4 o'clock in the morning, by Capt. Ben Marler: 24 hours to go before Booksigning at the Museum

4 o'clock in the morning, by Capt. Ben Marler: 24 hours to go before Booksigning at the Museum: (DESTIN) DON'T FORG'T TO COME SEE ME TOMORROW! 4:00 - 5:30 PM SEE YA!

LET SOMEONE FIND OLD DESTIN UNDER THEIR CHRISTMAS TREE THIS YEAR

The bestselling new book, "Old Destin Through the eyes of a Child" by Capt. Ben Marler is offered as the ideal Christmas gift for those who love reminiscing. Adventurous "Bennie" will tell you all about life in Destin in the good old days when the town was omitted from road maps. Seemingly only the Air Force, the hardy fishermen, and the superabundant fish knew about the place that so many treasure today. $16.00 with over 100+ photos, 250 pgs. Profits from book sales go to the Old Destin Fund which provides assistance to families who are hurting. Give a gift of nostalgia for the Yuletide this year, especially to the veterans and active duty military who long to be home for Christmas..

This book is available online at http://olddestin.blogspot.com , Destin Walgreens, the Destin Fishing and History Museum, Bayview RV Campground, Mary's Kitchen and Magnolia Grill in Ft. Walton, Barnes and Nobles, Books a Million, and Amazon.com. A Kindle edition will be forthcoming by Christmas.

Caroline Grace Crowley Raises the Bar on Viking Idol Competition

(Ft. Walton Beach) Thursday night, Caroline Grace Crowley, 16, knocked them dead in the Viking Idol competition in the grand finale of the show. As contestant #20, she received acclaim from the judges, who told her that she "single-handedly raised the bar" in this competition even as they handed her 4th place the next day, disappointing friends.

Wearing an olive green satin halter top with tight black legging and over the knee boots, she gave an over the top performance to Adele's "Rolling in the Deep." Her sultry voice was flawless, and choreography and stage presence show quality all the way.

When the Emcee asked what was her passion, and what she wanted to do when she went into the big world, she demurely said, "Music. Very much so." "Music. Awesome," he concurred.

She definitely puts her big heart, soul and petite self into her singing, which continues to improve. The question really is, where will it take her next?

On the Eastern Wings of a Dream

The lovely Eastern Airlines Stewardess placed a set of plastic wings in my hand. I looked up from the replica pin to her smile and out and down to her turquoise mini uniform and white go-go boots. My 12 year-old psyche absorbed the adventurous dream that was surely shared. In the 1970s, the jet airliners flew over our docks and I let my spirit catch a ride, tracing their stream of white mist until I couldn't see them anymore. Magazines boasted ads of stewardesses and their gleaming silver necked birds, and, oh, the places they'd go! Hawaii! Japan! Mexico! Even in my Archie comic books you could send for career and academy information, though I never did. My grandmother Betty whipped up a copy of the short tunic uniform, and a matching floppy hat, to proudly wear with my pin on the way from Ft. Lauderdale to home. This time, the stewardesses, I'm sure, got a big kick out of their imitator.
I've flown 3 times nationally and 3 times internationally in my lifetime, but never as a Stewardess. But, I ordered a kiddie pin of Delta on Ebay, and they have no age restriction so, you never know!

Real Pan Am Stewardesses

FLY ME TO THE MOON, PAN AM

The Essential Heiress tm: Model Over Miami, a new book coming soon

The Essential Heiress tm: Model Over Miami, a new book coming soon

Model Over Miami, a new book coming soon

Betty Cook was discovered after her sister entered her in a beauty contest at 16. She won and was crowned Miss Dixie Queen and was immediately offered modeling jobs. The next year, hosts changed the name of the pageant to Miss Miami Beach. Her prize was a year's worth of dance lessons. A cover girl in magazines and newspapers, she appeared in a two piece swimsuit in the second issue of Life Magazine, knew Oleg Cassini personally, was once asked out by a Kennedy, and modeled well into her forties. One of the most glamorously photographed models of her era, she screen tested for the movie, Dancing Lady playing the part of Joan Crawford. The President of Eastern Airlines chose her to represent the carrier by riding in a NYC parade at Christmas in a white swimsuit to promote flights to Miami as a warm winter vacation mecca. She was the "cats meow" if ever there was one and helped put Miami Beach on stage for the world to see, under the light of the beautiful Miami Beach moon.

-From Model Over Miami, by Athena Marler Creamer, Heiress Arts Publishers

Trailer from the new ABC Show PAN AM

OLD DESTIN Through the Eyes of a Child, by Capt. Ben Marler

ISBN-10: 1461098556 ISBN-13: 978-1461098553 From the From the Publisher:


Cut off from mass communications with the rest of the world with nothing but a bridge and not a single telephone or electric light, Destin managed to grow from a remote paradise to a resort area which attracts millions of visitors from all around the world.

Back when some of Florida's fishing boats were handmade and built in captain's back yards, their primitive engines pieced together from automobile motors, the plentiful schools of fish "fathomed out" and snared in seines. Fishing grounds then could be found by nothing more than dead reckoning, timed by a wind up watch, a compass, and the clouds and shore trees. A quiet life began in this particular spot, long the Civil War. But, in 1934, Destin was building a bridge, future WWII pilots were in training, and less than a handful of hardworking fishermen were feeding multitudes of civilians from a tiny fishing village known as Destin. Life was not easy, but it was satisfying and adventurous.
One of Destin's foremost and memorable captains, a fish-catcher and evangelist, opens his families most cherished albums to share pages from Destin's history in the previous century, with photos dating back to 1900.

Capt. Ben seats us around his knees like grandchildren to retell the stories, impressions, descriptions of a small boy's life in Destin, Florida, its' only boy born there in 1938.
Part Tom Sawyer, Part Leave it To Beaver, with a touch of Old Glory and reverence for God, Old Destin Through the Eyes of a Child will be a certain welcome addition to museums and school libraries as well as to those armchair historians who can't get enough of Florida's rich history.
You’ll almost smell the kerosene and sea grasses, and will wish you could go back in time to experience Old Destin.
Even if you were there.


-Heiress Arts Publishers, Destin, Florida