Back from vacation - some photos & reflections

I brought the elephant sculpture as a gift for the Shoal Sanctuary near Ft. Walton Beach, Florida from our friend Russell Wray who does amazing sculptures in Hancock, Maine. It fits right in with the other nature treasures

Ken, Melody, MB and I walking along the white sandy beach on Okaloosa Island in Ft. Walton Beach. I had a paper route on this barrier island while in high school during the two years my family lived near Eglin Air Force base in 1968-69.

A converted bowling ball among the other sculptures at Shoal Sanctuary

Thousands of years old petrified wood

A totem pole honoring Beaver, Deer, and Bear from recycled aluminum by Robert Larson and Native American Ponaycatawa Moitoee

Robert has recently finished this beauty and asked Ken and me to carry it to his car for transport to its permanent spot at Shoal Sanctuary

I climbed the 'Double Helix' made from hurricane debris and multiple spiral staircases attached to a tree at the home of Robert and Chris Larson.

Sculptor Robert Larson (with beard in back row), Melody, Ken, MB and Chris (right) at our good-bye lunch after a great and moving four-day visit to Shoal Sanctuary

MB and I flew to Ft. Walton Beach, Florida on March 5 for a visit with Chris and Robert Larson, long-time friends from my days with the Florida Coalition for Peace & Justice. They've created a wondrous place called the Shoal Sanctuary on 116 acres by the Shoal River in Mossy Head.  

We were joined for our 4-day visit by friends Ken Jones and Melody Shank (former Mainers) now living near Asheville, North Carolina. Ken and Melody had just days before returned from an extended trip to Hebron in the West Bank of Palestine where they stood alongside the people being daily pressured and harassed by zionist thugs and Israeli military.

During this visit we twice went to the Gulf of Mexico white sand beach for long walks and spent time retracing the route to the home I lived in while in Ft. Walton Beach for two years in high school. Needless to say I told many stories from those days.

Another great part of the visit was walking thru the woods of Shoal Sanctuary and admiring the many sculptures created by 88-year old Robert Larson - artist, poet and philosopher. Chris and Robert ensured our comfort by letting us stay in the old fixed-up farmhouse on the grounds and kindly providing us with more food than we could eat. 

After leaving this magical place MB and I drove to Gainesville where we both once lived and visited a couple old friends and then onto Port Orange on the Atlantic Coast of the state for a visit with a sister.  While there we took a walk along the east coast beach.

Next up for us was a quick visit to Orlando where, after 40-some years, I finally got to enter the renovated Callahan school that I helped save from demolition. See my separate blog post about that story here 

Then we made our way to the Southwest part of the state. Our first stop was in Tarpon Springs that is famous for sponge diving by Greek immigrants who have made that community a famous tourist spot. See me and a sponge-laden bicycle below.

Our final stop was in Sarasota for a few days visiting MB's brothers. While there we went to see the Baltimore Orioles spring training games twice. But the biggest thrill in Sarasota was a splendid visit to the Ringling Circus Museum. 

In addition to all the memorabilia and history, there is a giant room dedicated to a miniature circus display.  It is like seeing a model train board set up, but with the circus.

The 3,800 square foot Howard Bros Circus Model is named for Howard Tibbals who painstakingly carved every piece of the display. 

Howard began carving the 46,000 pieces of the circus in 1956 while in college, and he continued up until April 2021, a year before he passed.

The pieces are historically accurate and show the entire process of the circus from the set up and kitchen crew, to the animal caretakers, to the behind the scenes performer tents, to the actual show with moving parts and lights. (Even the audience chairs fold up!)

I must end with a comment about the endless growth and unplanned development across most of Florida. In 1996 I organized 'The walk for the Earth' from the Everglades in the south to the state capital of Tallahassee in the north - 700 miles. The walk passed thru many spots where environmental destruction was adversely impacting the state. Even then alarms were being sounded that Florida's well-being was in grave danger from the unrestrained and unregulated greedy developers. 

During the walk the issue that rose as most prominent in every part of the state was water contamination. Today it is even worse. The walk was led by Independent Traditional Seminole spiritual leader Bobbie C. Billie (the only person able to walk every step of the 700 miles) who repeatedly warned the public about the implications of trashing the natural world. 

Sadly not enough have listened.

Bruce

(Photos by MB Sullivan)