Tom Gaskins' Knees (Encore)
Along U.S. 27 in Palmdale, which was once a major transportation artery, stands what remains of one of Florida’s lost tourist attractions: Tom Gaskins’ Cypress Knee Museum.
View ArticleMadeline's Herb-Infused Water
Although the official start of the summer season is still days away, the tale-tell sweltering heat of another sub-tropical Southwest Florida summer is now upon us. For decades, News-Press storyteller...
View ArticleAtlantic Stingray
Even for longtime Southwest Florida residents with plenty of knowledge about our region’s wild spaces and their vast array of flora and fauna, there are still opportunities for surprises.
View ArticleTreasure in the Mangroves
This morning’s offering from News-Press storyteller Amy Bennett Williams pays homage to one of South Florida’s iconic coastal plant varieties: mangroves. According to the state Department of...
View ArticleNaming Mollusks (Encore)
Much of Southwest Florida’s beachfront is known for great shelling opportunities. So, it’s only fitting that for this week’s encore essay from News-Press storyteller Amy Bennett Williams we delve into...
View ArticleThe Trouble with Mangoes ENCORE
The sweltering heat of sub-tropical summer has taken hold here in Southwest Florida. On the bright side though, it’s the time of year when delicious mangoes abound and when Southwest Florida residents...
View ArticleA Full Kitchen
This week’s essay from News-Press storyteller Amy Bennett Williams includes her musings about the centrality of the kitchen to family and home life. It’s not always the cleanest or best-organized room...
View ArticlePassion Flower
A tell-tale sign of warmer weather here in Southwest Florida comes in the form of the stunning purple blooms of one of nature’s most exquisite and complex flowers: the passion vine. This Florida native...
View Article13 Ways of Looking at a Carambola
News-Press storyteller Amy Bennett Williams is perhaps best known for her news reporting, feature stories and distinctive and descriptive prose. In this week’s essay, she dives into the world of poetry...
View ArticleBirds of Prey on Display ENCORE
Raptors at the Calusa Nature Center in Fort Myers recently won a reprieve from potential euthanasia as state wildlife officials have given the Nature Center more time to complete construction of new...
View ArticleBeatles and Crickets
This month marks 48 years since the Beatles finished recording what would be their last album as a band, “Abbey Road.” Along with the album’s iconic cover, songs like “Come Together” and “Here Comes...
View ArticleLabor Day ENCORE
For many Americans the upcoming Labor Day holiday is little more than a chance to relax and enjoy a three-day weekend, but its historical intent is to recognize the creation of the labor movement and...
View ArticleUmami
News-Press storyteller Amy Bennett Williams recently coaxed her family into a culinary experiment of going meat-free for an entire week. Williams says the experiment was, by and large, a success,...
View ArticleDigital Ethnography
Longtime listeners and readers of News-Press storyteller Amy Bennett Williams are likely well aware of her penchant for old stories, history and historical artifacts and records. That interest recently...
View ArticleKipling
The expanse of woods surrounding News-Press story-teller Amy Bennett Williams’ home makes the perfect spot for adventuring or just a secluded walk through nature. Unfortunately, those woods are also...
View ArticleStars, Civilizations and the Space Between ENCORE
As generations of people and even civilizations come and go, it’s a mere geologic second for the visible stars in our skyscape. What we see today hasn’t changed much from the time of the ancient Greeks...
View ArticleHats
Hendry County may be a sparsely populated and mostly rural region, but it also holds a wealth of historic markers. In this week’s encore essay, News-Press storyteller Amy Bennett Williams takes us to...
View ArticleStars, Civilizations and the Space Between ENCORE
As generations of people and even civilizations come and go, it’s a mere geologic second for the visible stars in our skyscape. What we see today hasn’t changed much from the time of the ancient Greeks...
View ArticleThanksgiving (ENCORE)
Thanksgiving is officially now less than a week away, which means preparations for the holiday should be well underway. If you’re stressed because you haven’t found the time to begin preparing your...
View ArticleRocinante
Living among the vast menagerie of animals that live on News-Press storyteller Amy Bennett Williams’ rural Alva homestead can be a labor of love, but the work, care and patience involved can also pay...
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