South Floridians love an inconspicuous life-style.  It begins in the home. Clean, clutter free and streamlined kitchens are directing the new home trends this 2016 season.   Modern touches are even reaching the popular “Tuscan-style” kitchens by adding a modern flavor.  Stainless steel and open thick glass shelving are shaping the new kitchen.

An easy change in any home is addressing electrical outlets.  Today’s family has an average of 12-plus mobile devices.  Multiple plugs are necessary for today’s family.  A cool new product called thingCHARGER aims to make the “process a little easier and neater, as it goes in right over an existing outlet, and docks various devices on top for easy charging.” It features various top mounted charging tips that…

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The climate in South Florida is described as sub-tropical. With the exception of an occasional, brief summer rain shower, most homeowners and their families spend ample time outside of the home enjoying the weather.  In Palm Beach County, the climate designates outdoor living as the way to enjoy leisure time.   Many of the spectacular waterfront properties listed with Waterfront Properties and Club Communities feature outdoor amenities designed for pleasurable alfresco living.

Architects have masterfully designed homes with resort style pools and cascading waterfalls, koi ponds, wine cellars and home theaters.  Sometimes amenities are just unusual – hydraulic lift transports in the garage to allow double level parking, yoga lawns, and hi-tech touch…

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Martin County’s largest vegetable garden is Kai-Kai Farms. The owners of Kai-Kai Farms, Carl Frost and Diane Cordeau, were two lab technicians for the University of Florida, Indian River Research and Education Center that met, fell in love, and married in 1988. It was a match made in sustainable farming heaven.

Their love of traveling brought them to the Solomon Islands and pointed them in the direction of what their life’s work would be. Upon reaching the islands, they were greeted by various tribal chiefs and invited for kai-kai. They learned kai-kai meant food gatherings. They learned how they grew vegetables in a very basic way. They decided that farming would be their future.   

Kai-Kai Farms follows all organic protocols for the local,…

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Polo, the “sport of kings”, is not only for the wealthy and royals in Palm Beach County, it has been a favorite pastime of local Floridians for years. The International Polo Club Palm Beach is located in Wellington, Florida. Wellington is the heart of South Florida’s horse country and the epicenter of international polo.

The great international sport of polo used to be practiced by only by kings and now graces the Palm Beaches annually. The international polo season begins in early January and continues until into May. During the season, guests can come out to the polo grounds and relish the matches and all the happenings that surround it.

On any given Sunday, meet friends and other guests enjoying the polo matches of Palm Beach County under…

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The Modern Art movement began in the 19th century. Modern art includes artistic works in which the traditions of the past have been cast aside in the spirit of experimentation. Modern artists incorporated new ways of seeing the nature of materials and functions of art.

A special exhibition at the Norton Museum of Art about Women Modernists examine the intersection of gender and modernism from different points of view. Four women are featured in the special exhibition “O’Keefe, Stettheimer, Torr, Zorach:  Women Modernists in New York".  These women all lived and worked in New York City between 1910 and 1935.  The artists sought acknowledgment as artists in their own right.  It is evident how their gender molded their circumstances where they worked,…

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Photo courtesy of Eduardo Buchin, Jupiter.

Palm Beach County’s first tourists were the early settlers. The area was known as “Lake Worth”, named for Major General William Jenkins Worth.  General Worth fought in the Second Seminole War.

The first permanent residents of Palm Beach County arrived in 1872. They struggled to clear the land for building homes and growing crops.

A ship the “Providencia”, traveling from Havana, Cuba to Barcelona, Spain, transporting a load of coconuts was shipwrecked ashore Lake Worth’s coastline.  The early settlers salvaged the coconuts.  Coconut Palms were not indigenous to South Florida.  The first residents wasted no time in planting the coconuts in an effort to introduce a profitable coconut industry.  Palm…

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America’s Happiest Seaside Town of 2016 is on South East Florida’s “Treasure Coast”.  Stuart, Florida ranked number #1 of America’s Happiest Seaside Towns according to Coastal Living Magazine on April 6, 2016!  The travel and beach living magazine directs subscribers to the United States happiest coastal places to live. The magazine based their criteria on a several fundamental influences including the Gallup Healthways Well Being-Index, number of sunny days, beach excellence, countless educational opportunities, low crime index, and other factors.

The hidden gem of the Town of Stuart is on the Atlantic Ocean’s shoreline and nestled between two flowing rivers.  Mayor Jeffrey Krauskopf describes the old-fashioned feel of the town of Stuart as…

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South Florida’s sea turtle organizations have rescued sea turtles that have been accidentally injured or suffering for many years. Four decades ago, biologists thought green sea turtles might go extinct.

Federal wildlife officials have reclassified green turtle species from endangered to threatened. There will not be significant changes in terms of regulations in Florida. Green turtles have been protected under the Endangered Species A since 1978    

Local organizations, such as Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno, is one of Florida’s most unique non-profit cultural destinations focused on ocean and sea turtle conservation, education, research, and rehabilitation.

The Sea Turtle Conservancy is the world's oldest sea turtle research and…

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Celebrate International Calm Day South Florida by unplugging from all your devices and slow down.  Americans live in a hectic and restless society. South Floridians seem to spend countless hours running, from the office or school, to the gym, and home.  This constant pressure adds stress.

The concept of mindfulness is defined as “a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.”  One must find a place of peace and complete relaxation.

Studies have shown that practicing mindfulness, even for just a few weeks, can bring a variety of physical, psychological, and social benefits. Some of these benefits…

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In the United States, over 266 million people have cell phones. While it is hard to imagine Florida life without it, you increase the risk of having an accident by 400% every time you use your cell phone when driving. If it is necessary, use a Bluetooth earpiece or other hands-free device.

Florida has passed the “Florida Ban on Texting While Driving Law”.  Drivers can still use phones for music, navigation apps, or to pick up a call as long as a hands-free device is then used. The current Florida texting law is limited to secondary enforcement, meaning another offense must be observed in order to stop and cite an offender.The law also states you can still text or email when you are stopped at a red light. Each county has a different fine for…

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