Homestead, FL - Coral Castle - Adventure Saturday # 11

Last post on my Stay-cation series...

On my way home from Key West, I stopped by a fascinating place called Coral Castle.  Years ago I saw something on Discovery Channel (you know, back when Discovery used to have decent and educational programming) about odd or mysterious places.  Featured on the show was Coral Castle.  I'd never heard about it before.  I was immediately intrigued by the place, especially since it's relatively close (about a couple hours due east) from where I live.  I put the location down in my phone as something to remember to explore at some point, but long ago forgot about it in the process of changing phones and losing my notes.  I can't remember when or how I came upon this place again.  Maybe it was during one my Adventure researchings.  Whatever the case, as soon as I saw the name I remembered it as one of my many places of interest I intended to someday explore.

Ed's greeting at the front entrance of the Castle.

A little history...

What makes Coral Castle so interesting and mysterious is that entire thing, every building, every sculpture was built by one man.  To this day no one knows for sure how he did it.  Each piece was built under secrecy. When asked, Ed Leedskalnin, creator of this "unusual" place, would give only vague answers. He said he figured out how the Great Pyramids were built, and that anyone could do it once you knew how.  He died without telling anyone why or how the Castle came to be and so rumors of the supernatural blossomed and persist about the man and the place even today.

What we know...

Ed spent 28 years making each piece in his coral garden from homemade tools.  His sculptures are all made out of a mineral made out of limestone and coral that he quarried himself.  He designed each chair to be ergonomically correct for his body. So even though they're made out of stone, they are actually quiet comfortable.  Yes, I did sit in some of the chairs. Since I'm about the same size as Ed was (he was a wee little man), they were just right for me.  Pretty cool.

There are some pieces weighing in at 30 tons.  Which all just add to the lore of how one man could move  such large objects and build this magnificent place all by himself.

The lore...

Some say the rock gardens and castle are all a tribute to a lost love.  Supposedly he was jilted shortly before he was to be married to his long time sweetheart.

An eye witness (a little boy) stated that he happened to catch a glimpse of Ed working in his garden and said that huge pieces of rock were levitating like 'hydrogen balloons.'

Whatever the truth, this is a very cool place to visit and I'm so glad to have finally been able to see it in person.  There are daily guided tours in which you'll learn much about the man and each piece in the garden.  Stop by and see it for yourself if ever you find yourself in or near Homestead.

Without further ado, here's some pictures of Coral Castle.... indeed an 'unusual accomplishment.'

Ergonomically correct lounge chairs.

Polaris telescope.

Florida-shaped dinner table.

Throne room.

Well that Ed carved out himself.

Not all things lovely at Coral Castle are made out of stone...

Sun dial (I think).

Where the man cooked his meals.

Comfy chairs.

It reads:

The most frequent question overheard here is: "How did one man without assistance construct the Coral Castle"? The answer is: - with an uncanny knowledge of the laws of leverage and balance, engineering, and sculpture, and with eh aid of simple tools such as metal falls, (block and tackle) rollers, jack,s wedges, slings, cables, sledges and chisels. And above all infinite patience and a tremendous imagination.

The tools displayed here - many made from old auto parts- were used by Edward Leeskalnin in building the Coral Castle.

While today the Coral Castle is a priceless work of art it is believed that Leesklnin's cost was minimal since he excavated the coral rock from the premises and recycled old auto parts.

He lived n the second floor of this building in a very Spartan fashion, had no electricity or running water. He spent time in later years in the study of magnetism, astronomy and radio, and was seen often in the Homestead Public Library. He died in Dec. 1951 at the age of 64.

The Coral Castle is privately owened and has been open to the public since 1953.

***However tours where given before that as well, by the man himself Ed Leedskalnin. He personally gave a guided tour to anyone who came at $.10 a head.

Ed's modest sleeping quarters.

The "Castle" or tower. Where Ed lived when he wasn't in his gardens.

"There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open."
~Jawahrial Nehru

Until next time...
~M

Key West - Hemingway House, Haunted Tour - Adventure Saturday # 10

'Ello, Poppet!

After spending a few days in Sanibel, my stay-cation continued with an impromptu  trip to Key West. While I have been to Key West before, this time I got to do a little more exploring than in my previous visits.

First off, if you've never been to the Keys, GO.  There's SO much to do.  Really, there's something for everyone.  You can go there every weekend of the year and find a different activity.  If your concerned about family friendly activities, there's tons. I really wish we had more time there and/or a little more time to prepare.  There are some wonderful tours that I would LOVE the opportunity to go on, but since this was a last minute trip and some of these tours are so popular, several were sold out. So you've been warned, plan accordingly.

Considering the short notice, though, there were still plenty of things available that we could do.  Whether your time is as limited as ours or not, I strongly recommend getting tickets for one of the 'Hop On Hop Off' Tours.  Their are several of them and it's exactly like it sounds.  As the tour bus or trolly travels through Key West, you have the opportunity to 'hop off' at any stop to explore at your leisure.  Once you're done, you just wait for the next bus and continue on.  It's the quickest way to see a good portion of Key West in a short time whilst learning tons of fun facts about the place from funny and well versed guides.

Though it was just a two day stay, a lot was packed in. 

One of our stops was at the Hemingway house.  You can join a tour and learn the about the history of the house or you can roam around at your leisure.  Yes, the property really is covered in six-toed cats. While not all of them are six-toed, most of them are and most are descendants of Hemingway's original six-toed cat Snowball.  The cats are everywhere and are clearly well looked after by the people that maintain the house. 

One of the famous, Hemingway six-toed cats.

Hemingway cats live large.

No Key West tour is complete without stopping by 0 Mile, (supposedly the most stolen street sign in the country), the Southernmost Point (as one guide wittingly quipped "We're now at the Southernmost Point of the United States and that right there there is the Southernmost tourist and we're the Southernmost Tour Bus!"  Har har. :-) ), Duval Street, Mallory Squar, and the Lighthouse.

We couldn't pass up going on a  'Haunted Tour' one evening.  It was great fun with some interesting characters for guides who encouraged us to take as many photos as possible to look for 'paranormal activity.'  Sadly I managed to capture no unusual or paranormal images in any of my pictures, but supposedly one of the tour goers did.  Upon reviewing the picture, one of the tour guide confirmed that a particular ball of light was indeed an orb.  I, however, remain skeptical.  Anywho, after passing by several reportedly haunted houses and learning the stories of each, we were granted exclusive night-time access to one of Key Wests Civil War Forts which is now the Fort East Martello Museum.  Housed in the Fort is Robert the Doll, a one hundred year old haunted doll who is said to be quite mischievous. It is said that he moves on his own, blinks, and even occasionally giggles.  Visitors are allowed to take pictures of him, but out of respect to Robert, you're to ask his permission first before you take each photo.

"Robert, may I take your picture please?"

Some day I'll find myself in Key West again.  When I do, I really hope to visit the Dry Tortugas National Park (which can only be accessed by boat or seaplane), the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Key West Tropical Forrest and Botanical Gardens,  go on the Shipwreck Snorkel and Dolphin Encounter Tour. 

*sigh*  So much to see.

I leave you with a couple more pictures.  No matter how many times you go, or how much time you spend there, seeing wild, protected chickens all over the place never stops being odd and unusual.

"Beautiful plumage!"

This little guy got separated from his family and had to be rescued. Little cutie, I was tempted to take him home!

Until next time!

"And then I realized adventures are the best way to learn."

~M

Sanibel and Captiva - Captiva Cruises - Adventure Saturday # 9

Ahoy everyone!

Here's a glaring example of taking for granted where you live. I've lived in this little slice of heaven known as Southwest Florida for 13 years and had never been to the beautiful islands of Sanibel and Captiva before this summer.  How does that even happen?  Easy.  You figure, "Hey. I live here. I can go anytime."  Before you know it days turn into weeks, into months, into years.  This is one of the reasons Adventure Saturdays began in the first place, to enjoy and appreciate this place in which I'm so fortunate to live.

So for a few days this past summer, a friend and I got so spend some time out at Sanibel and Captiva. A few days were certainly not enough. 

First, I have to say this.  If you're planning on staying over night at Sanibel, I recommend either Tropical Winds Motel and Cottages or their sister property Anchor Inn and Cottages.  After a little booking snafu, the management team there really went out of their way to make things right.  Truly, their efforts to accommodate us were beyond spectacular and they've gained a life long customer in me for it.  The next time I need a little retreat from the real world and plan on staying at Sanibel, one of these two establishments is where I plan to go.  We ended up staying at Anchor in one of their adorable little cottages that just added to an already wonderful weekend.

Here's some of what we enjoyed whilst there...

The beach of course.  Even though it rained everyday, we were able to get out for a little bit between dry spells. Sanibel is world renowned for it's beaches and shelling.  You'll find some of the most beautiful, unbroken shells there.  Even though I'm not much of a sheller, I did want to poke around a bit to see if I could a few good ones but didn't have the time to explore as much as I wanted to.  However, it gives me a great excuse to make the time to back. 

We also went on a couple of cruises via Captiva Cruises. Our first cruise was to Cabbage Key we enjoyed a "Cheeseburger in Paradise"at the Cabbage Key Inn. Supposedly Jimmy Buffet Stayed here, had a cheeseburger, and the song was born.  Kinda cool, me thinks.  The island has no paved roads, no cars, no convenience store and is only accessible by boat. It does offers nature trails, an observation tower, and plenty of solitude if you're into that sort of thing.  While it was definitely and interesting experience going out there and eating at the famed restaurant (which is covered in dollar signed dollar bills from visitors) , I have no desire to return.  My burger was good but not great and the same can be said for the key lime pie.  Really, the island's only real draw is it's connection to the Jimmy Buffet song.  I wouldn't have mind a little more time to explore the trails out there, but oh well. The best part about Cabbage Key is the boat ride there and the dolphins that chased us.

Cheeseburger in Paradise - Cabbage Key Inn

One of Cabbage Key's inhabitants. 

The next day we went out with the same tour company and went on a Dolphin and Wildlife Cruise.  We had some really good dolphin encounters on our way out to Cabbage Key so we were hoping to get a repeat show.  While there were a few dolphins out, they weren't nearly as engaging as their brothers from the previous day.  Perhaps the fact that it was later in the day and a storm was heading in had something to do with it. It was still fun though.  The tour guides on both cruises were funny and  were ready with all kinds of interesting facts about the area and the wildlife.

 Aside from shelling, there are a few other things I'd still love to do out there,  Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge for one, along with a few few more cruises.  These will be saved future Adventure Saturdays. Looking forward to returning someday!

Sanibel Lighthouse

Little Ol' Me

"Life is for deep kisses, strange adventures, midnight swims, & rambling conversations."

~M

Naples Botanical Gardens - private tours and classes - Adventure Saturday # 8

Hi All!

I know I've posted about Naples Botanical Gardens (NBG) before, but there's a few things I wanted to mentioned about this beautiful place.  Since our first visit there last spring, mom and I have become members.  There are some really wonderful advantages about being members: free admission all year long; first dibs on classes, events, and tours (many of which are also free to members or at a reduced cost).

We made sure we took advantage of some of these bonuses this summer.  We attended some free classes on orchids (which included a tour of their amazing orchid house) and even participated in a tour given by one of NBG's directors.

We were also invited to a members only 'soft re-opening' to view some of the changes and renovations that have taken place at there this past summer.

We've had a wonderful time and there's so much available on their calendar yet to explore:

• Tai Chi or Yoga in the Garden
•  Master Gardener Plant Clinics
• Night Lights
• Concerts
• New Exhibits
• More Classes
• Family Planting Day & Fall Festival
  
  It's a pretty safe bet we'll be spending more time at the Gardens this year, taking advantage of what they have to offer.  Check out their events calender or the "Life Long Learning" section of their webpage: www.naplesgarden.org.   You might find something there you're interested in exploring, too!  :-)
  
  Adventure awaits!
  
  ~M
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Shy Wolf Sactuary - Adventure Saturday # 7

Shy Wolf Sanctuary is exactly what it sounds like: it is a rescue primarily for  wolves and wolf dogs, but there are some other exotic animals there as well.  The best part about this wonderful place is that it's five minutes down the road from  where I live!  All this time I had no idea that just a stones throw away was a rather large community of wolves.  Pretty cool find I think. 

The founders of this amazing place, Nancy and Kent Smith, has been caring for and rescuing these exotic animals since 1993 (at their own expense).  They didn't get their name, however, until a local reporter got wind of them and made their story public.  They officially became 'Shy Wolf Sanctuary' in 2001.

I know I don't have to sell you on this place... I mean, what could be cooler than a habitat of wolves (that you can even cuddle with!!!) that's open for tour?  But I do want to mention this... Nancy, Kent, and the people who volunteer there very obviously love what they do and are passionate not only in caring for these magnificent animals, but in educating people about them as well.

They frequently do events in the community and visit schools and the most amazing thing is... they do it all for free. Here's the notice they have on their website about it:

"We decided long ago not to charge a fee for our educational programs and speaking engagements, wanting to make our animals and their lessons available and affordable to all. We survive on YOUR generosity through donations.   Please remember that your generosity helps us to continue providing the best possible care for the animals."  

Scheduled tours are available several days a week and are completely free, but donations are requested.  I very highly recommend planning an outing at Shy Wolf.  You'll only need a couple of hours and you will have the opportunity to interact (yes, PET and CUDDLE) with some of the wolves!  You must register ahead of time as the size of groups per tour is limited. 

I close with some more pictures I took whilst there and this quote I found on the website and I strongly agree:

“If you talk to the animals, they will talk to you
and you will know each other.
If you do not talk to them you will not know them,
and what you do not know you will fear.
What one fears – one destroys.”
 Chief Dan George 
 
One last thing and I'm done.... some of the animals are up for adoption.  There's a little bit of a process (info can be found on the website: http://www.shywolfsanctuary.com/index.html)  But, yes! If everything checks out you can adopt a wolf!  Pretty cool, I think!  Someday... someday... :-)

~M