I admit it — I’m spoiled. And the Florida Keys are to blame. These islands have rewarded me, a scuba diver for 20-plus years, with numerous fortunate encounters with wild marine life that occasionally intertwines with human life here.

Post author Julie Botteri (second from left) volunteers her time to help the Marine Mammal Conservancy care for three pilot whales. (All photos by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Front-row seats to view giant whale sharks, leaping dolphins, sea turtles being returned to the ocean after recovering from illness or injury? Yes, I am spoiled.

Recently, I had an enviable opportunity to give back — give my time, myself and my energy — as an in-water volunteer for the Marine Mammal Conservancy’s efforts to save three female pilot whales. The whales are recovering in Key Largo after surviving a mass stranding on May 5 in the Lower Keys shallows.

The four hours I spent helping those whales were some of the most precious of my life.

I joined a group of 20-plus volunteers at MMC for the 8 a.m. “shift” after a briefing about the whales’ condition, how to properly place our hands on their delicate dorsal and pectoral fins, and their expected behaviors.

Marine Mammal Conservancy veterinarian Pamela Govett (left) applies an antibacterial solution on the sunburned skin of a pilot whale during the whale's recovery at MMC's Key Largo headquarters.

Rarely seen by humans, pilot whales are deep divers, unfamiliar with shallow water — and with humans supporting them to make sure the blowholes they use to breathe are free of saltwater.

As we waited to enter the shallow pen, chatter among the group was hushed yet excited and full of positive energy. I wondered what personal motivation had brought us all together on this morning.

Quickly it became clear that everyone’s intention was the same, and unselfish — pure healing.

Some spent their week’s vacation doing several shifts. A woman who splits her time between Boca Raton, Fla., and California heard about the volunteer opportunity through the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and joined because she loves the Keys.

Hannah, a student in Miami, took time away from her job performing hearing tests on infants to be in the Keys. She admitted she was afraid of the water — but had been so inspired by the whales that she helped make “Please Volunteer” flyers to post around Miami, and displayed them on her car that she parked “in crazy ways” at the beach and elsewhere so people would notice them.

Brandon Paquin (left) holds the tail of a pilot whale while MMC veterinarian Micah Brodsky (center) draws blood. Assisting (at right) is Alexandra Epple.

Evans Raveneau, who stood beside me helping support the smallest of the female whales, said he’d recently lost his corporate job and was looking for a new direction, re-evaluating his purpose in life.

He was deeply moved from the first time we held the whale. “This is unbelievable,” he said, near tears.

No matter where we were from, our experience was equally memorable. As soon as you feel a pilot whale draw a full breath and its body shudder beneath your fingertips, it’s magical.

The whales’ musculature is pure power, with a presence and awareness in every fiber. My practice with Reiki energy makes me more attuned and sensitive of its abilities — but regardless, the amount of force that these whales use for propulsion is unmistakable.

MMC still needs volunteers to help with the whales' recovery. Here, vet Micah Brodsky (right) listens to one of the whales' gastrointestinal tract while volunteers support them.

As veterinarians and staff drew blood, applied antibiotics, tested respiration, heart rate and hearing, we held the whales firmly yet steady and calm. For the first time in my life, I saw a pilot whale eat from a tube, fart underwater and take a poop. Twice.

And I watched as the still-weaning youngster we cared for stretched and bent her tail to play “footsie” with her neighbor — just for the touch and reassurance that another of her kind was close by.

I recommend that everyone, scuba diver or not, take a moment and pay it forward. Give of yourself unselfishly to help another living thing survive, if only for a flicker in time. Reap the rewards of volunteering — they are huge.

To learn more about the Marine Mammal Conservancy’s efforts, and to volunteer your time, visit www.marinemammalconservancy.org.

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Environment, Highlights, Key Largo, Voices Main Archive

On Jan. 22, 1912, when Ruby Whitlock was eight years old, she watched the arrival of the first train that ever traveled down the Over-Sea Railroad from mainland Florida to Key West.

A train crosses the Long Key Viaduct, a vital stretch of the legendary Over-Sea Railroad. (Photo courtesy of the Monroe County Library Collection)

Eighty-eight years later, when she was an energetic 96-year-old, “Miss Ruby” reminisced about the arrival that changed the Florida Keys forever.

These days, when it’s possible to drive from Key West to Miami in four hours on the Overseas Highway, it’s hard to imagine the Keys not being comfortably linked to each other — and to the mainland.

But they weren’t until Henry Flagler, called a visionary by some contemporaries and a madman by others, conceived and built the miraculous “railroad that went to sea.”

Construction began in 1905. The railroad’s track ultimately stretched more than 100 miles out into open water, requiring trailblazing techniques and unbelievable effort by a crew that sometimes numbered more than 4,000 men.

The Over-Sea Railroad was conceived by visionary millionaire Henry Flagler. (Photo courtesy of the Monroe County Library Collection)

Flagler had made his fortune as John D. Rockefeller’s partner in Standard Oil, and he gambled most of it on the venture — a venture so extraordinary that many outsiders thought it was impossible.

It was officially named the Florida East Coast Railway’s Key West Extension, but it quickly became known as the Over-Sea Railroad. Its bridges and viaducts linking the Keys, including the astonishing Seven Mile Bridge at Marathon, earned it another title: “the eighth wonder of the world.”

“That was a great day when that train came in here,” recalled Miss Ruby, who was believed to be the last remaining Key Wester to witness the historic arrival.

“I was going to Harris School, and the Harris School kids went down to meet the train,” she said. “Everybody was hollering and whooping, throwing bouquets, hoisting up flags and singing, saying, ‘There’s the train! There’s the train!’ All of Key West was happy that day.”

Key West had every right to be happy. The debut of the railroad transformed it from an isolated outpost, reachable only by boat, to a destination easily reached by both passengers and freight.

Henry Flagler and Key West's Mayor Fogarty greet crowds after the arrival of the first train on January 22, 1912. (Photo courtesy the Monroe County Library Collection)

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” said Miss Ruby. “Dr. Fogarty was the mayor, and he made a speech when the train came in. I can see him now, and I can see old Flagler with his straw hat on.”

Flagler himself, however, never saw the joyful crowds.

When the first train from the mainland pulled into the Key West terminal, its elderly creator stepped out his private car. He was greeted by dignitaries, citizens and hordes of schoolchildren — all cheering his fantastic accomplishment.

By then almost blind, he stood with tears streaming down his face.

“I can hear the children,” he said, “but I cannot see them.”

Less than 16 months later, at age 83, he died.

Over the next two decades, Henry Flagler’s Over-Sea Railroad carried half a million visitors across the miles separating mainland Florida and Key West. Unfortunately, it only lasted for 23 years before being severely damaged in a 1935 hurricane.

Sand sculptor Marianne Vandenbroek's creation, located at the Casa Marina Resort, celebrates the historic Over-Sea Railroad. (Photo by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Today the Overseas Highway is the link between the mainland and the Keys. But many of the original railroad bridges can still be seen, massive and stark, stretching beside the highway’s bridges.

Other reminders can be found on Pigeon Key, a five-acre island that housed workers building the original Seven Mile Bridge. Pigeon Key’s buildings have been carefully restored, and one features an intriguing museum dedicated to the railway and its builders.

Currently, events are being planned throughout the Keys to honor Flagler’s historic railroad — with the festivities culminating on Jan. 22, 2012, the 100th anniversary of the first train’s arrival.

Henry Flagler and Ruby Whitlock are both gone now. But, chances are, those attending the centennial celebration will feel the echo of their long-ago joy.

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Highlights, History, Islamorada, Key Largo, Key West, Marathon, Voices Main Archive

April in the Keys featured so many events that it went by in a blur. The fast pace continued in May, when I attended the 28th International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) board meetings and convention in Fort Lauderdale.

Blog author Steve Smith (in the striped shirt) and his IGLTA guests prepare to set sail on Key West's historic Schooner Western Union.

Originally called the IGTA (International Gay Travel Association), the organization had its beginnings in Key West. In fact, many founders of the Key West Business Guild were also founding members of the IGTA. In the mid 90s the “L” word (and letter) was added to the organization’s name. Today the IGLTA has 2,000-plus members in more than 86 countries.

I have served for over 10 years on the board of directors of the organization, which helped open the doors of travel for gay men and women, their friends and family across the world. Formerly IGLTA treasurer and president, I was humbled this past week when members re-elected me to the governing board once again.

After the convention, I brought 23 international travel professionals to the Florida Keys & Key West. A few had visited many years ago, but the rest were “Key West Virgins.”

Merina is among the friendly dolphins that make their home at Grassy Key's Dolphin Research Center. (Photo courtesy of Dolphin Research Center)

Sunday we drove down the Keys and stopped at Dolphin Research Center (DRC) on Grassy Key. DRC was the original training site for the dolphins featured in the 1960s television series and film “Flipper.” I was among the lucky kids who jumped in the water and was pulled around the lagoon by one of the dolphins that played the “Flipper” role.

Then the group hit Key West for a few days of non-stop fun. We began at the weekly jazz concert at the Gardens Hotel, featuring the sounds of Debra and Patrick. Later we were treated to a great meal at Antonia’s Restaurant, founded over 25 years ago and still serving amazing food.

After bicycling around the island Monday on the Moped Hospital’s two-wheelers, the group hit the water with snorkel trips on Danger Charters and the Blu Q. As always, I reminded our guests to use sunblock so they wouldn’t look like well-steamed lobsters!

The gracious Cypress House is guided by Dave Taylor -- and features a world-class nightly happy hour. (Photo courtesy of Cypress House)

Monday evening we joined Dave Taylor and his staff at the historic Cypress House guesthouse for an early reception, and then strolled over to Duval Square for dinner with Michael Stewart at Square One Restaurant.

Tuesday we gathered for a sunset sail on the newly restored Schooner Western Union. The vessel was originally launched decades ago to maintain the telegraph cables for Western Union. If you’re here and want a unique tall-ship sailing experience, this is it.

Wednesday we said our good-byes as the group returned to their homes across the world.

What else is going on in Key West? Preparations are underway for the annual Key West Pride (we may be a small island, but we know how to celebrate Pride!).

Key West Pride's culmination is to be the all-welcome Pride Parade down Duval Street. (Photo courtesy of the Key West Business Guild)

On Wednesday June 8, the Island House opens its doors to the community to kick off our celebrations with an open bar, champagne, and hors d’ oeuvres passed by the hottest boys in Key West. Then check out a film at the Tropic Cinema or watch us crown Miss Key West Pride at the 801 Bar.

Thursday we choose Ms. Key West Pride. Real women compete for the title and a space in our Pride Parade. On Friday, June 10, we’ll select Mr. Key West Pride in the garden at the Bourbon Street Pub. The following day, join our street festival, sponsored by Wells Fargo and featuring arts, crafts, drag shows and dancing men.

Sunday’s Pride Parade brings together the whole community for a festive float-filled event, ending with a beach party hosted by Southernmost Resorts.

Of course there are many other Pride events as well. Check out the details and don’t miss a moment — make plans now to attend and help us celebrate diversity!

Topics: Events, Festivals, Key West, LGBT

Last week I witnessed the strength of the human spirit’s resolve to maintain the delicate balance between man, mammal and nature in these islands.

Bob Coakley of the Marine Mammal Conservancy attempts to help two of the whales shortly after they were discovered stranded off Cudjoe Key. (Photo by Mariela Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Thursday, May 5, a massive stranding response team of skilled veterinarians, and volunteers — more than 500 strong — joined forces with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and Marine Mammal Conservancy (MMC) staff to save survivors of a pod of weakened pilot whales stranded in shallow Gulf of Mexico waters among mangroves near Cudjoe Key.

The nation’s eyes were trained on the people working feverishly to save survivors, who, among shifting sand bars, coral heads and changing tides, faced tenuous futures.

By Friday morning, seven live whales were safely corralled in a sea pen, a containment area functioning as a triage site.

Marine mammal rescuers begin to load one of the soon-to-released whales onto a barge for transport to the release site. (Photo by Bob Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)

A makeshift tent camp bustled with wetsuit-clad men and women charting vital signs, fielding calls from search and recovery boats (sadly, 14 whales perished), stockpiling food, water, trucks, transportation vehicles, boats, personnel and equipment.

Soon, there was a mobile veterinary laboratory.

During the flurry of activity, the whales remained calm.

Volunteers worked tirelessly in four-hour shifts, day and night, buoying the whales at the surface to breathe, keeping them wet and covered from the sun, hydrated and tube-fed with Pedialyte and a liquid chum.

Saturday, after collecting and analyzing blood and tissue samples, morphometrics (body measurements) and tagging dorsal fins with tracking devices, veterinarians deemed two male pilot whales viable to be released.

Watching the crane-laden barge gingerly hoist each of the two whales into slings was a breathtaking, nerve-wracking blip in time.

The first of the pilot whales is released into deep water off the Lower Keys. (Photo by Julie Botteri, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Slowly settling the whales on the barge’s deck, careful not to crush their heart and lungs beneath their own weight, teams kept them wet and covered in zinc to prevent blistering in the afternoon sun.

Zooming my camera within inches of the first-loaded whale, my breath caught — his giant doe eye rolled up at me, looked into me. I was awash in guilt over the strange situation he was in, amazed and blessed I could be so close.

“It’s going to be okay, buddy. Hang in there,” I said quietly.

Under way, volunteers sponged water over the whales’ delicate skin, while veterinarians monitored vital signs and respiration. The survival of these mammals was paramount.

Two of the five whales transferred to Key Largo's Marine Mammal Conservancy for rehab prepare to begin their journey in a refrigerated truck. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Finally, we reached 523 feet of water, nine miles offshore.

Videographer Bob Care and I boarded a small boat to record the release, as eight people grabbed the sling’s straps, maneuvering the whales forward to easily slip off the edge of the barge’s foam padding into the blue.

The first whale dived down, surfaced and popped his blowhole like a snorkel, pausing, almost beckoning to the second, “Are you ready? Let’s go.”

Immediately, the second whale entered the water. The pair dove deep and disappeared. It was magical. The group of us left watching at the surface waited a moment, then whooped and hollered. They’d made it!

Marine mammal rescuers tend to four of five pilot whales transported to the Marine Mammal Conservancy in Key Largo. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Exhausted and exhilarated, volunteers returned to the pen area, greeted by the remaining five whales’ squeals and squeaky chatter — a reminder they are not out of the woods yet.

Early Tuesday, experts successfully transported these five to a rehabilitation center 82 miles away in Key Largo, in a temperature-controlled Publix Supermarkets’ semi-trailer. Unfortunately, one of them later got too sick to save.

Rehabilitation of the remaining four could take months, but perhaps Blair Mase, NOAA’s southeast stranding coordinator, best summed up the combined efforts to safely move the animals:

“It takes a village to save some whales.”

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Environment, Key Largo, On the Water, Voices Main Archive

Some people visit Key West just for the fun of it, while others come to enjoy the laid-back lifestyle. Then too, there are the artists and craftspeople who find themselves irresistibly drawn to the island for the inspiration it provides. (Though few people remember this, even former president Dwight Eisenhower began painting during a stay in Key West in the 1950’s.)

Folk artist Mario Sanchez captured the Key West of his boyhood in his painted wood carvings. (Sanchez photos courtesy of the Key West Museum of Art & History and Gallery on Greene)

In fact, it’s hard to walk down the tranquil streets of Key West’s Old Town district without coming upon at least one artist intent on an easel. The colorful Victorian architecture and strong tropical light are pretty well irresistible to painters — and the atmosphere of creativity has encouraged craftsmen from palm-frond weavers to the late Mario Sanchez, who was widely regarded as the 20th century’s most important Cuban-American folk artist.

With wood, simple brushes, and chisels, Sanchez recreated the Key West of his boyhood in three-dimensional painted woodcarvings. His vivid and often humorous images feature subjects ranging from street vendors and cigar makers to dancers, gossiping women and chicken thieves.

Key West's historic courthouse is vividly portrayed in this classic Sanchez piece.

In addition, Sanchez’ work portrays colorful impressions of island landmarks — including Ernest Hemingway’s one-time home, the Key West Lighthouse and the San Carlos Institute.

He began his pieces as sketches on brown paper bags. Slowly, carving and adding the bright primary colors of the tropics, he produced incredible, unforgettable primitive art.

Like Mario Sanchez’ masterworks, much of the other art found in the Keys mirrors the island chain’s characteristic lightheartedness, irreverence, and appreciation for life.

That’s especially true of the pieces created by leading American sculptor Seward Johnson, a part-time Key West resident. Johnson is world-renowned for his trompe l’oeil life-sized cast bronzes of ordinary people engaged in everyday activities.

Seward Johnson's gigantic "American Gothic" figures stood outside the Key West Museum of Art & History until they were replaced by another evocative pair of Johnson giants. (Photo by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Placed in public settings around the world, they’re so realistic that they unfailingly elicit double-takes and grins.

Johnson arrived in Key West with his wife in the early 1990s. For the past several years, his pieces have been a starring attraction in and around the Key West Museum of Art & History at the Custom House.

His exhibits have included “Beyond the Frame,” three-dimensional life-sized interpretations of 19th-century paintings — constructed so that visitors actually step into the scenes to become (at least temporarily) part of the artwork.

His “Icons” showcase included “Forever Marilyn,” a life-sized three-dimensional take on the famous photograph of Marilyn Monroe, dressed in white, with a flirtatiously blowing skirt. (That piece, by the way, now stands in front of Key West’s beloved Tropic Cinema on Eaton Street.)

Visitors to Johnson's "Beyond the Frame" exhibit at the Key West Museum of Art & History could actually step into this lifesize sculpture to become part of the artwork. (Photo by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Johnson’s work overflows the Custom House building and spills out onto the grounds. A gigantic pair of his sculptures stands in front of the museum, beckoning people in to discover more. And his multi-figure piece in the garden behind the Custom House literally stops people in their tracks. (It’s inspired by “The Dance” by Henri Matisse — look that up and you’ll see why it’s so startling!)

Not unexpectedly, given its artistic richness, Key West is home to a variety of galleries. Stroll around historic Old Town district and you’ll find galleries offering Haitian primitives, art glass, folk art, original oils and watercolors, bronzes and other sculptures, offbeat “gyotaku” fish prints, and much more.

For an inspiring “big picture” of the arts scene in Key West and the Florida Keys, just click here.

Topics: Arts, History, Key West, Local Color, Profiles, Voices Main Archive

Summer is rushing into the Keys with sunny days, great breezes, and a gaggle of happy visitors. Key West International Airport reported record passenger numbers this past year, and we now have jet service from Tampa on AirTran.

Could that be a brand-new duchess being transported along Key West's Duval Street? (Photo by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Around noon each day, you can see three to four 737 jets sitting on the ramp at our little airport. And for those who like to fly first class, it’s now available — although many of our smaller jets consider all their seats to be first class.

Speaking of first class, this year’s Red Ribbon Bed Race offered a “tip of the bed” to the newly wedded Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The day after the royal wedding, “Kate Middleton” ruled on Key West’s famed Duval Street — while riding on a decorated bed on wheels during the madcap annual race.

The offbeat challenge featured 15 decorated beds, each piloted up Duval by four runners while a fifth person rode on the bed.

“Kate” look-alike Lucas Czajkowski, wearing a replica of the royal bride’s blue engagement dress, sipped champagne and waved regally to cheering crowds as a quartet of brawny men with British flags painted on their bare chests and backs propelled her bed up the street.

Key West shows its pride in diversity every day -- and especially during the annual June Pride celebrations. (Photo courtesy of the Key West Business Guild)

Her royal mate Prince William, however, was nowhere to be found.

“Maybe he’s partying somewhere else in Key West,” said the pseudo Kate. “Of course, Duval Street is much more fun than the palace — but please don’t tell the queen.”

It seems like every week in Key West we’re celebrating something — and June 8-12, that “something” is pride. Actually, we recognize our pride in diversity every week of the year, but June brings special festivities known as Key West Pride.

Join us in Key West for a week of pride on a subtropical island far removed from the real world … in a community whose official motto is “One Human Family.” This year’s event celebrates our recent awards from “Amazing Gay Travel” for being the “Best City for Unity Between Gays and Straights” and sharing with San Francisco the title of “Best City for Unity Between Gays and Lesbians.”

Blog author Steve Smith (right), pictured with Glen Baker of FunMaps, travels around the US showcasing the Florida Keys & Key West.

Take a look at the upcoming events on the Key West Pride website and make your plans now. Tickets for many of the events, including a much-anticipated comedy showcase by Michele Balan and Jason Stuart, are available on the site. You can also watch an entertaining video too, and begin planning to visit us for the festivities.

I checked the cost of flying down from Tampa, Orlando, and Atlanta during our pride week and found round-trip fares starting at $200. Key West International Airport is served in the summers by American Airlines, Delta Airlines, AirTran, Continental, and Cape Air. (Speaking as one who takes a flight almost every week, I suggest booking early for the best fare and seats.)

If you’re planning to visit Gay Days in Orlando this year, look for me exhibiting in the main hall at the host Doubletree Hotel. The exhibit will be open Thursday through Sunday, and I’ll have lots of information about Key West and fun giveaways for you!

Topics: Events, Festivals, Key West, LGBT, Local Color