Blog entry #13

Blog Entry #13: What was your overall opinion of Estero Island Cottage and Matanzas Pass? What sights, sounds, and/or experiences stood out? Give concrete examples of how the local quality of life is being enhanced. How has your hometown changed since you were a child? Do you still feel a sense of community? If a developer offered you 300% the market value of your childhood home to develop into condos, would you take it? What if the county approached you about purchasing the land under the 20/20 program, for 80% of its market value?

I thought Estero Island Cottage was very informative. I loved our speaker we had at the cottage. She was super informative, and you could tell she was passionate about the history of the area. It was nice that she was around for a lot of the stuff she told us about. She was very nice and really adorable like a grandma. I had a very good time there. Matanzas pass was fun too. It was a lot of walking and i almost stepped on two crabs, but it was a good field trip. I learned a lot about the plants in the area. The mangroves stood out the most, they were all over the place. I also noticed a lot of crabs, there are always crab holes by mangroves. I think its nice that the community cared so much about the conservation of this little piece of land that was left. I also think its great that they give the school everything they need. The local quality of life is being enhanced with the rebuilding of matanzas pass. They made it look much better, cleaned it up, and got all the junkies out of it. It used to be full of hobos and drug addicts, so bad that there would be needles left all over the pathways. There is now less crime in the area, and less pollution. My hometown hasnt changed much since i was a child. It is a rural village in Michigan called Mattawan. There is still not much around, a few buildings popped up here and there but for the most part it is still pretty untouched. I always feel at home when i go there. Everyone knows everybody, its very "small town america". If i could live in my childhood home again i would, forever. I loved that house. My parents bought the land and had the home built on it. My dad finished the entire basement, and did all the landscaping. My best friend since i was three years old still lives next door to it. I would not sell if for anything, i dont care how much i was offered. The community would not allow condos to be built there either. It would mess with the whole feel of the town.