on the water

deck view of intracaostal — Looking north

Someone told us about Goodrich’s Seafood Restaurant while we were visiting the Oak Hill area a week or so ago, so we stopped in for lunch.

It’s a little, out-of-the way place that sits right on the Indian River / Mosquito Lagoon. They have indoor or outdoor seating, and we chose to sit outside on a picnic table. Even though the weather was very hot, the sea breeze kept it comfortable enough.

Unfortunately I was having stomach issues that day, so I had only the crab patty appetizer. I would have liked to order a real meal. My two sons were with me and they each had fish and chips. Everything was very good.

My younger son, who has grown up mostly in the northeast asked, “What are hushpuppies?” Poor thing, he’s led a sheltered life. The condiments and extra napkins were kept inside a fishing tackle box on the table, which added to the seaside atmosphere.

This place is really not so little… there are tables with thatched umbrellas, picnic tables, and other tables under the extended porch roof, as well as a bunch of indoor seating. The ladies room was super clean! I look forward to going back when I can really enjoy a nice meal.

deck dock seaside restaurant — Looking South

It appears that one could bring the boat right up and dock it to go inside and eat, but no one did that the day we were there.

outdoor dining by the Indian river — Indian River view from the deck of Goodrich’s restaurant

The historic site called “Seminole Rest” is just a bit farther south. In fact, if you look closely you can see the orange roofs of the two houses on the property among that background clump of trees in the picture above.

We did make a trip back and I got some food photos. Check out Goodrich’s online.

You may be interested in reading this article written by travel writer Bob Rountree who got a photo of a rare white pelican from his visit to this area. He also goes into more detail about this restaurant and surrounding area.

I am fortunate enough to be able to work from home, so where I choose to live doesn’t matter as long as I can hook up to the internet. It’s a nice feeling to realize work won’t dictate my address, since I will be working until the day I die.

Although I currently live in New Hampshire, I plan to have a Florida address at some point in my future for at least part of the year. I will probably become a “snow bird” and that sounds like a perfect fit for me. With grown kids living in the north and south, I can get the best of both worlds and cut out the long snowy winters by heading south, like so many older people do. I won’t be able to lug wood and shovel snow as I age, so why not enjoy fishing and waving to yachts from my dock during the winter?

My criteria for living in Florida is that water must be close by, if not right in front of my house. And I mean sea water. I would not want to live close to any Florida pond or lake. Lots of creepy and deadly things tend to gravitate to fresh water. Not only that, fresh water ponds tend to dry up completely in droughts and then you are no longer “water front” anyway.

Ocean front is expensive no matter where you want to live, but I am more interested in the calm waters of the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway). I don’t have big bucks so a small house with a dock would suit me fine. Those are not cheap either, but there is no harm in looking and the more info I gather, the better prepared I will be in the future to buy.

I once had a reader (of this blog) flip out at me for calling Sanibel Island “touristy”. I suppose everyone has a different thought about that word, because I did not mean it in a negative light. I meant that Sanibel has a lot of “visitors” who don’t live there. Isn’t that the definition of a tourist? In fact most of Florida is touristy. I lived there for most of my adult life – almost 30 years.

I have the advantage of knowing the area quite well, and can therefore choose the perfect spot from my “retirement” which won’t really be a retirement, but a working winter in the south. What are your plans for the future?