No leaning on columns?

It was a sign mounted on an outdoor walkway at a shopping center in Deerfield Beach Sunday. It read "No cigarettes or leaning on columns." No problem with banning cigarettes. I wish shopping center management good luck in trying to get smokers to stop their littering. But no leaning on columns? I am an habitual leaner on walls and columns. Good luck to anyone who wants leaners to stop leaning.

Another sign that caught my eye Sunday on a daytrip from Bradenton to Boca Raton was the "no dumping" sign near Okeechobee, where someone had parked an old sofa.

Beautiful day for a drive. Modest traffic. Early morning fog giving the roadside an other-worldy appearance. East of Arcadia we saw deer twice in the early morning light, enjoying the grass along the roadside. Maybe because the woods were so flooded we surmised.

It's Monday. Back to work.

Jim

Curiosity the key

Reporter Sara Kennedy, who did such a good job as lead writer on our Braden River series recently, was out on an assignment Thursday, when she saw something that stopped her in her tracks.

Two men were dropping something unusual into her favorite river from a bridge on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard.

Turns out they were hydrologic technicians for the U.S. Geological Survey in Tampa and they were measuring the flow of the Braden River, after all the rain we received.

Sara was intrigued by a torpedo shaped device the men dropped into the water, and how they were able to upload date through a solar powered satellite link back to the head office. Just a very few years ago, that would have been the stuff of science fiction, or technology that maybe only a few had access to, such as the military.

Now, it's a cool tool, but still just an everyday tool for the hydologists, one of whom confided that the Braden River was his favorite, too.

But the story didn't end there. Thanks to Sara's curiosity, we quickly learned the rain had pushed Myakka Head, parts of the Manatee River and the Little Manatee River to flood stage. But the high water was expected to receded with the approach of the weekend. That's very good news.

For more, see Friday's Bradenton Herald/Lakewood Ranch Herald or read the full story at Bradenton.com.


Jim

Sometimes the consent is not there

Worth noting that going into the June 23 county commission meeting that a “quick take” resolution for 3.86-acres of land owned by John Neal and Charles Varah was item No. 6 on the consent agenda.

When it comes to that piece of land, there is nothing routine about it. Certainly not to Neal and Varah who believe the county’s valuation is way too low.

And not to the residents in Tara, Mote Ranch, University Place and University Park, who either passionately oppose the bridge being built, or think that it makes good sense.

For more, see my East Word column in Sunday's Herald.

Jim

Bravo: Latin Art Comes to the Ranch

The Gulf Coast Latin Chamber of Commerce recently moved its office to the ComCenter at 9040 Town Center Parkway, Lakewood Ranch.

One very big advantage is an art exhibition in the halls of that business office that wouldn't otherwise be at Lakewood Ranch.

Owner Bernie Croghan is a big supporter of the arts and through his encouragement, the Chamber arranged to have the Coalition of Hispanic Artists bring an exhibition to the ComCenter.

It's called "Latin Art Comes to the Ranch." The exhibition is free Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

With so much color and creativity, it will put a smile on anyone's face, I promise. For more, see the story in the June 29 Herald.


Jim

Visiting the Garden of Joy

While visiting Sarasota Baptist Church today to work on a story about their July 5 musical program, "Freedom: A Salute to American Liberty," I noticed that Central Church of Christ was just down the street at 6221 Proctor Road.

Afterward, as I headed back to our newsroom, I stopped at Central Church of Christ to visit "The Garden of Joy."

The garden is a memorial to Carlie Brucia, an 11-year-old girl who in 2004 was abducted from a public street in Sarasota and murdered. Her body was dumped behind the church. The tragedy touched a responsive chord in the public because of Carlie's sweetness and innocence and the fact that a surveillance camera captured the shocking crime.

I had never been to the garden before. What I found was a beautiful and wistful garden, a place where any child might enjoy playing. All alone in the garden, I said a little prayer for Carlie and her family. I left with a lump in my throat, still saddened by this senseless crime five years later.

Ironically, when I returned to the newsroom, there was a message on my answering machine from the "Keeping Kids Safe Project," who are planning a child safety program in Bradenton July 18-19. We'll keep you posted on that event.

If you've never been to the Garden of Joy, and you're in the neighborhood of I-75 and Bee Ridge Road some day, go south on Cattleman Road from Bee Ridge to Proctor and go east. Central Church of Christ is located just east of the I-75 overpass.

Jim

A rare honor . . .

Sue Curry, a fourth-grade teacher at Braden River Elementary School, is one of 200 teachers, chosen from a pool of 1,600 nationwide, to attend the 2009 Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy.

During the academy, July 19-24 at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, N.J., teachers will learn to do experiments they can share with students to generate enthusiasm for math and science.

Did we say this is an all-expense paid trip? Not a bad thing in this day and age.

Jim

Senior dining in East Manatee

The buzz that Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee is hoping to open a Lakewood Ranch site for a Friendship Dining Center is good news for those who claim senior citizen status.

That’s because the four existing dining centers are one of the county’s best kept secrets for those age 60 and above.
You would think that the food served by Meals on Wheels Plus, which produces 4,000 meals a week, would be plenty good for you, but perhaps not adventurous.

But it turns out that the philosophy of Meals on Wheels Plus chef Pavel Hasenohrl is “hardy, homestyle comfort” food . On a typical week, diners might get Old World recipes like beef sauerbraten with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli . He also prepares tilapia with wild rice and mixed vegetables. Another is roast chicken over yellow rice with sautéed beets, pearl onions, and bean medley.

Prices of the meals vary depending on the diner’s individual income, Meals on Wheels Plus officials said.

For more, see story in the Wednesday Herald.

Richard