Somewhere in the course of our readings, we have been introduced to the concept of having margins in one’s life. Much as pages are not filled with words, characters, and symbols from edge to edge and top to bottom, so must our lives contain margins to alleviate stress and enjoy the events and our daily pursuits. As a character in Jimmy Buffet’s “A Salty Piece of Land” puts it, “You have to think more like a fish than a man and look for the slack tides and the pools and eddies in life so you can catch your breath and reflect on the good moments.” Or, “every now and then you try to catch a little neutral.”
We have been catching some neutral and enjoying the lack of schedules and commitments for the time we have been on the boat. Since leaving the boatyard, we have meandered between Cayo Costa and Boca Grande. The former, described in an earlier posting, is the way Florida was – open, wild, and natural. The latter is a lovely community, and very upscale. It got its beginnings as the railroad terminus for the shipment of phosphate to ports around the world. (Boca Grande means “big mouth” and it is a large opening to a large and protected body of water, perfect for large ships to enter and leave.) With the end of that activity in the 1960s, Boca Grande became a backwater until it was discovered by the rich and famous. (Among others, the Bush, Busch, and Buffett – Jimmy – families frequent the area.) Now, it is host to some lovely – and expensive – homes, shops, restaurants, and clubs. While very different from Cayo Costa a mere 5 miles away by water, we enjoyed our time there as well.
First, we stayed in the Boca Grande Bayou, which is a tiny sliver of water between the main island (Gasparilla) and a small spit of land on which several holes of the golf course are located. We last were here in 2009 and it has been improved by the removal of the derelict boats that used to clutter the shoreline against the mangroves. One enters the Bayou by a narrow, and shallow, channel, sets anchor in the middle, and then backs up to make a Mediterranean more by tying a stern line to the mangroves. The boats do not swing (unless there is a very strong wind from the north causing the bows to drag anchor and swing down on your neighbors), and it is delightfully warm on cool, blustery days.
From there, we could row the short distance to the public docks and walk to town for groceries, movies at The Community Center [free; we saw “Boyhood”], quaint (but expensive) shops, and lots of little restaurants (also a bit pricey). We had lunch one day at the Loose Caboose, where Taz was treated to a dish of water and specialty doggy biscuits, and dinner another evening at 3d Street Café (where Lauren had black grouper with a mushroom and lobster fricassee sauce over pureed parsnip and Van a bouillabaisse – delicious!). The last day there, Sunday, after church at the local Methodist Church, we had lunch at Miller’s Marina with friends from Vermont who have a condominium on the island to the north. (That meal too was good – Lauren had a Caesar salad with blackened ahi tuna and Van local shrimp and grits with andouille sausage. We do not suffer too much!)
On Sunday afternoon, we pulled out of the Bayou and went back to Cayo Costa where Steve and Mary Ann on Living Well had arrived the day before. We had them on board for cocktails and dinner – in partial thanks for all Steve’s help – of rosemary rubbed loin of pork, smashed potatoes with parmesan and chives, and broccoli. After a few more days in Cayo Costa, we decided to resume our movement south and took the inside route (intracoastal waterway – ICW) to Ft. Myers Beach. Normally, we go outside, but the tide prevented as early a start as that route would have warranted, the conditions might have been fine, but blustery, and the inside affords possible anchorages to stop if the entire trip proves too long.
We arrived FMB by about 4:00 pm, took a mooring ball, and then headed in to register and walk Taz. That night we ate aboard and read. The next day (Wednesday) we walked to the park on the northern end of FMB only to learn dogs are not allowed. Taz was offended. Luckily, we spoke with a park worker who told us that, while the park is off-limits, one can walk a leashed dog all along the shore below the high tide line, so that is what we did, covering about 4 miles in the effort. We encountered a lot of folks out for walks! That evening we went with Steve and Mary Ann, Lloyd and Carolyn, Geral and Tammy, and Don – all from the same boat yard – for early bird specials at the Beached Whale. Delicious mussels, flatbread, and all washed down with nice white wine – all for under $30! Nice treat, followed by each of us indulging in a double scoop waffle cone at Kilwins.
Today has been raining and overcast with another front coming through, so we plan to stay here another day – and try more seafood at a shore-side restaurant of which there are many. So, life with margins is good, very good indeed!