Show Host | Lifestyle + Fitness Model
Here, in a series of small villages exists a ferry system to deliver travelers and visitors to the Lake Erie Islands. This trail is off the beaten map and known for its blustery winter conditions, wineries, summer perfection, day trips and lake action for everyone of any age.
To see the unit(s) in person stop in any day, by boat or by car, between 10 a – 4 p. Call 419-862-7143 to schedule a tour. Also keep a close eye on the ME&YC summer social calendar. Buyers and realtors plus friends, family and clients of members are always welcome.
A couple of condos went under contract this week that I showed with Lake Erie’s Lab Pup in tow (for one). The third story Bayside unit at Marblehead Estates & Yacht Club for $299,900 and the one directly below on the second floor for $269,900. The developer, Prephan Enterprises gave away a 50′ dock and also a 12×40′, 480 square foot cold storage unit to both buyers, just as an incentive to push this season’s sales as high as the Top Thrill Dragster. Not only is ME&YC located just six short nautical miles across The Bay from The Point, but is nestled directly off of Scenic Route 2 on the much-desired Marblehead Peninsula. During season everyone waits two and a half hours for a table at dinner.
All counter tops are made of quartz, the kitchen appliance package is included and the master bedroom features a private deck, walk-in closet and walk-in stone shower. The floors are nicely constructed of ceramic tile. All new owners need is watercraft, swimwear, a summer squad to hit all of Ohio’s Vacationland hot spots with, plus twenty percent of the price for a down payment. The lowest priced unit is $249,000, which equates to a mere fifty grand to buy into a development on Ohio’s coastline. Use of the 300′ private beach, clubhouse and other amenities is free. The next Open House is Tuesday 10 a – 4p.
Bayfront, canal, pond and regular lots are also for sale. This is a bring your own builder situation. Starting price is $49,900 and reaches $249,900 for land on The Bay. Josie can be reached at 419-862-7143.
Paying is painstaking buy the payoff is all glory. This winter I said forget it to a two-carat diamond tennis bracelet and hello to a new set of all-season sport tires. I shopped around all fall and my mechanic told me where to head. He sent me to Discount Tire, (in Perrysburg, Ohio) where “all they do is tires.” I wanted something ultra-sporty because there isn’t any sense in driving a turbo-charged import with tires that don’t offer premium performance. Yokohama has a new model, the Advan Sport A/S that sells for about one-hundred dollars less (purchase of four) than Michelin. Made for supreme handling the structure showcases a performance shoulder to enhance cornering. The asymmetrical tread design aggrandizes “spirited driving across (insert adective) weather conditions”. After seeing car after car in the ditch on my way down Scenic 105 this morning (after I shoveled the driveway) I was happy to have them. They can be bought on credit with 0% financing for six months. For a look at the look go here. Where I was headed down the Coastal Ohio Trail click this.
I’m out at Marblehead Estates & Yacht Club showcasing the boat slips, luxury condos and lots for sale. The lots are situated in four different places around the development.
As you can see from the feature photo the kitchen countertops are made with a striking quartz. Here’s a look at the living space in the second floor condo, two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo overlooking the marina. The third bedroom has been left out to make for an open floor plan and open up extra space for dining.
The condos are designed for a weekend escape, or summer place in Ohio’s Vacationland! For the fashion I’m wearing today during this March snowstorm go here. A look at the prices again and information for connecting with me. Call my Ohio number, or if you have the 305 saved in your phone, feel free to use that.
When I realized via an email from the Perrysburg office we were about to be hit with a March Snowstorm I could have quivered and called in. But, instead I took advantage that all winter gear and fashion is on clearance and relished in the fact the wintry mix is a fashion show to celebrate.
As always, I tossed on Victoria Secrets high waist ultimate yoga pants in the must-have black. The pants are sixty dollars and can be worn with anything (as you’ve seen multiple times). I almost wore them to Thanksgiving dinner. The top is from the 2000 collection and I venture outside every winter in this item wondering when this fashion piece will appear worn. The material turns the heat back into my body.
My cousin gifted me a Mossimo Marbled Infinity Scarf. I just can’t get enough of this adorable accessory. Sometimes I toss the textured fabric around my neck when I’m working at home or in my pajamas for a stylish effect. A pink, white and grey fair isle ski cap is the only color for this wardrobe scheme. I picked up the head warmer at one of the local sporting goods store.
The showpieces of this March Snowstorm fashion spectacular: Payless’ knock-off option of the Sorel Joan of Arctic Boots. The Women’s Torrent Weather Boot showcases a faux fur cuff which coordinates perfectly with the American Rag Coat. The duck boot design is achieved with leather and rubber and special features to keep the toes warm when the mercury falls as low as thirty degrees below celsius. Right now the mercury reads twenty degrees Fahrenheit. Joan of Arctic Boots, given four out of five stars for warmth and comfort are about two-hundred dollars. Deemed best for heavy snow the brand touts a vulcanized rubber shell.
The parka is the American Rag Faux-Fur-Trim Puffer Coat. Wear this when the real deal is maybe just a bit much for the office, and… for showing real estate in arctic-like elements. I’m out at Marblehead Estates and Yacht Club with plenty of boat slips, two and three bedroom condos, plus pond, canal and bayfront lots to sell. This is a premium, lux living resort community. For a quick low down on the real estate go here.
My hair has its own zip code. Located in the 33030 somewhere in between Key West and Marquesas Keys. Full of body, bounce, curl, texture and unfortunately frizz.
Here’s a look at the untamed tresses in South Florida.
Melissa Blanco, owner of Salon Blanco, or Teresa Nusser, stylist at Country Hair Creations in the Village of Woodville are responsible for smoothing the cuticle. They both use the Brazilian Blowout. A polymer system is placed around every hair strand to keep the curl and lose the frizz. My hair is stripped, the coating applied, hair dried and straightened, then washed and dried again. The process takes roughly two hours. To get the glam we both go geek in glasses.
Right now Country Hair Creations in the Village of Woodville has the lowest Brazilian Blowout cost of any community in Ohio or Florida. $175 and this includes full-size bottles of Acai Anti-Frizz Shampoo and Conditioner that cost an additional $36 per bottle. That leaves enough money to check a suitcase when flying south for spring break to someplace sunny and surrounded by water.
There’s a standout line in the spa products I’m using this season. My aunt gave me Champneys Spa Indulgence Distant Shores Bubble Heaven and Body Butter. Heaven is precisely the correct word used to describe these products. I’m also crushing on the packaging. Bottled up in a cushy fuchsia rimmed with gold, the bottles set the tone for luscious smells of passion fruit, mango extracts and citrus oils. Use has me swooning for a loooooong romance season where everything and anything flushed in tones of rose scores. Made in Thailand this bubble bath and body butter both contain grapefruit and lemon peel oil, plus fruit extract and bark oil. The scent and luxe of ingredients equals love I can give to myself all year around.
Aerial Photos Edmund Gudenas
Photos Steven Drescher and Josie Koler
“My dad says, ‘you came to the island with me and you went home with your mom'”, Danielle Nawrocki shared sweetly across the indoor bar at Saint Hazards on Middle Bass Island. “I was conceived there (Put-in-Bay). The island is going to be my home forever. South Bass Island has a huge part of my heart.”
Nawrocki splurged in the gift shop on a round seashell with a stainless steel cutout of South Bass Island jewelry piece to wear above her heart during a day of island hopping via the Sonny S with her beau’s best friend Johnny Martens.
“I found some of the best jewelry,” explained the employee of two well-known island joints, The Roundhouse and The Blue Luna Ristorante Italiano, “one would pay a lot of money for these cutouts on Put-in-Bay and this is awesome.”
“(The jewelry has) way better quality here. Not to harp on my island, but yes,” observed Martens who was born on South Bass Island, grew up on South Bass Island and lives on South Bass Island. He’s part of the family that started E’s Put-in-Bay Golf Carts.
“I currently work for them and I play a lot of guitar gigs around the island at The (Old) Forge (Cafe and Creperie), the Reel Bar, Topsy’s, at Joe’s and what not,” Martens gave up his island haunts.
“…and I’m Nicole Beachy now,” a new bride filled us in on her new gig in life.
“Because two weeks ago she married my son,” Loretta Beachy and her new daughter-in-law Nicole, announced to everyone the reason for their island gift shop excursion at Saint Hazards on Middle Bass Island.
“We are buying the Middle Bass cut out (necklace). The piece is unique and different from anything else we’ve seen on the island,” Nicole offered.
For thirty-seven years the Beachy family from Plain City, Ohio has been vacationing to MBI. Every weekend from March through November they catch the ferry to cross the lake from the mainland.
“His family would always come up two weeks out of the year. He introduced me to the island, and then we got married, this is what happened. We bought a place up here years ago,” Loretta let on.
For part-time Floridian and Marblehead, Ohio resident, Marcie Hoerig visits a different Lake Erie Island every year along with her girlfriend who lives in Port Clinton.
“We try to hit at least one island every year to come over and visit… and we found this little (Saint Hazards) place,” Hoerig described the flow. “I’m more into the stones. A lot of stones and natural pieces like seashells, abalone, I have a lot of that plus mother of pearls, pearls and sometimes I am attracted to the beading.”
“They’re handmade in Bali. They’re stainless on seashells,” Ed Gudenas proprietor of Saint Hazards Adventures offered of the gift shop treasures. “We have Put-in-Bay, Middle Bass and a couple of Kelleys, and ‘The Monument‘. Other places don’t have these pieces and they’re a lot less expensive.”
The island entrepreneur, former politician, and globe-trotting photographer received inspiration to bring the jewels to Middle Bass Island through swanky jewelers who share pages with his photographs in publications such as Harbour Magazine Ile De Saint Barthelemy – Port de Gustavia.
A glimpse through the pages of the luxury life magazine from the French Caribbean shows the models of Diamond Genesis draped in diamonds, gold and sapphires showcasing the beloved island of St. Barth’s. The craft spans nearly three decades and is a chic and elegant way to celebrate Lake Erie Love. Gudenas’ collection includes bracelets, necklaces, earrings, key chains, and accenting beaded necklaces.
Jewelry, any jewelry, whether made of diamonds or purchased during a cruise ship stop on a Caribbean vacation is used to mark momentous occasions. Perhaps the most notable – an engagement to be married, bringing a new baby into the world, to celebrate a professional milestone, or in this case a distant destination in Lake Erie, which is now a destination marking married life for Nicole Beachy.
“We’re going to rock it out today. We’re just going to wear the pieces today. Loretta was looking for a Middle Bass gift piece. There are not a lot of places that have the little island cut-out,” the new bride gushed.
The memories are just beginning, and now they’re marked around her neck with a seashell cut-out of Middle Bass Island.
The prices are worth gushing over as well. During the off-season which is now through May 31st travelers can pick out any piece for just ten dollars, which is a mere fraction of the forty-thousand dollar price tag of The Saint Barth Collection by Diamond Genesis in the far off French Caribbean. Saint Hazards Waterfront Resort can also, and is willing to, ship anywhere in the world so the love for Lake Erie’s paradise islands can spread. To order call 419-285-6121, email [email protected], or visit the gift shop this summer.
Sometimes I quit working and the clock typically reads well past eight o’clock. Last night the hands were more past ten… I believe this is due to the evening anchor schedule where the whole crew always ate late. At our desks nonetheless. Ordering a pizza isn’t an option these days. I did uncover a regular sized Ziploc bag full of broccoli. Clearly labeled 8/12/16 Broccoli for Broccoli Soup -Cooked-.
I did an internet search, improvised and the results, taste and consistency are delectable and decadent. Here is what I used.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees if you are making your own croutons. Simply take bread crumbs and season with olive oil, fresh cracked pepper and sea salt. I used a small portion from one of Kroger’s ten for ten dollars Italian loaves.
I chopped up the onion and green pepper and sauteed in a sauce pan with two tablespoons of butter. Once the onion and pepper were softened I dropped in the broccoli and poured about one-quarter to one-third of a box of Kroger’s Simple Truth Organic Free Range Low Sodium Chicken Broth on top. I simmered for about ten minutes.
I then poured the soup ingredients into the Nutri Ninja 900 Watt Pro Blender twenty-four ounce container and added one to two cups of Simple Truth Coconut Milk and four tablespoons of cheese aged in a cave! This is starting to get savory. Murray’s freshly shredded Parmigiano Regianno Cheese from the Kroger Deli is a barrage of sweet, salt, spice and nuttiness … with a caramel finish! The brand combines modern technology on Long Island New York with Old World knowledge. We know there isn’t any thing so true in that I am all about the Old World.
Blend for about twenty seconds and place the bread crumbs into the oven. Begin melting three tablespoons of butter in the sauce pan the soup ingredients were sauteed in. Drop in all of the flour and start slowly pouring the mixture of milk, cheese and vegetables into the saucepan while stirring with a spoon. The soup will begin to form and the ingredients bind together. Begin to whisk in fresh cracked black pepper, the truffle oil and sea salt.
I picked up a container of Falksalt Natural Crystal Flakes recently from the gourmet food section. This staple is from Sweden’s premium salt manufacturer dating back to the 1830s. Falksalt’s crisp, shimmering sea salt flakes are extracted from Mediterranean Sea water … Pure, clean seawater is simmered in open pans for extended periods of time until the water evaporates and pyramid-shaped salt crystals are formed.
To cut through the coconut-y taste I began drizzling in Extra Virgin Truffle Oil by Grand’Aroma. I had picked up a bottle at Downtown Heinen’s Cleveland Grocery Store during a quest to recreate Ziggie & Mad Dog’s Truffle Mac & Cheese. That was a favorite dining and gathering spot when I lived on the Island of Islamorada. Deemed a superlative enhancement when drizzled over risotto and potatoes this imported ingredient truly is the ultimate liquid enhancement to having hauntingly rich flavor. I kept whisking and adding drizzles and sprinkles of these three ingredients and then tossed in a little more Parmigiano until the flavors were full.
Simply serve in a bowl and top with a sprinkle of cheese and homemade croutons. Being exact or measuring really isn’t necessary. This makes either two large bowls for dinner, or three to four to serve as an appetizer. Using real milk versus coconut will most likely change up the amount of salt flakes, truffle oil and butter you would then use.
I choose Bellitti Prosecco as an apertif, a sparkling white wine from northeast Italy showcasing soft and fruity peach and pear notes, with breezy apple peel and lemon zest. Pairs well with … cream sauce … The gold label screams glam as if one is right back in the studio lights. Perhaps finish with a sip of Limoncello which is always a nice touch after a rich meal.
This is a Josie in Paradise original! Sperro ti piaccia!
All pictures by Travis Yednak and my personal iPhone
This home is where I first caught on that the universe gives one everything that they need. I left public life in 2012 and at the end of the year rode my bicycle around the island of Islamorada and happened upon this gem. A four-bedroom, four-bathroom home with another living room and kitchen in the downstairs enclosure, plus, a loft office. The house has been renovated since I lived here in 2013 before moving into the luxury City Loft in Cleveland. Here is a slideshow. The furnishings and furniture are atrocious and this is not what the space looked like when I occupied the rooms. But the open-floor concept and location, in a sweet little neighborhood halfway between Miami and Key West, is a seller.
Don’t you love the aquarium feature in the staircase? This place is where I met the Olympic-medal draped swim coach, Jon Olsen, at Founders Park.
The same park where I revisited my love affair with the tennis courts.
.. and swimming in the open ocean.
Unexpected, lifelong friendships were formed.
and many, many Morada Bay Full Moon parties were attended.
I designed a dress or two…
…and immersed myself into the study of theology and Catholicism.
The master bedroom was actually my yoga and fitness studio where my massage therapist would also set up.
How can you not want to live here? Get yourself a convertible and start Living the Dream! The place is for sale and needs a stylish touch to match the vibe of this posh island paradise.
Why would I ever leave…? This is also the home where I learned some believe that its ok for others to do ok, just not better than them. Success is for everyone. As I’ve just shown you there is an abundance in the universe. Go get some.
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