Tropical Storm Bonnie blew in and blew out yesterday. Southwest Florida just got a lot of rain with only a small amount of localized flooding. Pretty weak as far as storms go.

As the storm passed, the skies opened to let the last rays of sun touch the coast before saying good night. The transition from day to night and from stormy skies to calm happened all at once. The beauty of all this is better shown and not written.  Enjoy.

North tip of Little Hickory Island and Bonita Beach.

Here are a few photos as well.

Bonita Beach, Backend of Tropical Storm Bonnie

Walkway to Bonita Beach

Sunset Looking South Towards Naples

I hope all you Castaways are enjoying life this weekend. Soak it up!

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

The following characters are no Captain Jack Sparrow, they are the real deal. Taking Spanish treasure by force and hiding it in the sand for later use. Turns out they have to ditch the booty or get killed before they can bask in their spoils. Their lose, our gain!

• Calico Jack Rackham was another buccaneer who sailed the waters off Florida. Headquartering first in Cuba, he moved to the West Coast of Florida. Here, he buried his $2,000,000 treasure on an island some ten miles up either the Shark or Lostman’s River. (This treasure cache lie buried within the boundaries of the Everglades National Park and it is illegal to do any digging here.)

• In 1864, a U.S. gunboat chased a Confederate ship up the Suwannee River. As the Confederate vessel rounded the second bend of the river, the crew rolled off kegs of gold coins to prevent their capture by the Union gunboat.

• Apalachicola Bay… A Confederate blockade runner went down in the bay north of St. George Island, carrying $500,000 in silver bars and many Spanish coins.

(Stories came from treasurelore.com)

Today Sanibel Island is a lush tropical vacation destination. 300 years ago the island was still lush but home to aggressive blood shedding pirates. One in particular was Black Ceasar.

Black Caesar was an 18th century African pirate. For nearly a decade, he raided shipping from the Florida Keys and later served as one of Captain Blackbeard’s chief lieutenants aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge. He was one of the surviving members of Blackbeard’s crew following his death at the hands of Lieutenant Robert Maynard in 1718. Caesar’s Rock, one of three islands located north of Key Largo, is the present-day site of his original headquarters and named in his honor. (Info from Wikipedia.org)

Black Ceasar’s Buried Treasure

• Another pirate who made his headquarters near Charlotte Harbor was Black Caesar. He was a former slave who escaped to the West Coast of Florida. Soon afterwords he became leader of the pirates and built his base on Sanibel Island. It is said that he captured a Spanish galleon off Cuba, and brought it back to his stronghold. Among other things on the galleon was 26 tons of silver, which he quickly buried. This enormous hoard is supposedly on or near Sanibel Island.

• In 1798, Black Caesar buried a ship load of silver bars on the north end of Key Largo. This treasure had been captured from a Spanish Galleon en-route to Spain from Vera Cruz, Mexico. Black Caesar made the Spaniards dig a massive hole for the silver, then killed them all and buried them in the hole with the treasure.

Sanibel Island is about 20 minutes from me. I’m heading to to the store to get a metal detector right now. Look for RumShopRyan in the headlines soon!

Over and out from somewhere south,
RumShopRyan

The journey is the prize when searching for treasure. Here is a tale of a magnificent Indian treasure thought to be in the Charlotte Harbor or Fort Myers area. (Story via treasurelore.com)

During the period between 1519 and 1617, when the Calusa Indians were at the height of their power, the King of Spain’s “plate fleets” transported millions in New World gold, silver and precious stones. The leader of the Calusa was named Carlos, and he also ruled over a vast Indian federation that controlled the entire southern Florida coastal region. As tribute, the other Indians of the federation would give him most of the booty they collected whenever a ship sank along the eastern coast of Florida and they were able to salvage any of the cargo.

Accounts of Carlos’ wealth and power were recorded in the memoirs of a ship wrecked Spaniard. Hernando Fontaneda was only a boy of 13 en route to Spain when he found himself stranded on one of the Keys. He was soon taken captive by the Calusas and brought to the village of the chief, where he managed to amuse Carlos by performing songs and dances.

The young castaway’s life was spared and he spent the next 17 years as a member of the tribe. He learned several Indian dialects and served as a translator for Carlos in dealings with other tribes. Finally, when he was about 30, he managed to escape.

In the book entitled Narrative of Le Moyne, an artist who accompanied Laudonniere, mention is made of the proposed expedition that Fontaneda wanted to make back to try and recover some of the treasure Carlos had accumulated. “They (Fontaneda and his companion) also reported that he (Carlos) possessed a great store of gold and silver and that he kept it in a certain village in a pit not less than a man’s height in depth and as large as a cask; and that, if I could make my way to the place with a hundred arquebusiers, they could put all the wealth into my hands besides what I might obtain from the richer of the natives.”

When Fontaneda eventually found passage to Spain, he wrote an account of his experiences in Florida and delivered it to the King of Spain. By doing this, he hoped to win favor and enter the King’s service. In one section of Fontaneda’s memoirs, dated 1575, there are several references to Calusa wrecking activity and the tribe’s enormous wealth. The following is but one example: “I desire to speak of the riches found by the Indians of Ais, which perhaps were as much as a million dollars or over, in bars of silver, gold, and in articles of jewelry made by the hands of the Mexican Indians, which the passengers were bringing with them. These things Carlos divided with the caicques of Ais, Jeaga, Guacata, Mayajuaco and Mayaca, and he took what pleased him, or the best part.”

To this day, Florida historians, archaeologists and treasure hunters are still looking for leads to the tribe’s lost gold. It is known that Carlos’ village was near what is now called Charlotte Harbor, on the West Coast of Florida, near Fort Myers.

I was doing some reading on the different coast names for Florida. My area is called the Sun Coast, but it use to have a more sinister name…the Pirate Coast. This filled the sails of my imagination and put me on course to find some fascinating stories about buried treasure, pirates and the Florida coast. Climb aboard, let’s go for a ride.

This information came from treasurelore.com. It makes you want to grab a shovel and hunt for the elusive X marks the spot. I’ll add a new pirate treasure story each week to keep you salivating.

Florida’s Pirate Coast

Many researchers and historians claim that Florida contains more buried and sunken treasures than any other state. They have also put a price tag on these treasures, which amounts to a cool $165 million (1964). Florida, like all other states, has a fascinating and romantic history. Seven different flags have flown over her, not to mention the black flag of the pirates. Florida became the haven of many notorious pirates, including Blackbeard, Lafitte, Gasparilla, Kidd, Rackham, Bowlegs, Bonnett, and possibly even Morgan himself. They roamed the waters of the Caribbean Sea, and captured every ship in sight. Often, they brought their loot back to Florida, and buried it on some lonely shore. When they finally died, the location of their hidden wealth died with them. The majority of all buried treasure in Florida is the work of pirates.

Numerous wars have been fought in Florida and upon the waters around her. Men hastily buried their wealth when being pursued by the enemy. Valuables were lost or misplaced when the fighting started and were never found again. Naval battles accounted for the sinking of many ships with valuable cargoes, their resting-place to be forgotten in time. Some very valuable treasures were lost during the many wars in Florida.

Florida has survived through hundreds of hurricanes in the past four centuries, but many ships around her have not. From the year 1500 to 1960, hurricanes have sunk their quota of treasure-laden ships. These wrecked ships represent all nations, but the majority of them are Spanish galleons. They carried gold and silver from the New World to the Old, only to have their contents deposited on some jagged reef off Florida. Many gold doubloons and pieces-of-eight are awaiting a lucky finder on the Florida reefs.

Actually, there are two types of treasure hunting; buried treasure merely requires a shovel, but it is advisable to use a metal detector if success is to be achieved. Hunting sunken treasure becomes more expensive and complicated. Diving gear is needed and of course a boat is required. Only an experienced diver should go after sunken treasure. Luckily, Florida contains both types of treasures, thus enabling the prospective hunter to choose from a larger variety.

Florida has already yielded hundreds of lost treasures to many happy people. Among these are: A chest containing $25,000 in Mexican gold was found on Grassy Key. Miami has yielded some buried treasure. A road crew while building a new road near Cocoa found thirteen chests of treasure. $70,000 in silver coins were discovered on Lower Matecumbe Key, plus another 61 gold pieces were found by fishermen there. Dozens of pirate caches have been found on the West Coast of Florida. Millions of dollars have already been salvaged from the Spanish galleons off Florida. Some of these sunken treasures can be seen at Art McKee’s Sunken Treasure Museum on Plantation Key. This is only a small sample of what has been unearthed and salvaged in Florida.

Now doesn’t that make you flush with gold fever? I’ll do a weekly post on the different Florida Treasure stories of which there are many. See you next time mate.

Over and out from somewhere south,
RumShopRyan

I was going to write a post about all the different types of palms trees. I thought the number would be around 20 or so but as I started to do a little research and the number begun to get out of hand. That, and do you really want to read about 20 different palm trees? I think not.

One reason I love living in south Florida is the lush vegetation. That and bikinis in January, i digress. As you travel south you can literally watch the climate change. Here in the Ft. Myers/Naples area we have trees and plants that just aren’t found even 2 hours north in Tampa. Our sub-tropical environment is a wonderland. That and it still puts a smile on this Kansas boy’s face.

My top 5 Favorite Tropical Plants

5. The Banana Tree

They’re lush. They grow like weeds. Their fruit does the beach body good. Those are good reasons to like a plant right. To tell you the truth I’m not sure why I like these 5 tropical veggies.  I just do. I see them and they make me feel all fuzzy.  That’s a good reason right? Can a grown man say “Fuzzy”?

Useless Knowledge
They are native to tropical Southeast Asia. They are grown in at least 107 countries, primarily for their fruit, and to a lesser extent to make fiber and as ornamental plants.

More info on Banana Trees.

4. White Bird of Paradise

I love these. You’ve got your Orange Birds and White Birds. Orange Birds of Paradise stay small and low to the ground. White Birds get huge and impressive. I use to have a couple of these in my yard and I would talk to them and tell them to grow, they were my babies. If you believe that I have a mutual fund to sell you. It was fun to watch them grow though.

Useless Knowledge
A common name of the genus is bird of paradise flower, because of a supposed resemblance of its flowers to the bird of paradise.

More info on the Bird of Paradise.

3. The Royal Palm

The Royal Palm Tree is the most recognizable and the most attractive palm tree in the world(opinion). It is a truly magnificent, aristocratic and very stately tree.

Useless Knowledge

Roystonea Regia (Royal Palm) is the Cuba National Tree: “La Palma Real”. It is present everywhere at the Cuban country side. It is the symbol of the Cuban people.

More info on Royal Palms.

2. Canary Island Fig Palm

I don’t know why I like these.  I just do.

Useless Knowledge

Date Palm tree is a suckering palm that is usually pruned to have only one trunk. Trimmed in this manner the tree will grow to heights of 100 feet. Leaflets near the base are modified into 3-4 inch spines. The yellow-orange to red fruit, called ‘dates’, are oblong and about 1.5 inches in length. They consist of a large pointed seed surrounded by sweet sugary flesh. Dates are formed from flowers on 4 foot inflorescences that emerge from among the leaves in spring.

More info on Date Palms.

1. Coconut Palm

Do I need to even explain my love for this palm? It only hugs the sands of every picturesque tropical beach around the world. It inspires. It tantalizes. It tempts. It tempts you to pack your bags and jump on the next flight south.

Its coconuts give flavor to so many dishes and drinks. (PainKillers).

I’m sitting by a pool that is circled by these beauties as I type this. But that isn’t good enough. They whisper to me and tell me relax in their shade down at the beach.

With beach chair and cooler in tow I will head their words.

More info on Coconut Palms.

What are you favorites?

Over and out from somewhere south,

RumShopRyan

Put me on the coast of somewhere beautiful.

The story of how I ended up in Southwest Florida is a good one that has yet been told.  So here we go.

The year was 2000 and I was in my second senior year at Pittsburg State University in SE Kansas.  Yes I was on the 5 year plan. Pittsburg is in the middle of nowhere.  The armpit of Kansas I like to say.  I loved the school and made tons of great friends but it’s not my idea of a place to settle down.  Most people who attend are from KC, they graduate and move back to the city.  Not me.

Pitt State Campus

That winter was a bad one.  Lots of snow.  Not quite as much as the Northeast is getting right now, but enough to start the wheels spinning on the next phase of life.  My car got stuck in the snow 3 times in one week.  While trudging my way back home and in-between curse words, I started asking myself, “why do you do this to yourself.”  “There’s got to be a better way.”  “There’s got to be more than Kansas in my future.” Deep thoughts for a 23 year old kid.  Exploration and adventure ran through my veins.

I put up a large map of the United States on the wall.  I then did research and the Pros and Cons of several states…California, Arizona, Texas and Florida.  All south and all warm.  You can see where I’m going with this right?

California had excitement, mountains, and the ocean.  It also has a trillion people and earthquakes.  I hate traffic (road rage) and rather not have the roof fall on my head, so California was out.  Arizona didn’t have an ocean. Out. Texas had a lot to offer, but in the end I was really inspired by Florida and figured if you’re going to go south, better go all the way.  I wanted to live where people vacation.  I wanted palm trees. I wanted 80 degree weather in January. But mostly I wanted a change. So I packed my bags.

My target was Tampa. It had more opportunity for a rookie graphic designer.  I did several interviews but nothing came of them.  The buddy I talked into moving down with me got an offer to manage a restaurant in a place called Naples.  I knew nothing of this town except that it was 2 hours south of Tampa and had lots of old wealthy people.  Kick the tires and light the fires, Naples here I come.

You're not In Kansas Anymore

I moved down to Naples in September of 2001.  Didn’t know a sole, didn’t have a job, but knew this was the right decision.  For the first 3 weeks I woke up, sent resumes out and ran on the beach every morning. It was magical. So much to take in.  So much to explore. So many adventures to be had. Did I know everything was going to work out? No. Was I scared? Strangely no. Something told me this was where I was suppose to be. This was my new life. A small town kid, now living on the coast of somewhere beautiful. A dream come true.

I’ve lived in Bonita Springs, Florida for over 6 years now.  Bonita has a fantastic beach.  It’s white sand beaches are clean and the calm Gulf of Mexico is picture perfect.  The small island that is Bonita Beach is called Little Hickory Island.  It’s doesn’t have any mega resorts or high-rise condo buildings.  It’s lined with a mix of small beach cottages and some larger mansions.  That’s a big reason why I love this side of Florida.  We don’t have all the sun blocking, beach hogging hotels to jam everything up.  Bonita is a laid back coastal community and that’s the way I like it.

Beach homes here tend to show a lot of personality.  They show it with color, size, landscaping and mailboxes.  Yes, mailboxes.  It seems like Bonita Beach and Ft. Myers beach (just 5 minutes up the road) like to show their island love by showcasing clever mailbox styles.  As you drive down the coconut palm lined Estero Blvd. you can’t help but smile and the unique styles and the creativity in some of their designs.

I’ve taken pictures of the best ones and posted them here.  Tell me what your favorite is.  Do you have a better one?  Send me a photo and I’ll post it and add it to the collection.

Yes sir, this doc’s office serves up cold beer, some of the best pizza in town and ocean vistas to die for.  I’m of course talking about Doc’s Beach House on Bonita Beach in sunny southwest Florida.  Doc’s is the place to be on Bonita Beach.  It offers great people watching, an assortment of activities and did I mention the cold beer?

Bonita Springs by nature is a laid back community nestled between Ft. Myers and Naples.  It’s beach atmosphere offers a combination of what you will find at Naples and Ft. Myers Beaches.  I like to think of Naples beaches as full of old retired folks and speedo wearing tourists.  Then Fort Myers beach is a more of a younger party crowd.  Bonita beach has a touch of both leaning towards the laid back vibe, just the way I like it.

I’ll go into more detail in a later post about different parts of Bonita beach, I want to talk about Doc’s Beach House.  Must stay on target…I tend to ramble sometimes.

Doc’s is the hub of Bonita Beach because it’s the only place to get food, drink and enjoy beach activities.  They offer activities such as para-sailing, jet ski rentals, beach vollyball and you can even rent one of those water bikes with the big wheels.  I would advise against it though, you’ll get bored and will look ridiculous.

Doc’s owners are from Chicago so it’s a great place to watch any of the Chicago sports teams.  It’s a 2 story building with the top floor for restaurant patrons and the bottom more for beach people to walk in and grab a bite.  It’s located just steps from the white sand beach and is surrounded by lush coconut palms and traveler’s trees.  Doc’s really is a touch of paradise.

I’ve talked enough.  Grab your beach chair, some sun screen and a cooler full of Corona and enjoy the tropical atmosphere of Doc’s on Bonita Beach.  I live about 5 minutes away, see you there!

Cheers to the Salt Life,

RumShopRyan