From early December until the first week of April, Naples was our home. The part of Southwest Florida is fascinating. It attracts visitors from all around the globe. It is a destination for people from Canada. Young and old play here. Sunshine is abundant and counties, cities and businesses feature festivals, much of which centers around the gulf coast life. It seems there is a festival every weekend. During the months we spent here, a lot of Floridians were from the Miami area, having moved for college, or to be in a less crowded town. A lot of people like to say that the economy is not in good shape, but you wouldn't know it spending time in the Ft. Myers/Naples/Punta Gorda areas.
Construction is everywhere, whether homes, businesses, medical centers, new firehouses, and county offices. In Ft. Myers, a lot of rebuilding is taking place in the aftermath of hurricane Ian. There's a lot of arguing about flood insurance rates, delays in issuing permits and it seems quite the mountain to climb to restore neighborhoods. Julie and I spent some time and visited the beach towns that are starting to reclaim what they once were. It says something about the resilience and character of the people who live here. Frustrated, yet determined. A lot of good people.
We stayed at Crystal Lake RV Resort in North Naples. This is not like any place we've visited before and to call it a campground is an understatement. It started decades ago as an old quarry. Slowly, it became an RV park, with limited services, but then grew to what it is today. Travel around and into the resort is on wide, well maintained avenues. It is a gated community with lot owners that rent their sites. The sites range from concrete pads, to decorative blocks, complete with landscaping and irrigation. A lot of sites have storage sheds that incorporate laundry, bath, kitchens and refrigeration. Arranged by their association and the county, no one can live there full time.
It is well above the average costs for camping rates.
You can only stay for 10 months out of the year, but then have to vacate the resort until you can return after 2 months. There are a lot of park model homes, as there is a process that allows you to build (meet specifications), in the resort. There is a full time realtor on site, activities director, general manager and full time maintenance crew. The facility is an owner controlled organization and they maintain the resort impeccably. They also have a large storage area with a lot of oversized garages and lot space. There are wood shops, metal shops and a corner that houses "The Junkies". The Junkies are comprised of men and women who live in or visit the resort. They take in old, unwanted items, strip them down for saleable scrap. They collect aluminum cans, copper and anything that can be sold and donate the proceeds that helps feed and clothe the homeless. They are outwardly gruff and try to be rude, but in truth, they are terrific, caring people.
On any given day, there are plenty of activities, clubs and social events. The resort has their own musical group and chorus, often performing at holidays or get togethers. And, everyone is welcome. There is pickleball, tennis, Bocce, putting greens, 2 pools, 2 clubhouses, areas to wash your car, parades and more. If you can't find something to do, it's your own fault. Not your average place to stay.
One of the best things about this is the people you meet or visit. We can say that it includes friends from back in New England, or the ones we got to meet in Naples. Shout outs to Eddie (my much older sister), a day messing around with Pat and Amy Small, meeting our old (not that they're old), next door neighbors John & Liz Verity who hopped off a ship cruising Florida, Bob & Betsy Coll and Jon & Sue Korpela from our old neighborhood that we met up with for dinner. We also had dinner with Susan and Lance, that live in Ft. Myers and know through Red Sox baseball and charity events.
We even managed to catch dinner with Julie's boss and boyfriend! We spent a fun weekend with Tim & Ginny Riley who built a gorgeous home (more like an oasis), who also were our old neighbors. We had the opportunity to connect with all of these people and enjoyed every minute.
We had great neighbors on either side. One couple is from Minnesota and the other couple is from Pennsylvania. Both own lots, one stays in permanent toy hauler and the other is in a park model home. There was a "Bubble" party for everyone, where one of the cul-de-sacs was arranged to feed and seat everyone in the resort. The musical group was there to entertain. We aren't sure, but there was supposed to be a bubble making machine that we didn't see. Not that there was a lack of consumable bubbles. It is there we met Jeff and Martha, who had just gotten married. They're from Massachusetts and spent the winter here in their RV. We wound up going to their rig for dinner and drinks
with another couple, Tom and Debbie who are from Long Island, NY
We also met at Tom and Debbies for dinner and a movie and of course hosted them at our site as well. As it happens, we formed a bond and like hanging out together. Tom and Debbie are off to Texas and Jeff and Martha will head back to Massachusetts. We will connect with Jeff and Martha before getting back into New Hampshire.
As Julie and I look over our shoulders, we did a lot of fun things. We visited the Naples Botanical Gardens, biked "The Greenway", went to Vanderbilt beach many times and enjoyed cocktails and lunch at "Gumbo Limbo", drove to Everglades City to see alligators (didn't really see any), ate at a lot of very good restaurants and some ptomaine palaces. One of our go to places was New York Pizza & Pasta. Indoor/Outdoor dining or to go including delivery. We ate there a lot and there's a reason why; it is that good. A shoutout to everyone there for making us feel welcome, as if we were home, even though nobody yelled at me. A couple of NY guys brought good Italian food to Naples!
We hiked nature preserves (Corkscrew), visited the home of the Koreshan Unity. Spent a weekend in Miami. Toured the Ford/Edison summer homes. Susan and I spent a morning at Jet Blue park for Red Sox spring training, which was very different from years past. We took an Eco-Tour and rode our bikes to and from grocery stores, the resort and some new home tracts being built. At the Corkscrew Preserve, you hike a worn path that features a lot of Florida's wildlife. One of the highlights is the alligator population. As you passed swampy areas, you could see babies, which was interesting, especially knowing mama was very near. We hiked in about 3 miles and on the way back, met up with Ida.
Ida is about 8 feet in length. She is a fixture in the preserve and learned later she only has one eye. Yeah, Ida the one eyed alligator. But we met up with her on our way out of the preserve. It dawns on us that we don't know enough about what to do when approaching any alligators, let alone a one eyed monster. So we stood there discussing what to do. The plan was to run behind Ida and not do anything to bother her. That's when a young couple shows up with their young daughter. The guy said he knew what to do. When said he'd throw an empty soda can at it, we hesitated and thought, is he nuts? So while he was getting ready to disturb Ida, Julie and I ran behind her. That was consequence free and a huge relief. Although there were no problems, Julie saw the guy kicking Ida, which was troublesome. Ida deserved better. Stupid human.
Naples is a weird place from a lot of different perspectives. It is easy to forget that you live on a budget, where everyday should be filled with an activity or destination that makes you feel like you're on vacation. Naples in not an inexpensive place. Even though the changing climate decimates the area, there is an over abundance of wealth. Consider that a Mercedes in Naples is seen as a Chevy. In the downtown area, prices are exorbitant. A dinner for two in the 5th street downtown section can cost upwards of $300. TV ads featuring lawyers are prominent and there are personalities who run businesses that sell really high end jewelry. And after those commercials, the local TV station is raising money to feed people. I've never seen such a disparity between haves and have nots. It's in your face. The middle class here is losing ground, as new home prices soar beyond reasonable levels. In one sense, you can't help but wonder how such wealth can coexist with people at or near the poverty line. It's two extremes that seemingly has no cure. Since I don't possess a magic wand, I'll keep my head down, while trying to manage retirement as best I can.
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