2/17/2022Port Charlotte, Fort Meyers, FL

 2/17/2022

John and Yvonne have quite a variety of tropical and other plants on their property, including a papaya tree, various succulents, bouganvillea, and more; as well as a small vegetable garden!  And Yvonne has lots of gorgeous orchids.

We decide to go out for Breakfast on our way to Fort Meyers, so stop at a Cracker Barrel for some great french toast!  

We arrive in Fort Meyers where we'll visit the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford winter estates. There are lovely gardens and a nursery with plants for sale near the entrance.  

This banyan and other trees are incredible!  Some of them were grown in a search for a material to replace rubber during the war.

Look at this huge stag horn fern behind us!

 We opt for the self-guided tour which allows us to roam the properties and read the abundant signage.  There are quite a few visitors, but they are spread over a large area so it doesn't seem crowded.

The two men were friends and their houses with acreage are next door to each other.  They were state of the art at the time they were built, incorporating water systems, electricity, and even an early above-ground concrete swimming pool.

 Other buildings including caretaker's home and laboratories and workshops are also on display.

Edison's home was originally built in 1886, and was restored in 2007 to its 1929 appearance. The original 14 acres were bought for $2750.

The homes are on the Caloosahatchee River and you can see the remains of the pier where materials and visitors arrived.

 Ford home was built in 1911 and added to.  It had an interesting set of "House Rules" which included "Do Not interfere with the black snakes under the porch - they are there for a reason."  Interesting, because John and Yvonne also have a resident black snake at their house and feel the same - though Yvonne is NOT a fan.

After walking around the grounds and houses, we paused for a drink, then visited the museum across the street where many of their inventions are on display. 

Thomas Edison had 1,093 US patents - more than any other American inventor.  I liked this quote.

Back to Port Charlotte and we decide to try a little Florida Barbq.   It was tasty, but Greg and I prefer our Texas style.

We played a game called "Marbles", which was fun, even though the men won.