 Yesteryear
I Lived in Paradise:
The Story of
Caladesi Island
Myrtle Scharrer
Betz
Cover
Art by Christopher M. Still
New 2009 Edition
(AVAILABLE
AT THE ROTARY CENTENNIAL NATURE CENTER)
Paperback
Book
Myrtle Scharrer Betz is
a born storyteller with a marvelous tale to tell. Her account of growing
up on Caladesi Island is one of the richest portraits available of life
in Florida when it truly was the natural, tropical paradise that tourists
and residents alike can only dream of discovering today. Told with compelling
honesty and humanity, this tale by the only child ever born on Caladesi
Island captures the natural wonders, discomforts, challenges, and joys
of pioneer life on a Florida West Coast barrier island, spanning the time
from when her father, Henry Scharrer, first arrived in America from Switzerland
in 1883 until his death in 1934. This new and enlarged edition includes
more than 130 historic illustrations providing a visual legacy to complement
Myrtle s narrative, and granddaughter Terry Fortner has added a timeline
to clarify the history, extending to the years before and after the narrative
itself. With wisdom, insight, and poetry, Myrtle Scharrer Betz has written
a book that is sure to become a Florida treasure. In consideration of the
future as well as preservation of the past, sales from the book support
the Henry Scharrer Memorial Fund to underwrite projects at Caladesi and
Honeymoon Island State Parks. |
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Great
Women Exploring Nature