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How did you do this Paul?
Through the generous support of many donors. It's the only way. I used my own vehicle with all the necessities to travel from Boston to Pensacola, Florida. From there I made my way west to Venice, Louisiana and back to Pensacola. I split the trip along the coast so that I could hit a few areas I may have missed on my return.
It was the end of hurricane season, but I took every precaution in regards to weather and road conditions. I traveled alone and away from my family (Whose full support I had). I did not consider this a paid vacation.
I hope that what I brought back from my journey were not images of defeat and destruction, but rather optimism and human resilience. I believe I did.
I did expect there to be some positive fallout from this project and I am directing a portion of the proceeds from the future sale of my prints and the books to the Gulf Restoration Network.
The journey is as important as the destination.
Groton to Pensacola is 1,500 miles. Done safely it took 3 days. It is approximately 207 miles from Pensacola to Venice. If you drove straight, it would take roughly 3.5 hours.
My plan was to spend 7 days in each direction and get as close to the coastline as possible. I hoped be on the water outside of Mobile Bay but was only able to get a boat off the coast of Venice, Louisiana.
I did not lodge at the Hyatt or dine in splendor. In fact, I took a small camping stove, provisions and plenty of bottled water.