A good number of us, of course, are here at World Headquarters taking care of you and your requests! And Adam, Ian and Colby are at Migis, maintaining and improving the physical plant and fine tuning those accommodation details for your comfort. We love being in Maine year round, calling it home, and are happy to extol its beauties to all comers. The vast reaches of forest, the many miles of craggy, rocky coast, the numerous inland lakes of all sizes, the mountainous terrain; all soaring and majestic.
But still in my heart is the Florida of my childhood; bare feet, running through sprinklers, blooming hibiscus bushes, temperate salt water for swimming, Spanish moss dripping from the trees. Life in shorts and flip flops.
Manasota Beach Club by Jacobina Trump
Some of our adventurous Migis staffers head south after you folks leave us in the fall, and go to work at the Manasota Beach Club, a hidden treasure of a resort on Florida’s Gulf Coast. It is, to my thinking, the ultimate un-Disney, a heavenly respite from the concrete and interstates, and a return to the Florida of tropics and simplicity. Think bald eagles, dolphins, sea turtles, mangroves, shark’s teeth, oyster shell paths, hibiscus, blue heron, snowy egrets, live oaks, sea grapes. The Buffum family’s business mission has always carefully balanced renovation with preservation, so the entire property illustrates the value of both. Main building with dining room and gathering areas, multiple cottages named for the resident birds in their natural habitat, spectacular sunsets………….hmmmm. Photo albums, even. Tennis, swimming, canoeing…does any of this ring a bell?
Jeff, our sous chef at Migis, has been working winters at MBC since 2006 and enjoys putting together menus and dishes with some similarity to those at Migis, with a tropical touch from local providers. He says he enjoys the seasonal work and travel, though it’s not for everyone, and looks forward to his off time for fishing and scuba diving.
Scottie, a Maine guy who loves his snowboarding, uses his off time for surfing, skimboarding on his Zap board, bike riding and snorkeling with his new underwater camera. He works primarily breakfast and lunch, so has an early morning ritual that involves coming out to the MBC “island of palms” for a few minutes of early sun and quiet after starting a few things in the kitchen. He says the Manasota folks are very complimentary about the ‘absolutely great’ food, and likes to make use of grouper, red snapper and tilapia, for instance.
Tanner, who you see in the summer as one of our cabin stewards, is new to Florida and is working in the MBC kitchen this winter, and riding bikes all over. Eddie, who also works in the Migis kitchen, has been at MBC for several winters and has enjoyed showing Tanner around. There was talk of riding back to Migis, but when the mileage stretched to 2600 miles (via the East coast greenway) those plans were put on hold for a bit!
Buffy Crampton is continuing her family’s tradition of operating a comfortable, service oriented eco-friendly vacation getaway, and we at Migis Lodge salute her and are pleased to be on similar, while geographically distant, paths with her. If you look forward to your Migis visits, go have a look at Manasota when you are in the South!
For more info, see manasotabeachclub.com, or call 941-474-2614. And here’s link to an article from a while back.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20110201/ARTICLE/110209998
Can’t wait to get my feet in that salt water again!
Mary
