Gulf Coast Journal with Jack Perkins; 310; Artist Linda Thompson, Manatee Community College Film Program, Heron House Party for Centenarians, Dolphin Rehabilitation

Were. Functioning as a special presentation of w. we do YOU Temple St. Petersburg Sarasota. An artist whose love of the sea in your life is infectious. Bring your shoes really launches Gold Coast you know you will be rolling. My soul that we take the seat of the single role. And what she did. This other Gulf Coast. Production is exclusively brought through a generous grant from the Gold Coast Community

Foundation a. Strong unity leadership partnership. Dear Journal. I don't know what it is. I've heard psychologists and sociologists musicians and poets trying to describe it. But I don't really understand the allure of the shoal the sea and the land coming together drawing us toward both. I don't fully understand it but. I know a woman who does and who captures it beautifully.

The shoreline. Quietly separating two vastly different worlds. I get inspired every time I come out here. This is a line that artist Linda Thompson eagerly crosses each time her brush touches canvas. I would say like 80 percent of my work is taking you under the water to show you what I see in my imagination. To give you a picture of what's going on. Under the water. This cover so much of this earth and yet we know nothing about. Sometimes that involves understanding things from her subject perspective down the level of the turtle. Her paintings are brimming with life inspiring us to hold our breath as we descend to greet.

People might find the same thing and people. Are Building. I find that. Life is reflected the same way we live it. The animals around us. Can look down at the dog. I'm going to paint this. A trip to remote Marine offers inspiration and reference. For excitement almost childlike a subject matter. Never going home. I'm in wonder every time I get close to long just amazing creatures. One of the most. Intelligent things in the ocean. I just think they're beautiful. Boys. Elementary. Take my breath away. They do. Linda grew up in Ohio far from the ocean. She caught the art bug as a young girl doing paint by numbers. And everything from old barns to horses dogs.

She moved to Florida in 1973 and began working as a martial artist. Impressive for someone with no art degree. But put food on the table. It didn't feed her creative. One thing that I. Remembered from. My father was he said if you're going to do anything and do it right you need to focus focus on. A narrow window. And so I looked at my environment and what I saw was water. Manatee dolphins. I loved underwater. And I decided this is what I want to pay. One of the first prints I ever did was manatees. And so that's the window I chose to look through. The window she eagerly invite just to peer through. What they. Say. That's. From. Doing a painting and I just need. I want to know.

What happens when he brings his flipper up. This way. How does that work out of that. Bone structure make it bend. Right here and stand. Before you know what he's shown me. Themes of vulnerability and survival gracefully flow through Linda's art unsuspecting. They became themes in her own life when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. You know you don't know why things like that happen and. You can waste a lot of time on whys and. Yesterday you have to deal with you. The point you're. Given today and. You deal with it. And go on and live a good life. Twice she fought her cancer nemesis twice. She sought refuge at the water's edge. This is one of my favorite places to come when I just want to be by myself and get grounded and. Think about. Being. A better person and. Being healed and getting on my own.

My life healed I'm healthy she has moved with more inspiration and a new conduit for her passion. And what I'm trying to do is put a C put an actual painting on that table make it. More than one dimension by using a dremel and routing my design. The result assigned a numbered work of art in a beautifully carved table. It's my way of bringing the ocean and the wildlife that I love into people's homes in a different way. Does it hurt an artist a little bit to have a beautiful painting and then have it go away. Years ago I had one of the best galleries in the world right here in my own house. But you soon realize that if. Part of an artist is to share what you see you have to let those things go. She has let go of possessions and painful. Survival reflection of life's frailty above. And.

Below. I know this isn't Hollywood Far from it. Hollywood people come to the Gulf Coast for the Sarasota Film Festival for example. But the people we do like talking about now are people who go from the Gulf Coast to Hollywood and make a mark. Even. AL How you doing alright it's not every day that some of the most successful film of the year comes back on so well that it's great to be here and seen forever. Now listen a truly heartfelt homecoming I heard between student and teacher. I don't know I don't fish in one more class but 20 year old Steven and then it he is studying film at Manatee community college. But lately he's been doing a little Extra Credit where you work.

You mean. There's Pirates Of The Caribbean Dead Man's Chest and Pirates Of The Caribbean At World's End and a pirate on the Black Pearl. And I am also a. I'm a double for one of the main characters common are James NORRINGTON played by Jack Davenport. It was such a cool opportunity just to work with like him and Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. See in a couple months on campus Stephen isn't the only rising star on the horizon. The school's film program has also made it to the big time. LJ could be inspired and inspiring. Director to depart moviemaker magazine recently singled out manatee community colleges as one of the top 25 programs in film and I think the books and movie makers are caught some buzz about. What our program had produced. The types of films of the various festivals and certainly the Sarasota Film Festival helped a lot. The Austin Film Festival Sedona film festival film has two

types of rich. Internet. And Extra. And those. Bases are manipulated by the editor primarily more than 50 of Dell's former students are now working in television and movies. Rob McKittrick comes to mind right away Rob wrote a script in my screenwriting class about seven or eight years ago called Waiting and waiting was eventually produced by Lionsgate and became you know a very successful film not only at the box office but also on home video. You're lying and she's she has arrived in the film program isn't the only reason for Congratulations manatee community college is celebrating its golden anniversary. Do you continue to do more diverse coalition college president Dr. Cheryl Pappas and powerhouse of volunteer ambassadors planning a birthday celebration for

January in 50 years. MC she has grown by leaps and bounds. There are now three campuses Brayton Venice and Sarasota. With more than 20000 students it's the fastest growing community college in Florida. No wonder since. Half of all college bound students in Manatee and Sarasota counties and roll here. And how about this for a novel idea. Instead of competing with their university neighbors m c c has joined ranks for we offer the freshman and sophomore courses and then they're guaranteed to transfer directly they don't lose one credit by transferring on to us a source at a manatee or Tampa for the junior senior year and sold now 75 percent of our graduates transferred to us. And and these enthusiastic MC Z-film students are anxious to put their knowledge to work. Then one day I go doesn't want to be

in pictures. He wants to make pictures. We work with camera audio was our own ideas and then we went on a short film never found an actual. Aspect of it. Now I know. Rowling actually ever since she was a child growing up in Cuba Reno has dreamed of becoming a director. I love to write. I mean I complement contrie you know song great freedoms rights. And I know I have a lot of reading to my style a lot I think that I know people are really desperate seeing here you meet these great people want to know what you're doing and we're all passionate more like Let's go out and do it because we were going to do it we're going to make it you know. That's what until I left that. Place. In finding their niche in films these students feel as if they have

found themselves and that's a pretty good education. Like Jamaica. Across this great land more people have reached the age of 100 than ever before. Every now and then those centenarians along the Gulf Coast get together. Every now and then we visit. This club is not easy to join. It takes years and years it takes a hundred years. I've had one say to me you know going on this is not for sissies. And I think they all really believe that in their hearts because it's it's hard to go wrong here and all the centenarians of Sarasota received an invitation to a party at their own house Easter

11 guests along with family and friends arrived at the occasion ready to celebrate a century of living. But I think it's wonderful. That. For once I don't have to get in there and pick. One. Not all the guests were exactly 100 years old. Yes. Donald Eddie grew up in this house I'm sure accused New York his grandfather and his father lived there before him and read the two largest hardware store in town. His family was in the hardware business and sales so sales for him was natural rise. Grandfather's father than he went into automotive repairing alternators and starters rebuilds and his heart was full of that you know he was on the road all the time. Why were all wrong took the carriage for ride every Sunday.

Friend you want to run wild somewhere. He just yeah and his 0 0 0 0. Thanks. Donald younger brother. Ninety eight year old Kenneth and all of his living descendants celebrated his 1 100th birthday in Syracuse in 2004. We've traced his family back to when they came to the US. 16:30 and Plymouth Mass. And they were living back then the 70s in a new one hundred four year old Dr. George Robinson and wife Dorothy lived and raised their family in Lynn Massachusetts. Three children and 65 years later they're still together. I had a great mother in us and games and you know everything was right in that. I behaved myself. Yeah I didn't do my drinking never it never did.

Well everyone knows all the best birthday parties have great games. Occupational Therapist Bob Schneider got the crowd involved in exercises anyone can do. One thousand nine hundred years of life were honored at this centenary and celebration attendees had such a good time it's going to become an annual event. I think what they got out of it is they got recognition. There's a lot of people here in town that are over a hundred years you know because they've reached 100 but I think it's very important for people in the community or family members to visit and to be part of the older people younger folks younger generations which tend to be focused on our life in the rat race in a job with children. Any time soon and continue to mature. And the focus goes away from you know they are brilliance

and their wisdom. Yes. There's no way that we can compete with. Just the recognition. And they had fun and they have their family and their friends. I think it was great. One of them said I feel so special and special because you get a hundred is a big deal and you know I think they got I think. There was one gentleman here whose 1970 time when the big deal is you know there are only a hundred I'll be there in a couple of years. And he said they're in better shape than I am he said we've got stuff to look forward to. For us youngsters under the age of 100. It's nice to know that we two may one day be guests of honor at such a great party but my children go out. I guess when you get to be a hundred you figure that you're entitled if you wish to be

cantankerous fully candid. So when we asked one of the gentlemen of the party sir what's the best thing about being a hundred. His reply was not. Well I'll tell you one of the best things about walking the shore. And that is knowing that any time you might look out there and spot the ball. And we know the Dolphins are intelligent we need to know that they are vulnerable and sometimes they need people's help. Of all the creatures in the sea dolphins have always found a way to capture the human heart intelligence gap do you. Highly social. I think. And yet more fragile than we may realize. OK I want to roller all the way. Sarasota is Mote Marine Laboratory is a haven for dolphins in distress. Hear animal experts work tirelessly to nurture sick or injured animals back to

health. And in the process learn more about how to protect this region as a whole. We live in a coastal ecosystem more and more people are moving to the shorelines of Sarasota Bay and elsewhere all the time to understand what kinds of impacts are having on that ecosystem. A bottle of dolphins can tell us a lot to freak out the baby. The ultimate reward is releasing these animals back into the wild. The rewards don't always come easily. In the heat of summer five rare resos dolphins stranded off Marco Island 3 would die but to a male and a female nicknamed Bonnie and Clyde would survive. When they arrived here at Moat they were both and in very bad condition. They both had pneumonia. They both had intestinal infections when they came man misplay.

Chief veterinarian Charlie Meneer says the bigger challenge is in knowing how to treat these deepwater Dolphins rarely seen by humans. Medical staff don't even know what the normal blood values are for these animals. But they're about to learn. As the weeks turn into months. Bonnie and Clyde become like family. Clyde is gaining strength. He is ready to go home. But Bonnie is struggling. The results will alter a sound bring the shocking news that Bonnie is pregnant the fetus is about 30 centimeters long and seems to be moving around very well. Got a nice strong heartbeat. While the fetus appears healthy. Bonnie is not her health deteriorates. Seven months into her rehab Bonnie and her unborn calf lose their fight to live. We are dead. We're in mourning. She young. She's still close three

days. Pregnant. Even though the harder. It's definitely hard I mean we try to warn all of our volunteers and our staff you know don't get attached to these animals because they can die but no matter what people are going to get attached to. Now Clyde must try to make it alone. The staff knows it's critical to release him back into his natural habitat as soon as possible. Let our. Plights big day has finally arrived. News of this rare Dolphins trip home. Has drawn a crowd. A local couple Tom Sencion and Kathy Unruh. Have donated the use of their boat. But even with the luxury of an 80 foot yacht it will still take hours to reach waters deep enough for resos dolphin. These things are really stressful for them physically. And psychologically. Dolphins are not designed to bend their way so anytime that they're out of the water it can be dangerous.

Clyde has been tagged with a satellite link transmitter a vital key to learning about a species that has up to now remained largely a mystery. With this transmitter we're able to learn where the dolphin is and also how deep it is diving and how long it's staying and then. It's just past new. And there's a problem. Blige sedative is wearing off and he's becoming anxious. The boat is nearly 80 miles offshore but still in only forty six feet of water far too shallow for this deep water dolphin to have a fighting chance. They hang on a little longer and hope that Clyde can do the same. Just past two o'clock and suddenly the jet drops to 400 feet. They've reached the edge of the continental shelf. It's time for Clyde to go. Miley's not. Hearing. Good job guys heavily right. It's not. Sprung. My

time's coming our way. I think right. Now we have many. Signs upon it that one highlight Charley time to exhale. This was one of the most flawless releases I think we've ever had. His spawn of the greatest natural highs there is no sun and it's impossible to really explain it but. It's you know like everything you've done is has finally. Come to a culmination. And. Made a difference. All right. Tomorrow the cycle will begin again. For dolphins in danger more struggles to restore the natural order of things. But on this day it's enough to know that the one who captured their hearts is home. We often visit Mote Marine on this program. So as we close this volume of a Gulf

Coast journal hoping you'll be with us next time. Let's catch a few final glimpse of. The. Oh.

Thanks. A. You can order this or any other volume of a Gulf Coast journal with Jack Perkins on a high

quality DVD format for just one thousand ninety nine plus shipping and handling. Call 1 800 3 5 4 9 3 3 8. Or visit our website at. W edu dot org. W e production is exclusively brought you are really a generous grant from the Gold Coast community. Building strong leadership. MARTIN down the ladder.