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Doors Closing and Doors Opening
Part Three
Doors Opening - - A New Book - - “William Moriaty’s Florida”
As noted in last week’s edition, my wife and I had managed to receive a sizeable tax write-off due to our catastrophic monetary loss in the PhyMed Partners Inc. securities fraud.
A portion of those proceeds was reinvested into the non-profit volunteer tree planting organization, the Tampa Bay Reforestation and Environmental Effort, Inc. (T.R.E.E. Inc.), which was awarded a FY 04/05 Urban and Community Forestry Grant from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in December 2004.
Another portion of those proceeds was earmarked for yet another endeavor that I hope will repay big dividends, or at least pay for its own start-up costs. That portion went toward a self-published book derived from select columns of “La Floridiana” appearing in this very on-line publication between 2001 and 2004. Collating and initial editing of this collection began in October 2004 and was assigned the title “William Moriaty’s Florida, A Collection of Sunshine State Folklore, Facts and Fancy”.
The original collection of manuscripts was submitted to the Library of Congress Copyright Office in late October 2004. Once the Christmas Holiday Season of 2004 came to an end, I contacted graphic artist Lisa Clardy of Orlando’s F-Bod Studios and manuscripts along with photographs and original graphics by Ms. Clardy were compiled by her in order to make the book print-ready for print-on-demand publication.
By March 2005 the work for the PDF file was completed and by the first week of April 2005 a test copy of the book was in Ms. Clardy’s possession awaiting my review. The book’s ISBN number was then logged in and by May of 2005, printed copies were available at Cafe Press. In addition, by late June 2005, F-Bod Studios set up a web site for the book.
At the present, I am waiting until T.R.E.E. Inc.’s Esurance St. Pete Beach Tree-Athalon volunteer planting project and the Urban and Community Forestry Grant are wrapped up by October 1, 2005 before endeavoring to determine the best course of action on the marketing, printing and distribution of the book.
Doors Opening and Closing - - Lost Friendships and New Acquaintances:
In the past two years of my life there was much fall out due to the financial loss, betrayals and divorces that I had endured.
One friendship over three decades had to come to an end, as I could see no spiritual gain or profit by continuing it. It was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make, but it was necessary and I stand firmly behind that decision.
Annual trips that my wife and I made to the mountains of Tennessee on our vacations have been relegated to memories as the couple we used to make those fun and memorable sojourns with over a nine year span divorced this past year.
One of my best friends recently survived a divorce so bitter that he relegated to having to live at times out of his truck or with friends and relatives until he can return to some semblance of a normal day-to-day existence.
But in April of 2005 I met some wonderful new acquaintances.
Through “Charlie Carlson’s Weird Florida - - Unleashed!” book-signing party at the Blue Dahlia restaurant in Sanford, Florida, I got to meet not only Florida’s own man in black, but his lovely wife and environmental activist Dot; medium Susan Thompson; Magician Harry Wise; Film history professor Thomas Begley; horror author Owl Goingback and several spook hunters! All them are warm and fascinating people.
This book-signing party would spawn the "Sanford Summit” get together on June 25, 2005 (see La Floridiana, PCRs #275 & #277) as well as subsequent communications since that time. Just this past weekend I had the good fortune, along with my wife Karen Cashon, to visit Professor Begley and Harry Wise the Wizard in Sanford in possibly my favorite visit there to date.
Doors Still Open - - The Picnic Island Adventure Run:
Not many of my friends have remained athletic over the years, but I have tried to.
Although I am noticeably slower with less energy and stamina than twenty years ago, this half-century (real) old man still jogs one to tree miles daily and on July 22, 2005, participated in the Picnic Island Adventure Run sponsored by http://www.tamparaces.com/
I had participated in my first 10K race, the St. Petersburg Times Turkey Trot, in November 1984, one year and four months after breaking my pelvis in Barton, Vermont while visiting best friend Denis Lebrun.
I made a promise to myself in 1984 that if I lived to be fifty years old and could still run, I would still dedicate myself to daily running and enter races whenever possible or practical.
The Picnic Island Adventure Run was a natural as I have jogged this park on a weekly basis since 1984 and typically still do on Fridays and Sundays. The runs bring me close to my beloved Old Tampa Bay and help me connect with my past of having grown up in South Tampa.
I will testify that this race, unlike the Turkey Trot or the 1996 “Run For The Trees” race in Lakeland, Florida, was truly a test in endurance - - not only had over two decades come and gone since my first race on the streets of Clearwater, Florida, but this three and a half mile arduous boot camp experience had participants running through waist-deep water, mud, and up and down hills on what felt like one of the hottest days of the year. For a photo of your fearless author traipsing through the mud at this event, link to http://www.myraceday.com/photo/?race=645&val=59&sel=1&sid=16aeaad89c476bfd115881858d3fde8d
I was exhausted when I finished, but guess what?
I finished it, and regardless of the doors closing and opening in my life of late, was blessed with the life, energy and wisdom to fulfill goals and stand up for my beliefs and ethics without giving up or giving in.
The Paranormal in Florida
Orlando Ghost Tours http://www.hauntedorlando.com/
The Original Key West Ghost Tours http://www.hauntedtours.com/
Ghost Tours of St. Augustine http://www.ghosttoursofstaugustine.com
Ghost Tours of Historic Haunted St. Petersburg http://www.ghosttour.net/
The Florida Jaguarundi http://www.pangeainstitute.us/expeditions/jaguarundi/
The Florida Skunk Ape http://www.floridaskunkape.com/
Florida Paranormal Research Association http://www.floridaparanormal.com/
SpookHunters http://www.spookhunters.com/
New Smyrna Beach Historical Ghost Tours http://www.nsbghosttour.com/
Daytona Beach Ghost walk http://www.hauntsofdaytona.com/
Florida Ghosts Haunted Index http://www.floridaghost.com/hauntedindex.htm
Good Eatin' in Florida
Cafe de France, Winter Park http://www.lecafedefrance.com/
Maison et Jardin, Altamonte Springs http://www.maisonjardin.com/
Florida's Fast Cars
Florida Camaro and Firebird Association http://forums.flcfa.net/index.php?sid=184f3bac8ac5b4b279c4f413775e4179
Florida Aviation
Plane Boats "Cosmic Muffin" http://www.planeboats.com/
David Henderson's tribute to Shawnee Airlines http://www.geocities.com/pinkdc3/shawnee/shawnee.html
Florida's Photographic History
State Archives of Florida http://www.floridamemory.com/PhotographicCollection/
Tampa T.V. and Radio
Tedd Webb http://www.teddwebb.com/
Mike Clark's Big 13 Website http://www.big13.net/index.html
The Graveyard Shift Radio Show http://www.emisuniverse.com/
Florida Road Trips
Don Ce Sar Beach Resort, St. Pete Beach http://www.doncesar.com/
Marrero's Guest Manaion, Key West http://www.marreros.com/
Florida's Lost Toursit Attractions http://www.lostparks.com/index.html
Scenic Boat Tours, Winter Park http://www.scenicboattours.com/home.htm
Park Plaza Hotel, Winter Park http://www.parkplazahotel.com/index.html
Dinosaur World, Plant City http://www.dinoworld.net/
Florida's Fantastic Gardens
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables http://www.ftg.org/
Harry P. Leu Gardens, Orlando http://www.leugardens.org/
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota http://www.selby.org/
Florida Botanical Gardens, Largo http://www.flbg.org/
Sunken Gardens, St. Petersburg http://www.stpete.org/sunken/sgweddings.asp
The Best In Florida Reading
Charlie Carlson's "Weird Florida" http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0760759456/qid=1125458482/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-9238911-3327057?v=glance&s=books
Owl Goingback http://www.owlgoingback.com/
Tim Dorsey http://www.timdorsey.com/home.html
Carl Hiassen http://www.carlhiaasen.com/
Randy Wayne White http://rwwhite.com/
William Moriaty http://www.lafloridiana.com/index.htm
"La Floridiana" is ©2005 by William Moriaty. Webpage design and all graphics herein (except where otherwise noted) are creations of Nolan B. Canova. All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2005 by Nolan B. Canova.
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