Sippin' Key West Internet Cafe is tucked away on a side street in Old Town

For years I have had a love/hate relationship with Key West. Although its an entertaining place to visit, its “party town” image makes it seem plastic and phony. The island is rich in history, local lore, and is home to a vibrant, multi-ethnic culture, however I have never been able to break through the tourist facade to discover the real Key West. Until now.

A week ago Sunday, on my way home from having dinner in Old Town, I heard music coming from a side street. This is not unusual. From the street musicians on Duval to the raunchy honky-tonk of the Country and Western Bars, to the lady boys belting out their Streisand impersonations, music is ever present in Key West.  What caught my attention was the type of music – somewhere nearby, a woman was singing and playing an acoustic guitar. Even from a distance I could tell she was spectacular. Read the rest of this entry »

Using everything from wood to cardboard to found and salvaged objects, Reuben Margolin creates one-of-a-kind techno-kinetic wave sculptures. His inspiration comes from observing things in nature – things as simple as a caterpillar’s movement or the patterns created when a drop of water splashes into a pond. When he moved into his new shop, Margolin decided to create a giant kinetic sculpture that would take advantage of its high ceilings without using up any floor space. His inspiration in this case came from a rafting trip. Every time he paddled he noticed a spiral eddy coming off the back of the paddle. After ten days he had the spiral wave figured out. Margolin returned to his shop and built “Spiral Wave,” a giant creation of redwood from old decks, 30 aluminum arms, and scores of mono filament threads that drop down to a flower-funnel spiral that appears to float as it undulates. Numerous examples of Reubens diverse artwork can be seen on the following YouTube Video:

Note: In December of 2006, author Barbara Weibel left her successful but unfulflling career to pursue her dream of becoming a travel writer and photographer. This story is one in a series about people who, like Weibel, have chosen to lead authentic lives by pursuing their true passions.

Lydia Raurell has always loved to dance. Like so many little girls, she dreamed of becoming a fairy ballerina. When she was chosen to perform in the children’s Corps de Ballet it seemed that her dream might come true, but after two years her dance instructor said that her bone structure was too fragile to go into pointe and her parents refused to pay for additional lessons.

A Year of Dancing Dangerously by Lydia Raurell

Raurell didn’t return to dance until her late twenties, when she ran across an advertisement from a dance studio that offered a free Tango lesson. Although she couldn’t afford additional lessons, that free introduction to Tango rekindled her passion for dance. It took another ten years before she returned to that very same studio, finally able to afford lessons. She threw herself headlong into the world of dance, but at the end of a year realized that her life was out of balance – she had gone back to college to pursue the degree she’d never completed and both her studies and her family were suffering from lack of attention. Again she walked away. Little did she know it would be many years before she had another opportunity to pursue her lifelong passion.

Twenty danceless years later, at age 54, Raurell picked up the local paper and read an ad that said “Walk in Monday, dance out Friday.” By that time, her life had changed immensely. Raurell’s son was raised, her home paid off, and she  had the support of a loving husband who encouraged her to fulfill her dream. Read the rest of this entry »

The footage of an angry ocean crashing onshore and sweeping beneath an oceanfront cottage is indelibly imprinted onto the memory of anyone who saw the movie “Nights In Rodanthe.” The storm scenes are so jaw-dropping that people may think they were computer generated, but the house is real. It is located in the development of Mirlo Beach in Rodanthe, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

The ocean sweeps beneath the house where "Nights In Rodathe" was filmed

Other than the blue storm shutters that were added to the exterior for the filming, in real life it looks exactly like it did in the movie. And just like in the movie, it stands like a solitary sentinel on a deserted strand of beach.

It wasn’t always so. Houses used to stand all along this beach. But since 1999, when hurricanes Floyd and Dennis roared onto the Outer Banks, the oceanfront houses on this particular stretch of severely eroded beach have toppled into the ocean, one by one. During my years as a real estate agent I had the opportunity to show many of these houses; I have even had to Read the rest of this entry »

Although I have visited some downright unpleasant places in my travels, the majority of the places I visit are lovely, interesting, and entertaining. However, it is also true that some places “grab” me more than others. I like almost every place I visit, but occasionally I find that I love a particular place. This happened to me recently when I traveled to the northeast U.S. to see the fall colors. I liked New York, Vermont and New Hampshire, but I loved Maine.

Since then, I’ve been wondering why I found Maine so captivating. Of course, the scenery was spectacular. In Acadia National Park I hiked through vibrant red and gold foliage along craggy cliffs that plummeted to azure and turquoise seas below. In town I talked to any number of Mainers who live simply and maintain traditional values. Still, I couldn’t figure it out. Why did Maine feel so different? What was it about Maine that attracted me so?

Soon after returning home to Florida, I received an email from Brian Kliewer, an artist who lives in Camden, Maine. He discovered my blog and wrote to tell me about his latest project:

“I’m doing 100 small paintings in 100 days. All are for sale and you can probably guess the price…”

I was intrigued enough to check out his website, http://kliewerstudio.com. On his ‘About Page,’ Brian explains his philosophy:

“Believability is very important to me in my work, not just in realism, but in the emotional, human connection I often feel toward the subject.”

High Sun, Pemaquid Point, oil on canvas, 10 x 10, available from the Geary Gallery in Darien, Maine for $1,000

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Eight years ago Orrin Hudson was watching the news on TV and heard that seven restaurant employees were shot in the head, execution style, for $2000. He said to himself, “That’s it, I have to do my part.” Hudson, who had previously been an Alabama State Trooper and subsequently owned a car dealership, used his savings an even maxed out his credit cards to start a program to help inner-city kids. His unlikely tool for helping these kids? Chess.

Hudson had himself been a problem child. He was in and out of trouble, associating with the wrong people. A teacher took an interest and taught Hudson chess, using the game as the means to introduce him to critical thinking. Now Hudson is imparting these same lessons to thousands of at risk kids through his Read the rest of this entry »

While I am still searching for a way to give back something to this world, Kaziah Hancock has already figured it out. She is an artist who lives on a rural Utah ranch with 100 goats, painting landscapes in oil that sell for thousands of dollars. Then one day, she heard about the first Utah boy to be killed in the Iraq War and decided to paint his portrait to memorialize him. The following video documents what has happened since then, but I warn you, it’s a tear-jerker:

Note: In December of 2006, author Barbara Weibel left her successful but unfulflling career to pursue her dream of becoming a travel writer and photographer. This story is one in a series about people who, like Weibel, have chosen to lead authentic lives by pursuing their true passions.

I met Kathleen Flinn one evening last October when Sarasota News and Books held an author’s event to promote her new book, “The Sharper Your Knife, The Less you Cry: Love, Laughter, and Tears at the World’s Most Famous Cooking School.”

Wait! Don’t back up and re-read the last paragraph. I realize those of you who know me well are astonished that I would be interested in a book about cooking. It’s not that I can’t cook. It’s just that I have no interest in it. I try; I really do. I go to the grocery store and load my cart with fresh veggies and other healthy stuff like tofu and tempeh. But regardless of my good intentions, more than half of it ends up spoiling and then I feel guilty because I have wasted food. Over the past few years I have gradually accepted this quirk in my personality and just started eating out once a day. (I am still capable of fixing myself fruit in the morning and a small snack in the evening).

I was interested in Kathleen’s book because it is as much memoir as it is a book about cooking. It was fascinating to hear her story first hand. In 2003, she returned from vacation to discover that her job had been eliminated. After her initial panic passed, she realized the situation might be for the best. Not only had she long been unhappy with her present position, the job had also required Read the rest of this entry »

Hidden at the end of narrow Freeschool Lane is the last remaining acre of undeveloped land in Key West’s historic Old Town. How this priceless parcel escaped development is nothing less than a miracle, but even more miraculous is the tropical rainforest that today grows upon the site. This is Nancy Forrester’s Secret Garden, a virtual oasis where, for a $10 entrance fee, visitors can walk among orchids, Bromeliads, ferns and more than 150 species of palms, including several rare, near-extinct species of palm. Scattered amongst the trees and plants are Mana’s rescue birds: colorful parrots, macaws, and cockatoos that squawk from perches in their cages, competing for attention.

For 40 years, Nancy Forrester has been tending this garden and inviting the public to share in her love of the plants and animals. Unfortunately, this may soon change. Realizing she could no longer afford to personally shoulder the expense of the garden, she recently Read the rest of this entry »