March 16th: LaBelle > Ft. Myers > LaBelle

Today started off just like yesterday, however the intention was to have an earlier start. I was in dire need of a haircut, so I ventured to downtown LaBelle.

Having spent almost six years in Florida for grad school, I have a soft spot for the deep-southern parts of Florida. LaBelle was exactly that. 

With the large shaded streets, it made me miss living here.

LaBelle is situated on the Caloosahatchee River, and it has a tiny marina, and a draw bridge to allow for pleasure craft to transit the river. It connects the Gulf of Mexico to Lake Okechobee, and amazingly enough it is a tidal river!

I ended up very lucky - the barber shop was right next door to a coffee shop. After my trim, I sat down for an hour or so for some unsweet ice tea and a little time to myself. 

One of the reviews for the coffee shop said it was reminiscent of those that you would find in the Northeast, and I would have to agree. 

I have to admit it does feel a lot better. Especially in the heat. Today we were headed to the Edison-Ford Winter Estates in Ft. Myers, someplace that I've driven past many times, but never had the opportunity to visit. 

While walking to the main entrance, I happened to spot this:

Anyone familiar with Rhode Island will know instantly why this is so peculiar. No one from RI ever seems to leave the state, so finding one 1500 miles away was quite a shock! 

The Edison-Ford Winter Estates were exactly that - retreats for Thomas Edison and later Henry Ford. A far cry from the harsh winters that they would experience in the North, Edison was first to winter here, and later on when Henry and Thomas became close, he purchased the properly directly next to Edison. It seems like the houses (at least Fords) were seldom used.

Ford's house was simple, relatively small and had the design on the inside that suits my tastes perfectly. 

Edison was big on botanical science, so the vegetation around the estates was impressive and varied. There were several huge fig trees, with roots that jutted 4 feet into the air.

A nice palm-lined pathway from the Ford house right down to the bay.

Edison's house was furnished just as simply, but it didn't quite have that craftsman-bungalow style that I favor. 

It did boast however one of the most impressive porches that I've ever seen, a porch that I wish I could just sit and relax on.

The wisteria was also beautiful.

This is Edison's Moonlight Garden behind his study. I can picture it at night, and I bet it's just serene and beautiful. 

After the Ford-Edison Winter Estates, I was determined to find some real gulf seafood. Since I was driving, I just headed south, knowing that I would eventually find a place situated along the water. Regardless of how tacky it was, they were going to have fresh seafood. And lucky enough, I found exactly that, and had some amazing grilled grouper, one of my favorite fishes.

After sitting in traffic for what felt like forever (but wasn't really all that bad), we stopped at another deep south stalwart, Publix.

Dinner, food, two beers and a glass of wine later, it was time for bed. Tomorrow was going to be another long day, especially since I was flying out to Phoenix for part two of my trip.