This week I’ll be presenting a Fun Food Friday of an excellent Thai restaurant Ursula discovered on this trip, so many of today’s images will be a bit more Fun Photo Friday artsy. I hope you don’t mind. And since I gave you a description of this place in Monday’s article, today I’m going to be a little less talkative. Nevertheless, I will give some commmentary, such as on this next image. You may recall that one of the names given Coral Castle is Rock Gate, which is the original name given it by its creator, Edward “Ed” Leedskalnin. Why Rock Gate? Because of the engineering marvel below. That massive rock “gate” no longer works, but when it did it was cleverly crafted and balanced that you could move it with just one finger and very little effort. Impressive!
The “Rock Gate” of Rock Gate
While the Rock Gate once served as the main entrance, that is no longer the case. You now enter the castle from the west. The entrance is directly across from the curved structure to the left:
Coral Castle entrance (right)
What’s a castle without a moat? Or, in this case, a pool:
Coral Castle pool and fountain
On this visit the Moon put on a show as well:
A Crescent Moon Photobombed by a Gibbous Moon
Same subject, different composition:
Mooned by the Moon
On Monday I showed you Ed’s workshop. That workshop is housed inside the castle’s tower:
Ursula and I only recently returned from a two-month trip that took us first to Miami, where we caught up with our younger daughter Tracy for a brief visit, then onto a transatlantic cruise to Southhampton, U.K.; followed by a flight to Bucharest, Romania; a stay in Cairo, Egypt; a flight to Aswan, Egypt where we hoped aboard a Nile cruise to Luxor; a stop at our favorite hotel in Istanbul, Turkey; a jaunt down south to Cape Town, South Africa; a cruise along the western coast of Africa to Lisbon, Portugal with stops in Walvis Bay, Namibia; Luanda, Angola; São Tomé; Abidian, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast); Dakar, Senegal; Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands; and Las Palmas on Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. From there we hoped a flight to Amsterdam with the primary goal of visiting Keukenhof Gardens.
Coral Castle
Needless to say, it’s been a busy couple of months that started on 5 February, and didn’t end until we arrived back in El Paso on 3 April. And guess what? I’ve been rummaging through well over 2,200 images, culling them down to around 1,800 (I probably deleted at least 300 more during the trip). Beginning today, I shall take you on a visual tour of this epic adventure beginning with the famous Coral Castle.
Coral Castle “Adm.” is no longer “10¢”
The reason for our visit to Coral Castle is simple. Tracy has lived in this area for many years and always wanted to visit it, but never seemed to find the time. So off we trundled in her vehicle on our way toward making her dream come true.
Edward “Ed” Leedskalnin’s Coral Castle workshop
This large, impressive complex was built entirely by one man, Edward “Ed” Leedskalnin (1887-1951), a Latvian immigrant who had his heart broken at the tender age of 26 by his 16-year-old fiancée, Agnes Skuvst just one day before they were to exchange vows. Coral Castle was his tribute to his unrequited love.
Edward “Ed” Leedskalnin’s Coral Castle workshop
When you look at the size of the limestone blocks in these images you wonder, how the heck did he do that all alone? Well, prepare to be shocked. The present location just north of Homestead isn’t even the original site. Most of these structures were originally constructed near Florida City, some ten miles to the southwest of the castle’s current location. So, not only did Ed build this stuff alone, he also disassembled it, moved it ten miles, and reassembled it… alone!
Coral Castle
Aerial view of Coral Castle (Google Maps image):
Coral Castle from the air (Google Maps image)
How did Ed do that? Levitation? Aliens? Magical powers? No one knows for sure because he refused to allow anyone to watch him work. He even transported the structures at night to maintain the aura of mystery. But there is a logical, non-paranormal explanation. Reglardless of what you believe, Ed was a very inventive man. Here’s a repurposed Ford Model T differential that he crafted into a meat roaster:
A Ford Model T “Barbecue”
And here’s the structure in which it is housed:
Ed’s “barbecue” pit
Rock structures aren’t the only sights here, and tourists are not the only visitors. As with much of Florida these days, invasive species can be found even here. This is a red-headed rock agama, which is indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa:
Red-headed rock agama
Cute. Colorful. And they rule the limestone roost. They’re everywhere here. But that’s not what draws the crowds. We’ll view more on this mystery on Wednesday, but until then here’s one last image for today:
Decisions — Murder in Paradise
The Globe — Murder in Luxury
R. Doug Wicker — Author 