Ariel Lawhon’s newest novel, The Frozen River, is an engrossing historical mystery inspired by the life of someone most of us have never heard of—Martha Ballard, a renowned eighteenth-century midwife. The real-life Ballard, who was born in 1735 and died in 1812, delivered over a thousand babies in her career and never lost a mother […]

If you answered yes, then you enjoy winning, setting lots of records, excitement and women’s basketball. What you might now know is we have all of that and more less than two miles north of Grandezza. I’m talking about FGCU Women’s Basketball. Let me begin with ten reasons why all of this is true. 1. […]

The GirlFriends returned to our clubhouse for the October luncheon. Guest speaker from Wonder Gardens in Bonita Springs, Katie Grimes, encouraged visitors to come explore their botanical gardens, sprawling banyan trees, and rescued animals. She shared with us their Master Plan, that includes an animal care center. It’s a wonderful place to visit with younger […]

While whitewater rafting down a river in the Smokey Mountains, I was in awe of the surroundings. The tall trees in the thick rainforest were luscious shades of green and several of them had already begun changing colors for fall. It drizzled among us as we made our way through the crisp rapids with our […]

It is November, and in a couple of weeks on the 28th we will celebrate Thanksgiving. Over the centuries the holiday has evolved to become a symbol of togetherness, generosity, and reflection. It is a time when we come together with families and friends to show thanks for the blessings we have received throughout the […]

Well, so much for a quiet “Windy Season!” Mother Nature decided to give us two storms to make up for missed time. Helene was basically a missed opportunity for us as it was too far offshore to provide strong winds for SW FL. However, it did result in a storm surge for the barrier islands, […]