Putting on the Ritz

Today was such a beautiful, warm day that we decided it was a great time for sightseeing, so Don and I drove north to Boca Grande. What a very pretty, very wealthy place to live. I doubt you could buy a Gulf side home unless you were worth a few mil. It costs $4.00 to drive over to the island. There, you have a great view of Sanibel Island too. Parking places along the narrow street is grassy and between palm trees! Very unique yet inviting. People who choose to eat in one of the outside restaurants we saw beside the golf course, probably don't worry about the costs of the meals like we would. Well, their cars were one indicator of their lack of financial worries; then, there were their yachts, and even their attire in the middle of a regular Thursday. If I were as rich as they, no question about it, I would be "putting on the Ritz" too!

From Boca Grande, we traveled farther north and detoured our trip to spend time at the local beaches. At Manatoga Beach, people are just beginning to buy the land and build huge homes on it. We had to drive under a canopy of trees through much of the Manatoga Beach Road (perhaps that's why they named the road "Canopy Road"). From there, we drove on to Venice before taking a different route South. The bridge across the river to Port Charlotte provides a beautiful of the area. At Punta Gorda, we drove to the Fisherman's Village which is a very quaint area with many neat shops and restaurants. (Much hurricane damage was still evident here and in Port Charlotte). There, we ate Grouper (Don liked his blackened and I chose the bronzed). Overall, just the two of us had a very nice day. I highly recommend a visit to Boca Grande, Port Charlotte, and Punta Gorda.