Hello Naples Community, The past few months have been challenging. We’ve been asked to stay home and physically distance ourselves in order to stay safe and well. The uncertainty of this pandemic, and the way it’s changed our daily lives, has been difficult. However, the compassion and care our community has shown has been incredible. Your light has guided us in this dark time, and your […]
It’s interesting to observe how certain motifs in jewelry transcend time and fashion, turning up time and again especially in original designer collections. Take hummingbirds for instance. We can find this design element referred to often throughout the ages. Taking a Cue from Nature These miniature creatures are in themselves much like petite jewels. Hummingbirds are festooned with the most extraordinarily colorful jewel-toned feathers all wrapped into […]
Tucked away in North Naples is a warm, accepting, friendly environment called the Sarah Ann Drop-In Center. Named for NAMI Collier’s founding member and her daughter, it serves adults over the age of 18 with a mental health diagnosis and provides support groups, socialization, outings, meals, exercise, and many opportunities for friendship. The Center is managed and operated by those with […]
With untold numbers of men and women here in Southwest Florida desperate for decent paying jobs with benefits, our commitment to Everglades restoration is more important right now than perhaps ever before. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, the decades long joint initiative by the federal and state governments, is a suite of over 60 infrastructure projects that, together, represent […]
History is not a burden of the memory but an illumination of the soul. Lord Acton Summertime and the living is easy unless you have just been through months of school closings and job uncertainty. Some things still hold certain – like how much kids can eat while home bound and summer vacation anticipations. Yes, somethings never change. Throughout my 40 plus […]
At the writing of this article, this writer is not certain that we have resumed life as normal in Naples. Our country experienced a spreading virus that also spread fear and concern among families and friends –and had us keeping our distance from those we love. None of which was easy for any of us – cancellations were everywhere, streets were vacant. But, […]
Disturbingly, America has become a nation severely divided along rigid political ideologies and intransigent polarization – rational or civil conversation with family, friends, and coworkers of the opposite political persuasion is becoming an impossibility. This climate of hostility and incivility has undermined our ability to solve the big issues facing our country today. How have we reached the point where civil debate has […]
Centuries ago a HERO may have been a gallant knight who in a medieval story slew the dragon and saved the beautiful damsel in distress. A hundred years ago it could have been someone fighting in the trenches of Europe during the Great War or the nurse and medic that served alongside him and cared for his wounds. In World War II it could […]
Today is March 29, 2020 and this will be the last article I write for Life in Naples as your Mayor. On April 1st, Naples new Mayor will be sworn in and I will be officially retired. Now that doesn’t necessarily mean that I won’t be writing for Life in Naples, it only means I’ll have a new […]
In 1949, Joseph Campbell published a book called The Hero with a Thousand Faces. It covers the common threads that tie mythical heroes across culture and time. Among the many parallels, it seems that in their “heroes’ journeys,” all heroes must defy the odds to prevail against a highly-favored villainous opponent. In an ironic twist and in stark contrast to those Goliaths, today’s most notorious enemy is […]