Remnants of Desperation

''It's just so incredible. It's history. They're going to be lost, maybe never to happen again,'' Bruce said. ``So it's fascinating to see how much effort these took. I've been to Cuba so many times, and you see how desperate the people are.''

Key West artist Benjamin "Dink" Bruce, commenting on the boats and other makeshift crafts that Cuban migrants have used to reach the U.S., many of these left behind in the Marquesas Keys and other isolated keys.

It's no secret that Cubans are known for their ingenuity, for the resolver attitude that enables them to get by in hard times and also to find a way to make it through the treacherous Straits of Florida to freedom.

Bruce has photographed the boats and other salvaged items that the freedom-seekers have left behind.  The Herald has a nice article and slide show of some of Bruce's photos.

Please check them out here.  On this Fourth of July holiday, it's hard to come up with a better example of what freedom is all about and why so many want to reach our shores to taste it.