LA SCALA NEWS

4th Quarter 2010 from Andrew Fentiman (603)

For the first time in recorded history, 12 hurricanes formed in 2010 (19 named storms), but not one of the 12 hurricanes made landfall in the U.S., a streak of good fortune not seen in more than 100 years. Reviewing records that date back to 1900, there were five previous seasons with 10 or more hurricanes. 2010 marks the fifth year in a row that the U.S. has escaped a major hurricane.

QUICK NEWS – There are no new owners at La Scala, since the last newsletter ☺Only 3 decorator-ready units remain at La Scala ☺ You can now play Bocce on our community beach! See the Beach Staff whenever you'd like to play ☺ Soon after it opened, the 12-screen Cinema Cafe at The Prado at Spring Creek (former home of the Regal 12 cinema) closed its doors due to lack of patronage ☺Hyatt Regency Resort’s Tanglewood Restaurant is closed for extensive remodeling, reopening late January ☺ Pelican’s Nest Golf Club invites Pelican Landing residents to enjoy the Sunday Buffet at the club from 10:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. No reservations required ☺ Make sure you look at the new Pelican Landing website ☺ From December 23 to April 30, the shuttle bus departs from the beach parking lot on Coconut Road at 25 minutes past and 55 minutes past, every hour, from 9:25 a.m. to 3:25 p.m. In other words, there are two shuttle boat trips per hour, each way. The last boat departs the island at 4:30 p.m. ☺ For January, PLCA has Estero Bay Eco Tours on Jan 12 & 26, and Sunset Cruises on Jan 21 and 28 ☺

HOUSEKEEPING – Of course it’s not you who is responsible, but please make sure the door out onto the swimming pool deck is kept closed, and do not let it stay wedged open ☼

TOTAL WINE & MORE FREE WINE-TASTINGS – Total Wine & More has two nearby locations; Fort Myers and Naples. Not only does Total Wine have an amazing selection of wines (and liquor and beer) at discount prices, but through tastings, classes, and special events, they provide an opportunity for customers to learn firsthand about wines, their producers and history, and wine-making techniques.  All in-store tastings and special tasting events are relaxed and casual -- come by during the scheduled times to explore new and exciting wines. Most locations offer free weekly in-store wine tastings to help you discover new favorites. Each weekend's wine tasting offers a new theme, which allows you to learn more about specific producers, regions, and varietals. Plus, receivespecial discounts on the wines being tasted. Enjoy trying and selecting your ideal wine with a guided tasting of four to eight wines by the knowledgeable wine team. In-store tastings are a unique opportunity to try specially selected wines from various wine regions of the world. Visit or call Total Wine & More to get more information about upcoming tasting themes, or go online at www.totalwine.com, or sign up for e-mails on weekly tasting themes and special events. ‘Meet The Maker’ events are extremely popular -- the actual wine maker visits aTotal Wine & More location and guides the tasting of their wines. ‘Tasting Extravaganzas’ are larger-scale tastings that highlight a large variety of popular wines.

Naples tel: (239) 649-4979. Tastings on Friday (12-6), Saturday (12-6) and Sunday (12-5).

Fort Myers tel: (239) 432-0510. Tastings on Friday (12-6), Saturday (12-6) and Sunday (12-5).

CRUISE TO USEPPA ISLAND - The 65-foot Lady Chadwick is a classic cruise boat that features a climate-controlled carpeted main cabin with full-service bar, snacks and restrooms. There are tables and chairs indoors on the lower level and on the open-air canopied upper deck. Captiva Cruises (estd. 1986) operates the 148-passenger Lady Chadwick year-round. The company operates several different scheduled cruises: Dolphin Watch & Wildlife Adventure Cruise, Sunset Serenade Cruise, Cayo Costa Beach & Shelling Cruise, Cabbage Key Cruise, Useppa Island Cruise and Boca Grande Cruise.

We took the Useppa Island Cruise ($35 for an adult and $20 for a child), having made an advance reservation. “The Lady” either departs from the marina at South Seas Plantation in Captiva, or from McCarthy’s Marina at the east end of Andy Rosse Lane (both near the north end of Captiva Island). Departing the dock at 10 a.m., you cruise northward on the protected waters of Pine Island Sound as dolphin jump just feet away from the windows, in the boat’s ample wake. The narration en route is colorful and interesting. The first stop is Cabbage Key, but you do not get off the boat unless this is your day-trip destination. The boat then continues to the dock at Useppa Island, arriving around 11:30 a.m.Useppa is a storybook setting with picturesque white cottages, pink pathways and lush vegetation. In the 1920's, Useppa was a sport fishing Mecca for the rich and famous. Publishing magnate Barron Collier built a large home on the island to accommodate his wealthy and influential friends during their tarpon fishing trips to the area. Names such as Rockefeller, Dupont, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford were all visitors to the island. Today, the Collier Inn serves as the main clubhouse for this private island. The only way to visit Useppa is to be a member of Useppa Island Club, a guest of a member, or ride theLady Chadwick.

As a day guest on the Lady Chadwick, there are two things to do on the island during the two hours you have available before the boat leaves at 2 p.m. You can have lunch at the Collier Inn and you can visit the History Museum. However, lunch at Collier Inn can take 90 minutes or more. Although the food is good, the museum is probably better! So, you can EITHER  have a big breakfast on Sanibel or Captiva this morning, forego lunch at Collier Inn (it is not included in the day cruise price) and devote most of your time to the museum, OR you can forget the museum and enjoy lunch at Collier Inn: they know you have to be on the boat by 2 p.m.! There are no beaches on Useppa, so swimming and shelling are not available. However, you are likely to see a variety of seabirds and also gopher tortoises. A chauffeured golf cart is available if you have trouble walking the short distance from the dock to Collier Inn, or to the museum. The excellent museum covers the time of early man up to the present day on Useppa and a $5 per person donation is requested. The hour-long cruise back to Captiva is the perfect time to relax and take it all in and you arrive back at the Captiva dock at 3 p.m. For Lady Chadwick cruises, see www.captivacruises.com or call Reservations on (239) 472-5300. Useppa: www.useppa.com

RACOON BABIES – The other day at mid-afternoon, Jackie and I came across two tiny raccoon babies huddled under a tiny bush beside Pelican Colony Boulevard, between Castella and Palermo (see photo). It seemed likely that if the mother did not discover them soon, the babies would be run over by a car or perhaps snatched up by a raptor. We sped back to La Scala and I retrieved my coon-catching kit consisting of fishing net, box, towels and thick gloves (think ‘rabies’). But when I returned, they were gone. I carefully searched for 50 yards in each direction but they were not to be found. Hopefully their mother found them and spirited them away into the undergrowth.

Anyway, in case you need to know, injured or abandoned wild animals should be taken to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at 14^th Avenue North & Goodlette-Frank Road in Naples. Tel: (239) 262-2273. Open 7 days, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. It has to be a true wild animal (not an unruly spouse), and they don’t come and collect… or so they tell me. Don’t tackle a bobcat or a panther!

LA SCALA WEBSITE & WEB FORUM – Don’t forget to frequent the web forum atwww.LaScalaAtTheColony.com/smf and also consult the website at www.LaScalaAtTheColony.com.

Have a wonderful holiday and winter season……

Andrew