The Perfect Solution~ Our Summer Vacation Non-Destination!
This photo was taken at the southern tip of Key Island
Chip and I are having a "stay-cation" this summer. Usually we take advantage of the slower summer months and do a little traveling; either by boat or up to our cabin in North Carolina. This year we have friends staying at the cabin in July and August, and while trying to decide where we might go this year, I came up with the idea of taking a "stay-cation"! After all, there is so much to do in Naples during the summertime. "Let's just stay home and enjoy our own backyard!" During season it is not usual for me to start my day on the computer at 6 AM, and more days than not I drive home from the office after dark...sometimes 8 or 9 o'clock. So, it didn't take me long to get rid of the initial guilt of 'working' from home last week! There is something to be said for doing all my correspondences while throwing in a load of laundry, preparing a nice dinner, and taking a break through-out the day to paint or read. In addition to the change of pace, the number of things going on in Naples this time of year has given us a wonderful selection of fun things to do!
One night we met a few of our kids and grandkids at the beach for pizza and sunset! "Why don't we do this more often?" we kept asking ourselves! ~Yesterday after church Chip said, "Come on, I'm taking you to breakfast!"--That is something only reserved for vacations, so what a treat that was!
Last Friday night we walked up and down Fifth Avenue South and just 'people-watched', held hands and enjoyed each other's company before heading over to one of our favorite restaurants for a Summer Special...Another perk of being here over the summer months is we get to enjoy all the great summer specials at the area restaurants without the long wait to get seated! Everything can be done spontaneously! How fun is that? Very!
I broke my paints out last week, and it was a great feeling to NOT put them away when I was done...which means I am not done! I am planning to paint all summer-- Speaking of painting, the summer art scene in Naples is incredible! There are 15 exhibit halls at The Jay & Patty Baker Naples Museum of Art...and The von Liebig Center downtown is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon. Peruse the many galleries on Fifth Avenue and Third Street...it could take weeks! Another hidden treasure at the working studios and galleries in The Pine Ridge Industrial Center, home of The North Naples Art Alliance...my personal favorite is the Sweet Art Gallery! Such a great gallery! Please check it out--and Tell Dede Sweet [her real name] Michele sent you!
I'm thinking I might head over to The Naples Zoo on the first Saturday of the month [residents get in free]...I will either take my camera and see what kind of shots i can get...Or maybe take a few grandbabies, ride the boat over to Monkey Island, and act like a kid myself! I am also planning a trip out to The Corkscrew Bird Sanctuary where i am hoping to catch a glimpse of the rare and magnificent Ghost Orchid.
All my Naples grandbabies have memberships to the newest attraction in Naples, The C'Mon Children's Museum! I can't get in without them, so that sounds like another aweome way to spend the day with the little ones!
I haven't mentioned The Beach Club Hotels Summer Jazz series... bring your beach chairs and enjoy the beauty of Watkins Lawn while listening to the jazz beats of local groups while sipping a tropical drink all the time smelling the salt air and watching the sun go down! Does it get any better than this?
Outdoor screenings of movies take place at Cambier Park as well as the Mercado, The Evening On Fifth continues through the summer months on the 2nd Thursday of each month...and then there is Thursday On Third, too! I am even going to take a trolley ride around town on Dolly The Trolley! Am I going to be bored this summer? No way! How blessed we are to live in such a fabulous town!
Last but not least, summer is a very good time to look at local real estate! Chip and I took a 'bus man's holiday' on Saturday and previewed waterfront property around town! We were impressed with all the great buys still out there! Next week we will do the same thing and spend a day looking at different new communities, golfing communities, Old Naples listings, as well as beach front offerings. Even when we are on vacation in other cities we look at real estate, so why not do it while we are 'stay-cationing'! Right?
Well, I sure hope you are having an enjoyable summer where ever you are. If you'd like any information about what is happening in the Naples Real Estate market, please give us a call. 239.370.0574
Thank you, and make it a great day,
The Naples Real Estate Blogger
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