As I noted in previous two blog posts, we are getting around
here in Miami. Most of our excursions are on water or on congested,
traffic-thick urban boulevards. A few days ago, however, we immersed ourselves
in a Garden of Delights.
No, it wasn’t one of the cheap motels out on 79th
Street. It was a throwback to 1968: an exotic organic “farm”—a large garden and
campsite populated by aging hippies and young people with dreadlocks, flip-flops,
and alternative lifestyles. A throwback to communes of the ‘60s (or so Pope says; I wasn't part of that scene...).
Living in treehouses, cabins, and tents, they prepare meals
in an outdoor kitchen, use a composting toilet, and play volleyball on Sunday.
Owners/managers Ray and Leslie reside in an older house
filled with antiques, at the front of the farm.
They grow amaranth for its greens (delicious!), papayas, and
other organic ingredients. They have also rescued goats, emus (photo), hogs, and
parrots—a menagerie that people hear about by word-of-mouth, so we encountered
parents and children as well as tenants along the tangled paths.
Pope was very happy to be back in a garden!!
I was happy to use their wifi to update my blog!
Ray and Leslie are fellow sailboat cruisers, traveling frequently to the Bahamas and recently to Cuba with nine
people crammed into a 41-foot boat to “attend” a conference related to food
production. (With a little sightseeing on the side…. Permits for U.S. travel to
Cuba require a humanitarian or educational purpose.) They shared tales of their
excursion to the island of old Chevys over homemade lentil soup.
As the goats bleated and parrot
Lucy squawked “hello” (over and over again), we shared left-leaning political
views. Here, tenant Jessica puts parrots Lucy and Mom to bed.
Having worn out our welcome, we
snapped on our headlamps and hopped back on our bikes for the late-night trip
back to the marina.
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