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BEANCaHpHleOsMESCottages, Castles, and the Families That Built Them

by ROBERT and CAROLE LEHER

ARt by Paul ARsenault

Life's a Beach
- and now there's a book!
by Sandra Lee Buxton

C uriosity may have killed the cat, but for Robert and Carole The homes themselves are diverse in size, style, age and history. The
Leher, their curiosity resulted in a book. Naples Beach Homes: commonality of course is that each home owner found nirvana and
Cottages, Castles, and the Families That Built Them. Their ex- loves their home. From the street many homes are hidden by lush

citement in planning, implementing, and execution took about three foliage appearing cool and distant, but once inside owners are warm

years. It began with a simple question, "Who lives in those homes and happy to share stories. Some of the homes have belonged in the

and what is their story?" To understand how this happened you need same family for generations.

to know a bit about this couple. Robert and Carole are happy people, Their labor of love has resulted in a magnificent "coffee table"

not laughing out loud happy, but content with joy kind of happy.They book, which contains the history of Naples, families, and photos of

both embrace meeting and conversing with others, as natural conver- some original homes along with the current rendition. The book has

sationalists, it was their genuine warmth that served as the conduit an appealing presence with the use of pastels yet vibrant enough to

in gaining the trust of total strangers. Trust not misplaced I must say. pull you in. As a matter of fact as you look at the many pieces of art-

It's hard to find a street or neighborhood in Naples that's not work throughout the book you begin to feel that you are there in that

beautiful but the homes that captured their interest was about a four- space and time.

mile stretch which included Gulf Shore Boulevard North and along I would be remiss not to mention and give credit to artist Paul

Gordon Drive. We know that every family and home has a story, so Arsenault who has used his talent to create original artwork through-

again they asked themselves; what is the story of this family? They felt out this book along with the eye catching cover. Donna Murphy was

strongly that a book about the homes history and owners would be the editor and graphic designer who Robert and Carole credit with

of interest. They started small, talking with friends who lived in their bringing the book to life. Everyone who lives and loves Naples needs

focus area, becoming more captivated by personal and home history. to own a copy of this treasure and consider giving the book as a gift

They took copious notes, gathered photos and moved forward with for Christmas or Chanukah.

some trepidation as to how the project would evolve and even what The book is currently in its third printing and copies can be ob-

the end result would be. tained locally at several locations including Arsenault Gallery, Naples

As it turned out, their friends told their friends, and one by one Botanical Garden, and the Historical Society. It is important to note

they amassed a sizeable amount of people who wanted to talk. Ex- that all net proceeds are donated to Naples Historical Society. Check

citement was prevalent with those who volunteered to speak about out the website at www.NaplesHistoricalSociety.org. For more in-

their own lives. Robert and Carole never envisioned the reception formation contact Elaine Reed, President & CEO of the Society at

they would receive for a project that began with a simple question. 239.261.8164.

8 Life in Naples | November 2016