A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE BEACH

NAPLES, FL - 12/14/2015 (PRESS RELEASE JET) -- Local nature blogger and former Clam Pass Park Tram Driver Bernie Rath has teamed up with talented local artist Margit Heiss to produce a new illustrated book entitled A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE BEACH: Tall True Tales of Zany Animals and Crazy People Making Mayhem in the Mangroves of Florida.    It is available in both the Kindle Format and soft-cover from Amazon.com and in paperback from The Conservancy of SW Florida gift shop. 

This humorous, light-hearted book is an account of the author’s nearly decade long “senior career” as a tram driver at Clam Pass Park in the Pelican Bay area of Naples.  During that time he ferried thousands of people to and from the beach along an elevated boardwalk that passes through a pristine and controversial estuary eco-system that contains thousands of endangered red, black and white mangrove trees.  In addition to the readily apparent flora, there is a lot of not so readily apparent fauna and there-in lie these tales which make for interesting and funny reading.

The true stories feature a panther in the park during spring break; kidnapped gopher tortoises; bats falling from the passenger terminal ceiling at the tram stop; snakes in the trees and on the planks; a boy who tried to kidnap an alligator; a lady who got hit in the bead by a fish that fell from the sky; a four foot long black-tipped shark awaiting beach-goers at the arrival deck and a monkey in the mangroves.  Along the way you’ll pick up a few facts about the local area that you’ll likely find of interest.

Before embarking on this senior career as a Clam Pass Park tram driver, Bernie Rath served as Executive Director of both the Canadian and American booksellers’ associations from 1979 to 1997 in Toronto and New York respectively.  He has lived in Naples since 2004.  This is his second local non-fiction book.  Margit Heiss has lived in Naples for 14 years and her stunning abstract nature paintings can be viewed at the Gallery on Fifth in the Mercato. 

“This book is guaranteed by the author and illustrator to bring a smile to your face or a chortle to your chin or your money back

Media Contact

Company Name: FLORIDA GUNKHOLER
Name: Bernie Rath
Phone: (702) 285-4437
Email Address: brathe@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.reachyourperfectbeach.blogspot.com