Miami Pirate Drops Anchor for a Bit

Me and a fellow pirate re-enactor clowning around at last year's festival. I finally had a couple of days of respite.

After sailing for many years, it's time to drop anchor and rest in a peaceful harbor for a bit.

I'm taking a break from writing here until I solve some issues related to caregiving for my father, his failing health and his estate. Caregiving for my dearly departed mother and now my very ill father has been a daunting, extremely difficult yet rewarding experience filled with unconditional love.

Get ready though because later this year I'll be celebrating 10 years of this blog's humble beginnings. A big party somewhere in the Miami area is most likely. Save the date for October.

But I'm still active elsewhere ... see links below. Catch me if you can.

This blog isn't over. I just have some very important things to take care of regarding my precious mother and father.

There's a whole lot of somethin' something' else going on: my career is shifting into some political activism regarding eldercare; I'm also getting involved a bit more in the foodie world (follow hashtag #vicequeenkitchen across the networks);  I'm working on a hilarious yet deeply spiritual illustrated book about religion and social media; and finally I have a few interesting work projects down the pipeline.

But don't fret. I'm still the goofball with a quirky sense of humor you all know and love.

LINKS

Weekly Online Radio Show, Tuesdays 1 - 2 PM at Social Chats, co-hosted with Tonya Scholz.

Vicequeenmaria on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and of course, this blog's own Facebook page, where I share a ballast's worth of funny and inspiring content quite frequently: I Like Sex and the Beach.

Thanks for so many years of reading my every word. Stay tuned for a new chapter of this blog when I'm ready. We shall unfurl our sails soon enough over here at Sex and the Beach. I may take the dinghy to shore and pop in every now and then. I just can't post as frequently as I'd like to right now.

May you all be blessed by grace and joy. I know I am ... despite the challenges.

XO

Maria

Follow the Fish and Hibiscus Trail in Islamorada

Look for the fish and hibiscus flower logo.

If you blink while driving down Route 1 at mile marker 85, you'll miss the area that makes up the Morada Way Arts and Cultural District. But don't let size fool you. The district is a thriving enclave of culture in a place where it's all about the water.

Folks come to Islamorada to look at fish, catch fish and eat fish but to see fish on canvas? That might be an afterthought, but it shouldn't be. Marine-inspired artists here capture the spirit of a community devoted to its aquatic surroundings.

The Morada Way district was founded in 2010 off an industrial road Old State Highway, which runs parallel to Route 1. Today, it's a non-profit that brings together artists and community partners featuring events such as a third Thursday art walk, live painting, classes, culinary gatherings and more.

Anchor galleries Redbone, Pasta Pantaleo and Gallery Morada, as well as Morada Way Clay and Blue Marlin Jewelry, are surrounded by some of the area's favorite restaurants, including Florida Keys favorites The Green Turtle Inn and Ma's Fish Camp. The Florida Keys Brewing Company is scheduled to open on Morada Way early in 2015 and will offer brewery tours and tastings.

To the undiscerning eye on drab Route 1, Islamorada seem like a flat, scrubby island, but from a satellite's point of view, the "rock" (as locals call it) is surrounded by the mangrove estuaries of Florida Bay and the reefs of the Atlantic Ocean -- all in a dazzling array of green and blue hues.

Local artists bring to canvas what isn't immediately visible from land. Robert "Pasta" Pantaleo is one of them.

I first visited Pasta Pantaleo's gallery in 2011 one evening while attending a Ladies, Let's Go Fishing workshop. Housed in a historic cottage -- a Red Cross House built in 1937 -- the gallery offers a visual feast for anyone who loves sea creatures. Several signature pieces, many of which show off the vibrant colors and dynamic movement of marine life in large, bold brushstrokes, hang from the walls of the quaint gallery.

A marlin bursting out of the ocean.  Art by Pasta Pantaleo.

Can you guess how many turtles are in this Escher style painting? Art by Pasta Pantaleo.

The very affable Pasta demonstrated his acrylic painting technique to us travel bloggers.

This time around, I had a chance to meet the artist and see him at work. Later, I gave him a call.

Brooklyn-born Pasta remembers his early fascination with fish. "Being a young kid, I was enamored with the water. I had fish tanks in my room," he said. "Fish had a gravitational pull. I watched Jacques Cousteau documentaries on TV. All the colorful aspects of the ocean inspired me."

The grown-up Pasta hasn't lost his passion for all things ocean and now he's inspiring younger artists.

"I try to mentor young artists to be larger than the canvas or whatever their craft is," he said. "Whatever you do, try to expand upon it and do bigger things. Share it and give back. You can make change. Once you get that voice, use it for betterment.  And you can still do what you love to do."

Sage advice for all, not just for kids or artists.

See more Pasta sharing his advice below or on Youtube.



To learn more about Pasta and the district, visit Art by Pasta and Morada Way Arts and Cultural District.

FTC DISCLOSURE
For this post, I visited Islamorada as part of a press trip. Opinions my own, as always.