In our house, Christmas doesn't truly begin until after Thanksgiving. There's something lovely about giving each holiday its moment. Last week, over dinner at the Temptation in Boca Grande, my son admired the little Santa hat perched on the giant taxidermied tarpon on the wall, then paused to add, "Why'd they have to bring that out this week? Couldn't they wait until next?" While his brother heartily agreed, I was quietly delighted that they'd embraced my linear holiday philosophy. READ MORE
I stumbled upon this curious shell tree during a March beach walk in Boca Grande, and got to wondering about its architect ... was he or she a he or she? Young or old? A local or a visitor like me?
Several decades ago, while I stumbled along towards an unpreventable divorce, a therapist told me I was "a searcher". Well I certainly was searching then - for a way to mend this enormously sad situation I was facing. But what else did she really mean?
I'm still searching for the answer. READ MORE
"The cure for anything is salt water:
sweat, tears or the sea.”
Isak Dinesen
Given a choice, I’ll take the sea, please. I’ve just arrived on the Florida gulf coast for a work trip (yes, lucky me - my trunk show at the Gasparilla Inn opens today). And I did indeed dip my whole pale self into the sea within hours of my flight's arrival. Old Isak would be pleased to hear that there's also been a fair amount of sweat in getting to today. Clever readers know that life isn't all Instagram stories, preparation for such a trip isn't limited to booking a mani pedi and shopping for caftans. READ MORE
