POSITIVELY!

I am now affiliated with Sand Castle Realty Group, Inc., Naples, FL and have started two new blogs and websites. You can find me there http://www.danasdays.com/ . Also: http://www.westof41.wordpress.com/ . My official company website with all of the property search information is: http://www.sandcastlepros.com/

While Iam a REALTOR, I am trying to incorporate some of the same information that I've had on this blogspot, into my new sites. And I continue to have my interests such as Home Decor and Design, Found Object Art, and also working with a Non-Profit.

People don't just move , they need (I think!) to know, the entire atmosphere of an area, the lifestyle, etc....so I will continue to write about Places To Visit, Where to Eat, What To Do, and Local Items of Interest in the SW Florida area, from Sanibel Island to Naples, including Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach and Bonita Springs and place my articles on the new sites.

Certain past blogs may disappear from this site, as I move them to the new sites, so what remains on this blogspot site and any content that I add here in the future, will be related to travel and places outside of SW Florida, and my artsy leanings.

2220-2 Venetian Ct., Naples, FL 34109

Great Restaurants of Fort Myers, Florida

Ft. Myers does have it's share of great places to eat; I have discovered a few more interesting places. OPA!, Mediterranean Gourmet, specializing in Greek and Mediterranean Cuisine. On the corner of Winkler and Metro Parkway in a small shopping center. The GYROS are out of this world and they also have other homemade specialties, many delicious vegetarian dishes. This is a MUST STOP if you are anywhere in this area. I discovered OPA! because it is right down the road from the Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach REALTOR Association building, of which I am a member. I'm not finding a website for Opa! OPA! 2950 Winkler Ave. #201 Fort Myers, FL 33916 239-936-2901 AUSTRIAN-GERMAN PAVILION RESTAURANT I discovered this restaurant secreted in the middle of the courtyard of the Royal Palm Square, while attending additional real estate classes at a real estate school there. As they say: "Helmut and Helga welcome you to a pleasurable dining experience." Eat indoors or out, under the umbrellas, in the European style. Hungarian goulash or schnitzel anyone? You must park and walk inside the inner courtyard where there are flowing fountains and streams; you cannot see the restaurant from Colonial Blvd. Austrian-German 1400 Colonial Blvd. #33 Fort Myers, FL 33907 239-936-8118

http://www.austrian-german-restaurant-ftm.com/

While I'm in the neighborhood, wandering around the Royal Palm Square shopping center courtyard, I run across this charming little shop, A Swedish Affair, the finest in Scandinavian handicraft. Lots of handmade goods, signs, cards, Norway goods, aprons, blown glass, wood, etc...Found an adorable little scottie dog crafted from "brushes". Anyway. Worth a look if you love Scandanavian goods or just simply a charming shop. You cannot see the shop from Colonial Blvd. You must park and walk inside the courtyard. But, that's okay as there are little waterfalls and of course the cafe described above.

A Swedish Affair

Royal Palm Square

1400 Colonial Blvd.

Fort Myers, FL 33907

239-275-8004

http://www.swedensfinest.com/

SALSA I have often had a quick peek at this building and sign as I was flying down 41 from Fort Myers to Bonita. But, one day, I happened to be hungry for what I thought would be Mexican food, so I took a quick right into the parking lot. (Actual entrance is off of Boy Scout Rd.). What a nice surprise. Don't let the not exciting exterior fool you, or the not exciting interior deter you, once you walk in the doors. This is great food! And, it's a mix of Cuban, Mexican and Puerto Rican dishes, all seemingly freshly prepared from scratch. We sampled the whole fried fish (excellent), the garlic roasted chicken with rice and black beans and plantains, also delicious. Next time, I'm going for their $5.00 Cuban sandwich. They also light up at night with live music and dancing and even one night with Salsa lessons, thus the name. SALSA 1920 Boy Scout Dr. Fort Myers, FL 33907 239 277-0166

http://www.salsaftmyers.com/

Mimi's Cafe I am not a chain restaurant sort of person, however, Mimi's is not your typical chain. 1) It's French Countryside style 2) It's a very small chain and 3) it retains it's charming decor and delicious food and baked goods. Was treated to a wonderful breakfast of Crab Cake Florentine and Benedict. Loved to look at all of their memoribilia on the walls including old photographs from France. If you only drive down 41 from Naples to Fort Myers you will not see Mimi's Cafe. You must turn into the Bell Towers Shopping Center at the corner of Daniel's Parkway and 41. Go to the Daniels side of the Bell Towers shops. Mimi's Cafe 5070 Bell Towers Shops Ave. Fort Myers, FL 33907 239 561-0073 http://www.mimiscafe.com/ Remember, if you are out and about in SW Florida and decide that you need to buy (or sell) a home here, I'm Dana Carrera, I know the area well and am a licensed REALTOR. See contact information to have me assist with your next property.

A Day in the Bay

Revisited a favorite place today by kayak; a tiny sand island in the bay (Estero Bay)that appears and disappears with the changing tides. In the sand I found flamingo pink color shells; an unusual find. There is a resort on Fort Myers Beach called Pink Shell Resort; I wonder if this is how they got their name. Perhaps many years ago there used to be an abundance of pink shells.

While stretched out on the sands of my miniature empire, a jet flies overhead, taking off from the Fort Myers airport heading West to loop North. I thought how strangely interesting I must appear to someone looking out their windows, me and my kayak on a few yards of sand surrounded by tons of water.

When totally submerged in nature and without distractions I am fortunate to be able to revert back to childhood play and creativity. A mangrove pod floating by, rescued and examined becomes a quill pen with which to write letters with oceans of clear ink on perhaps parchment in the form of a giant seagrape leaf, which must now be found. A corkscrew shell becomes the perfect earring so one must search for the other missing one. Translucent white shells make perfectly glamorous fingernails. I make a great ten year old.

When my kingdom is being reclaimed by the bay waters and it is time to go, if all is well and the timing is just right, I can simply drift and float back to the exact piece of shoreline where I started out. I am my own sail. It has been a good day in Florida.

Mingle with the Masses at a Flea Market

Today I mingled with the masses. If you want to know the true heartbeat of a community, spend an entire day at a down and dirty flea market. In Fort Myers, Florida, go to Ortiz Ave. they have it all. We're talking 100+ spaces, all outdoors, of good flea market junk, plus fresh produce, green peppers the size of grapefruit 4 for $1.00, Plant City (they are famous for) Strawberries $1.00 quart, live chickens (sadly, I had to resist causing a distraction so that I could free all the chickens), gardenia bushes, blue jeans, tires, washing machines, shoes, DVDs and well, back to the good flea market junk. If you know what to look for there were some extraordinary bargains on antiques, framed prints, and solid wood furniture. Or, if you're there trying to stretch a paycheck, 50 cent clothes and $1.00 sets of dishes were happily being bought and sold, left and right.

I enjoyed my finds and also the food. I noticed many people walking past me, gnawing on a roasted ear of corn with the husks and corn silk singed and pulled back as the "handle". Buttery stuff was squirted on the corn and then sprinkled with really hot paprika. It was adorable to see many small children happily munching on their corn treat (perhaps without the paprika?) as if it were the best lollipop in the world. Just outside the grounds of the flea market is a popular eating place, La Mexicana. It is a grocery store, bakery, and hot food line that is simply delicious and very reasonably priced.

I love the international flavor of flea markets. So many languages and music are heard. It is a very entertaining place to be. Watching people from behind my sunglasses keeps me quite entertained, but there are actual singers, guitar players, and people who will inscribe your name on a piece of rice. What's not to love?

This was my grubby and sunburned adventure today.

Clear the Clutter

Saturday, March 14: Gave a lecture on "How to Clear the Clutter from our homes, once and for all" at Florida Gulf Coast University, in Fort Myers, Florida as part of their non-credit classes. It was a good morning and I hope all enjoyed the class as much as I did. It was established that we "clutterers" are in good company because clutterers are highly intelligent, creative or artsy, know the importance of recyclying and may very well be perfectionists.

Some of the highlights: 1) We need to have a vision of what we want our homes to look like. It may be a luxury hotel suite, a model home, our Grandmother's house from way back, or a picture from a decorator magazine. Visualize that environment where there is "A place for everything and everything in it's place." Keep this vision in mind the entire time we are de-cluttering. This is our goal, and we can achieve.

Where to start? Start in one corner in one room. I suggest by the front door. Work your way around the entire room, looking at each and every item, piece by piece to determine is it ???

1)Trash. Immediately put in trash can or recycle bin and get it out of the house.

2) Donate. (find an organization that you can be passionate about helping with donations, such as a no-kill animal shelter, a shelter for women and children, etc..., then you will be happy to give useful items to them and letting them go.) Put the donations in your car today and drive them to the thrift store.

3) Give away. If you are saving things for your children or something would look perfect in a friend's home, give it to them now. Make them come and pick it up today.

4) Sell. Plan that garage sale or find a consignment shop or place the item on http://www.craigslist.com/ immediately. Give yourself a dead-line of when these items need to be gone, such as 3 days. Consignment shops will only want items valued at more than $5.00. so that will help in your sorting. Resolve to not bring anything unsold back into the house after the sale, load them immediately into a car or truck and drive to donate that same day.

5) Keep. Just because you've always had something doesn't mean that you need to always keep it. Look at each item in your home with a fresh eye. Do you love it? Does it bring happy thoughts to you, and not negative ones? Is it useful? If it is clothing, does it look fantastic on you and flatter you? (And, that is you now, not the size you want to be in the future.) Does it have monetary value? Do you have a place for it? Will you need to store it? (not good). Take it to it's new home, immediately.



Never sort into piles on the floor. Sort immediately into the final containers, in the above categories. Do not wait to go through the entire room or house, before you make the trip to the thrift store for your donations, or start selling items, by then it is too overwhelming again. The reason this de-cluttering method is successful is that you spend part of your time, whether it is 10 minutes or 2 hours per day sorting, but you allow enough time for packing up your car and driving the stuff to it's final destination that same day. You begin to see results immediately.

There is so much more advice, it definitely takes a full two hours of seminar to cover it all, but I thought that I would share at least some of the tips to get you started if you happen to be searching for a path out of a cluttered environment.