St. James City, Pine Island

Yesterday was a great day. It was a little cool (60s), so long pants and long sleeves were in order, but we ventured over to St. James City on Pine Island for the first time since we've moved down here. I've been hearing of a few "must see" restaurant/bars down there where they have live entertainment regularly. Pine Island is a relatively small island only accessible by land from Cape Coral. It sits between Cape Coral and Sanibel/Captiva. The Matlacha pass sits on the east side of the island and the Pine Island Sound sits to the west. For it's size its fairly sparsely populated. Most of the island is covered with palm and other plant nurseries and some protected wild-life areas. The population is concentrated in Bokeelia on the north end and St. James city on the south end, the most populated part of the island. Because it's off the beaten track, not that many tourists venture to the island. That's good for those of us that live here and would like to see the lifestyle remain as is. But the tourists don't know what they're missing. It's a really beautiful island and the atmosphere is pure SW Florida. Of course, you have to go through Matlacha to get to Pine Island, and that's an adventure of its own.

We got to St. James City in the early afternoon and, after driving around for a bit, stopped at the Ragged Ass Saloon. It sits on the same north-south highway that all the commercial establishments are on - the only main highway on Pine Island. Did I mention there are no stop lights on Pine Island? The first thing I noticed were a small collection of some beautiful Harley's and some people sitting around the outdoor bar. We walked around to the opposite side and sat at a table over-looking their docks. Several boats came and went while we were there. It was fun watching some of the larger ones navigate in the narrow canal along the Ragged Ass. We had a beer and a nice conversation with our waitress. I never got her name (I'm an idiot sometimes) but she was great. We talked about local entertainment and the Yard Dogs (she said she designed a couple of their CD covers), Deb and the Dynamics, and Cindy Walsh (who we would later see at Froggie's Bar).

The Ragged Ass Saloon.....

Susie contemplating the tough life we're leading....

The pressure's getting to me!....

After the Ragged Ass Saloon we ventured over to Woody's Waterside for lunch. Wow, the food was great! I wasn't that hungry and I've been eating a lot of grouper lately (I love grouper!) so I decided to try their lobster/crab bisque. It was tomato based and seasoned just right. I love a good bisque. Susie had the pulled pork sandwich which was also delicious (she let me have a taste). The fries and onion rings are advertised as beer battered and they were sensational - nice and crispy. A guy sitting near us ordered the grouper rueben. It looked like about a half pound of grouper on that sandwich and he thanked the waiter for the recommendation. All in all, the food was outstanding and the prices are very reasonable. We'll be back there soon - maybe today!

Woody's Waterside.....

Sitting with all my friends....

Great Egret on the canvas tent roof....

After Woody's we needed to kill some time before going to Froggie's and seeing Cindy Walsh, so we went up to Matlacha and ventured through some of the art shops. Always fun seeing the creativity and talent some people have. I don't know about you, but I hate people with that much talent! After that we headed over to Froggie's. Got there a bit early so had to sit and suck beer till the show began. This was the first time seeing Cindy Walsh, but I had visited her web site and was familiar with a few of the songs she wrote. She performed with a couple of other guys on bass and lead guitar. They did about a million cover songs and they were very good. Cindy has a mellow smooth voice and a surprising range. For us, the best part of the show was when she sang, just her and her guitar, songs that she has written. If you ever get a chance to see her perform make sure to request her "Matlacha" song and my personal favorite, "Gimme Grouper, Gimme Grouper". We had a chance to meet Cindy toward the end of the show and bought her CD. She's a sweet lady and put on a great show. I can see why she's such a local favorite. Oh, and our unnamed waitress from the Ragged Ass showed up and joined in all the fun. What a fun lady (you can just see her profile on the right side of the picture below). And what a great day!

Cindy Walsh and company at Froggie's (taken with cell phone)....

Sunset on Pine Island road...

One of our best days ever! Life is soooo damn good!

Bill