Posted on Sunday, April 29, 2012
It’s not about the real estate, it’s about lifestyle here in Naples, Florida. I think too often we focus on real estate prices and trends – certainly important – but in the end it is how we live that matters.
With our year round outdoor weather, sports abound. Sure our performing arts and evening dining options are fantastic but for outdoor lovers we relish our golf, tennis, cycling, running, triathlons, swimming, walking, boating, fishing, eco tours, kayaking, windsurfing …. it goes on and on. We live in an outdoor paradise never seeing a hard freeze where you can exhaust yourself in a wonderful outdoor world during the day and retire to our open night skies. Cool stuff.
So yesterday we headed out to the Gulf of Mexico with good friends to fish and spend time enjoying the salt waters of our fantastic ocean side life. With our crew any fish is a good fish and we release most of our catch, but oh for those keeper snapper and grouper. Grouper were especially on our mind since we waited patiently for the two-year fishing band to lift while carefully guarding our prime GPS spots. Yesterday we dusted off our offshore tackle and jotted down a few choice “lat longs” and headed for the rising sun.
We fished some good spots fifteen miles out for the first few hours and then pulled a favorite destination out of our bag – a place we had not fished for two years. A spot some thirty miles + offshore – you know, the kind of place you share only with friends and pass on to your kids. After anchoring up and dropping our lines at our secret honey hole the actions was a little slow – as if the grouper were also rusty at the game. Lizard fish, small snapper and grunts cooperated but it took a bit of coaxing. Then our first keeper grouper came in. A monster with all manner of fish already in him and a real fight over the first three feet between angler and boat and fish and the safety of the rocks. In the boat, a few pics, and into the cooler with him. Then another monster, then another … was the water level back home going down as these big fish were pulled from the sea? Beautiful fish which would make any restaurant proud – but do not calculate our price per pound of fish because a commercial enterprise we are not. Do calculate the fun we had and the friendships we enjoyed.
After a few hours we picked up the hook and headed back mid afternoon laying our spot to rest for another day. On the way home from our offshore run Mother Nature met us twelve miles out with a good old-fashioned summer squall – darkening clouds, spreading tops, little lightning on the edges and a weird calm around us. The sort of storm which pops up on you and makes the most experience crews go quiet. Since we could not predict the storm’s path, we plowed straight through taking the shortest course to Gordon Pass. A wonderful fresh water rinse and some white knuckle travel.
So the grouper filets are vacuum sealed in the freezer and our memories are safely tucked away with visions of a wonderful day on blue seas with friends in our outdoor paradise – Ah Naples, we love it so.
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No legal, investment, or tax advice is being given in this Blog. Consult with legal, financial and tax professionals before acting on any real estate transaction. Actual real estate price and sales results are subject to market forces and are not completely predictable. The writings of this Blog are intended for the sole use of our clients.
Some of the data relating to real estate for sale on the NaplesBestAddresses.com website comes in part from the Broker reciprocity program of M.L.S. of Naples, Inc. The properties displayed here may not be all the properties available through the MLS reciprocity Program. This information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed. Buyers and sellers are responsible for verifying all information about their purchase prior to closing.
Mark Goebel, PA is a REALTOR with Coldwell Banker on 5th avenue in Naples, Florida with 35+ years of visiting and living in Naples. After 25 years at Accenture, Mark retired as a managing director and spends his time helping non profits and building a Naples real estate team with his wife Nan. Talk to Mark and Nan about life in Naples and why they chose this place to live full-time over all others and enjoy Naples real estate.
Mark Goebel, PA
REALTOR Coldwell Banker 5th Avenue South
Mobile: 239.595.3921
Email: mark.c.goebel@gmail.com
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