Most Expensive Pair of “Free” Shoes…

Hey, does everyone know that we have a bit of a celebrity in our midst here on Sanibel Island?

I know, you’re probably thinking, “Only one?” and I would have to agree that Sanibel and Captiva are just full of creative, super-talented people, whether recognized “formally” or not.

But who I’m speaking of today is none other than our very own Derek Fell, now a contributing “illustrative artist/cartoonist” for the Sanibel-Captiva Islander.

Although Derek is extremely talented as an illustrator, he is also a visual genius in another area, and that is gardening and landscaping!  So much so that he’s written more than 60 books on the subject, most of which are listed on Amazon (if you’re interested).

Well, this leads me to the funny story behind the title of this post and that is, that Rob and I met Derek just shortly after he arrived to Sanibel a couple of years ago.  Rob had just purchased a new pair of running shoes and took off over lunch to break them in.

Upon returning, he complained that they were too small and that he couldn’t wear them comfortably and needed to now get a different “new” pair because these just wouldn’t work.

So, instead of tossing them in the trash (just kidding!) he decided to “donate” them to someone who had a smaller foot than he had and he placed them outside of our office on a ledge with a sign that read “If They Fit, They’re Yours”.

Lo and behold, Mr. Derek Fell happened upon them and thought that it was a joke, so he brought them into our office and we struck up a conversation.  He was not actually out that day looking for real estate, but rather just popping into a neighboring coffee shop for a quick cup o’ coffee when he saw the shoes.

Well, one thing led to another and he actually was in the market for a new home on the island. He and his wife, Carolyn, were planning to spend winters on Sanibel away from Pennsylvania, where the couple is from originally.

Derek ended up purchasing a home though Rob and I and we still joke with him to this day that “Those were the most expensive pair of “free” shoes that you’ve ever acquired!”  We are so grateful for synchronicities, otherwise we wouldn’t have met our now friends, Derek and his lovely wife, nor learned of his gardening/landscaping talent.

Derek is the perfect example of someone settling in a new location and bringing so much value to the community as a result.  Now that’s what you call a “win-win” for everyone!

You can certainly google “Derek Fell” for all of his links, but at least here’s the link to his landscaping website to get you started.

Have a great weekend!

Rob and Sandy

p.s.  Don’t forget to make your way over to our main website for all of your Sanibel and Captiva Island Real Estate needs.  See you soon!