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ECOWATCH: Welcome to the New Year, but let’s remember the past

“There are winds of destiny that blow when we least expect them. Sometimes they gust with the fury of a hurricane, sometimes they barely fan one’s cheek.                         But the winds cannot be denied, bringing as they often do a future that is impossible to ignore.”   – Nickolas Sparks, American novelist                                                                                                    The Christmas holiday has its three ghosts: the past, […]

Be a friend of the pelican: Reel, remove, release

“A wonderful bird is the pelican; his bill can hold more than his belly can.”– Dixon Lanier Merritt The above excerpt from Merritt’s poem is true: A pelican’s pouch can hold up to three times more than its stomach. Brown pelicans are primarily fish-eaters and require up to four pounds of fish a day. They […]

PROFILE: Hazel Singletary Presley

When most of us stroll the streets of Boca Grande, we see Fugate’s, golf carts and Hudson’s Grocery. Hazel Singletary sees history.Hazel is a walking, talking Boca Grande history guide, and for good reason. Her family first stepped foot on the island in the 1920s. “You know where Newlin’s is now?” asked Hazel as she […]

EcoWatch: Sharing nostalgic island memories of the past

“To bring a departed one back to life is no great magic. Few are wholly gone;  blow on a departed man’s embers, and a live flame will start .”   – Robert Graves, poet                                                                                                        It is true that a person is not really departed while his name is still spoken. So let’s go back to my column […]

Windy was an understatement: 60+ mph winds recorded on Solstice Day

On Tuesday morning, Dec. 21 it was one of those mornings when you saw a lot of people looking concerned and asking one another, “What is going on?”  Wind. It was wind that was going on, and a lot of it. What had originally been reported as the passing through of a standard “cold” front, […]

Boca Grande Health Clinic CEO reflects on challenges and blessings of a year of change

By Mark Driscoll, CEO of the Boca Grande Health Clinic As 2021 draws to a close, it seems only appropriate to reflect on the challenging year we have all had! Marked most obviously by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, this year the Boca Grande Health Clinic has seen growth, unparalleled community outreach and a variety of […]

An Island Christmas Poem

Twas the night before Christmas and all around No noses were frozen, no snow fluttered down. No children in flannels were tucked into bed. They all wore their shorty pajamas instead! To find wreaths of holly was not very hard, For holly trees grow ferociously  in everyone’s yard. In front of the houses were daddies […]

Kentucky tornado relief needs supplies, but time is running out

Joan Schmidt believes in the adage “help thy neighbor.” Even if that neighbor isn’t next door. After a series of deadly tornadoes that hit the state of Kentucky last week, Joan Schmidt and Martha Shilett wanted to take action.  “Oh my! How can we not?” explained Joan. “We’re just two retired ladies with a quick […]