Cape Coral, FL

George and I moved to Cape Coral in 1996!

In the 1960’s, my mother saw an advertisement for a free flight to Florida. Developers were promoting the sale of single-family homes through the Gulf American Land Corporation. My parents flew down to look at the land, and on a whim my mother decided to purchase it. Plus, if they didn’t buy the land they’d have to pay for the flight, something my mother did not want to do. The Florida peninsula was called Cape Coral, boasting more canals than Venice, Italy.

Twenty years later in the 1980’s, my Uncle Al, a retired accountant, worked with the developers to build his and my parent’s house. He also got seventeen other New Jersey relatives to buy land and build houses on prime spots in Cape Coral.  

My parent’s house was a showplace compared to their tiny cottage in Plainfield, New Jersey. It had fountains, three bedrooms, two and a half baths, and a lap pool on the lanai. It was their dream house. My mother was the one who signed up for the land and my dad went along with it. She was the steady worker, the one paying off the mortgage. My dad acted like a big shot because of the house. He was still drinking and doing the best he could with his illnesses. (He did have an inheritance from his father who worked for Exxon.) My mom felt proud because she was the first of the relatives to buy the land and build a house. She really liked that! My parents were out of their New Jersey rut and were so happy.

George and I were living overseas during this time and flew over to see the house. I said: This is a mansion! It was like my parents had won the lottery. After that we flew to Florida to visit my parents regularly until we bought our own home there. 

Our life in Cape Coral was filled with my mom, Al-Anon, relatives on my dad’s side, and visits from grandchildren. The Real Bonnie was growing up in stages and the Cape Coral years were another stage. Becoming the Real Bonnie is an ongoing process that hasn’t stopped yet!

The photo is me with my parents in Cape Coral.

#willingtobecomereal

#asbonnieseesit