Bokeelia is where we are, on the northern tip of Pine Island. There’s a T-shirt to prove that this name exists and we should totally buy one of these shirts. We left off telling you that we are stuck in Florida as we wait for our van to be fixed. We’ll share with you some of our adventures, but they may not be in the same order as they occurred. We’ll start with Pine Island where we are putting temporary roots.
Despite being the largest island in Florida, Pine Island does not have long sandy beaches. This may explain why it kept an off-the-beaten-track, old Florida kind of vibe. It was traditionally home to fishermen, and many still live on the island. It looked like the right place for us, so we checked out of our hotel in Punta Gorda and into an airbnb on the Island’s northernmost community of Bokeelia. Our is the little Pirate cottage.
We love these little details,
the shaded patio in the back,
and the blooms all around us
We also have kayaks and bikes at our disposal!
The island is home to many plantations including mango, coconuts,
And many other tropical fruits. These look like date palms, but they are probably something else.
We spent our first day wondering around and staking out places that we will explore later. We ended up on Little Bokeelia Island for dinner on Captain Con’s patio. The house, constructed in 1904, is also the oldest surviving house in Bokeelia.
A couple of beers, an excellent mullet basket,
and a nice sunset to wash it all down.
You can probably tell that we are suffering. We will share more of our miserable time soon. Oh, and there is no word from the dealership about our van.
I love old places that haven’t gone all tourist trappy. I could probably spend time there.
My favourite kind of places are those without tourists like me 😊
I am in total agreement. It is so good to have something so simple to raise one’s self above the level of the peasant.
It looks like a pretty place and hope your van gets fixed soon
Thank you! We hope so too 😊
Oh if all misery could be so nice. Enjoy.
Right? One can only wish!
It looks very cute, like you might actually want to have a vacation there!!
I love it when that happens 🤣
Sometimes the most interesting places are the ones we find unintentionally! Looks beautiful! Enjoy until your van is fixed!
I totally agree!
There is so much you didn’t say – like how you got yourselves this wonderful place, and how you got there without the van, and how good the food was (and the beer, but I don’t care for beer anyway!). Please do a little extra suffering for the rest of us up in the cold north!
Haha, I will try to write more, but that will mean that I will have to tear myself away from this decadent way of life 😊. I’ll make it up once we are back to the cold north.
It looks like you’re really suffering! Haha. Have fun.
I know, right? We’ll try and have fun…
Isn’t it great that you don’t have to stress about getting back home so you can get to work? Of course, I’m sure you miss your van, but this looks like a nice temporary home.
It’s the best! We are having a great time. Not missing a single thing 😊
Me either, and young enough to enjoy the ride. I’m making pit stops in each of the continental time zones in the next two weeks hanging out with planned stops in New Jersey, Minnesota, and Colorado, to visit each of my brothers.
I’m glad you are making that trip! We’ll be in Denver sometimes in May. We could have met there 🙂
You probably need to send an SOS out soon. The suffering you are enduring is a humanitarian crisis. We need to get Prime Minister’s office involved. 😆😂
It really does look like you are having a wonderful time. I’ve never heard of Bookelia before and it looks wonderful. The off the beaten path sites are truly the best – charming and special and you get to share it with everyone!
Look forward to more updates.
Haha, we really suffered today on the beach, and later, sitting on the dock sipping Margaritas. Really suffered 🤣
Forced to sip margaritas eh? My goodness, we really have to send in the marines to save you both! 😆
This looks like a lovely spot to explore that’s off the beaten path. Talk about an amazing sunset. I can really get a sense of your struggles. Haha.
Yup. Still suffering!
Haha, suffering indeed! If Bokeelia was the place to suffer, I’d never leave! Your accommodation is very quaint, and you seem to be living the life!
We are just taking one for the team 😊
What a quiet, lovely place to be stranded. Hope your van is repaired and doen’t cost an arm and a leg to fix. Enjoy
Thanks, Peggy, we hope so too!
I am so glad you found a nice place to stay while you wait for your van to get fixed. It sounds relaxing and lots of fun!
it really is! Tomorrow we will be looking for another place, hopefully as much fun as this one was!
I hope you find another fun place close to the shop that you can explore. Hopefully, they will getting to van soon as well.
Leave it to you to find some delightful little paradise to stay in while you must wait for your van. Enjoy each day. Cheers, Muriel
We are making the best of it!
You could certainly be stranded worse places! It looks more like tropical areas, I’m thinking in Central America where I have spent many years.
Exactly, and it kind of reminded us of some places in the Philippines. Not the sandy beach areas as much as of the “other side of the Island” parts.
I was there in March. Hiked nearby there.
It’s a cool out-of-the-way kind of place. We really enjoyed it!