Gulf Coast Journal with Jack Perkins; 109; Artist Don Maitz, Bowling at Sarasota Lanes, Siesta Key Drum Circle, "Turtle Patrol"

WOO WOO WOO WOO WOO WOO WOO WOO WOO WOO. The family has a special presentation of w. we do YOU Tampa St. Petersburg Sarasota. Oh boy you made it easy. What about going to the realm of. My ribs. Above my head you know. Up on the shore. The drummers are gathering we will see you and hope we will hear them. And will celebrate she turtles and the hardworking selfish humans who helped protect them. In this volume of a Gulf Coast Journal.

This w edu production is exclusively brought to you through a generous grant from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice envisioning a region known for in doubt philanthropy the vital nonprofit community and the ability to address emerging issues. Dear Journal. Oh brother we've been having. Stormy weather hurricane weather or as I have come to think of it. Pirate weather. Yeah I look at the dark clouds over the sea and I fancy a black ship poking into view a skull and crossbones flapping from its mizzen

mast. What you ask of me thinking like this. Well I'll tell you. No better off. I'll show you. Am I going to be a good pirate. Depends what your ability to pillage is a imagine. Think of pirates and what do you think of an eye patch a mean spirit a hook for a hand a peg leg. Well to artist Don mates pirating goes far beyond those typical stereotypes. There's very much of a wild and woolly Frontier our great West was nothing compared to the you know the seven scenes of pirates are really opportunistic and parasitic people who knew that the most sought after treasure could not be stuffed into pockets or barrel. The idea of the pirates really intrigues me because they were sort of the rebels of decline and they didn't go along with what they were spoon

fed by different governments. They wanted to be on their own. A search for freedom not being of authority. To pirating qualities which this freelance artist himself has displayed since early in his career when the idea of painting still lifes bored me and I wanted to paint more exciting things. It's a lot more fun than painting just a landscape having you know an historical landscape people you know doing things and interacting with a lot more fun to me. In his Sarasota studio Don's Buccaneers steal as much space on his walls as they do in his mind which is to be expected. But they must also share canvas space with other expressive characters. I'm trying to bring as much information together as I can. To a viewer they can only see a frozen moment in time. And that idea that has so many potentials I mean fantasy science fiction history. Is fantasy. The rows are well read.

He is facing Americans make children laugh. I saw you I saw the. Poster would be quite chilly with a crunchy Pony said I was responsible for designing the egg shakes in the Jimmy Neutron boy genius that these Gilkey in which are basically you know egg yolks with eye stops you know and they have to you know they can't just slop around so they have to have something to put themselves in and I help design their containers. Carousing pirates have even driven some to drink. A lot of lot of rum or liquor products don't make it in the marketplace. But you know I'd like to think that my pirate had something to do with the attraction of trying the liquor. His Captain Morgan the character hit the bottle 20 years ago and earned on the title of rum artist. But the pirates portrayed in the majority of his work are sociable.

Some of these people were you know interesting entrepreneurs and other ones were you know cutthroats and murderers. You know I mean and the cross-section of society you're going to get good ones and bad ones. There were pirates that were good a good pirate in his own sense what he would do is he would capture a ship and the first thing he did was separate the crew from the captain. And if the crew said that they were treated very well then it's likely that the pirates would treat that Captain more kindly than they normally would. Most folks know little about the real history of pirates even the best Chronicles can be expanded like fish stories. It depends upon you know who's telling the story. You know history is written by those who when Don uses centuries old techniques and palettes to capture the true essence of the Golden Age of piracy. If I were an artist and sixteen fifty or seventeen hundred What would I paint like what colors would I use.

In his sketchbook anyone's image can be pillaged and pirated. His friends. His wife Jannie. Even himself. In his most famous painting called Forty Thieves. Five of the pirates aboard the ship are gone. I am an inexpensive available model hauling you to some of the take my picture and I'll put myself in there. Sometimes even a visitor gets turned into a wicked sea rogue. Nice to get a beer that helps. Yeah it probably means lengthening a lot. Could you give me some hair. Now I got a hat. OK OK good. When he's not doing mutineer make overs. Don shares creative space with his wife Jenny Wertz Jenny is also an accomplished fantasy artist and

novelist. She met Don at an art show while she was trying to pay him a compliment. And I said this painting that we were standing in front of me and all that I was speechless for 15 minutes the first time I saw the painting and he turned around and walked away because he's deaf in one ear and he heard nothing. But she didn't give up easily. That kind of person. So I told him again this time about the good ear. How does that work out though with two artists doing their work at the same time in the same place. I write probably 10 months out of every year. So the two months on the studio we're sharing a space or as a time Don has it to himself and then there's the old line go be a genius on your half of the studio today. And that always works. When you're drawing a detail painting and you're you're you've got this little brush in your nose is right off the end you don't have. You don't stand back from it and see it if someone else is across the room saying you know what are you doing here. It gives you another perspective on everything you do.

Who's a better artist. My wife is hands down. You're a terrible sucka. Yeah I hear you. Which of you is a better artist. That is the hardest question in the world to answer. He can't paint my paintings and I can't paint his and the world is a richer place because we both pain our pain. There is no better about it. So you can answer that but I can't. The couple chose to live in Sarasota because it's warm climate offers an easy outdoor escape after hours of tedious work. We have our horses we have sailed ports we have our bikes we go camping and we jog. Sometimes an idea from the outside can spark inspirations from within its imagination you know it's like OK I have this idea now how do I develop it what direction do I take it how do I you know exercise my creativity muscles to bring this across. A perfect partnership. Creative freedom and endless inspiration.

Doesn't take a pirate to realize not all treasure is made of silver or gold. Oh. A few years ago a sociologist named Robert Putnam had a book called Bowling Alone. His point being that in this day of computers and video games and the Internet. We spend so much time within ourselves that we're losing something of the connectedness among people. Some of the community. Well that may be true elsewhere but I say we have traveled this Gulf Coast for the past year and we have found. Kids connected by them called the cops and. Musicians bonded as a community orchestra. Young athletes in the Special Olympics. And not quite so young folks come together to pick and deploy.

Evidences of healthy connectedness up and down the Gulf Coast. Oh yes. Even at the bowling alley. The Joy starts jumping. Coming back to. Me. From all walks of life all ages both sexes their goal is simply to get together. And have fun. Night falls at the Sarasota Lane house is full of modern men peeling to spare the sounds of balls rolling pins crashing the jubilant high fives. These are what we'll leave there. For those who say bowling is a thing of the past. Some numbers show that more people are bowling now than ever before. They used to have the bowling centers more recreational for adults. Smoking drinking and now today's is a big change now it's more of families

dedicated to sports you can bring your kids your wife. So it's enjoyable for the whole family. Could it be the popularity of bowling is coming full circle back before cyber cafes and speed dating. Bowling rival movie for Friday night date destination instead of reality TV viewers embraced programmes like celebrity bowling and Bowling for Dollars and even our country's president bowled regularly at the White House. Perhaps we yearn for a more wholesome entertainment something that captures our community's lost innocence. I have.

Spent. Every last. One time out of the spotlight. I don't like. It. But I was a young kid I was sent to the ends and. Just cleaning up the bowling alleys. Right now I got a pin setters that do that so you know we did that by hand and of course dodging the balls and applying fans. Your ankles got beat up pretty bad here ladies. You had to watch it. At the jump real good. And with all the change that Ron subject has seen over the years he'll be the first to tell you that people's passion for bowling has never wavered. People love it that it's a it's a it's a community not only as a community sport but it's it's a family sport also. They can get together you know for a night of bowling that's. Great. And in this age of multi millionaire athletes hawking everything from sneakers to super bowling remains one of the most popular sports in the world its appeal seemingly ageless

striking the fancy of young and old alike. Fads like the hula hoop and pet rock. Come and go. But the sport of bowling. Keep rolling along. No matter where you live there's always a bowling alley. Or striking. Distance. And besides where else can you go to walk in someone else's shoes for a few hours. Speaking of connectedness people coming together. It happens every week right here on the beach at Siesta Key. People coming together for a rollicking good time. Siesta Key. You. See people enjoying. The warm water the beautiful soft sand playing in the small ways.

The main attraction but. Every Sunday afternoon about an hour before sundown the Siesta Key and drum circle friend Sandy hung in the service. Can I ask 300 people what the reason is that they come through the drum circle and you get 300 different answers. Some people to spiritual experience. Myself I just come here to relax John paycheck and a few friends formed the original drummer circle seven years ago at a private part of the beach nearby residents didn't appreciate the loud drumming so the group moved to its permanent home on Siesta Key public beach and they have been unwelcome there ever champers. There's a new approach to Spencer those who are in the inside of a sort of guild hall into playing sometimes just listening. And then you have the spectators.

Any given day you expect this can range from the hundreds and with three day weekends away without the circle has no visible conductor yet the symphony of 20 or more drummers finds a way to play together. And he buys not necessarily news. You know the magic moment is truly playing experience vengefully people seem to get the same rhythm in us with the strive for innocence. That's a great feeling. The pounding drums provide the perfect rhythm for the dancers. I do you ever write any advances I would if I had to characterize it I'd say I'm a trance dancer. As a board certified general and plastic surgeon Dr. Margaret burnouts work often requires and concentrate dance to me is a wonderful way to counter act you know as a surgeon I mean my brain a lot and I really have to stay in good form to be able to concentrate

and do the high stress job that I do. Margaret believes dance is beneficial for both mind and body. And there's actually a lot of science behind the drum circles and dancing for your health in terms of increasing your natural immunity and keeping you in good shape and it can prolong your life. I think I'm a good example I just have the big 5 0 this year. This place feels like a very sacred place and everything in my life has deep meaning you know I'm rarely involved in touching people's lives. So that same kind of energy goes into my coming here yes it is a place but it sacred place. Faithful participant Robert Levine loved to dazzle the crowd with his grinning shtick is completely free form. There's no one way to do the baton and if justice is feeling the music feeling the drum

inside your body and moving the baton you. Robert shares the joy of playing to the beat with those who take an interest especially children. Children come out and say they cannot do this they cannot do it I just tell them to think positive and say they can do it they just start moving with the sticks and the baton and they start finding new ways of movement that they never thought they could do before. This veritable playground of children and adults creates a sense of community for all who wish to participate. It's something about the drums moving with the dramas makes people just get into another space of losing themselves. Opening up their bodies is moving just pure joy. Whatever one's calling whatever one's needs is the Siesta Key drum circle attracts those seeking diversion from daily life. We don't really have a lot of ways in our modern society to connect and this

is one way that people can connect and be part of a bigger balls. I can't imagine a better place to move and dance and play than this be with the court's Crystal sand under our feet with the sun setting with people from all walks of life. It's a natural high if you will. People come here with families you know it's just a great song. Why would I knock off. So no matter who you are what you do where you're from visitors to the Siesta Key drum circle are welcome. Only things you need to bring are an open mind and a free spirit. Then. One of the sad results of the recent storms is that. Some of the sea turtle massed along the Gulf Coast were either

flooded or washed away. Fortunately however. Most of them had already hatched the babies escaped and seemed safely on their way by those dedicated volunteers who give so much of themselves during the season to safeguard these threatened species of turtle. At sunrise the beaches are canvas and. Painted the drama of the night before. Shan. Can reveal visitors. There you can see an abandoned nest cavity. That's. Just where the turtle was digging. She didn't doubt things in him as he left before she deposited a. Sand can reveal travelers. In. This way. That you can. Hear. Some of them. Along the road. Sand can reveal life.

When the hatchlings. Get out of their egg shells they start moving around and it causes the sand on the top of the nest to actually drop down and then when they merge from that you can see a depression here in the sand. Then you have. These small yet significant signs of life encourage the guardian angel to mind the match those human allies who rise early each morning to service purple patrol. Volunteers are extremely important we have about 48 hours of use that we monitor in each section of the test be walked at sunrise or shortly thereafter during the nesting season. I do it because I live on the beach. It's also another great motivator for getting out of bed and walking because on some days when I probably wouldn't walk I know I've got the turtle patrol I just get up and go. We're going to pick it up. Right. There are no paychecks or medals for the turtle patrollers their reward is part scientific. Part marvel of watching Mother Nature in

her prime. Fourteen. Three centimeters nesting is down this year in Sheriff out of county and all over the state. Mote Marine senior biologist jurist foot is one of many scientists studying the region. And if you can see all the ants of their. Chances. This year and there is that memory laboratory in our volunteers monitor we've only we only have a little over 600 and typical year last year we had close to twelve hundred So we're about 50 percent of what we were last year. National are scattered high and low along the beach. It's a female loggerheads way of boosting survival rate. Once she deposits are right the hatchlings are on their own. These females can lay anywhere between one and Mater nine is perceived. Yeah we're just going to turn them in generally it's two years two or longer before a turtle will

come back again to night at 7:27 head back on turtle patrol and dissipates and is replaced with sadness. For half. His life. Thanks for your answer. But in the interim your emotional pendulum swing. In the bottom of the now to. Look for is a little bit bent. I mean Reston. Saving get that the foregone right. We're going to. That's a good thing. See. The baby. There's nothing more treasured than that moment when you could actually hold nature's wonder. In. Your. Hand. Oh my. God. Living. In the sun. One would normally want them to. In this case there are so many.

Branches in this now. That's why we're flying so many. Around. Patching the tiny turtle first hurdle. There are many more to come. There are so many predators that will eat them during the day the birds. The fish can see them from underneath. So there are natural. Means of escape is that night. For those hashes actually make it into the Gulf of Mexico. Only about one out of twenty five hundred to three thousand will actually reach the age where they can come by. And reproduce for loggerheads it takes anywhere from 25 to 40 years of age before they become sexually mature. Under the cover of darkness to show you make your whole life. You normally operate a number of queues are moving away from the shadows down sloping towards the brighter more open eyes and.

Their very wide ranging and so me passions and the Barbies as a larger hash and leave our view just might be found over in the Mediterranean Sea. Someday they will return. Each turtle has a small magnetic like a little magnetic chip in its brain and somehow or other it stores that information and when it returns to notice its coming back to the same latitude as the beats that it has. As the sun begins to rise the hatchlings. Trying. To board. Shoreline. Paint a fleeting picture of their fateful journey from shale rock. We got. This story. For the turtle patrol. Just another day. Another miracle.

And that is our journal for this month. We're. Glad you watched. And. We hope you have a much more peaceful month a calm. Peaceful. Like. This. Among.

Other. Things. You can order this or any other volume of a Gulf Coast journal with Jack Perkins on a high quality DVD format for just 1999 plus shipping and handling. Call 1 800 3 5 4 9 3 3 8. Or visit our website at. W e d you have done Ord this w edu production has been exclusively brought to you through a generous grant from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice envisioning a region known for endowed philanthropy a vital nonprofit community. And the ability to address emerging issues.