Saturday, November 17

Lovegrove Gallery - Matlacha

Coconut postcards - Lovegrove Gallery - Matlacha

Local color - Bokeelia - Pine Island

Preparing for our Great Loop Cruise, I had read an article about Florida's secret islands, one of them being Matlacha/Pine Island.  We had tried to reach Matlacha by boat on Friday, but had to turn back when in the middle of the marked channel we ran aground with depths dropping to one and a half feet.  Instead we rented a car for the day and drove by land to explore this area.
Matlacha is located on an islet west of Fort Meyers and is connected to the mainland by the "fishingest bridge in the U.S.A." over Matlacha Pass.  It welcomes visitors with creative art galleries and shops, while retaining the simplicity of a quiet fishing village.  In our humble opinion, it did not have much to offer, with the exception of the Lovegrove Gallery & Gardens.  It is a throwback to the Hippie days with artist Leoma Lovegrove's vibrant paintings covering every surface.  We were amused by her coconut postcards (yes, she really will mail them for you) and the totem poles.
We continued on Route 78 to Pine Island, reputed to be a slice of Old Florida - soon discovering that this did not necessarily mean charming.  Instead the route was mostly lined with working orchards, palm tree nuseries, mobile parks and bad housing developments.  The town of Bokeelia at the far northern tip of the island had some points of interest and might appeal to anyone wanting to get away from it all.

Running path - South Seas Island Resort

Returning to South Seas Island Resort mid afternoon we headed for the beach which was alive with activity - sun worshipers, families and lots of shore birds .............. but virtually no shells ......... and this is billed as the best shelling on the Gulf Coast ....
well, not so today!