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This is a stylish and well maintained example of classic "Sarasota Modern" architectural design, with two bedrooms, each with private bath. It is sited on a large landscaped corner lot at the end of a quiet dead end street in one of "Venice Island’s" most attractive neighborhoods. Access to the beach is down a shaded private path right by the front door.
There is a well equipped kitchen, separate dining area, large living room, a light and airy "Florida Room", a private patio, and two-car garage. It has polished terrazzo floors throughout, and comes fully furnished with utensils, towels and linens, and your very own pink grapefruit tree -- our friendly neighbors think it bears the sweetest fruit for blocks around! The house has been in our family for over fifty years and is loaded with all the usual miscellanea of games, field guides, snorkel gear and even a kayak and bicycle. It was recently renovated and repainted, with new window drapes and matresses and is welcoming and ready for relaxed life by the beach.
Enjoy an early breakfast as you watch the sun lighting the morning sky and green-blue Gulf waters at the end of the palm and pine-bordered path. Then, coffee cup in hand, stroll down to the wide beach. Amble a short way south to the tidal creek - what’s new today? A flock of black skimmers or royal terns, a new loggerhead turtle nest just above the high tide mark, some fossil shark teeth strewn along the water’s edge by last night’s waves?
Later in the day perhaps it’s off to the library to check out the new books, or to Venice’s "downtown" shopping area, with its old-time feeling and multitude of shops, boutiques and little restaurants, from simple to stylish. Back home, now it’s almost dinnertime and soon the sun will be setting on the horizon - out beyond the end of the path. Let’s walk back down to the beach and see if it’s clear enough to see the ‘green flash’ just as the sun slips below the horizon.
Beach and Gulf: The path at the end of the driveway is a private easement shared with the rest of the Gulf Shores subdivision. There are many shorebirds to be seen and sometimes porpoises and even manatees. From May through August there will be loggerhead turtle nests along this stretch of beach, protected by yellow stakes placed by the volunteers of the early morning "turtle patrol". Year-round there are many shark’s teeth and other ancient fossils deposited where waves meet the beach.
Shopping: Just a few minutes away are convenient shopping centers for food and necessities and fine selections of wine and cheese, local vegetables, and an excellent meat market. And of course, there are many window-shopping and casual dining possibilities "downtown" along Venice Avenue and the side streets.
Fishing: For enthusiasts, the tarpon fishing a few hundred yards off shore along this stretch of coast between Boca Grande and Sarasota is world-famous from May to August, but for a reasonable chance of success local guides are available and recommended. With a fly rod or spinning gear one can expect to catch snook, ladyfish, jacks, Spanish mackerel and redfish along this beach and at the jetties -- depending on the season and the weather.
Golf: There are several excellent public golf courses in the area, including the beautiful Lake Venice Golf Club (worth a visit just to see the wild flock of colorful parakeets) less than a mile south of the house.
The house is available for rental on a monthly basis throughout the year. A one month security deposit is required. All utilities are included. Cable TV, high speed internet and unlimited local and long distance telephone service within the United States and Canada are available at cost. |
