The Literature Forum’s February session featured an animated discussion of Isabel Allende’s “A Long Petal of the Sea,” with presenter Simonetta Balzer providing an excellent analysis of both the book and the author.
The Forum’s upcoming meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 3 in the Houghton Room of the Community Center.

We’ve always heard that it’s better to own than to rent, but now you can also own where you store your vehicles, too.  If you’ve recently been to the car show that is held on the first Saturday of each month in Englewood, you might have seen or spoken with Mitch Mesenberg of Michael Saunders Realty in the parking lot of Vino Loco. Cars and motorcycles are two of Mitch’s personal hobbies, and this location is a perfect place to talk to other fellow collectors and enthusiasts.
It was his excitement about vehicles that led him to his current listing 7205 Gasparilla Road, the location where Gasparilla Hideaway Luxury Garage Condos are under construction. The property owner had the vision and approached Mitch some years ago with questions about his homes4chrome.com website.

Mitch said he’s getting the most interest from individuals who have “more cars than space.” According to Mitch, “It is really fun when you’re able to combine your hobby with your work.”

Plexiglass has gotten a lot more use in the last two years than ever before thanks to COVID, but now you see more and more of it being discarded. Local artist Gail Cleveland found some pieces that were headed to the dump and took advantage of a true artistic – and recyclable – moment. Using an old art form with a new twist, she is painting with acrylic on the polymer sheets … and saving the universe and the environment a little bit of grief as well.

If you grew up in the 1940s, you have probably seen works by Frank Frazetta throughout your childhood without even knowing it. You might have seen his work in “Mad Magazine,” on movie posters from the 1950s and 60s, in numerous comic books or on the cover of Conan the Barbarian books of the time.
From his first artistic offering in the short-lived “Snowman” series done by Tally-ho Comics (he inked that comic but did not illustrate it) to his iconic “Death Dealer” work that was sold for well over $1 million, Frazetta lived and breathed art his entire life.

Coral reefs cover less than one percent of the ocean floor but support about 25 percent of marine life. However, coral reefs worldwide are declining due to climate change, including increasing temperatures and ocean acidification, along with coral disease, pollution, overfishing and other stressors.
Florida’s Coral Reef, which stretches approximately 350 miles from the Dry Tortugas to the St. Lucie Inlet, provides more than an $8 billion economic impact, attracting visitors, protecting coastlines from major storms, and supporting diverse life, including fisheries.