Coral Castle Museum

If you are ever traveling down this way, you have to make time to visit the Coral Castle Museum.

Coral Castle was built by one man, Edward Leedskalnin. From 1923 to 1951, Ed single-handedly and secretly carved over 1,100 tons of coral rock, and his unknown process has created one of the world’s most mysterious accomplishments.

The castle was originally located in Florida City in the 1920’s but was moved single-handedly to it’s present location by Ed in the 1930’s.

It was a fascinating tour. When you arrive you are greeted by one of the tour guides who will direct you to join one of the on-going tours – don’t worry you won’t miss anything as it’s a circular tour and you can join and re-join as many times as you wish if you missed any part of it.

Ed was only 100 pounds and 5 feet tall but as you wander around you will be amazed at how this sleight man could maneuver large heavy and rough coral slabs to construct a selection of beds, tables, walls, his workshop and sleeping quarters.

The gate is perfectly balanced and is able to move by the slightest touch or by the wind - it has baffled engineers and the like.
The gate is perfectly balanced and is able to move by the slightest touch or by the wind – it has baffled engineers and the like.

Some of the features at the Coral Castle include a 9-ton gate that moves with just a touch of a finger, a Polaris telescope pin-pointing precisely where the north star is located and functioning rocking chairs – all made entirely of stone.

There is also the world’s largest and heaviest Valentine. The table is a perfect heart shape and weighs 5000 pounds!

The 9 ton gate is perfectly balanced and moves extremely easily. It is Ed’s amazing engineering skills that continue to baffle experts and visitors.

The gate is perfectly balanced and is able to move by the slightest touch or by the wind - it has baffled engineers and the like.
The gate is perfectly balanced and is able to move by the slightest touch or by the wind – it has baffled engineers and the like.

Ed accomplished this by drilling an eight foot longitudinal hole that precisely aligns with stone’s centre of gravity for perfect balance. The door fits within a quarter of an inch of the walls on either side. The door is so perfectly balanced that it can be easily pushed open using only a finger. How he did this remains a mystery, as even the most advanced electronic analysis equipment we have today would find it difficult to reproduce it.

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Triumph

Pelicans fly through the air, dive into the ocean but sometimes they just want to sit and be.

They are very chilled out birds but it was a triumph for me to capture these images without disturbing their rest.


A pelican having a rest by the Miami Beach Marina
A pelican having a rest by the Miami Beach Marina

Dixon Lanier Merritt (1879–1972) was an American poet and humorist. He was a newspaper editor for the Tennessean, Nashville’s morning paper, and President of the American Press Humorists Association. He penned this well-known limerick in 1910.

A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican,
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week
But I’m damned if I see how the helican!

or:

A funny old bird is a pelican.
His beak can hold more than his belican.
Food for a week
He can hold in his beak,
But I don’t know how the helican.

The limerick was inspired by a post card sent to him by a female reader of his newspaper column who was visiting Florida beaches. It is often misattributed to Ogden Nash and is widely misquoted as demonstrated above. It is quoted in a number of scholarly works on ornithology, including “Manual of Ornithology: Avian Structure and Function,” by Noble S. Proctor and Patrick J. Lynch, and several others.

Having a rest by the bay
Having a rest by the bay

Double

Your twin sisters. Your neighbor’s two poodles. Your vision during a dizzy spell. Your doppelgänger.

Double can be interpreted in many ways. Here’s my take on seeing double.


A couple of signs on the famous Duval Street, Key West, FL
A couple of signs on the famous Duval Street, Key West, FL
No longer connected - a section of the old railway bridge going to Key West, FL
No longer connected – a section of the old railway bridge going to Key West, FL
Double sided flags at Bayside, Downtown Miami
Double sided flags at Bayside, Downtown Miami

Landscape

Today, let’s walk in the footsteps of masters like Ansel Adams and focus on landscape photography.

Landscapes generally focus on wide, vast depictions of nature and all of its elements, from formations to weather. In this genre of photography, you won’t find much of a human presence: nature itself is the subject.


 

South Pointe, Miami Beach
South Pointe, Miami Beach
A watery oasis near Oleta State Park, FL
A watery oasis near Oleta State Park, FL
Lifeguard Hut Miami Beach
Lifeguard Hut Miami Beach
A Magnificent View
A Magnificent View – Bill Baggs State Park, FL
Interesting Shapes formed by nature
Interesting Shapes formed by nature

Mystery

Some photos are significant not because of what’s depicted, but because of the mood they create. They communicate an idea that transcends the actual subject of the image.


Here’s a photo that conveys a sense of mystery. Can you tell what it is?

Whist wandering around the Everglades I suddenly felt as if I was being watched!
Whilst wandering around the Everglades I suddenly felt as if I was being watched!

In case you need a clue – it’s an Alligator lurking just below the water – it was extremely large and very close. It’s very well camouflaged against the stones and quiet. He had swam up close without me even realizing.

Let’s move on shall we 🙂

Bliss and Solitude Revisited

To finish off the weekend review of the photo101 week of assignments I’m revisiting the last two subjects of Bliss and Solitude.

Here are a few more photos that represent these categories.

Bliss

Solitude

If you’re interested in looking at the original articles click on the links below.

Bliss
Solitude

Experiment with Composition

So I’ve made it to the end of the first week of the Photo101 assignments and have covered topics ranging from Home, Wider Views, Water, Bliss and Solitude.

Now it’s a free for all weekend where we can revisit some of these topics and put into practice what we have learned. I’m using today to showcase some of the other photos that fit into the Home, Wider View and Water category.

Home

Wider Views

Water

Come back tomorrow to see my gallery of pictures depicting shots of Bliss and Solitude from the Photo101 assignments.


If you enjoyed this article, why not check out the original assignment posts related to each of the above categories.

Home
A Wider View
Water

 

Solitary Tree

Today’s assignment for photo101 is to depict Solitude.

My photo shows a solitary tree reaching up through the undergrowth.

A Lonely Tree
A Lone Tree – Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park

Even though there is a lot of nature in this photo, the fact it is the only tree of its kind hopefully depicts the feeling of being in a solitary state.