Contests

Trying to decide if I should enter a contest for a Design Team spot. Not much involved in doing it just submitting 3 projects. Ive never even tried before but I might. Im gonna go home and look over all my lo's and see what I would consider my best work per say. I did the altered recipe pail which is really cool and I have one or two lo's of recent and a few from awhile back. Im thinking of maybe on the of these.....

Pine Island Mango Mania

July 14 & 15th Mango Mania is back......one of Pine Island fun crazy festivals. Where you can do things like eat Mango pie, try Mango cutney, be aprt of the longest Mango throw contest. Or just come out for the music and fun.

The party went great this weekend and I think troy enjoy his 43rd. My son came home sunday and that was awesome. he had been with family in n carolina and indiana since school was out..so i've been missing him bad! I think he grew al least 2 inches.

Long week

wow..its been one of those weeks that never end. Troys 43rd bday was Tuesdayso ive been planning a party/bbq for Saturday. I think my number is like 22. I am frying fish, making hamburgers(for non fish eaters), tater salad, macaronni salad, chips, and baked beans. Making me hungry already.
Should be loads of fun and a very busy day.

New 110 acre parcel put into conservation

A 110-acre parcel on Pine Island is now part of Lee County's Conservation 20/20 Program .There are now over 18,000 acres in the program.The property is located northeast of Stringfellow Road approximately a mile east of Harbor Drive adjacent to Smokehouse Bay. Big Smokehouse Key, an 82-acre island owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lays directly to the east of this preserve.About half of the acquired property was used an ornamental tree farm that was badly damaged in 2004 by Hurricane Charley. ThecCounty will restore the farm back to its original native pinelands. The remainder has healthy salt flats and mangrove wetlands. The salt flats and mangroves are important resting areas for migratory shorebirds. The mangrove wetlands also act as nursery areas for fish and invertebrates. Other environmental benefits of the property include local drainage and coastal flood protection, water quality improvement, and storm protection. The County will develop a management plan with community assistance that will explore appropriate uses for the preserve, which may include horseback riding, hiking, picnicking and perhaps as a kayak launch site.The owners wanted $2,725,000 for the property, but the Division of County Lands, the agency which negotiates land purchases for the county, was able to acquire the property for $1,345,000. The Calusa Land Trust and Nature Preserve of Pine Island, Inc. (CLT) donated $5,000.00 towards the purchase of this property has offered to assist the County with the management of the property.

Fishing report...get ready for Tarpon Season and Reds are biting

Tarpon: It's time to start booking your tarpon trips! Summer time is tarpon fishing time! There here! We've been doing well with live baits, fly and cut baits. These critters will range from 40 lbs. to 200 lbs. with the average being around 100 lbs. The Silver King is a fish of a life time, very strong fighters and jumps that will out do any marlin. Either bait or fly, you owe it to yourself to fish for this species.
Redfishing has been steady. I've been doing best on tides that have good current. Shrimp, shiners & cut bait has been working the best for me. The schools can be from ten to fifty. Fishing reds on the flats can be a casters' dream. On the lower tides, they become very visible with their tails sticking up in the air. Fishing for tailing reds is great fun! The trick is being there when they are feeding.

Here is a picture of a Red caught off St James City in the sound.

Scrappin

The past two wks ive done alot of pgs and have had those creative juices flowing. I made a layout last night i havent uploaded onto my computer yet but let me say coooool. I painted on a transparency and added alot of little embellies onto of it. Let me show you the ones from the weekend..

Art Night

On Pine Island in the little fishing town of Matlacha their are several neat funky Art Galleries. On Friday of each month they have Art Night. All the shops are in walking distance of one another and you can pop in and out for music and some food and wine. You may get the chance to meet several of the artists as well. If you are in the area it is something fun to do on a Friday night taht wont get you in too much trouble..