Coastal Breeze News

By Tarik Ayasun It is 5 AM Saturday morning on Marco Island, March 19, 2011. Everything is still, there is a full moon over the Island and other than some distant sirens, it is absolutely quiet. My Rhapsody music program is in full swing and I am listening to Frankie Lymon singing “Only fools fall in love”… Life is good; I say to myself and watch a newspaper truck deliver the Saturday paper. I walk out and pick up the paper. All of a sudden I find myself in Sendai, Japan. It is the aftermath of a devastating earthquake and an ... Read More »

The Marco Island Historical Society honored Marco’s Marvelous Mothers, complete with proper period fashion and a formal tea in Rose Hall Auditorium. Each model represented a famous female figure important to the development of Marco Island as we know it today. Emcee, Edward Miracco, brought Marco Island’s rich history to life with intriguing real life stories about the impacts each Marvelous Mother made to our history and the hardships they endured while doing it. Models included, Mary Lou Jankowski who portrayed Maggie Collier, the first wife of Captain Bill Collier. Maggie and Captain Bill had five daughters and 3 sons ... Read More »

By Vickie Kelber Seville is the quintessential Andalusian city and, for me, the most alluring. Perhaps because of the time of year we were there (read on to find out more), it also was the most formal city I have ever visited in terms of well dressed men and women. The tradition of siesta is honored here; at 2:00 PM everything, including the major department store, closes for two hours. Although Seville is a bustling commercial city, the old town, Centro Historico, is compact and easily explored on foot. Its centerpiece is the truly impressive Gothic cathedral, one of the ... Read More »

By Carole Jean Tremblay Do UFOs really exist? Well, if they do, then they are obviously from a place harboring an intelligent life form much more advanced than we are, since they succeeded in sending a machine to another planet, and even into another solar system—and presumably get it back. So what should we do if they come to visit? First of all, we’d want to know if the UFO’s are drones, unmanned—that is uncreatured—vehicles, or if they’re inhabited. If they are drones, are they armed? Can we capture them? If we do snare one, can we get inside? Would ... Read More »

The Kiwanis Club of Marco Island’s Thursday breakfast meeting was dedicated to honoring the Terrific Kids of Manatee Elementary and Tommie Barfield Elementary schools. Along with proud parents of the children, the principals of both school’s attending the meeting. T-shirts, certificates and magic pencils were given to this month’s group of outstanding children by Gayle Thawley and Gina Sisbarro. The 5th grader, Arellys Arce Perez and 3rd grader, Brissa Ruiz, from ME both hope to be veterinarians. Dominic Moller, 3rd grader at TBE, plans to be a sports star as he does well in football, basketball & baseball. Emily Boxma, ... Read More »

By Joanne Tailele The tremors from the recurring earthquakes rattled her more now than they had in the ten years she had lived in Japan. Lucy Jarett blamed it on being recently unemployed–too much time on her hands. When she received conflicting emails from her mother and her brother Blake about a car accident her mother had been in, she decided it was a time to make the trip home to the Finger Lakes of New York to the little rural town of The Lake of Dreams. At home, she discovers a letter to her great-grandfather about a young girl named ... Read More »

By Joane Tailele After every book club meeting I come home exhilarated by the conversation and the camaraderie. The beauty of most conversations is that we don’t all agree. We rate the books twice, from a 1-5, with 5 being the highest ranking. The first rating is held confidential as we each write it down at the beginning of our discussion. The second rating is written down later at the end of the discussion. Many times the ratings will range from one end of the spectrum to the other. But we learn a lot from the conversations, many times revealing ... Read More »

By Monte Lazarus Every once in a while a film seizes you and won’t let go. Sometimes the film is not well publicized or well known. So it is with “Barney’s Version” centered on a dumpy producer of an awful soap opera. “Barney’s Version” is a forty year story of Barney’s chain of poor choices, his descent into utter boorishness, his apparent redemption, and even a murder according to a bigoted, vindictive Montreal detective (Mark Andy). Barney Panofsky is a pudgy, profane, cigar puffing, scotch swilling, hockey loving, balding son of a Jewish cop in Montreal. As Barney, Paul Giamatti ... Read More »

By Gina Sisbarro Bedtime Bundles was the recipient of a check for $7,100.00 thanks to the generosity of Jane Krause and the lady golfers at Eagle Creek! Jane Krause met Karen in 2007 when Karen first embarked on her speaking tour to promote Bedtime Bundles, a non- profit whose mission it is to identify the needs of migrant children and provide them with the basic necessities which is a “bundle”, an actual pillow case filled with soaps, shampoos, toothbrushes, tooth paste, underwear, socks, pajamas and other basic clothing needs for children. Since that time Jane has followed up on the ... Read More »

By Jeff Popick Question: My husband and I enjoyed your previous article. We began eating a plant-based vegan diet in October. We spend 3 months here on Marco and have friends who want to go out to dinner. It is not easy – we have ordered fish a few times but would rather stick to our eating plan. Any suggestions for places to eat? Thank you. Mary. Answer: Hi Mary, Thank you so much for your question. This is one of the most-often asked questions about following a vegan, plant-based diet. Most people understand that this way of eating is, ... Read More »

By Chef Bob Aylwin The natural richness of salmon and its high amount of omega 3’s, makes it a great choice for a healthy meal. The speed in which it cooks makes it a great choice for an expedient meal as well. Try this delightful Honey Soy Salmon and let me know what you think. Ingredients: (yield: 4 servings) 1/4 cup chopped cilantro. 2 scallions. 1 tsp. chopped pickled ginger. (Mix these ingredients together with a tsp. of olive oil). 4 (6oz) fillets of wild salmon. 2 tsp. low sodium soy sauce. 2 teaspoons honey. 1 tsp. fresh squeezed lime juice. ... Read More »

By Crystal Manjarres Q. I keep hearing about muscle vs. fat. I was told that muscle weighs more than fat- is this true? A. This is one of the most controversial topics in the fitness realm- the age-old question of “which weighs more, muscle or fat?” Because there is so much misinformation out there, this is usually one of the first questions I ask a potential client. I have had people say fat weighs more, muscle weighs more, and “I don’t know”. The truth is, I have yet to find a single individual who answers this question correctly. Think about this: ... Read More »

By Nancy Richie SPEOTYTO CUNICLARA FLORIDANA This familiar Marco Island resident is named from the Greek words, “speo” meaning “cave” and “tyto” meaning owl and “cuniclara” derived from the Latin word cuniclarius meaning “little miner”. As the name suggests the Florida Burrowing Owl digs “caves” or burrows and is the only owl species that nests underground. Background The Burrowing Owl can be found from Canada to South America, mostly prevalent in the western states with an isolated population in Florida. Though migratory in the west, burrowing owls are year round residents in Florida, most commonly observed during the nesting and hatching ... Read More »

By Capt. Pete Rapps Here in the 10,000 islands we target many different species of fish throughout the year. As the seasons change, so do our target species and methods of how and where we fish for them. Our top shallow water targets include Snook, Redfish, Speckled Trout, and Tarpon. In addition to these four, we catch Snapper, Sheepshead, Shark, Tripletail, Pompano, Permit, Cobia, Gag and Red Grouper, Spanish Mackerel, King Mackerel, Flounder, Catfish, Jack Crevalle, Ladyfish, and a few others. Below Is a very brief explanation of our top 4 targets. Four of the prime shallow water fish that we ... Read More »

By Capt. Carl Kelly A boat is not a car, and a boat doesn’t handle like a car. Boats slide over the water. They do not have the positive grip on the road that a car has. While a boat turns one way it slides a bit the other way as well. Boats do not have brakes. They don’t stop quickly. And going in reverse is often a joy to behold, the captain says sarcastically. So, it is important for anyone piloting a boat to understand the fundamentals of boat handling, and to recognize that water going vehicles handle and ... Read More »

By Matt Walthour Have you noticed all the new bike lanes around the Island and the wider multi use bike paths? How about the new multi use path that goes from the Marco racquet center to Mackle Park parallel to South Heathwood? Well if you haven’t yet had the chance to ride on some of these new paths or lanes, your time may may soon be arriving. So get your bike ready for the upcoming Tour de Marco. The Marco Island Bike Pathways Committee is sponsoring the first of hopefully many more Tour de Marco Island bike rides. The rides ... Read More »

By Lou Thibeault It has been said that golf is an unnatural game. Your body faces in one direction while you swing the club in another. When you swing the club head down at the ball, it goes up and when you swing the club head up at the ball, the ball goes down. Most players use their bodies when trying to hit the ball. That is what most people think the object of the game is. “Hit the ball.” However, I feel that anyone who focuses on the ball instead of swinging the club head has a tough time knowing ... Read More »

By Patricia Huff It’s time to sign up for the annual Everglades Bicycle Ride which is scheduled for Sunday, April 17. Friends of the River of Grass Greenway (FROGG) and Friends of the Fakahatchee (FOF) will receive a discount for the registration fee which includes a continental breakfast, early morning coffee, snacks at rest stops, and lunch catered by Havana Café. However, all participants have an opportunity for a discount if you register by Friday, April 8. Originally, the Everglades Ride started at Port of the Islands where bicyclists would travel along the Tamiami Trail to Carnestown and Everglades City (which ... Read More »

By Joanie Fuller How do I describe what’s been going on in Goodland for the last few weeks? Many times you’ve heard the expression that “it takes a village.” That is definitely true here. Keep that in mind as I go along. First we held our Boat Parade – a collaboration of Stan’s Idle Hour, Avow Hospice and Goodlanders. Beautiful weather inspired lots of boats to participate and the new parade route ended at our brand new Boat Park. All went really well. I participated just as an observer. In fact I had invited someone from Naples to have lunch here ... Read More »

By Frances Diebler Many of us have read about safety when traveling on your private vessel anywhere in the world. Traveling on your own boat alone or with a small crew is no different from visiting unfamiliar places anywhere in the world. You should always be aware of your surroundings. I do not mean to be an alarmist. Also, when ashore, many of the same precautions mentioned above, need to apply. Any time you leave your dock, mooring, or anchorage you should lock your boat hatches and cabin doors. This may seem extreme when you are in your own marina or ... Read More »