2010 Jan. 14, Thursday.
Yeah! Today, we go to the beach! We packed a lunch and headed to Bonita Beach, about 20 to 30 minutes away. Beautiful day at the beach - sunny, warm, with a slight breeze. (Pictures to follow soon.) At the west end of Bonita Beach Road, there is a fee parking lot, food concessions, bathrooms, jet-ski rental, etc., but we usually don’t go there. If you continue on down the road, there are small free lots with access to the beach. They only hold 5 or 6 cars, and fill up quickly, so we had to go to the 7th one before we found a spot. After a short walk of about 50 feet between two buildings, we are on the beach. I love the sound of the waves coming in, although it’s pretty calm today. After setting up our chairs and umbrella, we took a short walk, then back to the shade for a picnic lunch. After taking some pictures, we read for an hour or so, watching the people go by, and the activity around us. It’s not real crowded at first, but after lunch more people come out to sunbathe - even some bikinis, and even some people swimming. The gulf temperature is about 50, but I guess in the shallows close to the beach, it gets heated by the sun. About 2 or so, we take another longer walk, and then we head back, stop at Panera Bread at Coconut Point mall for a coffee and sweet roll, and I work on the computer for an hour or so. Home for supper.

WEATHER: High today of 73 (warmer at the beach) with the wind shifting around from the north to now from the east - that’s good for warmth. Low last night of 42 (first time not in the 30’s for a long time!)

FL NEWS: (1) [Real estate prices are improving, but some people deal in numbers MUCH bigger than I can imagine.]
A chunk of land described by one observer as “the monster,” sold for $30 million at a courthouse auction in Collier County today. Up for bid was more than 2,000 acres that once was destined for a luxury golf course development by Toll Brothers, a nationally known builder. The record land sale became a record foreclosure. The final judgment in foreclosure exceeded $103.4 million. “We came to buy it and we did,” said George Bauer, the winning bidder. Bauer was the seller and the lender on the land. He held the mortgage and had a lien on the property, and he said he was prepared to bid all the way up to the judgment amount. There was one other bidder at the auction, who stopped at $28.5 million.
(2) The folks behind the quest to bring the Chicago Cubs to Collier County expect to know by early next week what the team will do about its spring training future. Craig Bouchard of Project Home Run believes word may come Monday or Tuesday whether the team will continue training in Mesa, Ariz., or move to Collier County.
"We think the Cubs may come out with a decision to choose either Naples-Collier County or Mesa, Arizona, to enter into an exclusive negotiating relationship," Bouchard said. ESPN Chicago reported Wednesday the Cubs will decide on one of two sites in East Mesa or one of three Naples sites by the end of next week. Mesa and Arizona officials are fighting to keep the Cubs. Mesa officials planned to meet Wednesday with Cubs president Crane Kenney and state lawmakers are drafting legislation to help keep the Cubs in Mesa. The efforts by Mesa and Arizona officials and the Cubs' economic impact demonstrates why it won't be easy to pry them from Arizona.
"They're going to bring some emergency legislation, trying to find volunteers from other Cactus League teams, as well as efforts from Mesa to raise enough money to build a new stadium for the Cubs," Bouchard said. In either Mesa or Collier County, the Cubs want a 15,000-seat stadium with practice fields. They're seeking a contract perhaps as long as 30 years. The Boston Red Sox signed a 30-year deal with Lee County in 2008. The Cubs want it surrounded by shops and restaurants - just as the planned new spring home in south Fort Myers that is being designed for the Red Sox. The Cubs, according to Project Home Run, would like to move their Class A Florida State League team from Daytona to the new stadium.