Wyland!

The great and legendary marine life artist known as Wyland is in the Keys working on restoring 3 of his famous whaling walls. Ka-pow!

Wyland's schedule of work and surrounding events have been well publicized in the Keys.  He was in Key Largo for 2 days restoring the wall up there (we actually went up to watch him paint that wall a few years ago when he created it); he's in Marathon today and tomorrow, and then he's off to Key West to restore the wall on the old Waterfront Market.  Being that today was Tuesday, it's a "Pop Day." As soon as I dropped off Pop, I headed straight to the whaling wall in Marathon. There was Wyland, up on a ladder, brush in hand, bucket of paint propped up.  He was working. Painting. A crowd was around watching, taking photos, speaking with him.  And, there was his entourage as well.... he has a large motor home that is a mobile educational facility.  There were booths set up with some of his art (some originals!), a very large mural canvas set up as the Children's Wall, and of course The Turtle Hospital was on the scene with an educational booth AND sea turtle ambassador named Fisher.  I parked the car, grabbed my camera, and joined the crowd.  I listened.  Wyland especially targets children for education when he travels.  This is crucial in order for the future to be better than the past, or so is my own opinion.  There was a group of children watching him as he worked.  He never let much time lag on the conversation.  Light banter.  Laughter.  Little "tests" for the kids (i.e.: what kind of turtle is this I'm painting? How do you know it's a loggerhead?") Those types of things.  More laughter.

Wyland, taking a little break to talk to the crowd.

He makes it look so easy.  He's a gifted man to say the least.  He's painting with a very large brush on a very large brick wall. This is not painting on canvas or anything, and it's not using small artist brushes. Nope. There he is with basically what I'd use to paint my living room walls, and he's painting a loggerhead turtle like no one else.  Bliss.

After a while, he posed for photos with the children, and escorted them over to the Children's Wall where they would create a mural. After, he returned to the Whaling Wall.  As I was watching the action, I saw that Richie Moretti (Founder of The Turtle Hospital) was on site, so I went up to him to offer my condolences on the loss of Good Hope.  Richie is a good man, a man who cares about "his" turtles seemingly as if they were children.  I know he is feeling the loss of Good Hope deeply, as he feels any loss deeply.  We spoke for a few minutes and then parted ways.  I was going to leave, but then I noticed that Wyland was back at his wall getting ready to paint again. Almost no one was around him.  I decided to take that moment to thank him for sharing his gifts with the world, and for using his time and energy to educate and be an activist.  Well, wouldn't you know, he is a very modest man.  He downplayed what he does---what he is doing--- as no big deal.  Well, let me tell you it IS a big deal.  It's a HUGE deal. We shook hands.  It was a good moment.  A VERY good moment.

Here, Wyland encourages the children to give a thumb's up for oceans. Woo-Hoo!

Being there watching Wyland work brought out many different feelings in me, actually it was very emotional.  I looked at his art (so magnificent), I watched him interact with the crowd and the children. I studied his wall for quite a while (yes, I've studied it before too, and every time I go and really look at that wall, I never see the same thing twice).  I almost wanted to cry, not because I was sad, but rather because I was happy.  His work shines with absolute joy, optimism and beauty. He sees the ocean with infinite wonder, and his pieces seem to shimmer.  How is that possible, shimmering.  Shining. Simply with paint.  I don't know, but he does it, and the work does. His joy reminds me to embrace the beauty we do have, and not allow myself to get mired down by the constant drain of our planet's environmental plight.  Yes, that's important... that enjoyment, the spark that fuels the passion of environmental work!  Wyland captures it.  He captures it with a paintbrush and with the deep caring I saw in his beautiful eyes.

The Children's Wall.

Plans are to head down to Key West to watch him work on the Waterfront Market wall, and also go to the college on Thursday where he will be for an event.  Tossed into this whole thing like a little (non-dairy) whipped cream will be a sea turtle release at Higgs Beach on Saturday at 2pm.

Loggerhead in progress.

This afternoon I came back here and sat on the beach staring at the ocean.  I thought about a lot of things, and then nothing at all. Before I left my thinking spot, I gave silent thanks to Wyland for showing me through his eyes the beauty and wonder that is everywhere.  Seems to me Wyland is restoring a lot more than a few whaling walls.

  

Barely Treading Water

So, you know I got "off the rock" (out of town to those of you who don't know Key's lingo) for a while.  It was not for vacation though.  I had something I needed to accomplish, and so I did.  My travels took me away from here, off my tiny island, and off to an area where there's copious amounts of people, construction, hustle, bustle and cooler weather.

I was transported to another world, one I used to be immersed in, but left behind long ago.

Out of my comfort zone.  Out of my weather zone.  Out of my friend zone.  Out of my element to say the least.

In my goal setting, I make it a point to place myself squarely out of my comfort zone at least once a year.  That might not sound like much, but to me it's a lot.  And, its a LEAST once a year.  Going to a city, alone, fits the "out of my comfort zone" bill.

I never really adjusted to being away from home.  I couldn't sleep (already an issue for me, but throw even a small time change in, and chaos reigns supreme), didn't have good dining options close enough (although Whole Foods saved me once discovered!), and the driving into and out of the city left much to be desired.  On one trip downtown as I was musing how perhaps it wasn't such a bad place to drive after all, I found myself stopped at a 5 point red-light intersection in the middle of the intersection.  The red light for my lane should have been disabled due to construction, but it was not.  I did not see that there was another red light BEFORE that 2nd light... where I should have stopped.  So, island girl stopped in the middle of the intersection oblivious at first to the fact that I was stopped in the middle of an intersection.  Construction was everywhere. Cars were everywhere. There was no where for me to go, besides no one would let me go. I realized the error of my ways when I heard nothing but horn, looked in my rear view mirror and saw the largest law enforcement SUV ever to hit the streets.  No offense to that particular officer, but instead of perhaps helping the situation by guiding me out of rush hour red-light chaos, he chose to lean on his horn non-stop waiting for me to move (to where, I have no idea) and then rev his engine and peel tires careening around me as he sped off.  No lights, no siren, no emergency.  Just he was pissed off at me for being a damn fool.  I was pissed off at me too, but didn't really expect to see what I did from law enforcement.  Thankfully I do feel that person was the minority in a sea of good in that profession.

It crystallized in that moment of fear sitting in the middle of a 5 point red-light intersection that I am an island girl now.  These thoughts usually come only at the holiday season when we visit our family in the cold zone.  It was 38 degrees one morning where I was, home it was 88 for that day's high. 

I tried to be friendly, I said hello to people, held open doors for whoever I saw.  No one said thank you.  No one said hello back.  I went out to eat alone and not once did any wait staff attempt to engage me in any extra curricular dialogue. None.  Perfunctory service is what I would say I experienced on all my solo dining experiences on this trip.  Not friendly.  The places could have done better on that end of things.

I treaded water for almost every second I was away.  I had one day of fun, attending a vegan festival.  A friend of ours arranged for a car service to take me downtown, and I decided to splurge and take the car service back at the end of the event.  No driving.  No trains.  No buses.  That day was pretty darn nice. The drivers were kind, and offered pretty lively conversation on everything from baseball, to food, to boating and more. That car service was worth every penny spent.

I was exposed to more construction that I ever remember any place I've ever lived or visited, more stores than I wish I knew existed, more traffic than I've seen since driving in New York, and more stress than I've known in years.  I didn't like it.

I'm home.  I've accomplished what I went away to do and for that I'm happy.  Beyond happy, actually I'm ecstatic.  But, when I pulled into my own driveway, saw my animals, the deer, the sand and the sea I could finally breathe again.

And, with that moment there was another revelation.... the reason the people are so unhappy is because there is no salt air, no palm trees and no ocean.  And, with that realization, I forgave them all. They just can't help themselves, and I can't blame them.

To the city folks out there, I promise not to invade your territory again for a LONG time. But, island girl hopes that maybe you'll leave the asphalt jungle for a few days, find an island to visit (Big Pine perhaps?!) and remember that life is indeed short, too short not to be kind along the way. You just never know when you're crossing paths with a neurotic, anxiety filled, transplanted island girl who's having a particularly difficult go of it in your beloved city. And, you also never know when that island girl might be inclined to slide a (vegan! organic!) cupcake or two your way as gratitude for your kindness.

Gone and Back

I've returned from my travels.  It is so good to be home.  So much has happened in the time that I've been gone.

What I do want to share now is that Good Hope is gone.  I'm so sorry to tell you this. She was never out of the woods, we all knew that.  But, on her own turtle schedule she held on and seemed to make progress simply by stabilizing; or so it seemed.  But then one morning just this week past, she was gone.  As quickly as she came into the lives of her caregivers, she was just as quickly gone.

I cannot probably express the sadness and frustration that all who were involved in her caregiving felt upon her loss.  This was a turtle who will not be forgotten.... although doubtful any of them are ever forgotten.  She touched lives with her seemingly strong will to survive, despite incredibly long odds.

When I first heard about Good Hope and her story, I thought about the children's story Charlotte's Web.   To this day it's still one of my favorite stories. It was also the first movie I ever saw at a drive-in (for you young-uns, you can "google" that...), actually it was a double feature: Charlotte's Web and Snoopy Come Home.  Anyway, I thought about that story because of the heroine in the story, Charlotte.  Towards the end of the story, she is tired, very tired.  She has worked all night laying her eggs, spinning her special web, and she's just tired, too tired to do much anymore.  And, Wilbur, her best friend for whom she has been spinning special webs to help save his life ("some pig" "excellent") is distraught that she is done and ready to die. Wilbur is crushed, begging her not to go.  He's crying and crying.  Charlotte however is completely at peace. She explains she has done her work, and her time has come.  She explains to Wilbur that she is fulfilled in her purpose, and she has a special surprise that he will find out about, but that she must go.... that she cannot stay.  She dies, and yes Wilbur is crushed.  He takes her little egg sac off the wall at the country fair where they were, (her special webs did indeed save Wilbur from slaughter) and carries it back home with him to the barn as he is transported in the truck.  Eventually the eggs do hatch.  Wilbur is elated! They're all over the place.... little Charlottes! As fast as he becomes elated, he is crushed yet again as they all begin to float away on their tiny little webs.  He's crying again, wondering why why why. After all the little Charlottes are gone he hears a tiny voice, then another, then another.  He looks and sees that 3 tiny Charlottes have remained.  They do not want to leave, they want to stay with him.  He gives them names, and they become friends.  He is happy again.

I thought of that story because I didn't know Good Hope's name yet, and I knew so many people were trying very hard to save her and her eggs.  And, I thought that I would call her Charlotte because she had these eggs which everyone wanted to save, and she was trying to lay. But she was so tired too.  She tried to lay her eggs, and she did lay some.  I learned her name was Good Hope, but inside I kept calling her Charlotte.  Then, as she began to improve, I believed more and more in her Good Hope name (Good Hope was the name of the beach where she was found).  I stopped thinking about her as Charlotte, at least for a while.  Then she died.

Good Hope's eggs have been harvested and are being incubated.  No one knows for sure if the rest of her eggs are fertilized or not, but they are being treated as if they are.  For now, it's just a matter of mourning her loss, and hoping for the future through her eggs.

I am not the only one who attached a lot of hope and energy to this turtle.  So many people cared and for that I'm personally grateful. But, I'm so sad because I understand what it means to lose even one of an endangered species such as an egg laying female green turtle like Good Hope.

Rest in peace Charlotte.  You were tired and it was time to go.  You shall not be forgotten, and I will be watching and waiting for your own little Charlottes in due time.

Soak it in... a little break

I'm taking a little break to do some traveling.  Not long,and no place exotic; I'll be back before you even know it.  However, I thought I'd mention it because my internet access will be very limited. The other happy vegan will be holding down the fort at home. He's not a fan of writing, so he won't fill in the blanks on the blog and facebook. Can't blame him about that. I'm pretty much unplugged, but if I do happen upon an internet cafe, maybe I'll step inside to an update here and there, but don't expect much, ok?

 

Now, onto other stuff.  Last night we were at that Save a Turtle fundraiser.  It was also a fundraiser for the Marathon Wild Bird Center.  I met two raptors at the event, one a red shouldered hawk, the other a kestrel.  The red shouldered hawk had one wing.  Turns out when the hawk was about 9 months old, he was electrocuted and suffered massive injuries to one wing.  Actually, the injury was the "hand", but infection set in, so eventually the one entire wing was amputated.  What a beautiful raptor.  It was sad to hear that this beautiful bird tries every day to fly.  Every day. He is very well cared for, I do believe there must be some dismay within that little soul not being able to soar high in the sky though.

 

The other bird was a kestrel. That bird was actually captive raised in Cuba. Not really sure the circumstances of the Wild Bird Center coming upon this bird, but basically since this little bird has the captivity history, she has lost her instinct to hunt.  She would not survive if let go.  Mostly these birds are used for education.  I don't really think that's exploitation, and the work the Wild Bird Center does is extremely important. Their main goals are rescue, rehab and release; they certainly do a lot of that. If you haven't been to the Wild Bird Center in Marathon, you really should make a point of it next time you're in the Keys.

 

While I'm away, I'm going to have a full schedule for most of the time.  I expect to have some things to report when I return, and I also expect that I should have some nice pictures to share.  While I'm away I will also be attending a vegan festival, admittedly I'm very excited about that.  I hope to meet some of my "idols," expect to eat some amazing food, see some of the friends I've made through the years at Deer Run who also have vegan businesses around the country who will have booths at the festival, shop, attend some presentations, and listen to some great live music. It's been several years since I've been to a festival like this, and I'm looking forward to it.

 

I hope you don't forget me while I'm gone, and that you enjoy some of my old blog posts in my absence.  I'll be calling home frequently, and also checking in on Good Hope who is still recovering at the Turtle Hospital. I hope you all have a great few days.

Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup 2012 and other goings on

When more than a week passes with a post from me, you can trust that I am busy.  I'm going to post about our participation in last week's annual International Coastal Cleanup, but first I'd like to just bring you up to date on what's new... since you've asked.

Good Hope is still with us!  She is making slow progress, but it is still forward progress.  She has laid not quite 60 of her eggs so far.  She is still far from being out of the woods, but paraphrasing what Dr. Mader told me "Good Hope is reminding us what turtle time is, and how to be patient."  Basically he is saying that Good Hope is on her own schedule, slow, yes... but patience and optimism are key words with Good Hope.  You can continue to follow along with her updates at the Turtle Hospital website www.turtlehospital.org

We had a media shoot here this week.  It was a big one.  Many time the words "get the cat!" "can someone please remove the cat?!" "there's the cat.... move him!"  "CAT!" were uttered by the crew. Peri was of course wondering what the heck was going on in his airspace and he wouldn't let a moment go by without patrolling and/or approving the action.  I think it was amusing, I'm not sure what those who were here working thought of it all considering "time is money" is a photo shoot mantra.  No worries in Peri's world = no worries in my world.

We popped up to Cabana Breezes in Marathon tonight for a fundraiser to benefit Save a Turtle of the Florida Keys and the Marathon Wild Bird Center.  For your information, since the heavy seas and high winds of July blew through, we've had no turtle action on our beach at all.  Not one flipper has come ashore.  While Isaac was merely a tropical storm when darkening our beaches here, the storm caused great erosion on several beaches.  Although the beaches are still being patrolled, we are not expecting any more nesting.  Unless things change, this year will be the poorest year to my knowledge for nesting activity on our beach.  1 crawl and 1 nest. No hatches.  None.  We are very sad by this.  Although nesting numbers in the Keys appear to be down, I've heard that the numbers are very good on the mainland.  Also, we cannot become completely despondent, there IS still hope for a nest.  Never give up.

Last Saturday we participated in the annual Ocean Conservancy International Coastal Cleanup.  This was our 7th year participating.  Although we constantly do beach cleaning in various areas, the ICC event is important because the trash collected is counted, sorted and the data sent to the Ocean Conservancy for analysis and research.

We're far from perfect... we use plastic too.  There's pretty much no escaping it.  However, we reduce our use as much as possible.  And, we always always ALWAYS dispose of trash responsibly. We study the packaging before we buy it (can we recycle it? do we REALLY need that item?) We recycle.  We compost.  And, we reuse/re purpose objects.

Here's how things rolled, in photos:

Dug this out of the wrack with a pitchfork.  TV/VCR combo.
I do believe the lettering was in French.

Plastic, Plastic, Plastic!

Since I've got boots, I head out through the sea grass, over the flats, through the muck and mud...
some areas are very difficult to access.
But, I get it done.

WTF?

Lure w/monofilament attached.
Deadly to marine mammals and shore birds.

Balloons should be illegal. They do NOT biodegrade.
What goes up, must come down....
and be eaten by wildlife that die.

Another freakin' balloon.... same release, I'm sure.
Same color ribbon.

Never ending rope and line entangled around mangrove roots.
Me, boots and a knife and it's a done deal.... with some elbow grease.

More rope and line.
It never ends. 

Screw You Toby Keith.... and use a glass thank you very much!

The tide was up during our cleanup.
This is what parts of where we were looked like.

Plastic bags, sheeting, balloons, etc... it all ends up wrapped around mangroves,
in drains, in the ocean, inside an animals gut.
Do your part to reduce your plastic use,
and make sure you always dispose of what you do use responsibly!

It's a small world after all...

It's a small, small world.

1 minute on the lips, forever in the mangroves.

This was the largest item hauled in. I crawled across the flats to retrieve this...
not sure what it is; underneath it has a metal frame.
It was solid wood, and waterlogged. Weight: approx 50 lbs.
Trash 0 - Me 1

Here's some of the stuff stacked at the street waiting for collection.

This is what I love to see... NOT a red solo cup, thank you very much.
(Toby, pul-ease!!!! enough already!!! give it up!)

Oh  yes, the beautiful sea lavender on the dunes!

Monarch butterfly at work on the dune!

Beautiful black coral.  Hello Kevin, we miss you.

Some of the sea beans I found during the clean up, hooray!

I love these tube sponges!

Success!
NO TRASH!
Although there's been great erosion from Isaac at this beach site shown,
as well as thick sea grass waiting to be washed out with the tides... we've gotten all the trash!
All that remains are sponges, driftwood and other natural stuff.
What a beautiful sight!

9/11 - We Remember

Words fail me, so here's a video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7OcSFF84vg

We will never forget.

Good Hope - A Turtle Story

An entire week has passed since I posted; that almost never happens.  Over the course of the last week, we've been exceptionally busy, although I'm not sure doing what.  Most of you can probably understand that though, right?  Happens to the best of us!  I'd like to tell you a story about something going on with a special turtle at the Turtle Hospital in Marathon right now.

Tropical Storm Isaac brought some havoc to animal life through the Caribbean.  One of those victims is an endangered hawksbill sea turtle.  It seems an adult egg-laden female was found on a beach, gravely injured, in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  She has myriad problems, not the least of which is two very bad wounds to her shoulders. Although no one can know for sure what happened, suspicions are that she became entangled in fishing gear, and then was gaffed repeatedly so the gear could be retrieved.  After gaffing (if you don't know what that means, look it up, its horrible) she was likely tossed back to the sea as an afterthought to die.  Eventually this turtle took a beating through Isaac, and ultimately washed up on a beach in the Virgin Islands.  She was found and treatment attempted there, but her injuries were beyond what could be handled locally. Through a fortuitous set of circumstances, the Turtle Hospital in Marathon was contacted; the turtle was flown from the Virgin Islands to Miami, and then the transported via turtle ambulance to The Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida Keys.  She is there now.  She has been named "Good Hope."

So, Good Hope is in Marathon being treated.  Her condition is very critical, although she has managed to survive the first few days here, which many thought would not happen.  Hawksbill turtles are endangered.  This particular turtle is full of eggs that she didn't get a chance to lay.  Hopes are the eggs are fertile, but there's no way to know that for sure.  So, what is happening is through the expert care of Dr. Doug Mader (who is volunteering his time once again for the Turtle Hospital) a rehab team is caring for Good Hope.  I've had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Mader a couple times about the status of Good Hope (Dr. Mader is also the veterinarian we use for our own companion animals; he and his wife, Dr. Geraldine Diethelm are among the top vets I've ever known).  He explained that her condition is grave indeed, but absolutely any and all efforts are being made to save her.  He wondered aloud to me whether she'd survive the first 48-72 hours, but quickly followed that up with his feelings that hope should never be lost.  Good Hope has been ultra sounded, and there are around 80-100 eggs inside.  She has laid 25 eggs since becoming a patient at The Turtle Hospital.  A special drug was ordered and just arrived that may be used to help induce the rest of her eggs.  Not only is it important to get the rest of the eggs laid and incubated for their own hopes of hatching, but as well as Good Hope.  She needs as much energy as possible to aid in her own recovery, so inducing will be good for her as well.  All eggs will be incubated, and hopefully hatch.

You can follow along with updates about Good Hope at the Turtle Hospital's website (www.turtlehospital.org)  I cannot get Good Hope out of my mind.  She's a beautiful turtle, and certainly didn't deserve the fate fallen upon her with her injuries.  The flip side of that is she's one of the luckier turtles when it comes to injuries. Most turtles who have things like this happen to them suffer alone and for a long time before finally succumbing to their injuries far away in the sea.  She could not have ended up in care of anyone finer than Dr. Doug Mader.  He's kind of an enigma to me, but that's a story for another day.  Dr. Mader is an excellent doctor with a creative and visionary mind. He is able to innovate on the spot, a talent that is especially needed when dealing with animals who have injuries that most would never imagine, let alone see in their practice.  We are immensely grateful to Dr. Mader, The Turtle Hospital, and everyone else who is volunteering the time and donating money/services to help Good Hope.  She has touched many people with her plight, and the courage within her to survive obviously runs deep.  This is a turtle who is not ready to die, and we hope everyone will keep good thoughts for Good Hope and her caregivers.