key west, florida
cricket desmarais
key west, florida
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Authenticity. It's what Cricket Desmarais strives for in her day-to-day living, whether in work, art or personal world. It's what she believes helps you find your flow & stand out from the crowd. When Cricket works with you, she helps you discover what is truest & best about you, your business or project to springboard you towards your goal. When in her own flow, she approaches life with a sense of Renaissance gusto, integrating a broad base of knowledge & skills that span multiple disciplines to support her personal & professional projects.With an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from N.Y.U. & a drive for collecting data & imagery, Cricket transforms her talents & passions into a coastal & cultural anthroplogy, documenting her discoveries for local & national publications while assisting businesses & individuals with their programs & projects.She works with both private & tax-exempt sectors of business, with a deep appreciation & understanding that each must profit in order to thrive. A marketing stint for the Village Voice Newspaper in New York demonstrated the power of print & media & how it can influence the masses. For the last decade-plus, she has helped businesses & individuals tap into their support tools & resources to present the story they seek to tell & rally their targeted audiences.Today, she works with select businesses & individuals on their projects & proposals, helping them define their goals while supporting them towards the end result. Her work ethic is intense & her commitment to her clients are unparalleled. Scroll through the "services" index or browse through portfolio samples to get a sense of what Cricket can do for YOU. Her current personal projects include a historic novel, a series of children's stories & a non- ficition book on the many uses of coconut oil. She continues to capture images that arouse & inspire her, is learning the ins & outs of film-making & aspires to travel to indigenous coastlines to document cultures & creatures found there before they meld into the western ways. As a certified boat captain & registered yoga teacher, she teaches & practices yoga & plays on & in the ocean whenever she can. She is dedicated to living- & helping others live- a more luminous & joyful life, as simply & sanely as possible. She lives in Key West with her two young daughters & amazing, dynamic friends. For more information, email her at: cricket.desmarais_mac.com .
services
/services
/writerCricket's background as a writer spans the gamut from travel, lifestyle, environment & art features in national pulications to marketing & promotional materials for state agencies & local businesses - all with an eye towards detail & deadlines. She has received numerous awards & grants, including a New York Times Fellowship & the Key West Writer's Award, judged by Carl Hiaasan. Her work includes (& is not limited to):articles & interviewshumor columnistcopywriter/ad design & developmentpress releases/ media materialsgrant proposalsblogs & web contentcreative fiction & non-fiction projects
/editorHow often do you see tpyos in print, a dangling sentence? Or, overuse, of commas? A good editor never lets that happen. Whether you have a full manuscript you'd like read & edited, a business article you need direction with or simply want a second set of eyes to review your current resume, Cricket's editorial experience will help you rest assured your work is what it needs to be.
/coachIf what you need is calm encouragement & some new tools to keep you moving forward, creative coaching may be your answer. This service is generally for artists & writers interested in exploring their processes & moving towards a clearly defined goal, though anyone intereseted in a new creative pursuit wanting some solid footing to start off with are encouraged to try coaching, too.
/consultantMove forward with clarity & consciousness with consultations that help you ask & answer the right questions, leaving you empowered, inspired & enlightened by the process. Recent clients & projects include artists for portfolio & grant proposal development, business web content development & design mediation, media consulting for a clean energy corporation, National State Park event Public Relations representation & general consulting for a non-profit Studio Artist Program. Where does your business feel stuck? Let me help you help yourself.
portfolio
/portfolio
/WritingConceptualizing, designing & writing marketing materials, grant writing, artist statements, resumes, media coverage... Cricket can help you out in a myriad of ways. She is most passionate about work that embraces creative fiction & non-fiction, especially when it relates to the arts, travel, lifestyle or literature.Click the links below to sample writing styles.
/Imagery With talent & tendencies towards the visual arts, Cricket collects & captures images to complement her storytelling. While capable of photodocumenting just about any subject to compliment her text, she is most attracted to environmental portraiture. She has exhibited throughout various venues in Key West & seeks to collect more imagery beyond borders & present them in meaningful, creative & educational ways.Click the camera below for sample images.
/Movement Cricket's flow & balance are brought into being by tuning into her intense physical energy, which manifests in dance, choreography, theatre & a commitment to the exploration of teaching & practicing yoga. Cricket is a RYT with Yoga Alliance, trained in the Krama Vinyasa Yogic Arts System with a focus in her practice towards expansion of the heart & balance of being. She is available for private yoga instruction & professional performance projects. She currently teaches at Shakti Yoga & is working on upcoming choreography for the CoffeeMill's hIPSo facto performance series. Click the video camera below to explore some choreography, performance & dance film projects. Click HERE for a gallery of performance-related images & HERE for a modern dance performance sampling.
. travel
. the arts
. literary
. lifestyle
performance
performanceWhether choreographed & staged, site-specific or improvisationally-based, Cricket loves the energy that comes with performance. She has experience with dramatic, comedic & musical theater, modern & improvistational dance, burlesque, & mixed-media performance art, using text, voice & film to bring movement to life. Below is a small sampling of some of the work she has been invloved in throughout the last decade. Special thanks to Steve DImse for the images.
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image portfolio
gallery I'm often required to submit photographs with assigned stories, which I tend to embrace wholeheartedly as it activates that secret desire I had way back in my high school dark room days to be a photographer. The lines, shape, color, light & STORY that reveal themselves with just one click are ever-fascinating to me. When I'm lucky & get it "right," I find that words aren't quite that necessary. The work stands on its own. My job THEN is to try to make sure the words measure up!I think that's what draws me beyond my connect to language to my interest in environmental portraiture. It can be so honest, so pure, without anything forced or intellectual. So much of what a person reveals isn't in words at all, but in the physical expression of themselves. We might not always know what to say or how to say it, but chances are, we're familiar with the comforts or discomforts of our own skin & that is what tends to show. While I appreciate & do experiment with post production photo applications, I am happiest when I can get the shot in an "old school" sort of fashion. Crop the photo directly in my camera, get the lighting right then & there, take one shot & thank my lucky stars when it all adds up . Most of these shots here are like that. So, in a way, they don't really feel like "mine." More like gifts from the people that let me take them & some magic that happened in the moment the shutter clicked open.
bahamas: emerge
cuba: neptune
cuba: schoolgirl on "bus"
cuba: after swimming
cuba: boy on stilts
nap
seava's wings
serious sea
vessel
the arts writing samples
. the arts
Key West Spirit of Art
Key West: Where the spirit of art dwells easily
When Key West assemblage artist Anja Marais works in her home where the late painter Henry Faulkner once resided with his pet goat and herd of raggedy stray animals, she swears he's peeking over her shoulder. "It's a type of communication, approval," she says of the beloved and flamboyant man who lived there for nearly twenty years until his death in 1981. Marais, whose poignant shadow boxes house three-dimensional, reconstructed objects and allegories reflecting cycles and rhythms of human, nature and spirit worlds, feels Faulkner's presence as a bonding between two artists. Key West is no stranger to the great ghosts of art: the history of them there is as long as the sea's horizon itself. WPA Artists in the 30s, Ernest Hemingway in the 50s, Tennessee Williams, and Marais' new familiar that helps haunt her haunting work are but just a handful of the many that have claimed Key West as their home at one time or another. With its open flair for freedom, its aquamarine seas and a sky saturated with the colors from the palettes of painters themselves, it's no surprise that creatively inclined souls pack it up and follow suit to the southernmost city. With more artists and galleries there per capita than anywhere in the world, to be in Key West is to mingle with the spirit of art itself. According to Florida Keys Council of the Arts, there are over two-hundred visual artists living and working in Key West, many of whom represent a spectrum of significant international acclaim. The work of late editorial cartoonist and three-time Pulitzer prize-winner Jeff MacNelly finds home in the gallery of Nance Frank, former curator of museums in both Europe and South America. Gallery on Greene, built on the foundation of native and W.P.A. artists, spills over with a refined and eclectic grouping of over 37 artists ranging from folk art to cutting edge. Kim Northrup and Mark T. Smith lean towards the latter with inventive approaches towards subject matter in their mixed-media works. Northrup seizes language amid layers of image, invoking response that is at once visceral and shivery. Smith combines cubism with a Picasso-esque playfulness, engaging the viewer with geometrics and bold bright color. Luciana Abait renders landscapes psychologically, recreating the rules of perspective with distortion, surrealism, presence and absence. An epicenter of art, Gallery on Greene is an eclectic explosion of exquisite composition and flat-out first-rate work. Local landscapes burst with distinction and confidence in the work of Kimber Lee, Karen Sheridan, and WB Thompson. William Welch, Brenda Bickerstaff-Stanley and John Allinson harness light with a passion and precision that is immediate and electric. Peter Vey wields Zorro with a palette knife, slashing the canvas with authority and refined grace. Rita MacNelly and Beezy Bogan create hilarious wire-sculpted renditions of the colorful characters that dot the island. And Michael Holberg does to glass what passion does to everything: he captures the aftermath of the molten and time-stops the hypnotic glow. While the gallery features artists that press the edges of contemporary, an element of history and longevity weaves its way across these walls. "If you want old Key West, you come to me", says Frank. Native folk artist Andy Thurber teeters easily on the brink of art historian, capturing characters from the 70s with bold brushwork, tropical color and innovative composition. George Carey's bold acrylics illuminate the essence of the island's landscapes in the 50s. Self-taught Harriet Frank delivers local marine scenes in her ethereal watercolors. And the notable Mario Sanchez, one of the most important Cuban American folk artists of the 20th century, offers glimpses of a day in the life of the 30s while preserving the old Key West with stories and scenes found inside his renowned woodcarvings. Roberto Fabelo, Cuba's sacred cow of art, offers echoes of Mario's other island only 90 miles away. His stunning graphite drawings mingle mermaids with conch shells and platters blending provocative with precision. Sal Salinero, a Key West Native with Fabelos Cuban roots, shares the penchant towards precision, with his exotic, realistic oils of tropical wildlife and foliage. Represented by Gingerbread Square Gallery, Salinero's award-winning work hangs amid Michael Palmer's architecturally-approached abstracts filled with forms spilling over in color and composition. Well-known glass artists like George Bucquet and Edward J. Kachurick yield clean contemporary lines while acclaimed acrylic painter Jim Salem casts spells with his emotionally evocative landscapes. Sculpture Key West fosters a similar spell over landscape: larger than life and three-dimensionally by land, sea and air (as their motto suggests). In its 10th year, the international exhibit offers contemporary works amid alluring vistas found within Ft. Zachary Taylor State Park. This historic, 16-acre park features a civil war era fort surrounded by a moat, a field and the glorious waters of both the Gulf and the Atlantic, providing a perfect platform for the likes of Robert Hickman, Robert Chambers, Luisa Caldwell and 75 other world-wide sculptors during the free three-month, site-specific event held January 16th through March 25th."The site-specific sculptures create a dialogue between the piece and the land and the viewer, changing the relationship between all three," says Karley Klopfentstein, Associate Director of the event. "It shifts the scale relationship and gives the viewer a new way in which to experience the environment." Regular contributors to the annual event include sculptors represented by Lucky Street Gallery and Harrison Gallery, including Helen Harrison herself. Sensuous, smooth and sensitive, her wood sculptures embrace and reveal the spirit and energy of living things; indigenous Floridian wood and fallen palm fronds receive new life while giving visual appeal for all who enter. "I choose materials taking into account strength, shape, flexibility and availability. Fibrous palm frond, calabash and stone allow me to incorporate color with my overlying passion for wood," says Harrison.The gallery/studio is also home to avian artist Cindy Kulp, whose exquisite treatment of light create paintings that are almost sculptural in their own right. Theres also the wood furniture of Jimmy Ray, the funky and fabricated metal sculptures of Terry Thommes and the quirky, idiosyncratic paintings of Melinda K. Hall that engage and delight us with their playful perspectives.Only a short block between them, Harrison and Lucky Street Gallerys Diane Zolotow joined artistic forces years ago to create the prelude of what is now the Walk on White, a celebration of the near-by galleries held the third Thursday of each month. Efficient and affected, Lucky Street is home to more than 35 local and leading artists. The space and the artists in it create a visual and visceral experience for anyone who enters. Roberta Marks explores two and three-dimensions of collages using paint, objects, paper and text in ways that provoke both surprise and sophistication. John Martini couples humor and aloofness by using a cutting torch to transform base metal into complex sculptures depicting birds, animals and human beings in all their bizarre glory. Cynthia Wynn's science-fictional functional art is formed by her welders torch and a vision of America's industrial past. Carol Munder steps back in time, too, with her ethereal, silver print photographs of Estrucan statuary. Time is also of the essence at the KW Light Gallery, owned and operated by Sharon Wells. This painter/photographer/historian not only documented Key West for over 25 years, she's developed an archive of historic images of the island, the Keys, Cuba and literary luminaries that have once called this home. Her own paintings and photographs are fresh and daring representations of the very things she preserves, implementing bold, voluptuous color with a keen eye towards composition.Kate's Gallery and The Wave approach art with a laid-back attitude and a flair towards fun. Kate Peachy's gallery evokes a grass-roots concept, where art is local and accessible and workshops and collaborations are in process. The space itself is a work in progress; alive and always evolving, the exhibits change constantly and feature works from a variety of artists that include assemblage artist Anja Marais. Kate paints her eclectic portraits, sculpture, furniture and pottery just outside in her open-air studio, welcoming artists, art students and art collectors who frequent the gallery. "I like to think of it as a trampoline, so to speak, for new collectors," say Peachy. Barb Grob, artist-in residence and proprietor of The Wave Gallery, expresses similar sentiments, wanting to offer visitors a vestige of relaxed and happy attitudes. "We go for the originality, quality and emotion that a piece inspires," says Grob. "If it brings out a bad feeling, it doesnt belong here." While The Wave focuses on local and Floridian artists, they don't discriminate. Their walls are adorned with the vivid palm-frond paintings of Felix de Los Rios, whose work also hangs in Hawaii's MOMA. Their February roster features Mark Weld, the self-taught watercolorist whose work sells out almost immediately upon opening. The home of the tongue-in-cheek Art Slut, featuring tee-shirts, coffee-mugs and other products for the un-pretentious, and the host of Girls Night Out, an event that highlights the jewelry hand-made from unusual objects such as guinea feathers, vintage photos, cinnabar, lava or fishing lures, The Wave is filled with a flamboyant spirit that Henry Faulkner would most certainly approve of. Whether echoes from artists imported from the Works Progress Administration or the idyllic figures of painters at their easels along the bougainvillea-lined streets today, the Keys remain a haven and source of infinite possibility for artistic souls and seekers. And with countless opportunities for art lovers and epicureans alike, the end of this road proves not only to be just the beginning, but offers island-filled vistas in which to witness the ghosts of art mingling with those still alive and well. Published in Art News Magazine###
How myths are made
How myths are made
If ever our shores brought forth its own myth-maker, it would be found in the art and heart of Kimberly Narenkivicius. The photographer, publisher and pilgrim extraordinaire spends her life collecting and telling stories not only through image and language but in the artful way she lives her life. Lucky for us, we'll get a glimpse of it this weekend before she leaves for her next adventure. The restaurant Azur (located at 425 Grinnell Street) opens their doors to support the artist with a special reception this Sunday, February 8, from 5-7 p.m. There we will taste the sea: in both the restaurant's signature Mediterranean hors d'oeuvres and in the photographs and sea-boxes Narenkivicius makes. "The sea-boxes are basically mixed media pieces," she says. I like to combine found wood that I have restored to some extent- sometimes old boxes or driftwood- and assemble with white shells, blue bottles or images, wire and often some words that I paint on or dip in beeswax. I have to say that these are the most fun to make."The fun translates. Throughout most of her work, there is a quality of discovery and surprise imbued within them. At the surface, you are given an immediate gift: a stunning image, bits of poetry, an intricate arrangement of found shore-side objects housed in a wooden box. Dive deeper and you will find its De Profundis, the prayer housed within and the journey revealed.These days, journeys are a bit more literal. Like Odysseus who walked inland with a well-made oar to appease Poseidon, mid-month the artist departs back to the Camino de Santiago, where scallop shells (the symbol of the pilgrim) hang above doorways and the sea is not so far- only about a 25 day walk away. There she will she will retreat on a small farm in Gailicia, researching and developing a writing project while learning to care for the pilgrims, one cow, two dogs and a garden. It will be her third trip to this road in the last five years where thousands of weary pilgrims have walked over the last thousands of years seeking spiritual retreat and respite. This time, she's buying a one-way ticket."The idea of leaving the island and the ocean that I have known for over 30 years seems strange. I almost don't believe it, but I am looking forward to it." As they say, the third time's a charm..All work featured at Azur is for sale and can be handled through Lucky Street Gallery. Call xxx.xxx.xxxx for more information. Published in Solares Hill###
Painting with Passion
Painting with passion
Eric Anfinson applies bold strokes of oils to a large canvas, the image of a woman's back slowly exposing itself. His work, hanging definitively around him at the Lemonade Stand Studio in which he shares with Key West artists Letty Nowak and Kim Thompson, are a powerful combination of color, contrasts, expression and essence that pay homage to the feminine figure. But what drives this artist to paint what he paints?"Body language plays a big part of it, as well as movement," says Eric, working from his power wheelchair. "It's about the expression of the physical."There's "Mothers Born Into Fire" with the gaze of a Middle-Eastern woman and "Intuition," an African American woman draped in red. Todays painting, unofficially titled "The Waitress from Blue Heaven," is inspired by a girl's movement from the restaurant across the street as he sees it through the window. "The human body speaks to me," he says quite simply.Eric's work captures not only the image but the movement and essence of that image as well. A cape falls from the figure adorning it. A mother's shawl is tucked tightly around her head, the waitress is about to walk away or turn to meet our gaze. His approach is subtle and sensitive without being sentimental, a feat not easily accomplished.His technique and style have developed over the past two years through a mix of former lessons from Letty, faith in the process and complete daily devotion."He paints more than anyone here," says Letty, who puts the finishing touches on one of her famous Key West faces. Like any artist, there are days when Eric's particular issues arise more than others. There's the six foot tall piece that he must tilt on the side because he can't reach the top of it. And the fact that his hand often tires and eventually gives out. But Eric transcends the notion of physically challenged by doing what he loves and painting the very thing that often challenges him. "The feeling that I do have in my arms I'm very grateful for," he says. "I'm actually one of the luckiest guys you'll ever meet. I'm doing what I love to do surrounded by people I love. Every day."Eric's work will be featured at the Lemonade Stand Studio at 227 Petronia Street on April 15th from 7-10:00 p.m. The studio itself is open daily from ten to four and usually nightly. Calll xxx.xxx.xxxx for more information. published in Key Wester Magazine###
travel writing samples
. travel
Cojimar Cuba
Cojimar, Cuba: Revolution's edge
Cojimar. For those in the know, it's the old stomping grounds of Hemingway and backdrop for his 1952 Nobel Prize-winning novella The Old Man and the Sea. Its harbor is where the world's largest great white shark was caught and shores where nearly 125,000 Cubans launched themselves into exile. Yet, with all the legend and lore, on first glance, there's nothing about this dusty fishing village that reveals an inkling of the history that's made its way to and from this stretch of Cuban coastline.That's if you dont count the bronze head staring out towards the same sea that framed much of the literary hero's work, now forever commemorated by the melted-down oarlocks pitched in by local fishermen friends. Or La Terraza, the infamous bar and restaurant that reap the edible benefits of each day's catch while serving up the much-relished rum drinks like mojitos synonymous with "Papa." Today's deteriorating coastal Cojimar homes speak nothing of the pre-revolutionary days abourd the Pilar, the countless attempts to cross the stream nor the 7 metered shark that met its 1947 fate. Unless you're familir with these fables or happen to be riding a trendy "Havanatour" bus making its trek through town with a daily hour-long drop-off at La Terraza, this rural fishing village just ten miles from the country's capital could be passed off as relatively unimpressive. But as they say- looks can be deceiving, and Cuba is well-versed within the world of ironies. Things are not always what they seem. I myself ended up there quite accidentally. Tired of the "tourismo" boom that's been sweeping the nation since the 90s, I needed a respite for the writing, reflecting and assessing the previous weeks of humanitarian drops and difficult beauty in this country of conundrums. Cojimar, as it turned out, was the closest non-touristy town by the sea I could escape to in a day's drive from Havana. In fact, it took all of fifteen minutes from the city before my taxi driver pulled up to Ernesto's old haunt. Though the bar was not yet open, a waiter kindly led me a a "casa particular" (a room for rent in someone's home) nearby. I paid $160 CUSs (about $200 U.S.) to hold my four night's stay on a bed whose hard, coiled springs spiraled with a history inside them kept any chance of sleep at bay. No- sleep would come later, after I learned the difference between a portrait of a place and the impression it can make upon you. A stroll around town takes me past the bronze bust and out to the shoreline, where a group of young men call me to their consort amid the shade of a crumbling wall. They tie up their catch (juveline parrotfish) and engage me in small talk. When of the them discovers I am from Key West, he can hardly contain his composure. "Four times I have been there, " he tries to say calmly."You made it?" "No," he shrugs. "Almost."He tells me of the Styrofoam boat held together by string and nails, how he and four others rowed without motor into the Gulf Stream, a gleam in his eyes when he describes it. The last attempt took four days, with no compass to guide them. Each time, they were picked up by the U.S. Coast guard, processed and returned back home. "Tien Miedo?" I ask. Where you afraid?"Nah," he shrugs, then reconsiders. "Maybe a little in the night, because of the sharks." No doubt he's heard of El Monstruo de Cojimar, as have most in this little village. As legendary as Hemingway, the monster was reported by renowned Cuban ichthyologist Luid Howell-Rivero to be more than 21 feet in length and weighing in at 7,302 pounds. Commercial fishing hasn't quite made its way to a place where men still take to sea in inner tubes and paddle themselves two miles away from shore. Things here can get big. They have the time. It's one thing in Cuba they have an abundance of. Ten minutes further down the road I am yet again greeted by young men."Where are you from?" they ask."Cayo Hueso," I respond. They know the slang. "Key West! 90 miles from here! Come, come with me!" One of them gestures wildly. "We are going there next month!"They lead me to their yard facing the sea, decrepit cement buildings crumbling against the age of salt and wind. They show me a metal frame, a stack of glass, blocks of Styrofoam, bits of wood, a pile of nails--all brought from the black market."Tonight we go to get parts for our motor," one says. Holding up some homemade metal and wooden paddles, he adds, "today we take these to our friends to make three more." Their hope is infectious and I want to pitch in, arrange to later give them the heaviest test of monofilament line my fly-fishing freind packed into my bags to offer as gifts to those I feel may need it. These people, I think, might need it. Not to catch and release fish but to wrap around the loose parts of their boat to keep them intact against the possible slop of waves. We drop off the template paddles and they take me to lunch- or raehr- they point out the local paladar, a home which is licensed to act as a private restaurant and serve food up to fifteen guests. There I take us all out to lunch and spend more on our meals than I would for a week of groceries in my own country (I am not from here, and they know it. It's a far cry from the few dollars spent on the same meal in other Latin countries I have traveled, but I soon decide the feeling my own crunch of funds in this land of have nots is yet another way of getting closer to the reality I've come to this country to find. Truth is, when I get home, I can work a job of my own choosing and get paid fair wages for the effort I expend. I have a choice. Libertatd, the reason these two young men are willing to risk jail and sharks and spend what little they have at the black market to piece together something they hope will float them to freedom. "Fidel is shit," one of them says as we walk. "The people here are NOT treated equally. By the fifteenth of every month, my money is done. The rest comes by trade and black market."He explains that in towns that can taut toursm, the pockets fatten with the salaries that a guide or taxi-driver can bring in. There are ways around the system if you know the right people or are lucky. If not, you'd better be smart or resourceful. Resolver- to resolve- is an ever-present expression embraced by the Cuban people, ingenious at inventing solutions to any problem they face. I think of my own president, the problems and poverty in my own country and wonder if ithere's any political system anywhere that really works for the people. I didn't come here to judge the ways of this nation but I can't help but notice that "socialismo" here is not what it should or could be. After promising I won't reveal their identities before they have a chance to get one dry foot upond American sand, they invite me to join them later to photo-document their deal-making in the Havana la lucha (slang for black market, translated literally as "the fight"). It's a tricky proposition, and though I want to go, I've yet to assess the situation with a clear head. One mistake or misaliignment could cost my American bones more than I'd bargained for. The escapade ends with a jaunt back into La Terrazza for a cafecito pick-me-up. Before long I am neck-deep into dialogue with the unlikeliest of charachters- the head of the Associated Press for Cuba."Not all people are created equal," quips Fernando quite matter-of-factly, aware of his double entendre. For the next two hours, I sit and listen- exposed to a paradox of perspective. From polotics to poverty, the Revolution to Olympic training- Fernando reveals to me a complexity I cannot wrap my head around. Which I suppose is nothing compared to the six years he's managed to both toe the communitistic line and tell it (mostly) like it is for the world media each day. "Like walking on eggshells," he says.At the bar, Fernando introduces me to Guillermo, a man small in stature but large in heart. He and the bartender own a boat together, fish on days when he's not driving taxi. He is relaxed, happy to share the details of his years in Cojimar, lives in the house his grandfather built. It's shaped like a ship with a table in the kitchen carved into a whale- whose mouth I will face the next day to share lunch with he and his family ater the kick-off parade for the local Hemingway fishing tournament. Three rum-laden mojitos later I'm running back to my casa particular to fetch the remaining fishing line. "It's hard to come by," he beams. "And it lasts."Then the dissidents arrive, in freshly pressed white shirts, ready for la lucha and a night on the town. I'm supposed to document the details of their daring but something in my gut tells me otherwise. I hand them the bag with the line and my card, wish them well on their journey."How do you know those guys?" asks Guillermo after they leave."I met them on my walk today. I was giving them some pens and soap left over from our deliveries."Though I'm a big proponent for telling it like it is, I see no reason in sinking the ship before it even leaves the shore. They nod, get back to big fish stories and the latest breaking AP news of two soldiers who've recently escaped with an armful of A47s. Me- I'm feeling as two-faced as Fidel, sitting there drinking mojitos Fernando won't let me pay for while my new amigos hustle their money for a motor they hope will get them to a not-so-distant dream. A light in the window over the "La Terrazza" sign flickers on as the sun drops; after a while we disperse back to our own homes, borrowed or paid for in one form or another, my musty room a somewhat safe haven where I toss and turn and have my own strange dreams of feral cats that leap from roof to roof in cramped quarters of a dirty city, then wake to the demands of a coach on the nearby shoreline shouting rapido, rapido- the rower's young bodies sleek, sinewy, full of promise. published in Coastal Homes & Lifestyles###
Florida Keys State Parks
Florida Keys State Parks: A ride through Real Florida's lesser-known gems
When Henry Flagler built the Overseas Railway through the Florida Keys in the early 1910s, he made the archipelagic chain of islands accessible to those wispy in their sea-legs. Though the 1935 Labor Day hurricane laid claim to the rails and embankments that brought both goods and people to and from the mainland, this formidable stretch along the sea was later converted into a road known as U.S. highway 1. Almost 100 years later, this rugged route is now a well-worn and enjoyable ride giving way to a kaleaidescope of colors and textures synonymous with the tropics. The views along the 126 miles that bisect the Gulf and the Atlantic seas can hypnotize even the most curious of travelers, pulling a car forward into unstoppable momentum. Doing so, however, will be to your detriment, for along the historic Key West extension are a series of award-winning state parks (America's first two-time winner!) that reveal a tropical terrain of wooded hammock, coral reefs and indigenous critters that best reflect the "Real Florida." With just a little time and attention, the one road in and one road out can also become a causeway for those who long to enter into an era long since gone by. "The parks provide a place for people to experience their heritage that otherwise has been lost," says Curry Hammock ranger Steve Dimse. "We are a part of nature and so many of us rarely get to experience that."If you came to experience the way the land and the sea relate to each other, this is the way to do it," he adds. "This is the way the Florida Keys used to be."Gumbo limbo, lignum vitae, silver palm; miniature Key deer, American crocodiles, roseate spoonbills- these are but a few of the fabled plants and animals that call the Florida Keys home. From just north of Key Largo to the bottom of the road in Key West, these and thousands of other species can be spotted amid the parks whose mission is to provide recreation while preserving, interpreting and restoring natural and cultural resources. Within each of the parks comes a diversity as varied as the travelers that pass through them. "They're all different, and that's what makes it interesting," says Kim Chase, Park Programs Development Specialist. "Each park has been identified and placed under the management of the parks service, whether it's because of a natural, cultural, or historic feature. They're all somewhat unique and that's why they're being preserved for future generations." "Bahia Honda and Ft. Zach are some of the most highly visited parks in Florida as well the national park system," adds Chase. With Bahia Honda State Park's (between mile markers 36 & 37, 305.872.2353) extensive white-sand beaches and stunning views from Flagler's railroad remains, it's a recreational treasure for visitors and residents alike. Fort Zachary Taylor State Park (past mile marker 0 at the end of Southard Street, 305.292.6713)) has a beach and concessions for those with leisure in mind, and for those with a penchant for Civil War stories- a historic fort that once served as protection from sea-side attacks. Add to that John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (mile marker 102.5, 305.872.3210), the first underwater state park in the country and now a National Marine Sanctuary, and the fact that all three parks offer special programs and guided tours, you've got every reason to make them one of your travel destinations. And yet, while most people- including last years 1,831,746 visitors to the Florida Keys State Park systems- know about these aforementioned heavy-hitters, "not as many people are as aware of the lesser known jewels of the real Florida," says Chase. Driving slow down the road, why not take the time to discover some of them for yourself? Here's an inkling of what you'll find as you make your way southward:Mile Marker 106: Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park"There's some of the best hiking in the Keys in this rarely visited gem," says Dimse of the park and its nine miles of trail. "It's such an isolated place. Minutes and you're in, and then it's like a jungle of sorts." Whether you prefer to follow a ranger with a guided tour or apply for a back-country pass, these 2,400 acres of mangrove wetlands and West Indian hammocks will give you glimpse into the remote lifestyle of original homesteaders and a way to witness the abundance of botany typical of Florida Keys ecology. 305.451.1202Mile Marker 67.5: Long Key State ParkCayo Vivora (Rattlesnake Key) is what the Spaniards called it, given its jaws-agape snake-like shape. Once an important depot along the Florida East Coast Railroad and a mecca for the world's best saltwater anglers via the Long Key Fishing Club before the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, these 965 acres still contain a multitude of recreational options amid historic natural beauty. Camp along the crystal-clear Atlantic in one of its 60 some-odd spaces, hike one of three trails or canoe through the shallow, mangrove-lined lagoons home to an abundance of marine-life and wading birds. 305.664.4815Mile Marker 56.2: Curry Hammock State ParkThough Curry Hammock State Park offers a pristine comfort with its full-facility campground located along the oceanfront, the emphasis here is on preservation. "Most of our visitors are here to enjoy the wild rather than to take a tour or sit on the beach. It's more of an environmental focus," says Dimse."I always love it when people pay the admission fee, go into the park for a half hour and come back to the ranger station and say, well where are the hammocks? " Not to say this isn't a place to relax or retreat; indeed it is. With only 33 acres developed within one thousand plus acres of land, the wildlife is intact and the options to witness them in their solitude abundant. And there are many ways in which to do so: Flats fish for snook or snapper. Kayak over sprawling sea grass beds into remote mangrove hammocks. Hike, windsurf, or kiteboard. Relish in the raptors that travel through this park system on their migratory routes. Or wait until night falls, when Dimse offers an evening sky program, complete with slideshow and telescope. Additional ranger-led activities are also available in this park open 365 days a year. 305.289.2690Mile Marker 85: Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State ParkThis former quarry supplied thousands of tons of fill for the railroad and bridge approaches as well as polished keystone (a decorative building stone) for architecture on the mainland. Now a geological treasure, the clean cuts of the quarry machine reveal the perfectly preserved fossilized specimens of ancient coral animals and allows geologists the ability to compare them to the living corals of today. Five trails with hammock canopies will intrigue botanists, hikers and shade-seekers alike, where over 40 varieties of trees whose fruits, nuts and berries keep the balance for endangered animals and migratory birds. 305.664.2540 Indian Key Historic State ParkLooking out across the water at this small 10 acres of island, one would hardly guess that this park was of former historic significance. Indian middens, pirate plundering, a shady wrecker with a penchant for politics and a doctor with a love of botany have left their indelible mark upon this small key that was once the seat of Dade County. Tour boat service (Robbie's Marina, 305.664.9814.) and ranger-guided tours are available, but be forewarned there are no restrooms or picnic facilities on the island. 305.644.2540San Pedro Underwater Archaeological State ParkFor the aquatic at heart wishing to glimpse into history, this underwater state park provides visitors access to a Spanish shipwreck's remains. The submerged San Pedro is a 287-ton, Dutch-built ship that sank after a 1733 hurricane when it departed Havana for Spain. In only 18 feet of water, the site is perfect for snorkelers and divers equipped with their own boat. Though salvaged in the sixties, the site is enhanced with replica cannons, an anchor, and an informative plaque. Five mooring buoys make it easy for visitors to find and tie up to, encouraging protection from anchor drag and damage to new coral growth and marine life. Located approximately 1.25 nautical miles south from Indian Key at GPS coordinates: 24 degrees 51.802N 80 degrees 40.795W. 305.664.2540.Lignumvitae Key Botanical SPStep back into a simpler time amid the shade of trees since felled for development. Mastics, strangler figs, poisonwood, pigeon plum and of course, the slow-growing lignumvitae, all part of a 280 acre virgin tropical forest now protected and preserved. "It is probably the best preserved island ecosystem in the Keys," says Dimse of Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park. "Preserved long before preservation was even on people's minds."Discover how island people lived when windmills provided power, cisterns stored fresh water and the surrounding sea gave them just about everything they needed. 305.644.9814Visit the Florida Keys as they used to be; make these state parks one of your stopping points and explore the natural bounty of what our islands offer. For more information, visit www.floridastateparks.org.(Published in The Florida Keys Tourist Development Council's Culture Magazine)###
The house by the Sea
The house by the sea
The words last resort might not be what most think of when describing the Casa Marina, but it is quite literally what railroad and hotel tycoon Henry Flagler had in mind when he conceived his 1912 vision of offering a luxurious haven for vacationing socialites, statesmen, starlets and artists. Though Flagler died a little over a year later after successfully mooring the Florida mainland to the southernmost island of the United States with his Florida East Coast Railway, his vision would spring forth into opulent reality on the last eve of 1919, just before the bellow of the roaring twenties came forth loud and clear across the nation.The Casa Marina was no exception to the age and aura of splendor. In fact, it was quite the epitome of it. Those who relished in the new-found freedoms of the decade followed suit (and took them off, too, in the rooftop sunrooms) to the then-president Warren Harding, who not only enjoyed Key West, but made it a point to enjoy it at the Casa. Sunbathing by day led to dancing at night to the jazzy tunes filling the great ballroom. Landscaped lawns, croquet courts and putting greens beckoned the more active traveler. Those with an eye to the sea found themselves amid avid anglers, enjoying trips that left from the hotel's magnificent pier. The proof of Key West's reputation for fine fishing could be easily witnessed upon entering the hotel, where mounds of prized catches were displayed each day on ice-covered tables smack dab in the middle of the lobby. Abundance abounded and everyone reveled in an age of expression, invention and technology. "There was a good nine years before the economy crashed," says Greg Muench, today's Sales and Marketing Director at the Casa Marina. "People were going to Cuba and there was tons of money to spend." Eventually, however, the roaring twenties slipped into the thirsty thirties. What had once been the wealthiest city in the nation was among the poorest; an exodus of Key West's population marked a drop to 12,000 citizens and continued as the Depression deepened. Again, the Casa Marina was not unaffected; while the Federal Emergency Relief Administration and the Works Progress Administration worked their magic to turn the tides and promote tourism on the island, the Casa's doors remained closed for two years until 1934. Even still, 1935 marked the great Labor Day hurricane, destroying the railway that brought so many of the Casa's wealthy guests to the island. Yet along with the hurricane came proof that Luis Schutt (Flagler's trusted aide during the construction of the final leg of the railway) combined durability with Flagler's original vision of plush comforts for the Casa Marina's patrons. It is no coincidence that while many of the buildings on the island suffered the fury of nature's wrath on September 2nd, the Casa remained intact. Schutt himself endured three hurricanes during the construction of the railway and saw to it that this hotel would maintain a structural stability unknown to even Old World fortresses. Ahead of his time in terms of both technology and vision, he organized everything necessary for the development of the 6.5 acre of land and managed all the essential details: from deliveries of concrete mix and iron spikes to the design of special shoes for the men who stood submerged in salt water during long work days. Most noticeable of the Casa's architecture may be the graceful archways in the main lobby of the first floor. With an architectural staff that included bridge architects who linked the island to the mainland, these archways salute the sea not for spectacular views of the 1,110 square feet of beach or for the sultry island breezes like one might think, but in preparation for any tidal surge that might someday make its way towards them. The foundation, poured from concrete that is 22 inches wide at its base, helps keep this grande hotel the soundest structure on the island. Schutt's contributions flow down and out far past the walls of the hotel. Home to the largest cistern in the state of Florida, the Casa Marina's intricate system of pipes and gutters hidden within make certain that every drop offered from the sky gets saved and used for the lavish landscaping. An exploratory dive in 1978 not only verified that there is a 750,000 gallon capacity to the 6 to 8 foot network beneath the grand hotel, but quelled rumors that it was not the resting ground of an unwilling Jimmy Hoffa. The cistern has since garnered much interest and applause from government agencies who recognize the environmental edge found beneath the hotel's floors. "The Key West Aquaduct Authority recently filmed a documentary on water management here," says Greg. "The cistern water is used for irrigation and for the sprinkler system. We don't use any city water, impressing the Authority who hate to see water pumped from the mainland just for irrigation." Clearly, Schutt's avid love affair with gardening links to his ingenious take on island landscaping, where droughts are often a problem. Structural integrity aside, the hotel was (and still is) filled with sparkling opulence. Designed by Thomas Hastings and John M. Carrere, experts in Spanish architecture (and also later commissioned to the NYC Metropolitan Opera House, the NY Public Library, and both the Senate and House Office buildings in Washington D.C.), no finishing detail to the Casa Marina was spared. The Spanish Renaissance appearance of the architecture was enhanced by only the best of what the era offered. Think French doors, scores of handmade tables, Oriental carpets spread out on polished hardwood floors. High-backed wicker chairs, luggage racks, silk linens draped across windows. Interior carpentry was made from the hardy (and now extinct) southern Dade County pine, keeping pesky termites at bay. Rich mahogany created the sweeping staircase where guests like Rita Hayworth and Gregory Peck often ascended. Ceiling fans mounted to black cypress pushed cool air down on the likes of Robert Frost and Herbert Hoover. It was the epitome of luxuriousness, where a resplendent lobby, ballroom, writing room and dining area surrounded the 113 rooms in which the pampered guests slept. In comparison to the breathtaking $1,000 it took to purchase the land, $350,000 was spent to make the Casa Marina Flagler's most stunning and majestic hotel.Alas, in 1942, the Casa became home to the men of a different sort of suit. For four years, global conflict rocked the nation and the U.S. Navy purchased the hotel and converted it to officer's quarters. Opulence was lost to the Second World War and would struggle to find solid footing with a series of owners experiencing varying degrees of prosperity. While there was indeed a surge of celebrities that made their way onto the sturdy floors during the forties and fifties, the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 would cause the Casa Marina to play host yet again to the military for another four years. The way barbed wire walls gnarled their way through the overgrown landscape probably had both Schutt and Flagler rolling in their graves. The Casa Marina slowly fell into disrepair.Former state senator and fifth-generation Key Wester John Spottswood, who once worked in the hotel's newsstand as a boy during its heyday, purchased the landmark resort in June of 1966 with intentions of revitalizing and restoring it to its former glory. But once again, elegant celebrants would not find their way to this hotel any time soon. Spottswood instead leased her a month later to the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, who used it as a school and dormitory for more than 300 Peace Corps volunteers before their assignments in Micronesia. Only a few months after that, they left. For eleven long years, this grande dame slept and the views of the sea were slowly filled in by an unkempt tropical wilderness.In 1977, she was nudged out of her foggy slumber and into the throes of a 13 million dollar renovation by Cayo Hueso Limited (which merged in partnership with the Marriott Corporation). When all was said and done, the splendor of the hotel's heyday was recreated, a four-story west wing was built and a convention center was added. If that weren't enough to bring back the sparkle, another multi-million dollar renovation created the appearance of a three-story beachfront wing with 63 suites and an expansion of the convention center. Since then, the hotel sold and is presently owned by the esteemed Wyndam Hotel Corporation, who provide additional renovations that keep this famed hotel in line with the former vision of integrity and opulence. Flagler would indeed be proud. Today, 84 years after that first grand opening ball, you can still check in at the original and majestic registration desk where a world-class staff will assist you with your stay. Pause for a moment as she checks you in. There, on the wall behind the desk, are more recent additions to the hotel: four clocks indicating the time in Tokyo, Honolulu, Key West, and England. On second glance you might think the Key West clock seems to render itself useless. But does it? Perhaps it was the ghost of Flagler himself who came through the lobby one night and plucked the hands from the clock's face. Or perhaps it was Schutt, a man determined to keep the legendary landmark alive. In any case, it is a powerful suggestion of permanence and a humorous reminder of timelessness that appropriately applies to the distinguished hotel- the last resort at the end of Flaglers railway system- that really does last, after all.Published in Key Wester Magazine###
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