Talk of the Town

Nothing like being upstaged by your parents. At a press conference in a ballroom at the renovated Naples Grande, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was in the middle of a heartfelt speech about the state's family literacy efforts when his father, President George H.W. Bush, was spied sneaking behind the podium and backdrop. Then his mother, Barbara Bush, took control of the microphone from him altogether. "I'm the governor of a large state," Jeb said. "I'm 52 years old. ["53," Lieutenant Gov. Toni Jennings gently reminded him.] You'd think I'd get some respect from my mother. Uh-uh. No how, no way." The good-natured squabbling was all in service of the sixth annual Celebration of Reading. Although literacy is a cause most dear to Mrs. Bush's heart, son Jeb says it's his father who puts important diplomatic work aside each spring to come to Naples, annually "stealing the show" when he reads from the stage. The Bushes were joined by star author Michael Crichton, 6-foot-9-inches tall and movie-star handsome; Mississippi humorist Jill Conner Browne; and poet and novelist Julianna Baggott.

Another Bush, more reading: At a breakfast that the Education Foundation of Collier County threw for young writing contest winners, Pelican Marsh student Nicole Wardeberg was seen nudging her mother, Michelle, when Baggott read a passage from her novel The Anybodies. It was about an imaginative child being raised by CPAs in a house with a "beige-on-beige" color scheme; Michelle, now a stay-at-home mom, cheerfully copped not only to being an accountant by training but also to having a tastefully neutral home interior. Nicole's poem and the other winning writings were presented to the breakfast's guest of honor, Columba Bush, who was thanked by foundation president Susan McManus for her contributions to arts and literacy in Southwest Florida. At a previous spring ceremony for the ELLM literacy program, those same sentiments were expressed by William Merwin, Dottie Gerrity, Kim Long and other children's advocates. Long's Fun Time Early Childhood Academy will be the headquarters for the recently announced Columba Bush Early Arts Conservatory.

Let's talk politics: It's never too early to speculate about 2008's presidential race, not when the Gulfshore plays host to so many prominent Republicans. Asked for his top pick, President George H.W. Bush grinned and pointed to his red-faced younger son. At a fund-raising event at the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, Vice President Dick Cheney was gracious with supporters, including old friends Ann and Herb Rowe, and tight-lipped with reporters in an appearance that created a two-county-wide traffic jam. Rudy Giuliani was advocating, not politicking, at his second annual event for Collier's National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, where he was joined by John Walsh and Hank Asher. Naples' Jay Baker, founder of the Kohl's department store chain, says his wife, Patty, is a big supporter of the organization, which is what ultimately led him to be one of two bidders who pledged $20,000 each for tickets to a Yankees game with the former New York City mayor. That, and that "I'm a Yankees fan since I'm five years old," Baker says. The genial Baker promises he can match the vociferous Giuliani shout for shout in the stands.

Giuliani's possible rival, Hillary Clinton, had to cancel a fete that was to be hosted by Darryl Pottorf and Robert Rauschenberg on Captiva Island when Senate hearings on port control intervened. Bruce Strayhorn, whose family members have been Democrats since Fort Myers was a small southern town, was working on a reschedule at press time. Those who purchased tickets for the fund raiser, he says, didn't mind that she put the people's business first.

In fashion: It's a truism among party planners that banquet seating, with its extra level of formality, will never fly at parties in the Gulfshore. Leave it to fashion giant Armani to break the rules when it teamed up with Saks for a runway event for the 25th annual Trinity-by-the-Cove Antique Show. Insiders say every detail, from the T-shaped arrangement of the tables to where the napkins were placed, had the approval of the fashion house. Ginny Small, Sharon von Arx and Dee Sulick headed the event, which Saks Fifth Avenue manager Joanne Walsh said was the first showing of Armani's fall collection outside of New York's fashion week.

Don't miss: John R. Wood's annual golf tournament at TwinEagles and Bonita Bay on May 1 welcomes 27 of the area's best country club pros, including Ben Addis from Hole in the Wall, Naples' most private course. Eden, a nonprofit autism services organization, welcomes back soft-spoken but musically powerful singer-songwriter Ben Taylor. His mom, Carly Simon, has a sweet turn with him on his latest CD.

Heard around the Gulfshore:

"Of course I like it. He stole it from us." -Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, on being asked by his mother what he thought of his brother's No Child Left Behind program.

"I was in Ecuador. Purchased a 200-year-old hacienda. Went bird hunting. No one got shot." -Naples attorney and Republican party faithful Joe Cox, explaining why he missed Vice President Cheney's visit.