Under the Rainbow

UNDER THE RAINBOW

Being both widowed, Harry and Liz met about 10 years before he was due to retire, and the relationship was like magic. Until … One cold, winter day, upon arriving home from work, Harry mentioned his idea of moving to Florida when his time to retire came due. Liz almost gasped with horror.

While he had visited Florida many times with his first wife and their children, Liz never had the opportunity to set foot in the Sunshine State. All she knew about Florida was what she read in books or saw on TV. Although the media indicated a beautiful atmosphere, it seemed to concentrate on the fact that Florida was extremely hot and buggy! Not to mention the seasonal hurricanes.

Liz wasn’t too concerned about the heat because she knew wherever they lived, their house would have air conditioning. She was more concerned about the bugs. She hated bugs! Big or small – doesn’t matter. She just didn’t like them. Being quite comfortable in her New York home, she saw no reason to leave it. Then the unthinkable happened. Harry, one month before his 56th birthday, had an accident while at work that put him into immediate retirement.

Once home on a permanent basis, they began making several trips to Florida. Harry wanted to check out the different areas in order to find a place upon which they both agreed to build a new home. Liz was still very skeptical about moving but will admit that she enjoyed our vacations.

They traveled down the east coast and up the west coast. During one of these vacations, Iiz’s sister-in-law volunteered to drive them around the areas near her home. That’s when they came to a little town called Punta Gorda that stopped them in their tracks!

Punta Gorda is in the southwest part of Florida, about 45-minutes north of Fort Myers and just over one hour south of Tampa. It’s a pretty little town with many nice small shops and fishing piers. One look at the many American Flag-lined streets and you’d swear you were lost in some small forgotten town in the middle of nowhere.

On the contrary! Punta Gorda has plenty of things to keep you busy. It’s like being in the middle of a whirlwind-tourist’s-vacation package.

Being just north of Fort Myers, it only takes minutes to drive to the Palm Dinner Theater where you can stuff yourself silly with the delicious, delectable buffets. Once your dinner (or lunch) is finished, you get treated to a fantastic show performed by some really great talented people. The shows change periodically but every one of them is a pure delight.

If you’re into adventure, within a few minutes’ drive from Punta Gorda, you’ll find hang gliding, parasailing, jet skis and more water sports than you can imagine. If you like Kayaking, Punta Gorda with its many rivers and canals, is the place to be.

Punta Gorda’s Fishermen’s Village offers sunset dinner cruises and many waterfront restaurants.

On the outskirts of Punta Gorda is located Babcock’s Wilderness Adventures. Babcock’s offers a 90-minute tour of the part of his ranch that is situated in the Florida cypress swamp. Along this swamp-buggy tour, you’ll get to see wild bison, panthers, a few wild boars and yes, alligators – many alligators! This is really a special treat because it’s pointed out by your tour guide that a part of this swamp was used in a Sean Connery film, Just Cause.

Not in the mood to test your courage? Maybe you’d just like something a bit quieter. No problem. Here in the Southwest part of Florida, you can visit the summer homes of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. You’ll see where they performed many of their experiments. You will also get to see inside their homes where they ate, slept, and entertained their friends and families.

Southwest Florida has found its niche in the world of museums. We can boast about the Ringling Museum, The Imaginarium, and should you decide to pay a visit to the Glass Museum in Naples, you just might see an exhibition in progress.

So many attractions and shops, too! Just because Southwest Florida isn’t as popular as New York, we can still brag about our Miramar Outlet in Naples and the Sun Flea market in Port Charlotte – which by the way, also hosts the Kidstar Amusement Park!

There is so much to do here, you’d almost forget about the fishing. Okay, so maybe not. Whether or not you own a boat, the fishing is fantastic. Harry and Liz fished in the Gulf of Mexico where he caught a seven-foot nurse shark. Nurse sharks are one of the best eating species of fish found in the Gulf. It runs a very close second to Gag Grouper. No boat? No worry! Liz hooked a three-foot redfish right off her dock! Unfortunately, due to the length requirement, she had to toss it back – but not before Harry took her picture with her catch!

By now, you’re probably wondering about the bug situation. Yes, there are bugs but ironically, they have no more bugs than any other state, except for the lovebug swarm every seven years. They have the same bugs, only some of them are a bit larger. But that’s okay, too because it makes finding them easier for extermination.

What they have there that they didn’t have in NY are the cute little geckos that run around every yard.

While all this sounds exciting and wonderful, and I agree it is, there is so much more to the Southwest part of Florida. It’s the peacefulness, the tranquility, and the beauty of it all. Every morning, you can awaken to breath-taking view of palm trees gently swaying in the breeze. Every day, you can marvel at the beauty of the exotic flowers growing in your own backyard. Almost on a weekly basis, you can stand in awe as you visualize the magnificent rainbow overhead.

And every evening, as you sit on your lanai in the warm Florida air and listen to the frogs croaking in the nearby swale, you can’t help but wonder. Is this a dream?

That’s how Liz felt after only one year of Florida living.

She often wondered, Will I awaken only to find myself back in the chilly northern area I left a few years ago? If this isn’t a dream, am I mistakenly on vacation where the next phone call will be my boss telling me to return to work?

No, this was no dream. It was not a temporary vacation that would soon end.

What it was, was a splendid life that feels like permanent vacation located on some far away land located in the Southwest part of Florida.

It’s a small town that offers a lifestyle you won’t find anywhere else. To Liz, her home isn’t in some fantasy you might see in some Hollywood production. It’s a beautiful home in a wonderful town called Punta Gorda located just under the rainbow.