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Published: November 20th 2009
Pine Island Sunset
The orientation of the island is such that you really have to work to capture a sunset. This is from the deck of The Waterfront at St. James City at the southern end of Pine Island.Pine Island is special. It's rural, rustic, artsy, and real. It seems to be home to fishermen, artists, musicians, and people who want a different Florida lifestyle. There are no traffic lights on all of Pine Island! St. James City (where Woody's is located on a canal) is at the south end of the Island, Bokeelia (where Crossed Palms Gallery is) is at the north end, and Matlacha (home to a score of colorful interesting galleries and Bert's for food and music) is the only way in (or out) by land. And, while we have yet to partake; there is at least one golf courses, a bike path that parallels the main road and a number of nature hikes in preserves. We stay at a non-fancy KOA that suits us; the pool is great, the location is convenient, and the staff wonderful. We caught the Yard Dogs at Bert’s in Matlacha (near the Fishingest Bridge in the US). The Yard Dogs perform music blending Zydeco, blues, blue grass, Cajun, country, folk and rock which they call "Florida Swamp Music." Their lively repertoire included lots of original songs and favorites like "The House of the Rising Sun" and "Jambalaya!" We bought the
freshest Gulf Shrimp at the Old Fish House and Marina in Matlacha. The Old Fish House in Matlacha is a seafood store, boat accessible lunch spot and marina with docking, boat storage, a charter service and convenience store. Kip, the git-jo (5 string combo guitar banjo) player from the Yard Dogs, dropped in while we were buying our shrimp! The owner of the Fish House, John, is from Hudson Falls, NY. He wants Kip to write a song "Don't Gucci My Marina" a reference to his fear of the gentrification of Matlacha and Pine Island with uniformed dock boys and high tech deck and dock materials. Locals work hard to maintain Pine Island's "unmulched" image. This is a boater's paradise. There are some stunning private residential neighborhoods here, all quite beautifully landscaped. Thanks to a serious canal system, most homes seem to have water access right directly out back. Wanted to mention two St. James City art galleries that are new to me - One, the Paisley Parrot, features art, garden accessories, plants, and antiques. The other, The Potter's Work Shop, features the beautiful work of Ingeborg, owner and clay artist. We'll be back here in late January / early
Charlie and Brian Yard Dog
Fun and funky. Really fun band at Bert's Matlacha, Pine Island, Florida. February for a week or so; our current trip has ended all too soon. It's pretty obvious that we love Pine Island. You can scroll by clicking on "next" and "previous" blog entries for more impressions of the island and other aspects of our fall 2009 trip from Schenectady (Ballston Lake. NY) to Florida via DC, Lake Norman (NC), Asheville (NC), Stone Mountain (GA), Fort DeSoto (FL).
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Julie
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Must Go Here!
Beautiful photos and great write up! Thank you for sharing your trip-this is on my bucket list of places to go to before...