Coastal Breeze News

By Joan Kelly Dressed in Christmas attire and ringing bells, on Saturday, December 10th, Marco Lutheran Church members continued a 20-year tradition of Christmas caroling around the island on the Marco Trolley. The ad hoc choir visited seven homes, traveling from one end of the island to the other, singing all the way. Various familiar sacred and secular songs were sung on the bus while the group moved from one home to the next during the two hour tour. Only one rule applied: no Christmas song can be sung twice while on board. In good humor and while on the ... Read More »

Christmas Island Style held its annual Holiday Salute to Vets Concert at Marco Island Charter Middle School on December 7th. The event featured Lely High School Color Guard, the Marco Island Charter Middle School Jazz Band with the evening’s guest speaker retired Lieutenant Colonel William Howey. Local veterans and VFW members attended the event. The night held special meaning being held on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor. The evening was sponsored by Coastal Breeze News and filmed in its entirety by a member of the Marco Island Optimists Junior Journalist Club. The entire event can be seen on MarcoIsland-TV.com. Click ... Read More »

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light, I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight. My wife was asleep, her head on my chest, My daughter beside me, angelic in rest. Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white, Transforming the yard to a winter delight. The sparkling lights in the tree I believe, Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve. My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep, Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep. In perfect contentment, or so it would seem, So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream. The sound wasn’t ... Read More »

By Joan Kelly Six hundred and fifty Manatee Elementary School children were given hand-made Christmas stockings made by several ladies from the Verona Walk community. Members of Marco Lutheran Church assisted in stocking distribution on December 8th. The stockings were filled with toys, hygiene products, crafts, candy and, most importantly, a book telling the true meaning of Christmas, that every person should feel he or she is loved. “This is a good example of community and church coming together for Christmas,” said Woody Voelker, chair of Marco Lutheran Church Outreach Committee. All items were purchased through donations made by local ... Read More »

By Val SImon Keller Williams recently held its Third Annual Inspiration Celebration. The event is potluck-style with each agent bringing an item. But it’s so much more than the sharing of food. It’s about appreciating the inspiration others give. This year’s theme was INSPIRE-to be the change you want to see. Sonia Telusnord, Volunteer Coordinator for Habitat for Humanity kicked off the slate of speakers by thanking the agents for over 350 volunteers hours they logged working at Habitat for Humanity. The house built by their effort was given to a Collier County resident, a single mother caring for a ... Read More »

By Yvette Benarroch Roof rats (Rattus rattus) are the worst rodent pest in the state of Florida and most abundant. They are an introduced species of rat native to southern Asia. They were brought to America on the first ships to reach the New World and have spread around the world. They are associated with having spread the bubonic plague during the Middle Ages and are also the reservoir host for murine typhus. They are also known as the black rat, gray rat, citrus rat, fruit rat or palm rat. What do roof rats look like? Adult rats are 12 ... Read More »

Sandy Moore, a Finance Department employee for the City of Marco Island received the Employee of the Month Award at the City Council meeting held December 6th.  Council Chair, Frank Recker along with Patricia Bliss, Director of Finance, presented the award to Sandy. Read More »

By Holly Benedict Author Inspired to Feature His Home-Away-From-Home in His Newest Work of Fiction In John Dandola’s A Beckoning Wind, the fourth of his Jeffrey Devereaux-Kirsten Eriksson mystery novels, the action shifts from the series’ usual New England locale to the Gulf Coast of southwest Florida—specifically Marco Island. Like Dandola’s previous three Wind mystery novels, Wind of Time, Wicked is the Wind, and The Unbound Wind, this newest entry makes the very early exploration of America a part of the plot. The synopsis: As a teacher, Jeffrey Devereaux is finding his professional life increasingly burdened with tension, friction, and needless bureaucracy. When the incompetent ... Read More »

by Natalie Strom A few weeks ago I was formally busted by a Collier County Park Ranger. The Ranger caught me walking my dog through Mar-Good Harbor Park, which is county-owned. The park was once privately owned and was used as an RV park, bar and Goodland museum. It was a gathering place for the community. The lot was sold to the county and designated as a Collier County Park to avoid the building of condos and to allow the community to use it as they pleased. It is now a beautiful open field which holds an abandoned building and ... Read More »

By Capt. Carl Kelly Well, you’ve got the RRR rule figured out, Red Right Returning. And, you know that it is not always intuitive whether you are returning or not. You know you need to check the charts. So, you get on the ICW, the grand old Intracoastal Waterway, some parts of which are lovingly called The Ditch, and you find that RRR doesn’t seem to be working for you. Something’s funky. That’s because Red Right Returning doesn’t apply to the ICW since the ICW runs along the coast between the passes and RRR covers only passes, places where you ... Read More »

by Capt. Pete Rapps I moved to Southwest Florida in 1989 from a cozy little town in the Pocono Mountains of Northeast Pennsylvania.  I graduated from college with a degree in building construction, and was looking to relocate to an area that was experiencing rapid growth and had opportunities in the residential construction field.  I saw an article in Money Magazine that had just rated Naples, Florida as the #1 town in the US for growth.  It was then that I made the move. In 1989, not long after arriving here in Collier County, I researched and read a little ... Read More »

The score in the big doubles match is thirty-forty; the first big break-point in the contest and the receiver attempts an impossible stroke down the alley and misses badly. In this particular example, the returner had no business attempting such a difficult shot but apparently did not realize this problem at the time of his delivery. If there was one commonality in my life, it would be that I have observed (coached) thousands of matches over the last forty-five years; too often inexperienced tennis players continually go against the odds and attempt risky shots. Clearly, most tennis players buckle under ... Read More »

At that beginning of last summer I wrote an article on how to stay cool when you ride your bicycle in the warm summer months. Well I am not sure about the rest of you, but when it gets below 60 degrees outside, I am cold, I guess being born and raised in Boston didn’t stick to my bones to well or I was a true Floridian all along, either way I need to be warm especially when I am riding my bike in these chilly days. So I thought well let me give a few ideas on how to ... Read More »

by Frances Diebler When you are cruising long distances for several years, you have the opportunity to experience the traditions of other countries and cultures. When Herm and I first left our home in Connecticut for an open ended trip southward to Florida, Bahamas, Eastern Caribbean, Western Caribbean, Trinidad to Venezuela, we had an open itinerary. The first leg of our trip took us to Fort Lauderdale where we spent Christmas aboard GRENDEL. By coincidence we ran into long time sailing friends we had not seen in a long while. Together we prepared a feast aboard our boat GRENDEL. After ... Read More »

by Tara O’Neill When I was a tiny girl I spent an entire afternoon watching my grandfather pen illustrations and designs on what seemed like a mile of butcher paper. He unrolled about 4 feet at a time over our dining room table and drew with a great flourish of the hand. I was absolutely mesmerized and it was hours before I thought to ask him why he was doing this. “I’m making wrapping paper,“ he replied. “Oh, Grandpa,” says I, “you can buy that now.” “Tara Margaret,” he stopped drawing and directed his blue eyes straight at my own, ... Read More »

Book Remarks by Joanne Tailele Published by Bantam Dell, New York 2001 and 2004. Choosing how and when to celebrate Christmas is a personal matter. Or so Luther and Nora Krank thought before they decided to just skip it all together. Heading for Peru for a year in the Peace Corps, daughter Blair would spend her first Christmas away from home. Without Blair to share the holidays, it all seemed less joyous and festive. Luther had calculated that last year the holidays had cost them $6100 and what did they have to show for it? On a whim, Luther stopped ... Read More »

This column is the opinion of a 3 year old African Grey Parrot named “Simba” who has an extremely high intelligence level. While he does not possess a degree from any college or university, he does have a strong opinion of himself and feels that he is the best candidate to answer the complex questions of today’s discerning pets…and the humans they own… Dear Simba, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and your family. I want to start by thanking you for the informative and knowledgeable column you are providing for the community and their adored animal family members. ... Read More »

by Richard Alan Hey guys, heads up… this is your two minute warning. Gift giving time for your special someone will be here sooner than you think, and if you are a working stiff like I am and the time gets away from us before you know it it’s Christmas Eve. Then reality sets in or should I say panic sets in. I totally blew it last year, and on Christmas morning the temperature towards me was colder around my tree in my living room than it was in the woods of Siberia from my lack of planning. I’m a ... Read More »

by Patricia Huff ‘Tis the season and it’s been frightfully cold outside. For those of us who have suffered through the long hot days of summer, this early winter season is even chillier than we would like. Winter residents have said that it doesn’t feel like the holidays in south Florida when we don’t experience snow; well, now it does! Someone reminded me the other day of why I love living in Everglades City. I was in our local post office, sending off some early Christmas gifts when I noticed someone waiting patiently in line behind me. I apologized for ... Read More »

by Mike Usher For some reason the brightest stars in the sky make their appearance in the winter. We already met Betelgeuse and Rigel last time; now extend the line formed by Orion’s belt stars upwards to find Aldebaran. It is the orange eye of Taurus the Bull who seems to be forever fighting Orion. Turn your gaze to the left to find the bright star Capella, commonly nicknamed the goat star as ancient artists depicted Auriga holding a goat. Drop back towards the horizon to see two about equally bright stars Castor and Pollux, part of Gemini. To the ... Read More »