$1,100,000

This home is three blocks from the beach. Boca Ciega Bay is around the corner. Its two stories are supported by an array of concrete columns. From the second floor windows there are few obstructions, consequently, the air is cooler and the ambient light brighter. At certain times of the year, one can see the sun rise in the morning and set in the late afternoon. The open layout of the first floor lends itself to creativity. There is a small bedroom and a half-bath. In the kitchen everything is within easy reach. The cherry wood kitchen cabinets have automatic retractable draws. The back door of the first-floor winds down to a covered lanai and a swimming pool with Jacuzzi. Two bedrooms and two full bathrooms comprise the second floor. The master bedroom has a shower and a Jacuzzi. Five closets provide ample storage. The screened-in covered porch was added around seven years ago. It is laid out in two areas. The larger end of the porch has a cantilevered section that catches shore breezes during the day and land breezes in the evening. The second section of the porch is for dining. The architecture of the porch was intended to also draw one’s attention to the sky. With the electric porch screens raised, one can clearly imagine all the faces and creatures shapeshifting in the cumulus clouds, the same clouds that turn pink when the sun has set just below the horizon. From the front porch and the back porch one can follow the waning and waxing of the moon. The shortening arc of the sun signals the arrival of migratory birds, the starlings, the crows, the skimmers on the shore and the “Snowbirds.” In the mornings and again later in the afternoon, these visitors and the locals walk their dogs, stop to chat, and become acquainted. This casual friendliness reflects the social atmosphere of neighborhood. The white crane stalking lizards in the yard, the doves cooing on the porch railings, the pod of dolphins feasting on mullet near the sea wall, sea turtles hatching on the shore, the mockingbirds announcing the break of day, these are part of the natural surroundings of this home.