WEEk of maY 22, 2024 FLIER INSIDE
Memorial Day Pine Island, Matlacha residents, organizations to mark solemn holiday — INSIDE pINEISlaND-EaglE.com
VolumE 48, NumbEr 3
Celebrating Pine Islanders: Rob Wells III By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
Tarpon Lodge and Cabbage Key owner Rob Wells III admitted he really loves the company of the guests he is fortunate enough to meet in each place, saying since he is social by nature, it’s truly the best part of his job. “I enjoy the conversation and hearing about the lives of others. I love the water and the natural environment around Pine Island and the neighboring islands. I feel lucky to be able to live in such a beautiful part of the world,” Wells said. Wells describes his parents as adventurous, having moved from North Carolina to Cabbage Key in 1976, when he was only 3 years old. In the early years, he said
he lived on Cabbage Key full time, before splitting his time between the island and Fort Myers, when he entered middle school and high school. “I didn’t know, at the time, how unique it was, because that’s just what I was doing every day. I didn’t have a full appreciation of it until I went off to college and told people I grew up on an island and traveled to school by boat — then I started really looking at it and found that I appreciated it more,” Wells said. While there was damage to both Cabbage Key and Tarpon Lodge, as a result of Hurricane Ian, Wells said he felt very fortunate to have had both structures still intact
Rob Wells III and his wife, Jessica. PHOTO PROVIDED
See ROB WELLS III, page 14
Duckworth new stylist at Christine Karow Hair Designs and Massage By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
What’s the buzz? Islander turns avocation into business By MEGHAN BRADBURY
news@breezenewspapers.com
A Cape Coral firefighter and paramedic is also a beekeeper and bee removal entrepreneur. Matt Anderson, a Bokeelia resident and avid outdoorsman, finds watching the pollinators fascinating. His interest blossomed with his first hive, and he is now licensed and insured in bee removal as the owner of Anderson Bee Removal. He conducts his bee removal services during his 48hours off shift from the fire station. Anderson said he loves spinning honey and gathering his kids around when he pulls the honey to have a taste.
“I try to keep usually around 10 hives,” Anderson said, adding that Hurricane Ian destroyed his hives, and he is still working on rebuilding. “Sometimes I will give bees away. Sometimes I will release them in areas of large acreage where I can rehome them safely.” Beekeeping takes a lot of time, he said, adding you have to devote your time to keep up on the hives. Beekeeping led him to start his own business. See BUZZ, page 14 Bokeelia resident Matt Anderson shows a bee hive in a palm tree that he’s about to remove. PHOTO PROVIDED
Tamara Duckworth said she has been doing hair design for more than two decades. After going through beauty school, she said she just fell in love with the profession and all the glamor that comes with it. “I love the creativity and the fact that it feels like I’m not even working,” Duckworth said. She admits she is a stylist who specializes in "blinding," dimensional color, lived in color and gray blending. Duckworth said her goal is to provide each guest with beautiful, shiny, healthy hair which is sustainable long after you leave her chair. “I fell in love with the color world. It changed everything for me,” Duckworth said. Tamara Duckworth Although she now resides on Pine Island, Duckworth has been in Florida since 1994. She worked for a spa in Tampa, where she said there were at least 25 stylists. The spa offered her invaluable experience to become a seasoned colorist, which gave her the skills necessary to build her resume, doing what she loves. After owning a salon in Palm Beach, Duckworth said she sold it last year to move here and is now enjoying being the new girl on the island. “Pine Island is amazing. It’s what I’ve been looking for, for a long time, and I’m thrilled to be here,” Duckworth said. “I’m starting out a couple of days a week — Tuesdays and Thursdays — and as it gets busy I’ll pick up a little more time,” Duckworth said. Christine Karow Hair Designs and Massage is at 10700 Stringfellow Road Bokeelia. To make an appointment, call 561-860-0417.
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