Coastal Breeze News

PLANT TALK Mike Malloy [email protected] May is here and what does that mean? Summer time in Florida is upon us. But it is also the start of the full blown butterfly season. In Southwest Florida we have a year-round butterfly season, while numbers of butterflies like Monarchs and Yellow Sulfurs will migrate, many of the same and others stay in South Florida and prosper year round, much to the delight of all those crazed butterfly enthusiasts living here. In spring, summer and fall the numbers of these little flying flowers rise dramatically because the temperatures are warm – just like ... Read More »

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY CARES Lisa Honig On April 13th and 14th community teams, friends and family descended upon our fabulous host site – the Marco Island Charter Middle School – for 18 hours to Celebrate, Remember and Fight Back. Even the hottest day of the year could not dampen the enthusiasm of all the Relay For Life participants as DJ Ken Hodsdon kicked off the event. Participants honored those we have lost, celebrated those who are having another birthday and fought back with their time and energy to raise money to fund American Cancer Society programs and research. The Opening ... Read More »

GOODLAND LIFE Joanie Fuller [email protected] Goodland is more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Well, what I really mean to say is more fun than a traveling polar bear, a mounted deer head, a celebrity parrot and artists perched on a canal bank. Now that’s a crazy combination, isn’t it? First, let’s talk about the artists since they would seem to be somewhat of a normal sighting in Goodland. I just happened to see three women doing their “plein air thing” at the end of one of our canals. It turns out that the famed artist Robert Gruppe likes to ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] Fresh is exactly the word for the new and improved Marker 8.5, owned by the Head Chef Michael Duncan and his wife Laura. Located in Goodland and once known as Marker 8, the Duncan’s have already made some noticeable improvements that give the restaurant that same old Florida feel but with some unexpectedly fresh and unique changes. Chef Duncan’s culinary history is as unique as is Marker 8.5. Born and raised in St. Petersburg, he is a true Floridian. He has traveled all over to work at some of the finest restaurants and resorts. Starting at ... Read More »

Submitted Marco Island’s Calusa Garden Club concluded the year with its annual spring luncheon. The meeting and luncheon were held at the Marco Island Yacht Club on Tuesday, April 16. In addition to the announcement of awards and honors, new officers were installed. The program was presented by Tom Coffey, president of the Gulf Coast Orchid Alliance.  Coffey displayed a variety of orchids during his presentation and ended the program by raffling six plants to the appreciative audience. Calusa Garden Club’s next meeting will be on Monday, October 14. The organization meets on the second Monday of the month from ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] Long-time residents of Marco Island, Kira Krümm and Juan Munera, joined forces twelve years ago to establish The Studio Artistic Finishes Inc., a company specializing in paint and artistic finishes for Southwest Florida residences. Both Munera and Krümm represent strong backgrounds in fine art and home design. Krümm’s world-renowned interior design firm, Kira Krümm International Design, based in Estero, is regarded as one of Southwest Florida’s leading luxury interior design firms. Munera, whose former art business, The Studio Gallery & Framing, held numerous successful art openings during its thirty year establishment on Marco, now concentrates on ... Read More »

On April 26th, Father Tim Navin of San Marco Catholic Church led The Service of Light and Installation of the new officers of the San Marco Council of Catholic Women. SMCCW represents a part of an organization of over 7,000 affiliates nationwide. Along with encouraging other Catholic women to grow in their own personal faith, the SMCCW also aims to provide support for seminaries, local charities and scholarship opportunities. As each new member of the board was announced, they lit a candle to show their commitment to the SMCCW and the Council of Catholic Women in its entirety. For more ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff An independent mortgage lending firm, WJ Bradley Mortgage Capital, has expanded into this market with the opening of a new Marco Island branch headed by Kimberli Escarra. The firm was founded in 2003 in Denver, Colorado and has grown rapidly, now in 16 states. By 2012, in just nine short years, WJ Bradley (WJB) was 8th in the country in volume. WJB leverages the ‘flat organizational structure’ of its competitor’s, with fewer levels between staff and managers. As such, WJB empowers employees to be directly involved in the decision-making process, a winning concept with their ... Read More »

The Newcomers Club of Marco Island held its 43rd Birthday Celebration on April 10th at the Marco Island Yacht Club. There were tears of joy and recollections of happy times as outgoing President Litha Berger welcomed Sharon Cook as President for the coming year. Many Past Presidents of Newcomers were in attendance along with an overwhelming crowd of members. As well as welcoming the new President and Board, members said farewell to 33 ladies who were spinning out of the organization after their allowed five-year term of membership. Read More »

Submitted The Ladies of the Summit House Condominium on Marco Island returned for another museum tour, this time at the Collier County Museum. Their docent Naomi Goren told them of the travels and travails of Ponce de Leon and they were proud to join in the celebration of the 500th anniversary of Ponce de Leon’s discovery of Florida. Along with viewing the exhibits, the docent shared many stories of Native Indian Cultures, exploration, conquest, early settlers and their lifestyles. It proved to be an exciting adventure, especially with the five acre outdoor exhibits of an Indian Village, a pioneer fort, ... Read More »

Years ago, when I began my quest to attract butterflies to my garden, little did I know that butterfly gardening came with a bonus! After years of removing turf grass from my yard and replacing it with colorful flowering plants to attract wildlife, particularly butterflies, I now no longer have any grass left to mow. During the past couple of fall seasons, I’ve been seeing numerous hummingbirds competing for nectar with our year-round friends, the butterflies. This is such a great thrill! It started a few years ago, with one or two hummingbirds arriving every once in a while. Today, ... Read More »

The Sons and Daughters of Erin invite you to play a round for charity during their sixth annual Irish Open to benefit the Marco Island Charter Middle School.  The tournament will be held at Hammock Bay on Sunday, May 5th. The shotgun scramble start is at 1 PM. The fee is $100 per person and includes golf, carts, prizes and dinner buffet. For more information, registration or to sponsor a hole, please contact Kathleen at 394-2332, Pete Donaghy at 248-3611 or Billy Reynolds at 821-6675. Singles and foursomes welcome. Read More »

Whenever I think of the term “potpourri” I think of dried up flowers that stink. Honestly, I was never into that stuff. But the word, itself, has an alternate meaning. Merriam-Webster’s second definition of potpourri is: a miscellaneous collection. And that, my friends, is what this edition of Goodland Life is all about. A potpourri of information that doesn’t stink. Past President Awarded Recently, the Board of the Goodland Civic Association elected its new officials for 2013. Newly appointed President Greg Bello informed members of the board that an anonymous donation was made toward a plaque for past President, Joanie ... Read More »

The Museum of the Everglades will be celebrating its biggest one-day event of the year on Saturday, April 27th; the 85th Anniversary of the opening of the Tamiami Trail in 1928. The Museum will also be observing the arrival of Ponce de Leon to Florida as a part of the “Viva La Florida 500” celebration as well as Collier County’s 90th anniversary and the 60th Anniversary of Everglades City. After a free pancake breakfast at the Everglades Airpark, the Friends of the Museum have planned a great program, starting with a parade highlighting the Barron Collier High School Band, antique ... Read More »

By Julia Barnett Buying a home is arguably one of the most important purchases a person can make. It can also be one of the most stressful, especially if not all is as it appears. The house may look good on the surface, but only a certified home inspector can tell you exactly what you’re buying. And Beach View Home Inspections does precisely that, and more. Owned and operated by Paul Harrison, Beach View Home Inspections has been providing home buyers with thorough inspections and detailed reports for over a year, and he’s only just begun. After 30 years in ... Read More »

By Craig Woodward So, have you been to Karina Island or Pelican Island? Even readers who are very familiar with the Marco Island area and the adjacent 10,000 Islands may ask “Where?” to that question. But even more amazing, for some local residents the answer is not only “Yes,” but that they currently live there. Many others have actually been there often without realizing it! We need to travel back in time 120 years to 1893 and take a peek at a U.S. Coast and Geodetic Nautical Chart of that era to help answer the question. First a little background ... Read More »

Approximately 100 attendees were present as U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar cut the ribbon during the formal dedication to open the new Tamiami Trail Bridge located in Miami-Dade County on March 19th. Eighty-five years ago, in April of 1928, the Tamiami Trail was completed, allowing motorists to travel by automobile from Tampa to Miami. At the time, it was considered one of the world’s great marvels. Since then, it has also unfortunately served as a dam, blocking the flow of the Everglades watershed from the north to the south. Within the next few months, the removal of the ... Read More »

What could be more fun than eating hot dogs and hamburgers, listening to music and playing games with neighbors and friends on a beautiful day? The Goodland Civic Association Board of Directors decided absolutely nothing could be more fun for us Goodlanders than to have a “Spring Fling” – complete with all of the above. In other words, we wanted to have a FREE Islander Appreciation Day for residents of Goodland. We wanted everyone to come out, take it slow or shake things up, and just get to know their neighbors a little better. Why not? Consequently, with the help ... Read More »

Native to Brazil, Bougainvillea is truly one of the showiest shrubs we have during the fall and winter months here in South Florida. Its spectacular color comes from its heart-shaped papery bracts. The tiny flower itself is usually white and located in the center of the colorful bract. A sprawling shrub with long thorny branches, Bougainvillea is commonly mistaken as a vine. Unfortunately, it lacks the tendrils that allow it to attach itself onto fixed objects. Bougainvilleas come in myriad colors including orange, pink, purple, red and white. Bougainvilleas begin blooming after the rainy season; when the length of days ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom - [email protected] The culinary creativity of Jon Phillips seems endless. With a resume that reaches multiple continents, Phillips has continued to refine his talents, reaching all of Southwest Florida with his catering company, CaterMasters and new restaurant, The Catch. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Phillips moved to England when he was four; he picked up the brilliant (as they say across the pond) English accent but left the often considered bland food of the country behind. That’s because Phillips was lucky enough, as he says, to be able to eat at some of the finer restaurants as he grew ... Read More »