Ft. Myers Fl. (Matlacha) SHAGESQUE

So, Hodadhank said I had to find this blue tiki outside of Ft. Myers and take a picture of it. I said "OK. I'll take the next flight out."

I was really going to visit Head Shrinker's family.

The tiki is out on CR-78 (Pine Island Rd.) in Matlacha. It is at an artist's store. Very hippie looking. I wonder if the person who painted the tikis knows who Shag is.

My nephew and me standin with the tiki

And the air conditioner prop




There is nothing else there. If you are going you should know someone there and/or gonna go fishin fer gaters.

Signature? I ain't signin nothin!

[ Edited by: Mr. NoNaMe 2007-08-16 13:31 ]

Great pictures bro. (...and by that I mean suitable for framing.) You can see why I did a double take when driving past this little shack. The exact palette as my Enchanted Tiki Room shirt!

There's a bar just up the street called the Matlache Oyster House where you can listen to the day's fishing stories sipping drinks in their huge canal-side Chikee hut enjoying a steamy sunset. That's what the Florida gulf's all about right?

Dude.. Florida's Gulf coast is about Newlyweds and nearly deads, newly married and the nearly buried. We are seeing a small surge in the youthful population but where some may call it the "Gold Coast" I call it the "Old Coast". It's August and by the time you walk out of your house and get in your car you a soaking wet from the humidity. I keep asking myself why the F am I still here?

"All I need are some tasty waves a cool buzz

[ Edited by: Bohemiann 2007-08-23 08:14 ]

U r there for those love sunsets off the Colony Inn with Gas lamps in LBK

this shot could be from anywhere but its right in your back yard..

agreed and the humidity and nearly dead - but its Florida.

I'll look you up next time I'm down there.....

Holy Serendipity! That's Funny!
I was cleaning out old boxes last night and found this old brochure from the Colony
along with a menu and welcome packet. My parents used to vacation there when I was wee lad before we moved down here. I can remember when it was about the only thing on the island. Damn.... maybe I should stop poking at old people.

I DARE you to look me up! hehehe
Actually we have about four Tiki bars in the area now, I have been remiss in reporting on them but will post some 411 soon. Look me up and we will do a crawl!

Say High to Marla and Nell, Hopefully I will be back in NY this Christmas, I have had a gig there every Dec. for the past 6 years and I have been try to spend most of my off time at Otto's and Wally's.

Hey...don't I know you?

On 2007-08-23 07:46, Bohemiann wrote:
Dude.. Florida's Gulf coast is about Newlyweds and nearly deads, newly married and the nearly buried...It's August and by the time you walk out of your house and get in your car you a soaking wet from the humidity...

Humidity? OMG! You live in the fabled American Tropics fer cryin out loud, what did you expect! Do you think Hemingway cared about a little sweat? No. I'm pretty sure he punched sweat square in the face just before ripping that urinal off the wall of his favorite bar... and besides perspiration is your bodies natural cooling system. If you spend your days running from air conditioned house, to air conditioned car, to air conditioned job you're only making it more difficult for your bodies climate control. Maybe you can't control the climate at work but when you get home, turn off the AC, open the windows, put on some breathable fibers and perspire. A little secret: Drinking hot coffee or tea before you leave your house will raise your internal body temperature making the air feel cooler. That's why Bedouins drink boiling mint tea in the middle of the day in the Sahara desert. Anyway, If you really want to make the SW FLA coast more exotic, get a ninja suit and a chainsaw and cut down a bunch Australian Malalucas the state planted to drain America's everglades!

One more thing about SW Florida VS SE Florida, With the exception of The Mai Kai, for some reason I find it more exotic to sip my rums someplace where there is still a decent chance of being eaten by an alligator or a panther.

OK so I just got back from Ft Meyers, Sanibel, Matlacha, Captiva and Pine Island. Home to among other things Momma Hodaddy, lots of tikis and some suprising mid century structures. Here's some pics from our trip.

A warm Matlacha welcome from Cotton, our friend Pammy's poofy dog.

Cotton confounded by an actual cotton version of himself.

Pammy's a real life cowgirl and had just found this ultra mint condition cowboy-modern table set!

The seatbacks are shadowboxed and the flowers handpainted. Yee Haw!

Keep your eye's open on the way to Ft Meyers beach. This place had another room full of floats corks and schooner pullys.

This place had loads of fun stuff.

Groovy.

Don't forget to check in the corners! Should have bought this picture vinyl gem.

The place for fresh fish & tikis on Pine Island! Amazing. $12 cracked Conch steak! Mmmmmmmm.






This fella reminds me of somebody from Shelter Island! lol!


Tiki pilings outside, some of the best nautical & marine life antiques inside!





Rita Pammy & I lunching with the folks.

GREAT PICS!!! That place is off the hook, love the pastel colors. Did ya leave there broke?

WooHoo! Mucho Mahalo to Hodadhank & Mr. NoName for taking the time to post their pics. It looks like you had a Tiki-rrific Time in Florida.

[ Edited by: WooHooWahine 2008-01-02 19:50 ]

Where's is that Swap Shop and Antiques place located?

In regards to Humidity, Dude..... Summers here suck and Hemingway new it. That's why we drink so much! I'm no pansy but living in a constant state of bieng drenched in sweat gets to be a bit much. I mean, I walk out the door and by the time I get to my car..... drenched, and i'm not a heavy sweater...more of a cardigan.

Pine Island and parts of Ft. M. still has some of the old Florida Charm. Thanks for the report I never knew these places where there and will check them out my next road trip down to Ft Myers. Looks like one of David Landry's pieces but I don't remember him making the eyes like that.

I'm sure you checked out "The Shell Factory", no tiki but lots of nautical stuff.

[ Edited by: Bohemiann 2008-01-08 07:14 ]

Hey! Did you really think I was going to stop without mentioning the food?

Most people consider Key Lime Pie to be a signature South West Florida food and I'm sure Sandy Hook had it but this is the place to save room for the entree. In my case a legendary Caribbean delicacy Key West style Cracked Conch. Methodically tenderized by a pasta press, rolled in a house spice blend and deeeeeeeeep fried, it was sweet and tender as promised. I must only imagine that the Blackened Snapper or Grouper would be just as delicious, but no time for that... there's plenty more of these little islands to explore.

Sandy Hook fish & Rib House
4875 Pine Island Road
Matlacha Fla
239-283-0113

That crazy old blue tiki was still there, but the rest of this Matlacha Gallery had undergone a, um ... face-lift. AND most importantly I got a confirmation that the tikis were not carved by any of the galleries artists nor are they for sale. The owner had purchased them from "some carver" near Fort Myers beach. She had painted them herself and I honestly dig them but her dismissal of the carver's contribution was disappointing.

Now to find the carver...



Momma Hodaddy liked this driftwood and fuzzy raffia lamp!

What's that? Behind the gallery is a hidden dock adorned with foreboding primitive masks. Do we dare ride the canoe of uncertitude around the bend of indeterminateness?!! Are we men enough to solve the MYSTERY of the MATLACHA TIKIS? Da da daaaaaa!

On to Sanibel Island. I remember Sanibel having a natural tropical canope which arched across Preiwinkle Way the length of the island, but the storms of recent years have done some dramatic pruning. Sanibel is however still home to many interesting tropical distractions including the Sanibel lighthouse, Tarpon Bay, Pine Island Sound and the J.N."Ding" Darling National Wildlife Preserve http://www.fws.gov/dingdarling/

(A word of warning: If you drive your mother's Mercury over the newly repaired Sanibel Causeway without paying the new six dollar toll, they will definately send a bill for $6 to your mother's house.)

Tahitian Gardens, took a beating in the storms and the saucerlike stucture that almost twenty years ago housed the very popular and islander themed Banyon Tree resturant. I thought my folks had saved some glassware from the resturant but were actually from the Bodi Tree. Bummer.

A little further down Periwinkle Way is a Motel with a name dear to this old Philly boy's heart : The Kona Kai! Voted #1 SW Florida Vacation Value by Frommer's Travel!



Hey look at that little mask on one of the Kona Kai's door jams! I think I must be hot on the trail of the Matlacha Mystery Carver!

http://www.konakaimotel.com/

The ribs are the best

No way Jordan! What are the chances?! Dat's a long way from Port Huron!(For those playing along at home, HodadHank was TeaKEY's secret santa last year!)I'll have to try the ribs next time!

Just as Periwinkle turns into Sanibel-Captiva Road for it's long hug along Ding Darling Nature Preserve you will see Gasparillas Grill.
The dozen or more tikis here have a familiar Matlacha grin and we stopped for some questions and grouper. Until recently many resturants were offering counterfeit grouper, but no chance of that here with an award winning chef's reputation at stake...

Waterfalls, tikis & nautical relics dominate the exterior

what we've begun calling "Matlacha Tikis" are everywhere and
dozens of coconut pirate heads hang in the trees overhead

yep, more on this side too. at least their heads won't get cold

seafood steaks and spirits

Some aquariums making up the bar

So we meet again Matlacha Mystery Carver. No answers here just dozens of your tikis but I'm so close now I can smell the sawdust

Gasparilla's is pirate themed to be sure, but surrounded by an army of tikis outside and a bar full of fish on the inside I can imagine spending some time here. Ever have a Pu Pu Platter feature Tiki Island Shrimp, Bahama Conch fritters, Coconut shrimp, ponzu and amaretto-rum sauces? Me neither but those and signature cocktails like The Shrimp Wreck, Rum Dummy and The Mad Monkey would have to wait till next visit. We were heading towards Captiva Island to find an A-frame I'd first spotted quite by accident while staring mindlessly at this postcard.

Can you spot the main building of The Castaways in this picture?

look again...

What are the southern-most vintage Poly-pop structures in the USA?
I've no idea but this is certainly this is among them...

http://www.castawayssanibel.com/index.html