Coastal Breeze News

by Barbara Delinsky Published by Doubleday, New York 2008 Deborah hates rain. When she heads out to pick up her teenage daughter, Grace, from a friend’s party, she is already dreading the drive. Visibility is poor even on the best of nights. Why did they have to live so far out of town where there are no street lights? To top it all off, on the way home Deborah and Grace are arguing. That was something they never did before Greg left. That fateful night will change the course of life for both mother and daughter and eventually affect the ... Read More »

If you talk to enough “sales” people, you’ll get a goodly share of opinions as to the meaning of “staging.” While I can’t equate the term with marketing, it is a function of it. Most recently the term has been associated with real estate; but the term or practice has been part of the selling process since I was first allowed to go to the store without my “mommy.” Some call it staging while others may use another term. The bottom line is that it’s a process or procedure intended to better market a product or service. I know this ... Read More »

Last week, two seemingly separate items caught my eye. One was “nationalization” of the building of the mosque/Islamic Center near WTC Ground Zero issue. The other was two pamphlets I received at home via the US Postal Service. These two events prompted me to expand my view of the situation. It has been almost four weeks since I wrote an article on the mosque which an Islamic group, called “Cordoba Project,” is trying to build insensitively close to Ground Zero. I received many emails supporting my position, and some questioning my logic. After considering the varying points of view, I ... Read More »

A few weeks ago I wrote about basic provisioning for a local boating trip. However, there are many cruisers who cruise outside of the United States. These kinds of trips offer many different kinds of provisioning from modern supermarkets, to open air markets found on every island, as in Trinidad, for example. Be prepared for many foods such as fruits, vegetables and meats to be familiar, as well as some things to be completely foreign to you. We here in Florida do get imported fruits, meats, and vegetables and are accustomed to many of them. Two familiar ones are Chorizo, ... Read More »

Most retail jewelers will consider this question an easy way to suffocate a sale, but nevertheless it is an intelligent question. What would be expected to be a rare or expensive gemstone has changed over the centuries. We all know the four basic precious gemstones: the king of kings, the diamond; and then, of course, the ruby; the emerald; and the sapphire. Guess what? The playing field has changed. Today there are gemstones that are actually more expensive than diamonds! For example, rare Russian alexandrite can fetch tens of thousands of dollars per carat and can exceed the cost of ... Read More »

I remember it like it was yesterday. Ten days of freezing temperatures in January killed hundreds of thousands of Snook around the state. Down here in the Ten Thousand Islands and the Everglades National Park, I saw shallow backwater bays literally white in color from “belly-up” Snook. Since then, sure, we have been catching Snook again, but nowhere near as many prior to the mass extermination this winter. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) recently announced that they are extending the emergency Snook fishing closure, implemented after last January’s freeze, temporarily until September 16. The extension of the ... Read More »

Located on the Mediterranean Sea in the northeast corner of Spain, Barcelona is a culturally diverse, artistically rich city; contemporary, yet rife with medieval sights. It is the capital of Catalonia, an autonomous region of Spain. The Catalans like to think of themselves as somewhat independent of Spain; it is not uncommon to see graffiti that teases, “Spaniards go home”. Residents prefer to speak Catalan, but all of them also speak and understand Castilian Spanish and many also speak English. Locations are often known by both Catalan and Spanish names. Barcelona has been the home to Miro, Picasso, and a ... Read More »

The Artist Colony at the Esplanade held its third “People’s Choice” Art Walk on Wednesday, July 28th from 5-8pm and voted Tracy Gudgel from Waterfront Studios & Gallery the overall winner for the third time, WOW!!! Loyal patrons of the colony once again enjoyed an evening of food, fun and art. There were colorful interpretations entered in the “People’s Choice” event, as well as the current works of art on display in each gallery. The galleries treated the art lovers to light refreshments, music and artistic specials by CJ’s on the Bay, Tara’s Steak & Lobster House, Starbuck’s, Stone Cold Creamery and Rick’s Island Salon. “We ... Read More »

There are new spaces to fill at City Hall. If your transportation has low emission, uses alternative fuel or is a hybrid vehicle, then there are two front row parking spaces at City Hall dedicated just for you! Look for the signs stating “Parking for Low Emission Alternative Fuel and Hybrid Vehicles Only” and you have found your space at City Hall. With so many sporty attractive smaller vehicles on the market, the first step to better fuel efficiency and saving money is simply downsizing the vehicle. There are more and more options now for fuel efficiency, alternative fuel use ... Read More »

Marco Island Historical Society meets Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Rose History Auditorium in our own new museum complex on Marco Island. 7 p.m. Open Social Hour. 7:15 Brief MIHS Meeting, Craig Woodward Docent Recognition. 7:30 Speaker Introduction: Jerry Masters. 7:35 History of the Fakahatchee: Marya Repko. Contact Jerry Masters 239-394-3917. Marya moved to Everglades City in 2000 to retire from the computer business. She was fascinated with the little planned town in the middle of the swamp and because she grew up in a Village in Connecticut that was even smaller and more remote. She became a volunteer at the ... Read More »

JACKSONVILLE – To keep kids and adults safe when riding their bikes along the many streets, sidewalks and trails of Jacksonville and across the entire state, the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida (EFOF) is offering free helmets to Florida families. The helmets will help prevent head injury, which is a leading cause of epilepsy and seizure disorders, especially in children. About 360,000 Floridians are diagnosed with epilepsy or other seizure disorders. Nationally, seizure-related injuries kill more than 42,000 Americans each year. The EFOF also provides important information to order a helmet that fits correctly, as well as offering a variety of bike-riding safety ... Read More »

“Learning the Art of Raku” will be taught by visiting artist, Annabelle Johnson & Richard Rosen, at the Art League, Marco Island’s Center for the Arts, 1010 Winterberry, Marco Island. The session begins August 31 and runs for 5 weeks, ending on September 28. Classes will be held Tuesday and Thursday 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. (*On September 14 class will be 12:30 p.m. -5:30 p.m.) Pre-registration is required. The program is free to Marco Island resident children and is open to 4th to 8th Grade Students. Through their collaborative efforts, the Art League, Marco Island’s Center for the Arts and ... Read More »

The Arts Advisory Committee of Marco Island has produced a brochure intended to highlight the City’s growing art collection, and to provide an Arts Guide and map for visitors to the City. The colorful brochure contains a map showing the location of the City’s public art, as well as the locations of galleries, both public and private, arts education facilities and Marco Island’s Artist Colony. Marco Island has a number of public sculptures and installations, as well as a terrific photo collection, paintings, and stained glass, but they are not easily discovered by the public. With the brochure as a ... Read More »

Several years ago my wife and I ventured up to New York City for R and R. Two dear Marco Island friends (I wonder whether they still are after that trip?) were with us, and Honorable Son flew in from Los Angeles where he is a talent agent. We enjoyed shows and fine Manhattan dining, and all went well until some wag suggested that I show everyone where I grew up. My protest was heard all the way to The Bronx. (Note: it’s never “Bronx.” It’s always “The Bronx.” Apparently the borough was named after a Dutch settler, perhaps named ... Read More »

First Title and Abstract, Inc., which has been in business in Collier County since 1978, announced that they recently acquired the assets of the Marco Island title company, Signature Title including all of its employees, files, and closings. Long time Marco attorney and Vice-President of First Title & Abstract, Inc., Craig Woodward said, “We are very excited to announce the addition of Beth Murphy to our staff here at First Title & Abstract of Marco Island. Beth brings over 15 years of experience, local market knowledge and superior customer service to our office. By incorporating Signature Title into our operation ... Read More »

On Sunday 8/22/2010 at 10:24 a.m., the Ramirez family welcomed their second son into the world. At 6 lbs. 13 ounces, 19.5 inches long and a full head of hair, the baby was named Jadon Horace Ramirez. Congratulations to Nelson and his family. Read More »

The City of Marco Island Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) will conduct a Disaster Drill on Wednesday August 25, 2010, at Fire Station 51 located at 751 East Elkcam Circle beginning at 1 p.m. For the first time, the students of this CERT course are City employees who will further use this training to serve the community in emergency situations. This Disaster Drill culminates a four week course in which the City employee’s learned first aid, mass casualty triage, radio communications, incident / scene safety and fire extinguisher operation. For further information, please contact Steve Fickling, CERT Coordinator at 239-398-3105 ... Read More »

In early may of this year, Albert “Tony” Almeida, head of P.R. for the Southwest Florida Concierge and Guest Services Association, was shackled, handcuffed and shot twice by a disgruntled former employee at the Inn at the Springs in Bonita Springs, where he worked as hotel concierge. Almeida, who is still going through recovery and is wheel chair bound, will be participating in a kayak tour that will be hosted by Swamp Explorers for the CGSA this Tuesday, August 24. Rick Cruz of Swamp Explorers said, “We found it remarkable that this man has gone through so much and has ... Read More »

Are you a night owl and looking for something to do? Would you like to howl at the moon? Paddle boarders and kayakers are invited to join in for the Full Moon Paddle, August 24th meeting at South Beach parking lot around 11 p.m. The group will paddle to the Marriott beach and back. For more information call 394-5544. Read More »

Chief Thom Carr, School Resource Officer Al Schettino and Crossing Guard Lois Gunter would like everyone to take a few moments and consider the following important safety information pertinent to the upcoming school year. The Marco Island Police Department is seeking to make the transition back to school a safe one for the students of Tommie Barfield Elementary (TBE), Marco Island Charter Middle School (MICMS), Winterberry Christian Academy, Island Montessori Academy and all other private pre-schools and educational intuitions. Residential streets surrounding the schools become increasingly congested during the mornings and afternoons (typical times for arrival and dismissal). Creating an ... Read More »