Farkel Time

I didn't grow up in 1 town, attend schools with the same group of friends, continue to work in the same town or even part of the country.  So, to be fortunate enough to enjoy friendships that have lasted over 30 years is special.

A weekend together with the 'Farkels' puts us in a time warp where no time has passed, except that we got wiser and more particular about our bed pillows.


In between talking, laughing, eating (thanks to our personal chef Mark), showing pictures and more talking, we road tripped to Tarpon Springs, the nearby Greek town to learn all the details of sponge
fishing (which seemed to start with 2 Greek men in a boat for long periods of time), and to go on a sunset boat trip to Anclote Key.


We ate great Greek food throughout the day partially to get into air conditioned buildings but also to try out various Greek dishes. Between olive oil, lamb, hummus, gyros, stuffed peppers and flaming cheese we were able to taste a few things!

As you can see, the  sunset was stunning.  It needed to be because it was so HOT! 

Becky explores Anclote Key

Pam enjoys the boat

Joanne is really really hot and sweaty

            

Mango Man

Still in Homestead and checking out the flora.  The Turk realized that mangoes and other exotic fruits are everywhere down here.  We headed out to Robert Is Here,  a roadside produce market with eccentric Homestead genes.  Farm animals, exotic fruits, veggies, umpteen kinds of honey, and...fresh smoothies made from any of their fruits. YUM!!!!!

Then off to the Fruit and Spice park!   30 acres of trees with over 500 varieties of fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs, and nuts.  Because of the freezes this past winter, the fruits were lean and we were told NOT to pick any.  We had to say this many times to the Turk who 'looks' at fruits with his hands and mouth. 

We enjoyed a tram ride around the world of trees and flowers. And had a great time with bro Tim and Mick.

Odd Goings On At Coral Castle

The Turk and I traveled down to Ft. Lauderdale to visit brother Tim and Micki.  We decided to play tourist and ended up in Homestead (the initial target of Hurricane Andrew's devastation back in 1992).  Besides the air force base, Homestead is mostly farmland and a stopping off point for the Everglades.  After our visit, I decided it is also a stopping off point for eccentric people.

I came to this conclusion after visiting the Coral Castle. (Listen to Leonard Nimoy's description and the mystery that surrounds these structures).  The structures of the castle are solid coral rock - some weighing twice as much as the stones used in the Pyramids.  What's the mystery?  Ed Leedskalnin built this himself between 1920 to 1940.  Ed was a skinny, 5 ft tall guy from Latvia who came to the US after his fiance canceled their wedding. He was heartbroken and this project was his monument to his love.

There are some unique (weird) things about this site. The site was developed in alignment with true north so you can look through the tall rock (telescope) and see the North Star. There is also a magnetic impact to this alignment.  The guide had me stand in a spot, central to the site, and told the Turk to stand behind me.  I was told to just relax. When I did, I felt an even pressure throughout my body pushing me backwards, stronger as I began to fall back.  Mark caught me and we were all surprised!  Everyone around us tried this - with the same results.  We were all pulled/pushed in a direction.

 
There is a 9 ton swinging door that one can move. For 50 years, this door was movable by using 2 fingers.  The bearings started going bad, so an engineering firm used lasers, massive equipment and a crew of men to extract the coral door and replace the bearings. The new bearings have lasted 12 years and it now takes a strong push to move the 9 ton door.... and the modern bearings need replacing already! So, how did Ed do this with no lasers, no modern equipment and no help?

We were directed to one of many coral chairs. This was a lounge chair and quite comfortable. Supposedly it is a 'healing' chair. So we had to check it out.  There was a 5000 pound heart shaped table, another table the shape of Florida complete with Lake Okeechobee. Ed built his 'throne' and a side chair for his lost love.  There are carvings in the shape of a crescent moon, Saturn, and Mars. In October 2008, these were aligned exactly as they appear along the wall.  So this Ed guy had some interesting things going on!