March 3 2012 Homestead, Florida

We started the day at the Coral Castle. It is handcrafted out of limestone over 20 years by a Latvian immigrant named Ed Leedskalmin. Ed named it Rockgate. The current owners named it the Coral Castle since the limestone was formed from coral after the inland sea receded.  All of Florida is this limestone. It had a couple big rock gates. He quarried the limestone in his front yard. He cut , lifted and carved all those rocks that weighted several tons by him self with hand made tools. They say he made it for is sweetheart who spurned him. He called her sweet sixteen. The tour guide said he made it as a tourist attraction.

He originally charged 10 cents admission. Here was where you deposited it.  This is his tool room and above is the living quarters.

The reading room. John is testing the recliner with the tour guide looking over his shoulder.  A side view of the moon pool and the throne room.

The moon fountain has a first and last quarter moon, the basin is the full moon. Ed believed that every mans home was his castle and should have a throne.  There is a throne for him, sweet sixteen, their children and a very uncomfortable chair for his mother in law. On the wall above is mars, Saturn and the crescent moon.

This table is shaped lake the state of Florida. The panhandle is on the right and the everglades on the left. Lake Okeechobee is the water in the middle.  John catching a bit of shade under a bougainvillea. It was 86 today.

A view of the inside of the castle.  There is also a heart shaped table, a sundial, and a well.  A lizard on the wall.  They are not native. A company was raising them for pets and when hurricane Andrew blew thru it damaged the place and the lizards escaped.

The Wild Women of Wongo was filmed in 1958 here. I ordered the movie. John thinks it will be stupid, I think it will be hilarious. The second photo is of the Schnebly  Redlands Winery.  It has very lavish grounds with Tikis, exotic tropical plants  and waterfalls. The waterfalls are built out of the same kind of limestone as the Coral Castle, quarried on the Schnebly’s property.  They make wine out of the fruits that they grow. Mangos, passion fruits, guava, star fruit, avocados and leekees. Very interesting tasting wine. We didn’t buy any.

Our tour guide with some of the fermenting tanks. They do the initial fermentation outside. It is warm enough here in Florida, then they bring it inside into these tanks where they can control the temperature for the final fermentation. A bunch of plantains on a tree in the property.

One of the waterfalls.