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| Former Naples Cottage of Albert Hadley |
I had a most enjoyable ride downtown this morning- adjusting for the extra hour- and knowing that today is Billy's birthday, I wanted to get back to my place in time to get ready for a later celebration in his honor. I meandered down 11th Avenue South, which has some of the most concentrated cottages, one more charming than the next. When AH lived here, I was a frequent guest, and had some fabulous times soaking up his amazing, mercurial, and magical atmosphere. There was always a wonderful aroma of fresh oil paint, the floors had been painted, and that unique old house coolness. The dormer window, at top left, contained a new shower he had Johnny Harris, the contractor put in, and I once had the pleasure of taking a shower there, right in front of the window! It seemed perfectly natural at the time. Recently, Billy and I attended a requiem mass for dear Johnny, at the elegant Trinity-by-the-Cove Episcopal Church, in Port Royal, which is just south of Old Naples. It wasn't long ago that Mr. Charles Faudree, the famous "french country" specialist had given a talk at this church, as part of the Naples Antiques show. Mr. Faudree died in November of last year. I had planned to attend his presentation, but ended up giving my tickets to a client, (the one who had hired Ruben de Saavedra and Michael Greer). I do think that even Albert would be amazed at all of the new houses going up in Naples.
Here's a shot of a typical side street in Old Naples, leading to the beach. I love the classic "old south" look of these streets- and the real estate professionals really love them, as you can imagine. It's triple A location, although these are not waterfront lots.
Here's a newer house, built on a private side street, across from my friend Art Canada's old house. Art is a builder, and one of the most prolific of the Old Naples real estate investors. I thought the siting of this one was very well done- and I like the longish driveway too. I see so many interesting things, (and people) when riding downtown, and in the Moorings, this morning, I saw a beautiful young woman in a dress and heels, walking her two French bulldogs. I also saw four Bentleys and two or three Maseratis... as the private jets came in for their landings. Simply fabulous! Cheers! DF *****
