Coastal Breeze News

MUSIC NOTES BY GATOR NATE Nate Augustus [email protected] I know what you’re thinking. (Or at least I think I do?) It has been way too long since we’ve chatted. Let’s see, what have we missed… So much fun that it won’t fit into one tweek. It was a summer complete with boatloads of musical marvels, many miles logged in the Econoline and plenty of stories to tell! It is great to be back home, from what turned out to be an awesome trip. Dubbed “The Gator Nate Only Child Family Band Southern Americana Tour 2012” (quite a mouthful, now try to put ... Read More »

Book Remarks Maggie Gust [email protected] Clarence Frank Birdseye II was born 12-01-1886 and died 10-07-1956. During his 69 years, this diminutive dapper dynamo transformed the eating habits of the entire world – and had the time of his life in doing so. Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man by Mark Kurlansky is the biographical equivalent of a page-turning thriller. Perhaps it is Kurlansky’s style or the fact that he so obviously admires his subject, but this book is hard to put down. It is 230 pages chock full of descriptions of early 20th century America, the era of inventions and ... Read More »

By Monte Lazarus [email protected] It happened suddenly. One moment I was a whole sentient being merrily chomping on something. The next moment I felt a large crater in my jaw. It easily was at least as large as the Grand Canyon…all because I lost a crown from a tooth. “Oomph”, I mumbled, “I fink I loft a toofth”. (It was hard to mumble clearly over the distraction of a huge crater). My wife, always alert to my tribulations, immediately translated what I had mumbled and set about issuing an All Points Bulletin, accompanied by a massive search. “How did it ... Read More »

By Monte Lazarus [email protected] We were quietly enjoying our favorite television program, “The Real Housewives of Nome, Alaska.” It was truly an eye-opener. The housewives were spectacular. They all wore stiletto heels and mini skirts. We were both somewhat surprised since the weather report was that it was minus 47 degrees outside. We expected long fur coats, boots made of seal skin and fur hats with ear flaps. The house interior matched the ladies. It looked huge and very warm indeed. Designer furniture and Hollywood type art on the walls made our view of Nome different than what we expected. ... Read More »

REEL REVIEWS By Monte Lazarus [email protected] From the opening majestic shots of Alaska this is a different take on the Bourne series of films. Gone, regrettably, is Matt Damon. In “The Bourne Legacy” Jeremy Renner is Aaron Cross, ostensibly a Bourne-type successor. Renner is different; not as subtle an actor as Damon, but good enough as an action oriented, genetically altered super spy. Matt Damon was slated to do another Bourne episode, but he and director Paul Greengrass departed over apparent disagreements on the project. The new film is therefore set up with a different lead, cleverly injecting just enough ... Read More »

BOOK REMARKS Diane Bostick [email protected] Author: Marie Bostwick Publisher: Kensington Books, 2012 If you are enticed into reading this book pay special attention when you are looking for it as the title is fairly common, but the books are written by various authors. When I looked on Amazon some of them appeared to be a bit racy…or perhaps even more than a bit. This particular one has a sub-title of “A Cobbled Court Quilts Novel,” which does not say racy in any language. It is still mighty hot around here even if the calendar says summer is over so there is ... Read More »

By Monte Lazarus [email protected] The event was a high school graduation at an undisclosed location in an undisclosed state, noted for its rather oversized governor. My spouse and I ventured north to witness the graduation of one of our favorite grandsons. An added bonus, or so it’s said, was to mingle with assorted great grandkids (some greater than others – one spent five days just grinning at me). In the stands at the high school football stadium it was sunny, bright and crowded. The graduating class was 408, give or take one or two. One non-diploma receiver was a slightly ... Read More »

BOOK REMARKS  Diane Bostick  [email protected]   Author: Michael McGarrity  Publisher: Dulton Adult, 2012  I am doing much of my reading these days on either my Kindle or my iPad as I have taken to using them for ease of use while reading in bed or traveling, and while I am using one my husband can be reading the same book on the other. Otherwise we are sometimes grumbling as to who gets to read a new book first. And that is exactly what happened with this one. I bought it in hard cover and he wanted to read it first. Since ... Read More »

By Monte Lazarus [email protected] It’s easy to understand why education costs so much. Think about it. In most of the last century there were no readily available computers. Teachers knew the basic stuff about reading, writing and arithmetic. As kids, many of us learned – maybe secretly – to count on our fingers. The arithmetically challenged also used their toes. In those days long division was the equivalent of quantum physics today. All that disappeared with calculators and computers. That darned calculator changed arithmetic. Fingers are now employed for the useless job of punching letters and numbers on machines. Today’s ... Read More »

By Orlando Attractions Magazine  attractionsmagazine.com It was another record-breaking year with final 2011 visitation numbers revealing that Orlando welcomed 55.1 million visitors. That’s up 7.2 percent from last year’s record setting 51.4 million. • There is a brand new ride at Universal Orlando officially opened the beginning of July, Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem. • Over at the Magic Kingdom, the Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak water play area opened in the Storybook Circus area of New Fantasyland. • Also, a new permanent meet and greet area is now open by the entrance to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. ... Read More »

MUSIC NOTES BY GATOR NATE Nate Augustus [email protected] For most folks who call the Marco Island area home, “The Wholetones” have become a household name. Their live shows at The Little Bar, Marco Brewery and South Street Grill have turned more than a few heads. This rip-roarin’ “Florida Folk-core” band has also made quite a few heads bob. Many toes have certainly been tapped to the music of this “kinda-still local-but-not-for-long” group. Without a shadow of a doubt, a good amount of dancing has been done to their original blending of old mountain music and modern rock. Upbeat. Fun. Intelligent. ... Read More »

By Monte Lazarus [email protected]   Sometime ago I set a very important goal for myself…free laundry on cruises. Just thinking about it sent me reeling. Imagine, packing only about a third of our normal load (including my dear wife who totes an Elizabeth Taylor sized luggage collection on every trip), and having fresh clothes throughout the journey, and all free! My life’s new goal was achieved in April, 2012. On our next cruise aboard an unnamed cruise line once featured on a television series, we shall receive free laundry, dry cleaning, shoe polishing and hors d’oeuvres on formal nights. Wow! ... Read More »

BOOK REMARKS Diane Bostick [email protected]   Author: Jeffrey Deaver Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2012   I have always enjoyed Jeffrey Deaver’s books. He manages to keep me on the edge of my seat, and occasionally, with the covers over my head. His characters usually personify pure evil. I wouldn’t put him in the class of some of the books I read in my younger days but he certainly has no problem keeping me in suspense. If you are now in your “younger days” you might not have read some of the books that kept me pale and sweaty palmed so I ... Read More »

REEL REVIEWS  By Monte Lazarus  [email protected]   Woody Allen’s latest, “To Rome With Love”, is feel good fun. The movie is a pastiche of unrelated plots, while paying tribute to the Eternal City, with spectacular photography of Rome’s treasures. The plot? There isn’t one. Rather, the film begins with one of Rome’s elegant traffic cops introducing some of the characters and each story takes off. Woody Allen returns to the screen (he also wrote and directed) as Jerry, a neurotic – as usual – retired opera director, flying to Rome with wife Phyllis (Judy Davis) a strong-willed psychiatrist, to meet ... Read More »

By Monte Lazarus [email protected] Perhaps it’s the bracing sea air – or maybe it’s being freed from the mundane life back home: in any event, cruises seem to bring out some of the goofiest comments, statements and quiz answers known to man or beast. Halfway across the Atlantic, after spending massive hours in the dining room, one of our fellow cruisers commented on the waiters. Those waiters were all exceptionally pleasant, attentive, short in stature and obviously (to us) from a different part of the world. Since they all wore name tags with their home country there was a pretty ... Read More »

MUSIC NOTES BY GATOR NATE Nate Augustus [email protected] Hey guys, although we haven’t had a chance to chat over the last few tweaks, don’t think I forgot about you. In fact, I have been thinking about how many great musicians and entertainers we’ve had over the years down here in Southwest Florida. Many folks have come to make a home for themselves, some just here for the time being and some decide to never go back. Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey and Illinois are all places that seem to send us new and interesting people. Of course, folks come for all different reasons, ... Read More »

BOOK REMARKS Diane Bostick [email protected]   Author: Adriana Trigiani Publisher: Harpers, 2012 It is time for a “summer read.” When the weather gets this hot there is nothing to do but try to find a cool, shady place where one can curl up, cool drink in hand, with a nice long romance novel (I believe I made this exact suggestion last summer. Must be a good one and worth repeating). Throw in a little history and you can tell anyone who asks that you are reading an historical novel, which somehow makes it seem as though you have not totally given ... Read More »

By Monte Lazarus [email protected] For those who are masochists I strongly recommend taking an otherwise relaxing cruise, but then entering the daily – sometimes twice daily – trivia contests. They are not really contests; they are minor wars with teams bitterly fighting for the ultimate prize – a key chain, a lanyard for cruise credentials (or for hanging someone) or a deck of cards. All prizes are made in China, so they are priceless. In one memorable contest our team wound up in a three way tie with two other fierce competitors. The charming emcee decided to have a single ... Read More »

BOOK REMARKS  Diane Bostick  [email protected]   Author: Suzanne Collins  Publisher: Scholastic Press  My usual instructions from the publisher of the Coastal Breeze are that I am to choose books for review that have been written in the past year or so. I explained to them that though these three books are all older than that, they are still very much in the public’s mind. When I went to the library to get a copy of the first of the series I was number 144 in line waiting for it to be returned. After hearing this they agreed to make an ... Read More »

By Monte Lazarus [email protected] I hate posts. Concrete posts. You know the ones I mean. The ones that are in a road, or “protecting” a gate, or just there. The common belief is that they are fixed in place. I know better. They were devised by fiends, and they move around when nobody is there to watch. They reveal their ugly cemented bodies when we back up our cars, or when we’re otherwise not looking for a monster slab that has no purpose except to cause us great material and psychological damage. Just the other day I was being extremely ... Read More »