Features

Ah, the romance of boating. Gliding through the sparkling waters of the open sea or the Intra-coastal Waterway, or winding through Florida’s picturesque salt marshes is an experience like none other.

When my husband Don and I moved north to Vero Beach from Miami, our introduction into the community was a gala. We noticed that something was different as soon as we picked up our table assignment.

When The Nature Conservancy was founded in 1951, its primary focus was on protecting rare and endangered species.

Consolidating Saint Edward’s Upper, Middle and Lower Schools onto one campus played a vital part in the financial restructuring of the private school. Beyond the fiscal considerations, however, the single-school model has helped to energize the administration and student body alike.

Professional Roger Van Dyke retired he could have taken it easy, played a few rounds of golf with his buddies and called it a day.

Want to drive a ball like Tiger Woods or Annika Sorenstam, or maybe just make more pars and birdies? There’s an app for that and it’s at a golf club near you.

After a successful 21-year career advising high net-worth clients on life insurance and estate tax mitigation issues from offices in Florida, California and Pittsburgh, Bill Corry sold his business, and at age 44 retired. He could now kick back in the tranquil atmosphere of Vero Beach, which he and his wife Darcy love, and relax.

When a co-worker invited Dee Giannotti to a Youth Guidance Christmas party she didn’t intend to become involved on a regular basis; volunteering occasionally at a group event maybe

Feel depressed? Discouraged? Can’t sleep? Out of “sync” with family and friends? Try yoga!

“My goal each time I give a swimming lesson is to prevent my student from becoming a drowning fatality,” says Dick Cutrera, a Vero Beach resident and founder of the Dick Cutrera School of Swimming. Dick has been teaching swimming for almost 60 years and has been involved with a variety of water sports since he attended the YMCA in Chicago at the age of 6.

On a half-acre of occupied land in an unassuming neighborhood lies the Bibble Institute of Fine Art, the personal space and working studio of 56-year-old “Bibble” Irvin. The place, as he warns, is hard to miss.

Fierce alligator eyes peer above the still, green waters of the marsh. The powerful tail paddles from side to side, propelling the dark, lizard-like body. The dangerous reptile crawls from the water and prowls through tall grass near the muddy shore.

“It’s good to be involved with something that’s bigger than you are, something that affects the lives of so many people,” says Higgins. “It’s easy to forget how important it is to preserve natural lands so that our children and their children will still be able to walk through the mangroves, see all of the butterflies, lizards, frogs and other creatures. Sometimes we take it all for granted and we really can’t afford to.”

Question: What pecks at its shell when it’s ready to be born? Answer: A hermit crab. So begins an easy-to-read book sure to delight the kindergarten set.

At 6366 20th Street in Vero Beach, there is a century-old safe that has endured two fires, a two-story fall and a 1,300-mile move. The safe sits in the back room of Bill’s TV, and it tells a fraction of the story of the Kaser family, who have been residents of Indian River County for over half a century.

In the midst of the village of Windsor stands a spacious and stately house which quietly and appropriately manifests its Southern antecedents.

When they saw the oversized lot abundant with impressive oaks, they knew they had found the perfect property. The house itself, however, was another matter.

“Any given day,” says Sheriff Deryl Loar, “75-100 youngsters are given refuge from the hazards and temptations out there. When they’re at Dasie Hope, I don’t have to worry about them.”

Before the intense fire was brought under control, the Wet Lab, a classroom and a second building that housed bathroom facilities, were totally consumed – a total of 4,500 square feet of space and half of the ELC’s structures.

Here on the Treasure Coast, we live in a paddler’s paradise. Just outside our doors we have access to countless launch locations and ideal paddling conditions, and canoes and kayaks provide the perfect vehicles for exploring the natural beauty that surrounds us.