FLORIDA : Giant Squid Found off of the waters of Key West, Florida.

Scientists are trying to figure out the identity of a large squid found off the Florida Keys by a charter captain earlier this week.

Charter Boat Capt. Clint Moore, was fishing in 850 feet of water near the Gulf Stream southwest of Key West Tuesday when he saw a large mass floating at the surface. He realized it was a squid and took it aboard; at the dock, he estimated the length at 13 feet, but was not fully intact — the giant squid, genus Architeuthis, can reach lengths of 30 feet.

The animal was taken to Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida where Debi Ingrao performed a necropsy — post-mortem examination — Thursday “The tail section was gone; it had no tentacles, so I can’t speculate what the overall length was,” Ingrao said. “What we have is 6.5 feet long. It weighed 13.2 pounds, but it may have been more than that. ”The squid is definitely not Architeuthis .“It’s much different, very, very different,” Ingrao said. “I don’t know the genus. That could be my lack of knowledge. Someone who’s seen 50 million squid might know what it is.” So it might be a new species or even a new genus. “The thing is, I don’t think people realize how many things we don’t know about the ocean,” Ingrao said. “We’re discovering hundreds of species a day.”

A researcher from the Smithsonian Institution is expected at Mote on Tuesday for an attempt to identify the squid.

MAINE : "LOBSTER FEST or FIGHT" ?

The Lobster Industry is presenting a United Front against a

proposal aimed at helping fishermen and the Portland Fish Exchange by allowing trawlers to sell in Maine the lobster that inadvertently ends up in nets. Supporters of the bill contend Maine is losing out because trawlers are taking their catch to Massachusetts where it's legal to sell the lobster. That has led to a smaller volume of fish auctioned and fewer fish-processing jobs, among other things. But lobstermen on Tuesday said Maine's $300 million lobster fishery is far too valuable for lawmakers to pass a bill that would lead to more lobsters being landed by trawlers.

It could imperil the future of the state's signature seafood, they said."It's too great of a risk to take," said lobsterman John Butler, who was flanked by lobster industry officials at a news conference on the Portland waterfront.By federal law, fishermen are allowed to keep up to 100 lobsters per day, or 500 per trip, that are hauled up in their nets.In 2005, Maine fishermen sold 120,000 pounds of those lobsters in Massachusetts, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That's a tiny fraction of Maine's total 2005 harvest of 67.3 million pounds. Hank Soule, manager of the Portland Fish Exchange, said that by his accounting, lobsters landed by trawlers in offshore waters amount to about 2 percent of total landings.

The bill might boost those levels to 3 percent, he said."We don't think a one percent increase in the lobster harvest is going to have any impact on Maine's inshore lobster fishery. If we did think that it would, we wouldn't be bringing this forward," Soule said. Lobstermen contend the proposal would open the door to more trawlers targeting lobster. They also said the offshore fishery is especially important because large, female lobsters found in those waters produce millions of eggs. Finally, they said, the bill offers no guarantees that the trawlers would go to the Portland Fish Exchange instead of Massachusetts.

Fishermen still may go to Massachusetts because diesel fuel is cheaper there, they said. Nonetheless, lobstermen don't like the idea of any proposal that has the potential to weaken the fishery. Despite bountiful lobster catches in recent years, they're worried that there's already too much pressure on the lobster fishery.

As it stands, lobster represents Maine's most important fishery and one of the few fisheries that remains relatively healthy in New England. "We've practiced very good husbandry over the years. We'd like to think future generations will benefit from our husbandry," Butler said.Bob Baines, who serves on the board of the Maine Lobstermen's Association, agreed. "Please don't undermine Maine's lobster conservation," he said.

FLORIDA : Key Largo - Marine Mammal Conservancy - Update on "Castaway" the Dolphin.

"Hearing tests confirm Castaway is deaf." -

Castaway the dolphin's future likely will be determined today, when official hearing tests results are released and conference calls are planned among veterinarians and marine mammal experts.
David Mann, an assistant professor with University of South Florida who specializes in auditory systems of fish and marine mammals, conducted a hearing test Monday on the pregnant, bottlenose dolphin that stranded in Vero Beach at Castaway Cove in November and refused to be released off Fort Pierce last month.

Once the official report is released, Lingenfelser said he will be in conference calls with officials from the National Marine Fisheries Service, who determine where the dolphin will stay and whether she will have her calf at the small Keys facility.
Experts also will begin discussing what exactly caused Castaway's deafness, he said.

Lingenfelser said the cause of Castaway's hearing problems won't be known until she dies and veterinarians can perform a necropsy, or autopsy for animals. Along with drug complications, it could have been a stroke or a brain aneurysm, he said.
No hearing tests were performed at Mote because it is federal policy not to test pregnant dolphins, he added.

If Castaway is considered non-releasable by federal officials, Lingenfelser said he would prefer officials move Castaway to a public display facility before she gives birth.
Otherwise, she and her calf would have to stay at the conservancy for months, closing it to other stranded animals that need rehabilitation, he said.
But regardless, she and her calf will be able to live long lives, Lingenfelser said.
"We don't euthanize animals, not unless they're suffering," he said. "Whoever takes her on should be applauded. We'll take care of her, no worries."

More Info. on the Marine Mammal Conservancy http://www.marinemammalconservancy.org/

FLORIDA : The Vandenberg Project, a New World Class Artificial Reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

A World War II troop carrier that saw duty in the Cold War and had a role in a movie is destined to become the largest artificial reef in Florida.

The 533-foot Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg, among the hulks in the ever-thinning James River Reserve Fleet, will be towed to waters off Florida’s Key West, probably in one year, the U.S. Maritime Administration announced Tuesday.

The Vandenberg began its nautical life in 1943 under a different name: the Gen. Harry S. Taylor. After duty in World War II and the Cold War, it was overhauled and became a sophisticated missile-tracking vessel in the Atlantic.

When christened for that assignment, in 1963, it was named after a former Air Force officer and CIA director. In the 1990s, the ship was repainted and stenciled with Russian lettering for its role in the Universal Pictures science-fiction film “Virus.”

A related web site, Sink the Vandenberg has a break down of the economic and ecological impact as well as photos.

MAINE : "A Valentine's Blizzard in Maine".

Burrrrr!!!!!
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The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine, where as much as 2 feet of snow was possible.
Maine Gov. John Baldacci declared a state of emergency to ensure deliveries of heating oil. "We're geared up to handle snow," said Dana Wardwell, director of public works in Bangor, Maine.

As sleet stings the faces of pedestrians, and snow and ice coat windshields and streets today, the storm nick-named the "Valentine's Day blizzard", shut down all schools and air travel and turned the highways into skating rinks.
Nearly 300,000 homes and business had lost electrical service in the cold weather. At least 12 deaths were blamed on this huge storm system.
Thousands of schools were closed from Maine to Kentucky and for some schools and businesses in the Midwest for a second day, and in Washington, D.C. the federal government decided to open offices two hours late.

The slippery streets and sidewalks created a challenge for florists trying to deliver Valentine's Day flowers.
"People have to understand, we can't do it if it gets really bad. Other than that, we'll kill ourselves to get it delivered," said a florist whose shop in the Bangor area was double-wrapping their arrangements to protect them from the brutal cold.

FLORIDA : Key Largo Winter Weather.

Key Largo was beautiful today with temperatures in the mid-70's and mild ocean breezes.

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Expect the next several days to be sunny and bright.

MAINE : Mainers Brace for Severe Storm Conditions

"COLD ENOUGH FOR YAS?"
... Winter Storm Warning remains in effect from 7 am Wednesday to 1 am EST Thursday...Snow will overspread the area Wednesday morning and become heavy at times during the day on Wednesday. The snow will mix with sleet and freezing rain and change to all rain along the immediate coast Wednesday evening. Snow accumulations around an inch can be expected. This storm will have a moderate impact on the warning area. Heavy snow and sleet will cover roads and reduce visibilities making travel difficult.Please report snow, sleet, or ice accumulations to the National Weather Service by calling toll free... 877-633-6772. Stay tuned to
NOAA Weather Radio...your local media... or go to http://www.erh.noaa.gov/car/for further updates on this weather situation.


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The National Weather Service advises residents to brace and prepare for the biggest snowstorm so far this winter, and to expect heavy snow and near blizzard conditions. A foot or more of snow is predicted in many places before the cold front moves into New Brunswick on Thursday.
Forecasts call for almost two feet of snow in the western mountains and foothills, 12 to 18 inches in other interior regions and 8 to 14 inches along the coastline, where a change to sleet or freezing rain is likely late by early on Wednesday.
{Many Maine communities have announced parking bans in advance of the storm.}
The U.S. Coast Guard issued warnings to mariners to be prepared for 40-50-knot winds and 20-30 foot seas in New England waters and the Gulf of Maine by Tuesday.
Coast Guard units along the New England coast are issuing safety broadcasts to warn offshore mariners, and all coastal and offshore cutters as well as search-and-rescue stations have elevated their readiness status to "high".

{Mariners should closely monitor channel 16 VHF-FM for updated storm warnings and information.}

FLORIDA : WYLAND in KEY LARGO -PHOTO UPDATE !!

BLOG UPDATE: 4-Sided "Whaling Wall" Completed in Key Largo

*Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau

Marine artist Wyland unveils a mural in Key Largo that features Castaway, the dolphin. But just before he snipped a ribbon, he revealed that sometime after Feb. 20 he would “quietly add a few more fish and a stingray to honor my friend Steve Irwin.” Irwin, best known for his television series ‘The Crocodile Hunter,’ tragically died in September 2006, after being pierced in the chest by a stingray spine while snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

Wyland also announced that lighting would be added to illuminate the mural so the artwork could be appreciated 24 hours a day.

A panoramic 7,500-square-foot representation of the living coral reef that parallels the Keys, the Wyland mural wraps around a four-story, four-sided building at mile marker 99.2 in the median of the Overseas Highway that bisects Key Largo.

"This is a mural that is really the gateway to the Florida Keys," said Wyland, whose name is legally one word. "I’m a diver so I take all that inspiration and all that beauty and simply paint it up on the wall for people to enjoy.”

Wyland, who has residences in California, Hawaii and the Keys, has spent more than 20 years diving in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. He credits the Keys reef, the only contiguous coral expanse in North America, for inspiring much of his work.

The completed mural features islands, sunset, manatees, manta rays, corals, indigenous fish and bottlenose dolphins in honor of a stranded pregnant dolphin, Castaway and her unborn calf currently being treated at a Key Largo Marine Mammal Rehabilitation Center.
Like Wyland's previous walls, the Key Largo mural is designed to motivate environmental awareness and stewardship, particularly in children.

"Art is something that can touch people’s emotion," said Wyland, who began the Key Largo wall Feb. 1. "You can choose not to go into a gallery or a museum, but you can’t ignore a giant mural like this. If people see this beauty, I know they’ll want to get involved in protecting it.”

During breaks from creating the mammoth mural, Wyland painted separate canvases with kids, noting the importance of inspiring youngsters to preserve the world’s oceans.

Wyland, who began painting "Whaling Walls" in 1981, plans to continue his series internationally until he has completed 100 murals.

He intends to paint his last huge artwork, projected to be more than two miles long, in Beijing, with children from around the world, prior to the 2008 summer Olympics.
For more information, visit www.wylandfoundation.org.

MAINE : Maine's "King of Horror" has a Secret ,..and it's name is Joe.

"Joe Hill and Stephen King's secret is out!!"

Photo By Shane Leonard

Joe Hill's real name isn't Joe Hill, it's Joseph Hillstrom King. As in Stephen King's son, and you won't find this on the cover jacket of Hill's first novel, Heart-Shaped Box, nor is it in any of the press materials.

This reflects a very principled stance that Hill and his publisher have taken, a conscious decision not to milk Hill's patrimony for publicity, and which I am now helping to ruin. They are right to do this, and I am wrong to use it for the sake of a good opening paragraph. There are only two things worth saying about Hill's distinguished ancestry. One is that whatever King has, he evidently passed along to his son, because Heart-Shaped Box is a top-notch piece of horror fiction.

A lot of horror writers wind up revealing a sentimental streak in the end, but if Hill has one he keeps it well in check. This is, ultimately, a book about fathers and sons. A son who must come to terms with his abusive father, and with the avenging ghost, who is the father of another key character.

It's an appropriate enough theme for Hill, because every artist has to work in the shadow of his or her father-in-art, and symbolically, Oedipally overcome him, and in Hill's case his father-in-art is also his literal, biological father. Heart-Shaped Box isn't about appeasing fathers, and learning to love them, and seeing that they, too, are human beings and not monsters. It's not about that at all. It's about knowing your father, and finding him, and then killing him.

"Isn't that what the best artists do?"

adopt your own virtual pet!

FLORIDA : WYLAND in KEY LARGO

"Wyland" graces Key Largo with his presence.


This is Wyland's blank building that will be known as:
"The Wyland Whaling Wall # 95"

"Wyland", he is always cheerful, and a man with a mission !!

Wyland to Paint Final U.S. 'Whaling Wall'

Internationally acclaimed environmental artist and conservationist Wyland is to paint the 95Th 'Whaling Wall' in his planned series of 100 mammoth marine life murals, Feb. 1-12 in Key Largo, Florida.
The mural, the last Whaling Wall Wyland intends to paint in the United States, is to showcase North America’s only living contiguous barrier coral reef, which parallels the Keys.

The painting will majestically wrap around all four sides of a building located at mile marker 99.2 on U.S. Highway 1, and be visible to everyone driving into and out of the Florida Keys.

The top portion of this building will be painted bright yellow and orange, then the lower portions of the building will give an appearance of a deep reef.

“It’s my gift to the Florida Keys and all the great people who live and visit here,” said Wyland, a part-time Keys resident and avid diver.

Wyland's previous life-size Whaling Walls can be seen around the U.S.,Tacoma, Washington, San Diego, Ca., Japan, Australia, France and New Zealand. One of his wonderful murals is located in Key West’s Historic Seaport, and another fronts highway U.S. 1 in Marathon, at the midpoint of the Florida Keys.

Wyland is renowned for his life size murals as well as smaller paintings and sculptures that portray whales, dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, coral reef life and other ocean inhabitants. Wyland draws his ongoing inspiration from diving in the Keys and in other tropical waters.

“I’ve been diving in the Florida Keys for over 20 years, and this is some of the best diving in the world,” said Wyland. “The light and the pristine beauty, above and below, are represented in my paintings, my sculptures and even in my murals.”

For more than 25 years Wyland has used his art to increase awareness about the need to preserve and protect the world’s marine environment. In 1993 he established the Wyland Foundation, a publicly supported environmental education organization; in 1998, the United Nations declared him the official artist of the International Year of the Ocean.

The public was invited to visit the Key Largo mural site to watch Wyland paint, learn more about his environmental initiatives and view a comprehensive collection of his paintings and sculptures.
Wyland hosted a dedication ceremony at the site on Monday, Feb. 12, 2007.

For more information, visit http://www.wylandkw.com/galleries/#key-westor call (800) 469-3069 Monday through Friday.

The "Whaling Wall # 95" is really worth the trip down to Key Largo, and to find out about area accommodations, call the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce at (305) 451-4747 or (800) 822-1088, or visit the Florida Keys & Key West Web site at http://www.fla-keys.com/

MAINE : 'TOWN OF BAR HARBOR HISTORY'.

Originally incorporated as the Town of Eden, the original document signed by Samuel Adams in 1796 and a warrant calling the first town meeting are on display, the town's name was changed to Bar Harbor in 1918.

Bar Harbor's fascinating history as a summer resort began long before Champlain's visit in 1604. The Abnakis were the original summer people. In the 1850's, painters such as Frederic E. Church, Thomas Cole, Fitz Hugh Lane, William Hart and Thomas Birch popularized the area thru their exhibits of the island's beautiful mountains and seascapes. The first Hotel on the island was built in Bar Harbor by Tobias Roberts, the Agamont House in 1855. Alpheus Hardy was the first summer resident to build a "cottage" called Birch Point in 1868. More and more hotels and cottages were built as people "rusticators" came to the island by train and the Mount Desert Ferry to dock at Bar Harbor.

The land boom continued until the 1880's when such notables as Joseph Pulitzer, William Proctor, , Frederick Vanderbilt, George Vanderbilt and Evelyn Walsh McLean came and built magnificent "cottages".
{When you visit the museum library you can see pictures of these and many more of the summer "cottages".}

It was at this time that Boston native George B. Dorr worked tirelessly with Charles W. Elliot and later with John D. Rockefeller Jr. to bring about the National Park, which was organized in 1916 as Sieur de Monts monument. The name was changed in 1919 to Lafayette National Park and in 1929 to Acadia National Park.
George B. Dorr was the first Superintendant of the Park.
{There is a permanent exhibit of Mr. Dorr on site that is worth checking out.}

FLORIDA : Diving in Key Largo.

"Ever get that feeling you were being followed?"

If it's good fishing you're after, look no further. From hard-fighting, deep-sea gamefish like marlin, wahoo, sailfish and tuna, to backcountry favorites like tarpon and bonefish, Key Largo offers anglers of any skill a great variety and abundance year-round.

The variety of diving available in the Florida Keys matches both the skill levels and interests of the Scuba diving visitor.

Today's adventurer can experience the unspoiled hammock forest along nature trails and view the quiet beauty of herons, egrets and roseate spoonbills along the shore. Relaxing is part of Key Largo's lifestyle. Just kick back and enjoy a quiet afternoon under the tropical sun, sipping a tall cool glass of Key limeade, just a few steps from a cool splash in the ocean or bay!

There is much more to Key Largo than the legends of the past -- the splendors of this tropical paradise provide a life style unchallenged anywhere in the world.

Come and create your own legends, share the unique heritage of this island of history and enchantment...Legendary Key Largo!

KEY LARGO, FLORIDA : "Cockers Spaniels in the Conch Republic".

"OUR FIRST GIRLS"
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Lanna, a.k.a. (Spooky), Puppette, a.k.a. (Mookey), & Sandee Sea, a.k.a. (Sandera).

Our first three cocker spaniels dressed in their jerseys and ready to play.
Lanna, or shall I say, "Spooky",was the baby and she was a feisty little girl that kept the other two in line. She was nicknamed "Spooky" because when she was a tiny pup, she used to sleep up in the book shelf part of the headboard of our bed. She found the toggle switch that turned the 'over-head' lights on and she would flip the lights on and off in the middle of the night. She also looked 'spooky' when you looked at her in the dark.

Puppette, or shall I say, "Mookey," was the second youngest and she got her nickname because she looked like a 'Star Trek' character by the name of the same.
She was named 'Puppette' because when she first started to walk, she looked as if someone were holding the strings that made her feet lift up. She is still with us and she is such a quiet and faithful dog.

"Sandee Sea", and yes, we called her "Sandera" for short, was certainly the head of the pack, "God Rest Her Soul," she was always bringing us gifts so we also called her, "Sandee-Claws".

We dearly miss "Lanna" (Spooky) and "Sandee Sea!"

"Puppette" is still our 'leading lady' and we show her the respect and compassion she so deserves.

All of our dogs love to swim in our pool and love to sun bathe.

KEY LARGO, FLORIDA : "This is My Island in the Sun".

A Typical Key Largo Sunset-
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Legend has it that in the early 1500's when Spanish explorers first set foot on the coral rock island that is now called Key Largo, they were greeted by the Calusa Indians. Because of its size, the Spanish named it Cayo Largo (meaning Long Key), the first of a chain of islands jutting south of the Florida peninsula which appeared on the charts of that day. But it would be another 300 years before anyone would make their outpost on this frontier island.

Today, the mystique of this tropical paradise continues to attract visitors of every age. The magnificent natural coral reefs a few miles offshore are world renowned for their beauty. Underwater treasures await divers and snorkelers who enjoy the colorful, tranquil sea life in these clear, tepid, azure waters.

MAINE : "The State of Maine - State of Mind."

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The coast of Maine is home to many a friendly harbor.

Bar Harbor by way of Ellsworth, is a quaint coastal village town on Mount Desert Island, and has a symbiotic relationship with Acadia National Park.
Bar Harbor, with its shops, restaurants, hotels, cottages, bed and breakfasts, inns and galleries, has a special ambiance blended with Downeast Maine character.
Bar Harbor, Maine and Acadia National Park is quite often the starting and ending point of an unforgettable Maine vacation.

MAINE : "My First Day in Maine" - September 2006.

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My very first day in Maine began with landing in Bangor and enjoying a lobster roll at the diner inside of the airport facility.
This was my very first day and my very first taste of Maine lobster.
I must say it was quite a surprise to me that Maine lobster taste so different from the Florida lobster I have dined on for over 20+ years.

Only 49 minutes away from Bar Harbor, I was so excited to see this Maine coastal resort town that I headed east on the Interstate and followed the signs that marked the exits to Ellsworth and Bar Harbor.

Driving from Bangor and through Ellsworth on route to Bar Harbor, I began to see the transition from city to town, and from town to the sea port. Crossing the many rivers and streams, I felt right at home with the water views and the sounds of sea birds as I approached Bar Harbor.

I felt a sense of "déjà vu" as I rode into Bar Harbor, it was as if I had been there before, and that I had seen those buildings on the corner and that house on the hill once before, and I wondered what the connection was with this small harbor town that made me feel so at home.

I felt so young and alive again, and then it came to me,..

"I was born and raised in the seaport town of Key West, Florida the Southernmost City in the United States. An island seaside port that was once touched by so many of New England's ships captains and their families as they built their New England style homes and cottages, where the foot steps of my youth had once tread, and I had walked the very streets and lanes that were paved by many a sea captain that left New England in search of warmer climates and the riches of treasure and trade".

Walking the narrow sidewalks of Bar Harbor and past the cottages with their white picket fences, the smell of the salty air, all brought me back to a time of my younger days of exploring my own hometown port. And the sights and sounds stimulated my every senses beyond all description.

There were elements of this sea coast town that were not familiar to me such as the jagged rocky edges where the land meets the waters edge, and the tide lines that were more than twice the marks of my home town port.
The air was cool, the sun was shining bright in a clear blue sky, and as I stared at the mighty Atlantic Ocean I saw the face of an old familiar friend staring back at me.
And so I spoke aloud and said; "Hello, do you remember me"?