunt and uncle, Denny & Rita, drove over from Bonita Springs and we all went to dinner at Capone's Coal Fired Pizza in downtown Fort Myers.  The pizza was delicious.  We got to see a well know individual there, Al Capone (although he had seen better days).

Angie, Dan, Joyce, Bruce, Rita, Denny dining at Capone's

  

Al Capone guarding his vault

  Tuesday late morning we walked over to the Edison and Ford Winter Estates.  The line was enormous, so we walked back to the marina and took a boat ride instead. 

Seahorse headed out for an afternoon cruise with Bruce & Joyce
Picture compliments of Robert on "Ellie 'C' "

  
  The wind began to increase so we shortened up our afternoon cruise and headed out by car to Manatee Park.  This is a park located on the river near a power plant.  The manatees like warm water and the power plant's discharge provides a nice warm pool of water for them to congregate.  We saw several manatees in the distance, but none up close and personal.

Dan, Angie, Joyce, and Bruce at Manatee Park  

  Wednesday we got up early so we could arrive at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates by opening time.  This is the third time we have been to the Estates and have discovered new things with every visit.  We all really enjoyed walking the grounds and seeing the winter homes.  We took a break for lunch and ate at Pincher's Restaurant right near the estates and returned after lunch to tour the museum.

Bruce, Thomas Edison, and Joyce next to Banyan tree

  Thursday was cooler and rainy.  We choose this day to take advantage of having a car and got some errands done - haircuts and shopping at WalMart, Home Depot, and West Marine.  That evening we ate aboard.  Dan prepared a lemon garlic shrimp recipe with shrimp we had frozen fresh from Apalachicola.  It was delicious.  


  Friday we slept in and went for brunch at First Watch.  After brunch, Angie's parents left to go visit some other friends in Florida and begin their journey back to Ohio.  We had a wonderful visit with them.  We spent the rest of the afternoon doing laundry and turning the guest stateroom back into the "storage facility".  That evening we went out to eat with Robert & Susan ("Ellie 'C' ").  We have enjoyed quite a few meals with this delightful couple and hope to have a few more before we begin our journey to the east coast.         

FORT MYERS, FL - SUNNY DAY

Sunday, February 22nd, 2015

Day 202
Miles Traveled: 0
Total Miles Traveled: 2644


  We had a delightful day on the water today.  Dock neighbors, Robert & Susan aboard "Ellie 'C' ", took us on a boat ride to Cape Coral.  Susan's daughter, Lauren, was visiting from up north and was enjoying the Florida weather.  It was a beautiful sunny day with calm seas (except for some other pleasure boaters' wakes).  There was a lot of boat traffic on the Caloosahatchee River due to the great weather.  We cruised to Marina Village and ate at an outside restaurant called The Nauti Mermaid Dockside Bar & Grill.  

Dan, Angie, Susan, Lauren, and Robert

  Located at the dock of the restaurant was a unique boat we had never seen.  A BBQ  donut boat.  What an ingenious idea.  

BBQ donut boat

  We ended the day with a sunset as beautiful as the day.  Each sunset is a little different and some are more beautiful than others.  This one was one of the prettier ones. 

Another beautiful sunset

FORT MYERS - FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS PARADE

Thursday, February 19th to Saturday, February 21st, 2015

Day 199-201
Miles Traveled: 0
Total Miles Traveled: 2644



  Thursday morning Angie was able to get laundry done while Dan started to change the fuel filters.  While waiting for the clothes to dry, we took a quick walk to the farmers market.  It was a chilly day and the wind built up to over 25 mph.  By the afternoon, the Seahorse had become a rockin' carnival ride.  We were glad we were tied to the dock and not cruising.  We made the most of the day and watched a couple of movies.  Those venturing off of their boats would had to have worn foul weather gear to stay dry. 
  Here is a video of the waves crashing over the dock and onto the back of "Seahorse".  Notice the water spray spots on the glass door.  The video was taken inside the boat so as not to get the camera lens wet.    

  Friday Dan completed his task of changing the fuel filters.  It only required two walking trips to the Fort Myers Yacht Basin to dispose of the old diesel lost during the exchange.  Fortunately, the day was warmer with less wind.  That evening we went to dinner at Fabio's in North Fort Myers with Robert & Susan aboard "Ellie 'C' " and Dave & Diane aboard "Opus V".  It was a very enjoyable evening with the added bonus of enough leftovers for two more meals.


  Saturday was a beautiful sunny and warm day in Fort Myers - perfect weather for an outdoor craft show and evening parade.  This whole month of February there have been a lot of festivities celebrating Thomas Edison's Birthday.  The Edison Festival of Lights Parade is the Grand Finale.  This parade is one of the largest night parades in the Southeast.  There were over 140 units participating with a duration of a little over two hours.  Just prior to the parade was a fantastic fireworks show.  We enjoyed watching the color explode over the surrounding palm trees.

Fireworks before the parade

  The parade started with police cars and fire trucks from all the surrounding areas.  Hopefully there was not a fire anywhere nearby because it seemed like all of the trucks were in the parade. 

line of firetrucks in the parade

  There were many floats with children aboard.  Given the duration of the parade, some of the children had trouble staying awake.  Check out the boy on the front of the Junior Royalty float.  We were not sure how he stayed on his chair. 

Junior Royalty float

  This parade had everything - from bagpipes to bands and cars to boats.  And, all were lit up with lights. 

Bagpipes - with lights

No parade is complete without the tiny Shriner's cars

Boat float

Another boat float

Happy Birthday Mr. Edison!

Light bulb balloon - check it out Macy's

  

       
  

FORT MYERS - A WEEK OF LUNCHEONS

Monday, February 16th to Wednesday, February 18th, 2015

Day 196-198
Miles Traveled: 0
Total Miles Traveled: 2644


  Monday we were invited for a boat ride by Marty and Anita (the couple we met in Pittsburgh and had dinner with earlier in the month).  They are spending the winter in nearby Cape Coral and brought their 17 foot Boston Whaler with them.  Cape Coral, known as "Waterfront Wonderland", has over 400 miles of navigable canals, more than any other city in the world.  Some of the canals have access to the Caloosahatchee River.  To get from the canal their boat was on to the canal that our luncheon destination, Rum Runners, was on, we did have to travel a small section of the Caloosahatchee River.  It was a beautiful sunny day, but there was some wind which made for a bumpy and wet ride in this small vessel.  While in the canals, the ride was dry and calm, and, we saw many beautiful homes along the waterways of Cape Coral.  Overall, it was a nice day on the water with an enjoyable couple, Marty and Anita. 

Dan & Angie on bow of boat enjoying the ride

traveling the Cape Coral canals

Marty, Dan, & Anita - all smiles and having fun

  Tuesday was another windy day.  Some fellow boaters from Holiday Point Marina stopped by for a visit - Jim & Teri and Bob & Francine.  Jim is known as the mayor of Quiet Corner.  Quiet Corner is the section of docks where our dock is located at our home port.  Jim has been on this section of the dock the longest, thus earning his title of "The Mayor of Quiet Corner".  The couples drove down from Siesta Key where they spend some of the winter away from the snow up north.  We dined for lunch at Joe's Crab Shack which is conveniently located right next to the marina.  We had a wonderful visit with wonderful friends from back home.  And, got some great home baked goodies thanks to Teri.  She brought her famous chocolate chip cookies, banana nut bread, and cheesy biscuits.  YUM!  

Teri, Angie, Jim, Dan, Bob, and Francine enjoying lunch at Joe's Crab Shack

  Wednesday was another windy day, and, we got another visit from some boating friends from home.  There seems to be a pattern developing.  I don't know if the wind is blowing these people in our direction, or, if they just really want to see us.  Pat & Marsha were in the area for a boat show and winter getaway and found some time to come and have lunch.  We used to spend a lot of weekends with them when we boated in Cincinnati.  Pat always likes a party, so they brought some friends along with them.  We all went to Ford's Garage for lunch and had a fabulous time.

Pat & Marsha - a fun couple

  I must note that this is the third time Pat has appeared in our blog - once in Cincinnati, once in Nashville, and now in Fort Myers.  I wonder where he will show up next.  Stay tuned!
         

FORT MYERS, FL - THE CLYDESDALES

Friday, February 13th to Sunday, February 15th, 2015

Day 193-195
Miles Traveled: 0
Total Miles Traveled: 2644


  Friday, after lunch, a Gold Looper couple, John & Carol, from Ohio, who winter in North Fort Myers, stopped by to meet us.  They have been following our blog postings and wanted to meet us.  Interestingly, Dan, in preparation for our journey, had read their blog about their Loop trip.  It was nice to meet some people from our old boating area, Cincinnati, OH.

  Later that afternoon, we headed to downtown Fort Myers to see the amazing Clydesdales of Budweiser.  We had the opportunity to see them being hitched up to the Budweiser wagon.  These horses are very beautiful and magnificent.

Clydesdales hitched to the Budweiser wagon

close up of one of the Clydesdales

  Dan drank a Budweiser in honor of their visit.  Also, don't forget the Dalmatian dog that always rides along. 

Dan with his Bud Light

The Budweiser Dalmatian sitting tall

  We got to watch as the Clydesdales pulled the Budweiser wagon down the streets in downtown Fort Myers.  They stopped in front of all the bars and restaurants that were selling Budweiser beer.

Clydesdales on the move

       
  Dan got this great video clip of these amazing horses trotting right beside us.

  Saturday, Angie's long time family friend, Donna, came with two of her friends, John and Mary, and took us out to lunch at Joe's Crab Shack.  The restaurant is right at the marina and overlooks the Caloosahatchee River.  We had a great lunch with some great people and great views.

Angie with John, Donna, and Mary

  For Valentine's Day dinner, we had fruit and nut chicken salad from Publix (which was very good) and instead of chocolate covered strawberries, we sliced up fresh strawberries and topped with dark chocolate chip morsels (Angie found she could get more chocolate in one bite using this recipe).  We snuggled on the couch after dinner and watched a movie.  It was a relaxing Valentine's Day evening.

  Sunday was spent relaxing on the boat.  We had "docktails" with some of the boaters on our dock, Dock D, awaiting the first annual Edison boat parade.  We had a better turn out of boats for our first annual 4th of July boat parade for Greenup, KY.  This parade consisted of 5 police boats, 1 fire boat, and the Capt P stern wheeler.  No pleasure boats participated which was a bit of a surprise.  We enjoyed the "docktails".     

  

  

FORT MYERS, FL - RELAXING

Monday, February 9th to Thursday, February 12th, 2015

Day 189-192
Miles Traveled: 0
Total Miles Traveled: 2644


  Monday through Thursday was mostly relaxing with the exception of domestic day (laundry, shopping, etc) Wednesday.  Monday was cloudy and rainy, but, we did have an enjoyable dinner with Robert and Susan, our dock neighbors.  The rest of the days were sunny.  Tuesday was windy, so, we rocked a bit on the dock that day.  Thursday we took advantage of our Edison and Ford Winter Estates membership and walked around the beautifully landscaped yards and gardens.  Our evenings have been a mix of eating out and eating in followed by movies we have rented at the Redbox.  The favorite dessert has been fresh Florida strawberries and blueberries topped with dark chocolate morsels.  We are enjoying our winter break stay at Legacy Harbour Marina.   

FORT MYERS, FL - FIRST OVERNIGHT VISITORS

Wednesday, February 4th to Sunday, February 8th, 2015

Day 184-188
Miles Traveled: 0
Total Miles Traveled: 2644



  Wednesday was our domestic day this week - laundry, groceries, boat maintenance, etc.  

  Thursday was a windy and rainy day so we spent most of the day inside relaxing.  We took the opportunity and watched a movie we had rented at a Redbox in the Publix store the day prior. 

  Friday we prepared for the arrival of our first overnight guests.  We gave "Seahorse" a good cleaning and found places to stow all the belongings that are usually stored in the guest stateroom.  Amazingly, we found a good out of the way place for everything.


  Saturday our guests arrived.  Dan's Aunt Peg, Cousin Vicki, and her son Rik came for a visit.  They live further north in Florida and came for a weekend get away.  We went to dinner at Ford's Garage.  Our wait was only 30-45 minutes, which was decent since downtown Fort Myers was having a huge art festival which brought LOTS of people to the area.  

Peg, Dan, Rik, and Vicki

Peg, Rik, Angie, Vicki

  Sunday we met Tom & Janet (whom we visited with in both Dunedin and St. Pete) for brunch.  Tom & Janet brought a couple of friends as well.  The popular order was Eggs Benedict, which neither Angie or Dan chose.

The Brunch Crowd

  
  After brunch we untied the dock lines and took Peg, Vicki, and Rik for a cruise up and down the Caloosahatchee River.  It was a beautiful sunny day with a few puffy clouds in the sky.  We really enjoyed their visit and hope to have them aboard again on the east coast of Florida.       

  

FORT MYERS, FL - EDISON AND FORD WINTER ESTATES

Sunday, February 1st to Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015

Day 181-183
Miles Traveled: 0
Total Miles Traveled: 2644


  Sunday we just relaxed at the dock.  We enjoyed a quiet evening watching the Super Bowl in the comfort of our "Seahorse" home.  


  Monday we spent walking around downtown Fort Myers checking out all the restaurant options for upcoming guests that will be arriving the next several weeks.  That evening we went out to dinner with Shirley and Larry.  Larry is the gentleman that Angie performed CPR on at the Fall Rendezvous.  He is doing well and they are back on The Loop and having a great time.  Angie had never officially met Larry so she was pleased that their paths finally crossed again.  


  No visit to Fort Myers would be complete without visiting the Edison and Ford Winter Estates.  Thursday we enjoyed the more than 20 acres of historical buildings, gardens, and museums.  The grounds and buildings are very well preserved and the historical information given is very well done.  For those Ohioans, both Thomas Edison and his second wife, Mina, hailed from Ohio cities, Milan and Akron respectively.  Mr. Edison was the only person granted a patent every year for 65 consecutive years.  Thomas Edison purchased his Fort Myers, FL estate in 1885 for $2,750.  The first structure built was the pier in order to receive building materials.  The winter home was completed in 1886 and named "Seminole Lodge". 

what remains of Edison's pier

Edison's winter home - "Seminole Lodge"

  In 1907, he proposed to the city that he plant Royal Palms along Riverside Avenue (now McGregor Blvd) from his home all the way into town.  The city agreed and still maintain these trees and has earned the name "City of Palms".  

Royal Palms lining McGregor Blvd

  Nine years later, Henry Ford purchased the home next to his friend and mentor.  He called it "The Mangoes" due to all the mango trees on the property. 

Ford's winter home - "The Mangoes"

  One of Edison's primary research focuses while he was in Fort Myers was trying to find a domestic source for rubber.  Edison, Ford, and Firestone formed the Edison Botanic Research Corporation (EBRC) in 1927.  On the grounds a Botanical Laboratory was built.  Over 17,000 plant samples were tested in this laboratory.  

EBRC Botanical Laboratory

  Edison planted hundreds of varieties of plants on his Fort Myers estate so he could study them.  In particular, this banyan tree, believed to be planted in the late 1920's, is now one of the largest in the continental United States with a canopy of almost an acre. Its circumference is 376 inches and height is 84 feet.

banyan tree - one of largest in US

  It is amazing how many contributions this duo, Edison and Ford, gave to us.  Fortunately, the state of Florida has been able to preserve this bit of history.  To learn more about these historic estates go to: http://www.edisonfordwinterestates.org/     

         

FORT MYERS - SHOPPING, SUNSETS, AND BOATS

Friday, January 30th to Saturday, January 31st, 2015

Day 179-180
Miles Traveled: 0
Total Miles Traveled: 2644


  Friday we went on a shopping spree with our dock neighbors Robert & Susan aboard "Ellie 'C' ".  They winter on their boat at Legacy Harbour Marina and had a car - a nice commodity for us liveaboards.  We started at WalMart to pick up a prescription.  After lunch at Mel's Diner, we moved on to more important stops - West Marine for boating supplies, Total Wine & More for beer, and The Fresh Market for some groceries.  We had a really enjoyable day with this fun couple and expect to have many more during our month stay at the marina.  

Robert & Susan on "Ellie 'C' "

  This great day was topped off with dinner of grilled pork chops and vege kabobs followed by one of the most spectacular sunsets so far. 

Spectacular sunset

With spectacular ending

  Saturday was the day for boats.  We hadn't seen one of these since leaving the Tennessee River waterways back in November.  Like many seen on the river systems, this one takes passengers out for lunch and dinner cruises.  

"Capt P" Sternwheeler - used for lunch and dinner cruises on Caloosahatchee River

  The Edison Marina, just a block away, held an antique boat show.  Although they were not in the water, they were still nice to look at on their trailers.  There was even one in attendance that spends its summer at Indian Lake, Ohio.  This is a lake we used to boat on with our 19 foot Regal open bow runabout.  

Antique Chris Craft from Indian Lake, OH

  One of the more interesting boats was a 1950 Feathercraft Ex Flyer.  It looked like a silver bullet.   

1950 Feathercraft Ex Flyer

  However, the most interesting item seen today was a homemade ice cream maker powered by an old International Harvester engine.  The engine powered a belt system that turned the churn on two ice cream makers. 

Unique homemade ice cream maker

  The brownie sundae was extremely rich and delicious.  We may have to go back tomorrow for another one.