Blogger in Paradise

The Swamp Buggies are back.

BloggerInParadise — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:12:30 +0000

Mere fractions of a second separated the top three drivers during Saturday’s swamp buggy racing time trials. Swamp buggy racing is nuts, but really fun. If you haven’t been to a race, now’s the time to go. Read More.

Greenling Fastest

Hurricane predictors admit they can’t predict hurricanes

BloggerInParadise — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:23:52 +0000

Monday, December 12, 2011

By Tom Spears

Two top U.S. hurricane forecasters, revered like rock stars in Deep South hurricane country, are quitting the practice because it doesn’t work.

William Gray and Phil Klotzbach say a look back shows their past 20 years of forecasts had no value.

The two scientists from Colorado State University will still discuss different probabilities as hurricane seasons approach — a much more cautious approach. But the shift signals how far humans are, even with supercomputers, from truly knowing what our weather will do next.

Gray, recently joined by Klotzbach, has been known for decades for an annual forecast of how many hurricanes can be expected each official hurricane season (which runs from June to November.) Southerners hang on his words, as even a mid-sized hurricane can cause billions in damage.

Last week, the pair dropped this announcement out of a clear, blue sky:

“We are discontinuing our early December quantitative hurricane forecast for the next year … Our early December Atlantic basin seasonal hurricane forecasts of the last 20 years have not shown real-time forecast skill even though the hindcast studies on which they were based had considerable skill.”

Restaurants honored with Golden Spoon Awards

BloggerInParadise — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:25:58 +0000

Dining out is one the fun things to do in the area. We have lots of great restaurants of all kinds and price ranges. The Golden Spoon Awards just came out. Here’s who made it. Try them out.

The Golden Spoon Award Winners -
The Perfect Caper, Punta Gorda
Café & Bar Lurcat, Naples
M Waterfront Grille, Naples
Sea Salt, Naples
Turtle Club, Naples

Golden Spoon Awards: Best New –
Figs Grille, Bonita Springs
Lush, Fort Myers

Golden Spoon Awards: Hall of Fame –
The Grill at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples

Stone Crab Season is Here!

BloggerInParadise — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:18:03 +0000

Locally caught stone crab claws ‘the golden nectar of the sea’. Season begins Saturday and runs through May 15.

We try a new restaurant

BloggerInParadise — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:14:16 +0000

We had been anticipating the opening of the new Agave Restaurant. It’s Southwestern cuisine rather than Mexican. We used to live in the southwest and missed some of the dishes that are common there. We went and were quite pleased with the food. Although it is a bit pricy, the quality and taste is great. We definitely had a great meal and were well taken care of. Below are a couple of pictures of some of the dishes. Oh, and I don’t want to forget, but they have over 150 tequilas and make great Margaritas. Here’s the website http://agavenaples.com/. Well worth a visit.

Chile Relleno

Camarones y Vieiras

They’re baaack! Southwest Florida tourist season getting early start

BloggerInParadise — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 13:49:51 +0000

Good article. Positive for our economy. Might have to start making dinner reservations starting sooner this year. Read More.

Cactus does it again

BloggerInParadise — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:59:00 +0000

Hi all. The cactus in our back yard just keeps blooming. Counted 39 blooms in one day this time. The blooms last a day or so. They open up in the morning and close when the sun starts getting to them. Never ceases to amaze me that a cactus can bloom so prolifically. Click on the thumbnails for a larger view.

Who says cactus don't have large flowers.

The bees love them!

We Meander Down to the Naples Botanical Gardens

BloggerInParadise — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:41:49 +0000

Last weekend we decided to meander down to the Naples Botanical Gardens. We had been there a few years ago, but they’re at a new location now. They’ve got 170 acres of plants and more divided into several different themes. It was Doggie Day at the park and a lot of dogs brought their owners. Unfortunately, we didn’t know this and left ours at home. The park is pretty nice. It’s new so not all of the plants are fully grown, but that won’t take long. Even though it has been cold this year, the place looked pretty good and I’m sure will look even better as our warmer temperatures get everything growing again. This is definitely a place not to be missed while you’re here. Below is a short video that will give you an idea of the scope of the place. Click Here to go the Gardens’ website. Before you go, check the events calendar.

SWAMP BUGGIES: Eddie Chesser wins drama-filled Budweiser Cup title

BloggerInParadise — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 12:48:37 +0000

Chesser amassed more than enough points to clinch the crown. See photos and Read More.

David Wong’s Pan Asian & Sushi

BloggerInParadise — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 19:21:12 +0000

We went to one of our favorite restaurants for Valentine’s – David Wong’s Pan Asian & Sushi in Bonita. When we got there we found out that Sushi Thai now owned the place and David had gone to Las Vegas. We worried that the food would change. It is a unique menu with a lot of very tasty items. After having eaten our meal, we found our fears were unneeded. The food was great. Seems that they’ve put in a full sushi bar which is to open this Thursday. They said the original menu would continue and that Sushi Thai was going to add some of their own items. Sound great. Sushi Thai is a good sushi restaurant and combining the two should be a real positive. If you have the inclination, go eat there. You won’t be disappointed.

Tasty and Creative Dishes