Coastal Breeze News

The Art Boutique at Tin City needs to be on your must-see list. Tin City, where US 41 crosses the Gordon River in Naples, may not actually be considered off the beaten-path, but the Art Boutique sure feels like it is. It’s a zig and a zag off the 12th Street South entrance, and a perfect leap into a multitude of tropical perceptions and perspectives. The Boutique features the works of over 60 Collier County Artists. All offer a unique taste of life in Southwest Florida. From the serene to the whimsical, there are paintings, prints, pottery, photographs, driftwood art, ... Read More »

When you live in Goodland you become part of a story-telling culture. Often times these stories are unbelievable, yet as we say here in Goodland, “You can’t make this s#&@ up!” I recently heard a story regarding molestation of a stone crab trap and was convinced that it must be a joke. I decided to do my research and learned that not only is it a real issue but it is a very serious one. I was able to meet with some of Goodland’s local stone crabbers who filled me in on all the details relating to this topic and ... Read More »

I’m not talking about the birthstone for September. (Although I should be, this column is supposed to be about jewelry!) I’m writing this column while viewing the sapphire blue water of the Mediterranean from another place my wife and I also consider Paradise: Mallorca. An island jewel off the coast Spain, with steep mountains and private beaches, Mallorca is the largest of the Balearic Islands. Andrea and I originally cancelled our annual jewelry/gift-buying trip to Europe where it would appear to most that we roam aimlessly through Germany, Holland, France, Italy and finally Spain for some R and R. Over ... Read More »

One of the most important holidays in the Islamic world is coming up in November. It is called the Festival of Eid-El-Adha in Arabic and Kurban Bayrami (Sacrifice Holiday) in Turkish. The festival celebrates the Biblical and Kur’anic account of Abraham’s near-sacrifice of his son on Mount Moriah, proving Abraham’s complete obedience to God. In the story, God stays Abraham’s hand at the last moment and provides a ram for sacrifice instead, praising Abraham for his faithfulness. Following this tradition, the head of each Muslim household hopes to sacrifice one or more sheep or ram according to his financial standing ... Read More »

Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Death of Mr. E. J. Watson On Sunday, October 24, 2:30 p.m., at the Smallwood Store in Chokoloskee (the actual date, time and place of Mr. Watson’s demise), the re-enactment of The Killing of Mr. Watson, will be presented. The play is based on the best-selling novel by Peter Matthiessen, published in 1990. The Smallwood Store and Museum will be commemorating the 100th anniversary of this event. It was just after the hurricane in 1910 that the townspeople gathered at Ted Smallwood’s trading post and waited for Mr. Watson to arrive by boat. Who was Mr. ... Read More »

When Val, my most charming publisher, asked me to write about a lawyer who lives on the Isle of Capri, named Jeremiah Eliason, I was, to put it mildly, underwhelmed. Yet, true to Val’s uncanny ability to smell a good story, I could not get enough of this young man. “I have always wanted to be a lawyer,” Jeremiah told me. “Even from a young age, I felt that I had the knack for systems of governance and order, and the law is where the rubber meets the road in our free society. It was also important for me to ... Read More »

A new environmental addition to the City of Marco Island’s Mackle Park was installed on Wednesday, October 6, 2010. An American Osprey pole with nest platform was erected courtesy of Lee County Electric Cooperative (LCEC) for Boy Scout Ricky Grootveld’s Eagle Scout project. Ricky Grootveld, 16 years old and a Lely High School junior, was “happy and excited” to see the hole drilled and the 45-foor pole erected by LCEC, and to see his design and his effort come to fruition. He said he has always worked side by side with his Dad and that is how he knew how ... Read More »

Our local Collier County history normally starts with: W.T. Collier and his family traveling by schooner down the coast, settling on Marco Island in 1870, finding four black squatters on the Island and paying their way to Ft. Myers. In addition Collier reported finding no white person living between Punta Rassa (the point of land that is now the east side of the Sanibel Island causeway) and Marco. John Weeks near Chokoloskee was said to be the only person living at that time between Marco Island and Key West. The above description is typically provided to show how isolated Southwest ... Read More »

Read More »

Oom Pah Pah Oom Pah Pah played the Northern Sounds band from Ocala, Florida, as local residents and visitors basked in the warm sunshine enjoying the Oktoberfest party at the Esplanade on Sunday, October 17. Some folks danced, some strolled from table to table, and some sat in the shade listening to the music, and enjoying the beautiful October weather and the goings-on around them. Sponsors the YMCA, Affordable Landscaping, the Marco Eagle, and Whitman Industries, brought Northern Sounds back for this year’s Oktoberfest—they had received such a great response when they played at the 2008 event– because of the ... Read More »

By Amber Prange and Stephanie Purcel Marco Island Charter Middle School’s 7th and 8th grade Girls’ Volleyball Team 2 participated in First Baptist Academy’s Lion’s Den Volleyball Tournament on October 1st and 2nd. The girls played five grueling matches against First Baptist Academy, the Community School of Naples, and Seacrest Country Day School. The MICMS Eagles finished third in the tournament. Coaches Amber Prange and Stephanie Percel could not be any happier with the girls’ performance, “They played extremely well; we are so proud! Each player contributed to our successes. This tournament allowed them an opportunity to play a lot of volleyball ... Read More »

Well, the bicycle industry’s yearly “inter-bike” show held in Las Vegas has come to an end. Now we, as bicycle retailers, will soon know what the new products are and, more importantly, what the new 2011 bicycles will bring. Yes, much like automobiles, bicycles have model years as well. A lot of people always find it strange that bikes change every year. As much as the “safety bicycle” (crank and pedals attached with a chain to power the rear wheel), has not changed since H.J. Lawson made it in 1874, a lot of other technologies have changed with the bicycle ... Read More »

No, I’m not writing about the price of equipment, travel, or even tennis lessons. In this particular case, I’m talking about the mental aspect of the game of tennis. Too often, inexperienced players fail to realize the importance of each and every point and thus, make foolish errors. Every time a tennis player extends rallies, they are putting in nice deposits in their account. In order to ‘reach’ my students, I stress how expensive points are and they should not throw away their money by making poor decisions on court. Clearly, tennis coaches, who watch their teenage stars during match ... Read More »

All of us who have sailboats have been in this situation at one time or other: Our non-boating friends who have never been aboard would like to go for a quick day sail. Sailing looks so easy and restful to the uninitiated. They can’t imagine what is involved to get the boat moving and how to get it to stop. Whenever we have taken non-sailors aboard, we try to give them a quick course in “sailing.” Also, we make sure we have a life jacket for each person aboard. First, we tell them “don’t do anything” unless we ask them. ... Read More »

We are approaching one of my absolute favorite seasons here in the 10,000 Islands and Everglades National Park! My reasons are numerous and I could go on forever describing them, but some of the highlights are: 1) Mild weather patterns with little rain, lower humidity, and light winds, 2) Fish are actively searching and feeding on the huge bait pods just off the coastal beaches, 3) Daytime temperatures are comfortably hovering in the high 70’s to low 80’s, 4) Migratory birds are arriving in mass quantities for the winter……. and the list goes on! With the change of seasons, comes ... Read More »

by Elizabeth Berg Published by Random House, New York, 2009 From the first chapter I knew I was going to like this book. Helen is a fifty-nine year old widow who is learning to cope on her own for the first time in her life. Tessa, her twenty-nine year old daughter shows her irritation for Helen’s meddling and interfering in her life by rolling her eyes and starting every conversation with “Mom, Mom – Stop!” Helen perceives what she is doing as being helpful, being a good mother and giving good counsel. People use the word co-dependent when they describe ... Read More »

Oliver Stone has brought back Gordon Gecko (Michael Douglas) in “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.” It’s at once a sequel, a parody, and an effort to bring about at least a partial apology for the “Greed is Good Gecko.” This movie has ups, downs, excellent acting, a few cameos, including a very amusing one by Charlie Sheen, and splendid photography. Is it realistic? No. Is it good entertainment? Yes. There’s a sort of ambivalence about Gecko as he is released from prison and sets about on his rehabilitation and restoration of his relationship with his daughter Winnie (Carey Mulligan). Gecko ... Read More »

November is American Diabetes Month More than half of the 16 million Americans estimated to have diabetes are over the age of 60. Of those over 65, according to a NIH study, almost 1 in 5 has Type 2 diabetes. Although this disease is very common, it is also very serious; however, it can be managed and is sometimes preventable, but certain group-specific characteristics present new challenges to health care professionals treating older adults with diabetes due to age-related impairment of cells in the pancreas, loss of lean tissue and accumulation of fat, particularly intra-abdominal fat, and a decreased tissue ... Read More »

By Pat Holmes The Kiwanis Club of Marco Island held its installation dinner for the 2010-2011 officers on Sunday, October 17, 2010, at DaVinci’s Restaurant. Dignitaries of Kiwanis International in attendance included Lt. Governor Marty Rondeau and his wife Cheryl, past International President Brian Cunat and his wife Miki Cunat, and Gov. Elect  Illinois/Eastern Iowa District Mel Peterson and his wife Betty. Music was provided by Gary & Keri. The new board consists of John Coff, President, Donna Niemczyk, Past President, Mary Vitiello and Dennis Pidherny, Secretary, Bryan Hauser, Treasurer, Rondi Hauser, Pat Hagedorn, Gina Sisbarro, Mary & Dan Benedict ... Read More »

As is typical of the evening sky for two weeks each month, the Moon washes out the dimmest stars tonight. Three stars it won’t wash out, however, are Deneb, Altair and Vega – members of the Summer Triangle. These three bright stars are among the brightest in the northern hemisphere and are riding very high in the western sky tonight about 30 degrees apart. The name Summer Triangle is something of a misnomer; it is easily visible well into November. As stars go, Altair and Vega are close neighbors of the Sun, being only 16 and 25 light years away ... Read More »