070102, 2337hr, florida time.

we stopped at the city of homestead for the night, along the way to tampa bay.

visited the coral castle today, which is really quite interesting. it's basically a garden of coral sculptures, built by this latvian man called ed [actually edward something]. it was said that when he was 26, the day before his wedding, his 16-year-old lover broke up with him. apparently this rejection broke his heart, so he left latvia, and got inspired to build this coral castle, perhaps in hope of winning her back, who knows.

besides the romantic history behind this garden [though some people, including myself, would categorise this conviction more like obssessive self-delusion], the most incredible thing about this garden is how this latvian man, merely 5ft tall and weighing only 100lbs, could have built and moved these huge and heavy sculptures. some of the sculptures were created at his old home about 10 miles away in florida city, while the rest were constructed on the present site, using huge slabs of coral rock dug up from the ground. each piece of sculpture probably weighs at least a few thousand pounds - more than 10 times his own weight. he works at night by lantern, and is really secretive and very protective of his privacy, so no one really knows how he did it. but somehow, he did, probably with a superb understanding of lever systems and weight balancing. not bad for a man who's only had a 4th grade education. he claims that he also understood the working of the egyptian pyramids, so maybe that's got something to do with it too. who knows.

the sculptures are really quite nice, i realise i have a liking for more rugged looking sculpture than the intricate complicated ones after all. most of the things he constructed were furniture, like chairs and table. he's even made a set of throne for himself and his future family ["because every castle should have a throne"], including a very uncomfortable chair for his future mother-in-law. hahaha... indeed, many of his chairs are contoured for comfort, and because there was no electricity, they are customized to adapt to weather conditions. for example, he has three reading chairs that allow him to read with maximum sunlight, during the different times of the day. the furniture he has in his bedroom are all suspended and movable, so he can bask in moonlight through whichever window as necessary. he's even built a sundial that can tell time, up to a couple of minutes of accuracy. very very cool.

the most endearing thing about this man is really how weird he is. according to our guide, latvian men are jokesters, and ed was no exception. when he was alive, he also made a living giving tours around the park, tapping in on his neighbours' curiosity about him. on his door, he stated that visitors should ring the bell twice, and indeed, if one rings it once, or more than twice, he will ignore the visitor. he also likes to show off his knowledge of physics, creating sculptures that simply fascinate. there's the 9 ton door, which can be pushed and turned easily by even a child, because he's managed to find the perfect center of mass, which still baffles engineers today because his precision in balancing that unevenly dimensioned door on one axle is difficult even with today's laser technology.

he's a loving man, i believe. he's built twin rocking chairs, where he said he and his wife would sit in when they argue, such that they don't have to face each other, but can still things out. before proceeding to the lover's chair which is too small for two but too big for one, because he said lovers should snuggle up a little. he loves children, so when he opened his park for visits, he built higher walls for his water well, because he was worried that the children might fall in. for 10 cents for visit, he has a bbq pit type of thing, where he would cook hotdogs for the children when he showed them around. he's even created a corner for them, based on the story of goldilocks - three different sized chairs for the bears, and a little chair without arms for goldilocks. and a big bowl in the middle for porridge. haha.

i loved the coral castle - it's like a fantasy castle, full of fascinating stories, lots of humor and lots of love. it's almost like, i could feel the gentle mind, heart and hands that created this castle for a family - ed said he would built a roof over the castle when he gets a wife, but he never got married. maybe still pining for the girl who spurned him. the girl he affectionately called "sweet sixteen". awwww.