Paul and I decided to take some time exploring Austin. One of the reasons we travel is to run in new and interesting settings. The Barton Creek trail did not disappoint. We left the farm in the morning and headed over to the park which is called Zilker Metropolitan Park. The park has a humongous spring fed pool  which is home to plenty of fish and also endangered salamanders. I had a 13 mile run scheduled to do and the trail was about 7 1/2 miles long. We planned on an easy out and back run. Perfect, except that the trail was anything but easy. The trail started out flat and the sun was low in the sky. It wound along the side of Barton Creek which has cliffs for rock climbers, swim areas, and mountain bike trails which connect to running paths. Since it was Sunday we met many people at the start of the trail and fewer as we ran on. There are places where families came down to cool off or take a nice Sunday stroll. Paul and I zigzagged our way down the paths and climbed up rocky bits and enjoyed the dirt and smooth parts. By the time we got back to the park we were both pretty tired. A cool 62 degree (all year long) swim in the pool was just the right thing. We didn’t swim  for very long but sat on the side of a hill soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the sheer delight of an amazingly beautiful day in February.

It seemed like much of Austin was in agreement as  the park was pretty busy but not overcrowded. Another plus was that at this time of year, the pool, park and facilities (solar heated showers, bathrooms, children’s museum ) are all free!After we had our fill of the park we decided to get some food and fill our bellies. We stopped off on South Congress Avenue. It was  Sunday around 5 pm and the street was still hopping. Most of the stores were open and there was an art market with food carts. We stopped for some drinks and appetizers at a recommended place Perla’s Seafood and Oyster Bar. Nice open air bar and vibe. We walked a bit, checked out some stores and then had dinner at Gueros. Tasty albeit a bit touristy. We then headed back to the quiet sounds (or not so quiet) of birds on the farm and slept well. Good day, as they say.

Winding down paved roads which turned into dirt and gravel, we arrived in the evening at Countryside Farm in Cedar Creek, Texas. Its hard to make first impressions in the dark but we were happy to be greeted by a friendly dog named Belle. The farm owners Sebastian and Esther are currently having some family issues. Although we are somewhat disappointed, it would not be polite to speak more of this. Paul and I parked our van near the side of the driveway for the night and I slept amazingly well. Cool air coming through the window and the sound of birds all around us.

The farm is a primarily a poultry farm with a dozen or more pigs thrown in for good measure. Sebastian and Katie, his assistant do most of the work. I followed around Dave who is part-time on my first day. Dave is a wealth of knowledge and is the oldest one here. He truly cares and calls the birds “my babies”. He taught me how to water, feed and collect eggs. We also gathered up baby goslings and moved them to their new home. The weather has been cold for Texas and mixed with rain the place has a muddy, messy feel. I am so glad I brought my yellow rain boots to slop around in all the muck. Your gonna get dirty doing this line of farming.

The main money maker is the selling of their products at farm markets and restaurants. I watched Sebastian and Reed make sausage and the next day I was in the kitchen weighing, bagging, and vacuum sealing them. They have many freezers where they store the meat. I really don’t  want to be involved in the butchering process but I will admit that Paul and I have been enjoying some delicious meat centered meals.

Paul and I ventured out yesterday to Bastrop for some shopping at a huge grocery store called HEB. I nearly got lost in there. We then headed to the Bastrop State park for a run. The park has had a forest fire in 2011 and the devastation is clearly visible. We enjoyed the hilly trails and the change from all the flat road runs in Key West. New trees are starting to grow all over and the trails were completely quiet with no other visitors except some footprints in the sand. We bought a Texas State Park membership as we plan to visit many more before we head back home.

On our last evening in Key West, Paul and I took a 2 person kayak down the canal near where we had our van parked. Its a small peaceful canal that no motor boats can go through and has plenty of fish and cassiopeias. The canal is the only water way that cuts through the whole island. We caught the sun in time and the sky did not disappoint.

The morning we departed I met a friendly man on a bicycle. His name is Charlie Roswell. He was admiring the mural but I admired his bike. It was decorated with items he found or was given over the years. Charlie has been riding his bike everyday since his wife Pat passed away in 1999. He nearly drank himself to death with grief but was turned around when his friend, a doctor, said he would die also and Pat would not have wanted that. He stopped drinking and now rides 35 miles a day, volunteers and loves to share stories. Please stop and say hello if you see him.

Off the Island with a stop at Baby’s coffee!

We headed to our next adventure through the Florida everglades. This is just mind boggling that people could navigate let alone settle in these wet lands. The air boat tour had a humorous guide that fit the part well.

I was impressed we saw many alligators  on the tour only to find that they are everywhere on the side of the road all up the coast. Still, pretty cool ride. We stopped a night in Palmetto, Florida and had a nice visit with my old friends, Suzi, Louie, and their son Josh. I completed a 20 mile run in the morning which left  me super hungry and able to eat all the sausages, eggs, and biscuits we had for breakfast.

On our way to Texas we planned to stop at a Loves truck stop. But it turned out to have only truck parking (very noisy) and was really unpleasant. Paul had noticed an independent truck stop 10 miles earlier on I-10, so we headed back. We slept very peacefully at this one, called Oasis in Robertsdale, Alabama. Plenty of room to park and the place is clean and even has laundry, along with the expected mix of god, guns and family that lets you know you’re in the deep south.

When first arriving in Key West I felt as though we had loads of time. I would help Baily out daily on her mural project and then spend some time during the day or evening exploring. The mural seemed to be progressing at a steady pace with some days more productive than others. I knew at the end of the first week I would not see the project to fruition. The mural will be completed in the subsequent weeks without me. Check on Baily’s FB page for finished photos. https://www.facebook.com/BailyCypressMosaicLLC

I am grateful for the opportunity to have spent three weeks in paradise and the friendship that led me there. Paul and I feel we have made new friends and thank the hospitality of Joe Weatherby, George, Carla, George Robert, and their lovely dog Bandit.

Baily and I were invited to a poetry reading in honor of Jose Marti, a Cuban National hero and poet. While I enjoyed his poetry I wanted to leave this post with a poem by Jack Hackett (Tortuga Jack)

don’t they seem so shallow
don’t they seem so deep
these waters that we traverse
these waters of thought and speech
sometimes the words are spoken
directly from the heart
sometimes their carefully chosen
for the message they impart
and don’t they seem so shallow
don’t they seem so deep

If you are a musician or an artist, why not settle in a place where tourists arrive daily by boat, plane and car. We have met many, many folk on Key West who have some sort of artistic talent. Two of my favorite people are Suzanne Pereira and her husband Tortuga Jack. Suzanne comes to volunteer on the mural most days and is a wealth of knowledge about the art happenings in the area. She and Jack took Baily and on on what we now refer to as field trips to different mural sites, art galleries, poetry readings, churches, and some really amazing ceramics at the community college. We are feeling somewhat spoiled with all the attention but can’t say no to the company and experiences.

Suzanne is a very modest artist. She took us to a restaurant where she worked on a collaborative mural with several other artists. The wall is short but wraps around the seating area. Every artist was allowed to create a piece on the wall in their own personal style. Her subject matter, honoring the life of “Reefa”  a graffiti artist who was tased to death by Miami Police in 2013, is a beautiful, colorful tribute to how his life impacted others.

Suzanne also worked as a volunteer on another mosaic with children which is on the outside of a CVS drug store (12 Duval Street: go around to back wall) Very playful with bright color and local sites depicted.

A really hidden mural is all the way to the very end of the Island where the USCGC Ingham Maritime Museum is located. (The only Coast Guard Cutter afloat today to receive two
Presidential Unit Citations for extraordinary heroism)  Look to the right and you will see a not so appealing white Navy building. walk down  bit and look behind it fora surreal mural that was done during the Key West Chalk Fest.

Suzanne showed us another painted mural on a wall opposite the Blue Heaven restaurant:

We have been invited to many events, boat cruises, and art parties by neighbors and people just walking by the mural site. Key West feels very friendly and open that way. I bump into runners in the morning and they are happy to converse. Mary, who walks her dog daily by the mural, invited us to listen to her play guitar and sing at a French Restaurant called Bistro Sole. We enjoyed the low lit garden atmosphere with hints of formality. Two glasses of wine, a bowl of clams with bread and a bike ride back to the van for a cool night sleep. Pinch me. This is January is it not?

Baily and I decided to take the day off of tiling. The weather was going to be poor all day with rain on and off. First we headed to a local roller hockey game where George Robert her nephew scored the first and last goal of the game!

They won but it looked like all the kids were having a good time. We then headed north towards Big Pine Key. A stop at Baby’s coffee for a java fix is a must about 15 miles out of Key West. A local roaster with many varieties of beans.

Baily, among other things, is doing a master garden course back in Philly. She thought Grimal Grove would be the perfect place to do a presentation on and I am glad she brought me along. Grimal Grove was founded in 1955 by Adolf Grimal who transformed 2 acres of cap rock land into a Garden of Eden.

There are rare fruit trees that he collected from all over the world, a gravity fed rain water irrigation system, and more. The place fell into disrepair after 1997 when Grimel died but now Patrick Garvey has taken it over and turned it into a grassroots organization, Growing Hope Initiative. http://growinghopeinitiative.org/

Patrick was very kind to show us around the garden and point out the different varieties of fruit trees. They do have a situation with deer eating the smaller trees and are working to get a fence put around the whole of the property. Bugs are another problem with a nasty one called Sri  Lanka weevil eating all the cocao tree leaves.

Still there is a sense of calm in this garden with fruit peeking behind many of the tree branches. A true visionary can see the possibilities of the place. Volunteers come from the local area to help and even friends from the North who came down in a tour bus. Josef Crosby and Alexander Fedoryka members of the Celtic rock band Scythian, were helping their friend Patrick while taking a break from touring.  http://www.scythianmusic.com/

This was what you call a sunrise to sunset kind of day. It started with a 10 plus mile run that led Paul and I off the Island toward Boca  Chica Key. It had rained hard overnight and the roads were speckled with puddles of water. We were pretty hot and sweaty but the winds across the bridges kept us out of that uncomfortable zone where you feel like you are melting. Still, it was super hot and humid so when we arrived back at the van we both got into the canal to soak our tired legs.

Mural progress: Sorting of tiles, breaking tiles, trying to figure out what background to have when your supply of tiles does not arrive! Looks like extra mirror will be added.

Joe Weatherby, who’s house the mural is going on, is a gracious host and a Captain to boot. This evening he offered to take us all on a sunset cruise. The catamaran was pretty large and could fit way more people than we had going on the trip. Besides a fine captain we had 2 lovely crew ladies, a guitar accompaniment and a full bar. There is quite the celebration in Key West every night when the sun goes down. Many sail boats set out on the sea, people line the shore and decks cheering, singing, playing music and drinking varieties of alcohol. The real lucky ones get to feel the water beneath them and be carried by the wind seemingly closer to the sun. Then it happens so quickly, the sun disappears below the water and the sky illuminates with a pinkish orange glow. Now the show belongs to the moon and stars.

I am drawn to running. The simplicity of throwing on a pair of shoes and exploring a new environment. So of course I was excited to find out Key West was having an annual half marathon on the past Sunday. I woke Paul up early and we ran to a spot where we might see the lead runners. We got to 1st street just in time to see runners rounding the corner. The race energy was contagious and Paul and I got caught up in the flow. We met a local man named Jaro who did the race every year. I kept him company through the final 7 miles and was rewarded in the end with a gracious hug. My first time being a race bandit and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Mural progress: Every day there is a constant parade of people on bikes whizzing by over the canal. Many stop to comment and converse with Baily and I on the mural while others just throw verbal accolades. Standing on top of the scaffolding this morning Baily spied an egret parade coming down the street. Birds rule in this tropical land. They didn’t pay us much attention but looked more interested in finding food.

The sun can sometimes be brutal mid day. I decided to take a break and get my desired swim in. I went down to Higgs beach on my bike, locked it to a fence, and jumped in the water. I think I may have been the only one swimming but I thought the water felt perfect. I swam over to a dilapidated pier and submersed myself into the watery world of key west fishes. Ahhhhh……

Real slow Key West start to the day. Paul, Baily and I stayed up a bit later exploring some of the Key West night life. We went to a charming outdoor cafe called 2 cents for dessert and drinks. Walked till our feet hurt.(Baily even bought socks at the Green Parrot for her blisters)

Baily’s brother George and his wife Carla own and operate a business called Key West Eco Tours,   http://keywestecotours.com/   We were invited to kayak in a mangrove filled Geiger Key in the middle of the day.

I wore my bathing suit thinking I could jump in the waters but its  very shallow. You could pretty much stand up at anytime. The tour was slow and relaxed as we winded our way through old growth.

Looking down you could see plenty of fish, cassiopeia (upside down jelly fish), star fish, and sponges. There was an area where the pelicans all gathered and hung out in the trees. I was lulled by the water, sun and wind and felt super relaxed.

Not a whole lot of mural work done today. Paul and Baily whipping up a fish dinner. On my first beer. Got to go.

I keep hearing the phrase,”Welcome to Key West” as an answer to some of my silly questions about why things are this way or that. You have to go with the flow, slow down, and relax. Consuming alcohol and/or other vices can happen at any time of the day. No need to worry, things will get done.

My friend and mosaic partner Baily Cypress invited me to Key West to help her work on a mural that is on the side of her brother’s house. It is a pretty massive project which she intends to finish in a month’s time. So far it is just Baily, myself and Suzanne (a local artist) who have been doing the tiling. We have had some adorable neighborhood children putting up a fish here and there.

The site is situated on a dead end street next to a canal. There is a small foot and bike bridge over the canal the has a steady flow of people going by all day. Its nice to hear all the comments and talk with everyone. It really is a social place and I am loving all the interesting characters. I feel like I should be doing more but this Island reminds you that its ok to stop, head down the canal on a kayak, run along the beach, drink a mojito, listen to some music or just look at the stars.