After visiting the Estero Island Cottage and Matanzas Pass Preserve, the first thing I mentioned to Danny when I came home was: we should go there together sometime. It was really peaceful. As you drive down Bay Road, just a small street off Estero, my eye was drawn to the nice lake to the right, with some beautiful houses surrounding it. This lake was what set the "peaceful" mood. It was a gorgeous day; 77 degrees with a nice breeze, yet as I approached the boardwalk, I was consistently walking through swarms of gnats. Gnats always remind me of a hot, humid day, but I didn't mind so much because it was pure nature. I continued along my path to hear a low pitch "cronking" noise, yes "cronking" because I don't have any other way of describing it. The noise came from a beautiful ibis. There were no other birds in sight but plenty of tadpoles and fish in the mangrove waters and lizards crackling the leaves to the left and right of the pathway. When you come here, you sincerely have a great feeling of warmth and can feel the ecosystem around you. You can smell the cypress trees, the mangroves, the murky water, and hear the wildlife surrounding you. I was expecting a snake to slither across my feet at some point. There were a few, "Oh is that a snake moment!" but only roots coming up from the ground up ahead.
Locally, as I mentioned previously, the lake had caught my eye. It's presence alone gave you a sense of serenity. I'm unsure if this lake was manmade or natural but it enhanced the natural world around the preserve. People who live here, walk to the beach across the street. Automobiles aren't too necessary unless you need to go in town for groceries. I'm sure these homes around the lake were built somewhat recently. Back when I was a child, none of these homes existed. Fort Myers Beach has grown to be a very "touristy" area.
I was born in Naples, not too far south, and since I was a kid, they have built so many roadways, major intersections, restaurants, and grocery stores...it's unbelieveable the amount of growth has taken place. I was the first to "graduate" from Vineyards Elementary School and I remember before they built that school, it was on an actual vineyard. Even the growth today still feels like a community. I lived on a street where we considered it the woods, but now-a-days, these kind of neighborhoods don't exist. Neighborhoods today are in gated communities, house to house with virtually no land. I can't live this way. In fact, we just got a house on 1.25 acres with trees and privacy. This is the way life should be. If a developer offered me 300% of my childhood home to turn it into condos, I would turn it down immediately. The woods and all the chirping of the animals/insects with the starlit sky surrounding you doesnt have a monetary value in my opinion. Even if the county approached me about purchasing the land under the 20/20 program for 80% of the market value, I still wouldn't accept. It is so hard these days to find a home with land that isn't neighboring a house where you can see through the living room window of what television show your neighbors are watching!!
