Bonita Springs

Four day staying at birding friends Launa and Kyle’s condo in Bonita Springs. Each morning, we’d drive to the beach for a couple of hours, sitting in the shade most of the time, then floating in the water for a short time. The first day we struggled to remember how to put up our little cabana, which just goes to show we haven’t been doing it enough.

The beach was gorgeous: air temperature was low 90s, however the water was cool and calm, my kind of beach. We watched paddle boarders, jet skiers, and a man on a hovercraft zip back and forth. Only a couple of pelicans, gulls, willets, and terns flying past, so my scope stayed, once again, packed up in the car. Next winter, I’m coming back for all the shore birds.

One morning, Sally, who joined us for trip, and I walked on the beach for a while. The rest of the time we were shore potatoes. I am proud both Grant and I can get up from our low beach chairs. I can just use my hands for balance, then get right up. He needs more help, but still! Our exercising is paying off.

We opted to eat breakfast at the condo, beaching, then going out for lunch, Saturday at Coconut Jack’s on Bonita Beach Road, Sunday at Flipper’s at the north end of the island. After lunch, we’d take a drive.

The coast has not recovered from Hurricane Ian last year. Lover’s Key State Park is open, but with no electricity. Bathrooms are large, generator-run trailers. No showers. Welcome center closed. Only one parking lot open, The tram still shuttles people out to the beach, but it was too hot for us to bother.

Estero Island is a ghost area, with just a very few usable buildings. Sally has a friend who owns in one of the couple of still livable condos. Their elevators are out, but in addition to her incredible good fortune of not losing everything, her unit is on the second floor, so she can just tromp up and down the stairs. Almost all of the rest of the buildings are gutted. A few condos are being renovated, a couple have been torn down. The majority are surrounded by fencing, waiting. Individual expensive homes seem to have the most progress. Some of the cheaper one looked like homeowners may be tackling repair as able. Wouldn’t it be nice if the state used some of the money we voted, by an actual constitution amendment, to take from doc stamps 1%, millions and millions of dollars, and bought up the property so everyone could enjoy the beach? As if.

At least all the hurricane-generated debris has been removed. To where, I can’t imagine since it had to be tons and tons. Somewhere there is a huge pile of stuff.

On every beach road, there were FDOT signs flashing “Missing a boat? Check LandDebrisCleanup.com”. The website has pictures of boats strewn throughout the mangroves and a form to fill out to claim yours. 

When these go to salvage, Sally’s nephew Brian is planning to buy one and rebuild it. A good deal for someone with skills.

Monday we headed home. We were just served our salads at the Wakkula Family Restaurant when their electricity went out. They must have had gas stoves, because the waitress soon brought my grilled chicken and Grant’s chopped sirloin. The whole town seemed to be off, perhaps from a lightening strike in the thunderstorm that rolled in while we ate. 

We drove the rest of the way to Windermere in rain, which cooled things off to 77°. Gracie was glad to see us.