That's Why It is Called an Adventure

Our camping trips typically begin in much the same way. An online search for a spot starts the process, Bruce goes to the storage unit for our gear, and I plan the meals. I'm one of those cooks that either looks in the freezer or the cupboards each morning and goes from there as far as what we will eat each day. Planning is not something that I'm particularly good at, however when camping for days, oftentimes far from any grocery stores, it is in our best interest for me to get it right, including spices, oils and all those little things that make up a meal. Then too, with only two burners it helps if it is relatively easy to cook and clean up afterwards.

Should you imagine that I would fix the same thing every time, apparently you don't know me all that well. 😀

The cooler is packed,

and no, we weren't planning to eat that much butter, but just in case! The dry food goes into a laundry basket, all of which stay in the car for the duration of the trip to ward off critter visits! Although at this point in the narrative this seems silly to mention, stick with me until the end of the camping trip posts!

Our destination was Coe's Landing Campground, a Leon County park just outside of Tallahassee on the shores of Lake Talquin, named as a contraction for Tallahassee and nearby Quincy. As if you care! We got off to an early start Tuesday morning, beginning on the Turnpike and exiting around Ocala to continue the drive on Alt 27. a lovely scenic route with no traffic to speak of. Bliss, in other words. 

Our first stop was an unexpected one but having seen a sign for the Levy County Quilt Museum, Bruce  turned the car around to see what it could possibly be, basically in the middle of nowhere. 

What we found was pretty darn interesting on many fronts.

Perhaps you notice the quilt blocks above the logs? That's one of the interesting stories we learned from the two woman working inside. When inmates from the nearby correctional facility were constructing the building, funds made possible by the tireless efforts of a few dedicated to raising the money, they ran out of logs to complete the top rails so instead they put quilt blocks there. 

In the photo below, the woman in the foreground explained that the quilt above her was made by her mother when she was 95 years old!!

The other pictured woman spent two months in the hospital with Covid and somehow survived, although her husband succumbed to the virus. She remains in a weakened condition, but it seemed as if being in the museum is helping her in both body and spirit. They were quite talkative and there were so many things to see that an entire post could be devoted to the topic. Trying to be as succinct as possible, I will show but a few of the remarkable things we saw.

Indeed that is a 90" sofa upholstered with a quilt.  

Sieglinde Schoen Smith, a German woman whose work is absolutely astounding, created every bit of this Advent calendar quilt by hand. And yes, that means there are 24 tiny fabric doors that open. Her embroidery skills are out of this world.

For a closer look at her incredibly tiny stitches and whimsical designs I show you this.

Because our check in time was 4:00, we were in not a great deal of a rush; still, our time was somewhat limited and a future trip in which to spend more time there would be wonderful. 

Not all that far down the road I spotted a sign for Steinhatchee Falls. What, pray tell could that be in this flat part of the state. Wait, isn't most of Florida flat anyway Gail? Yes, indeed it is. Following along on the iPad, I knew it was tricky to get there, but what I didn't know is that the road would be crushed limestone. Good thing we have a Subaru to go off the beaten path without worry.

Worth the drive, most would not actually call it falls, but it sure was a beautiful sight from a small park on the banks of the Steinhatchee River.

Seriously, it was far prettier than my photograph would lead you to believe!

On the road again, that is paved, we next stopped for lunch at a roadside park where there was also this to see, however it was not open on Tuesday.

If you can imagine, when I was snooping around, this nice young man stopped his mowing, saying he would open both the museum and the Cracker settlement buildings if we wanted to visit.

Thanking him for his offer, I said what I would really like is for him to open the park bathroom and sure enough he did so. Another neat place for a future visit. 

Seeing the wonderful trees in this park, it occurred to me that while I was in Vancouver one of the things I most loved was the variety and size of the trees. Turns out Florida has better trees than I was giving it credit for!

After our tuna sandwiches, we were off again, this time on a mission to actually reach the campground. After traveling through the heart of several forests with amazing wildflowers lining the roads, 

we finally arrived just before 4:00 and began making the space our home away from home for a few days.

Although Bruce does the heavy lifting and, well most everything, I was able to help some for which I was most grateful. After nearly seven months, we were back to doing something that we love. With our space all set, we checked out the full view of the lake.

Did I mention it was hot? I should have! As in almost 90 degrees. Which led me to convince Bruce not to put the cover on the tent, so we could have more circulation. 

The table was set, Bruce is manning the grill, and life is good.

Or so we thought. 

When night fell we discovered that the pole adjacent to our tent had a very, very bright light, rendering our tent bathed, and I do mean bathed, in light. Even having the top cover on would have been no match for this light! 

And this my friends, is why it is called an adventure, the actual definition of the word is here. 

To say that sleep was allusive is a huge understatement as the two of us tossed and turned all night long. Bruce lay awake thinking we would have to leave in the morning because neither of us can go without our eight, and sometimes nine hours of sleep. 

Somehow, dawn came, as it always does, with the promise of a lovely day ahead.

Our spirits revived, (our bodies not so much) yet Bruce still took the boat out with hope in his heart. 

And you know what? He caught and released three fish AND discovered, upon his return, that there was an off switch on that darn pole!

Life was good again.

your friend,

Gail

Putting my Wrist to the Test

 Woo hoo! Taking my first spin on my bicycle this afternoon, I felt pretty darn good. Bruce, of course, is nervous, however that's his nature so not to be unexpected. For many, many years, my favorite exercise was a five mile ride most mornings because it allowed me to both ride and stop to take photographs. It was the best! Since moving here however, mostly my bike has collected dirt from the weekly parking lot blowing that spews dirt on anything sitting still. Earlier today Bruce cleaned it up in preparation for our CAMPING trip tomorrow. We are heading out in the morning to a campground just west of Tallahassee. Speaking of which, Florida State finally won a football game and looked good doing so, bringing me much joy. They have a week off to savor the win and hopefully get even better.

While Bruce was loading the kayak and sorting out the other equipment, I spent hours in the kitchen after struggling with menu ideas. Not that it is really hard but I so hate planning! In the end, I figured out some meals for four days but it does not come easily to me.

Yesterday, arriving at church, we discovered when we were on Park Avenue that it was the weekend of the Winter Park Autumn Art Festival. Parking in the lot adjacent to church was at a premium, unlike most weeks when there are ample parking places as so many have not yet returned to church. Anyway, it brought back both good and bad memories. The photo below is an old one from the weekend that brought good memories.

This was back when I wore bangs and did not wear glasses full time. Perhaps I should bring those bangs back? Anyway, I had a marvelous show that year and was thrilled to return the following year. Unfortunately, the second year I was there, a monsoon came through forcing the show to close on Sunday after steady rain for eight hours kept crowds away on Saturday. Naturally I was heartbroken and never was accepted again. :(  Here is the link to that sad occasion that brought me to tears. 

Even though my selling days are over, I've never quit taking photographs because I love it so much. Anywhere I go, something speaks to me and my camera. Driving down Ferncreek the other day, I had to pull over to get a shot of this decorated house that claims they are still working on it. Pretty darn creative so far.

Another day I was coming home from somewhere and the light on this pretty red house was so good it begged to be photographed.

One day last week I returned to Demetree Park where the light was pretty fantastic as well. Temperatures are still pretty warm, but with the lower humidity, it is almost pleasant.

The chickens were out in full force, although not quite as noisy because it must have been too late for the rooster to be crowing as loud as I've heard before. It looks as if they have quite the variety.

Look what I came across. That little yellow duckling is hanging in there.

Isn't it a super sweet park that almost no one seems to know about? They have a tennis court, stocked fishing lake, fantastic playground and a basketball court. The most people I've seen there at one time is probably about ten and that might be a slight exaggeration. Every now and again you run across a Wood Stork.

I used to not appreciate them because of their prehistoric head, but I'm starting to like them and am always happy when one shows up when I am out and about. Perhaps there are those amongst you that did not know that when I had a business it was called, Out & About Photography. In the first photo in this post, the young lady in the plaid shirt was a UCF student who used to visit me at the market along with her friend Stephanie. Week after week they would come and say hello and I remember them trying to get me to make a Facebook page for my business. I always had a hard time with promoting my work and they were more than happy to help me out although I never took advantage of their kind offer. That was in the early days of social media and I will be the first to admit that I never imagined what an influence it would become.  As we sat at the bar for lunch at Prato, I found it so hard to imagine that a youngish woman was taking selfies, posing this way and that and not just one photo. Probably ten. I just don't get it which proves that I'm old and out of touch!

Mary had us over for dinner last Thursday and she is loving her open kitchen.

I was loving the blue cheese on this board, the fig not so much.

Mary is still waiting on a buyer for her other condo and we sincerely hope one turns up sooner, rather than later. She's going on a multi day kayaking trip and I bet, just when she has no mobile service, that a buyer shows up! Being a bird lover like myself, now I can text her when I see something interesting. By my count, we are up to about 15 ducks on the lake, including many Wood Ducks with the males in their full plumage.

I never take seeing them for granted because someone else has never had the pleasure of seeing a Wood Duck before. Isn't that the way? Living in Vancouver for that year, most people went about their business never even thinking that there are those, myself included, who were in awe of mountains, never having lived in their shadow before. Oh how I miss seeing them! Then again, most of those folks have never seen a WD which isn't quite a fair comparison, but you get my drift.

Before we planted them last year, I'd never seen an Arctic Snow plant before. This year, having been in the ground for a while, they are blooming very nicely. 

What I discovered on my inaugural bike ride is that my wrists take some pressure while holding the handles. When Lisa bid me adieu she reminded me to keep on working to get my wrist stronger which the bike riding might just help. We've not gone camping since the accidents, but I'm hoping my wrist is strong enough to be able to help put up the tent and, well, everything that camping requires. 

Time will tell won't it?

your friend,

Gail

Rain, Rain Go Away!

 Before I begin this installment of Camera Crazy, let me just say thank you to any and all who find this little spot on the web enjoyable enough to keep coming back. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your support. Facebook, being the primary way that I promote this blog, has let me down again. For whatever reason, my last post has been blocked from most people's eyes, the second time this has occurred in the last month. I had a lot to say in that post, including a retraction so I was hoping all the faithful would have easy access to it. Four times I've tried, each time, seemingly without success. So, HERE is a link to my story about Blakely, GA and I think you will find some of the stuff fascinating. I suppose the moral of the story is that if you want to continue reading, perhaps subscribing is the way to go? I think it is relatively easy to click on the provided space at the very top right hand corner of the blog. 

Okie dokie, here's something else unrelated----

Me: Siri, call Fields Appliance Repair

Siri: Are you sure you want to call them, they only have a 2.5 star review.

Me: Unfortunately Siri, I have no other choice.

The above exchange happened a week ago Monday and I hung up with the customary frustration. Making a long story short, Bruce had three calls going to Whirlpool at once, hoping someone would answer at one of the numbers. He left sporting his earphones, while the house phone continued on hold for 38 minutes. Meanwhile, I'm in the kitchen preparing a stew and a woman named Connie finally answered and not only did she answer but she was empathetic as well.  Both of us told our sob story and we both finally got somewhere. The control panel with motherboard is on it's way!! Nine weeks later and if all goes according to plan, I will be back in business next Tuesday. What a saga.

Now we are ready to return to Kolomoki Mounds State Park. More rain overnight and in the morning, leaving our tent soaked outside but dry inside. Yeah for our Core Tent.

Eventually we were able to get out and about a bit, riding our bikes over to the plaza where the major mounds are to be found. 

The largest one,  called the Temple Mound is, according to this information, 56 feet tall.  We climbed the stairs up,

where the view of the entire area, once home to several Native American cultures which is explained in the link above. The statistic about how many pails of dirt it must have taken to make this mound is down right astonishing. Anyway, the view from the top is unimpeded by trees.

What goes up, must come down.

By the way, we both credited our incessant pickleball playing to being able to do this with relative ease. Relative being the operative word! Back at the campground, Bruce is chatting with a fellow fisherman.

I wish I'd gotten all this down quicker because things are blurring, but let's see if I can get this straight. 

One night we grilled steak, a first for us and although I would have liked to keep the corn on the cob intact, I'm not great at that so I cut it off the cob and fried it instead.

How there are no flies is a mystery! 

A campfire is one of the reasons to go camping, even though it was only for looks as it was still very warm outside. 

So, because it was warm, we were sitting at the picnic table, playing cards when all of a sudden I cried out as an animal was in our midst!! No, my friends, it was not a scary animal at all, but a black Labrador Retriever who came to visit. Because it was so dark outside, you can imagine my initial confusion! To make a long story short, the dog was reunited with its owner after some detective work by Bruce. If you can imagine, he lives 1.5 miles away!!

The next morning Bruce concocted more shelter from the rain using sticks he found and one of the tarps that came with our shade shelter.

Breakfast is served.

Most of that day Bruce was fishing while I was reading a fantastic book I picked up from the onsite "little library", Thunderstruck by Erik Larsen.  My gosh that book is interesting. 

In an effort to diminish the fly presence I took to Google, finding the suggestion of putting out some soap in a dish that would attract them. While I did that and caught a few, the dishwater from lunch caught even larger bugs! Yikes!!Bruce is chatting with the young Dad I mentioned in my first post about this trip.Oh how I wish we'd had some sunshine! By now, later in the week, other folks began arriving, with groups on either side of us. It was nearly dinnertime when I noticed the sky looking super weird with almost a brown cast to it. I called out--watch that sky because they had their backs to it and I was fearful of a tornado.Before long the thunderheads gathered,followed by a torrential storm. Our tent remained dry, in spite of pooling water all around it,and after about an hour, it quit. I'd begun cooking before the deluge and we ate under our canopy, in spite of a few drops of water that managed to drip on us. 

Ever the handy guy, Bruce still managed to get a fire going, wet wood be damned!Our last night sleeping under the stars was dry after the downpour with no rain predicted for the morrow. Finally!

With Thanksgiving just days away, although there will be no cooking going on in this house, we do plan to meet up with our immediate family for dessert down at the pool. Not the same as most years, but what is in 2020?? Still there is much to be thankful for, beginning with you and all of our family and friends. Secondly, we only know two people who have been ill, so that is something to be grateful for. May all who read this remain healthy and strong and find something to be thankful for as we celebrate in the time of Covid-19.

your friend,

Gail

Blakely, Georgia and More

Before we continue the camping adventure, I feel compelled to backtrack on something I was raving about in this space. Forgive my ignorance, if you will, about the detriments of using charcoal toothpaste. This morning while having my teeth cleaned, Karen asked if I had any concerns. "Not really but I do have sore spot on my upper gum that I see is a bit red." Looking at it carefully she pronounced it benign and went on with the business at hand. After the cleaning I mentioned that I was using a new toothpaste that I thought was fantastic. Her reaction was swift---"don't!" She went on to show me, yes show me pictures of a few people's mouths that were permanently stained at the gumline, among other problems. She echoed what I have since found in this article, should you be interested, please read for more information about this health "trend". 

Every camping trip I seem to come home with a piece of nature. Last trip an Ostrich egg, this trip some cotton I picked up along the road. 

For a good long while both sides of the road were lined with cotton that apparently escapes the bales it is transported in. Here's but one example of the many fields we saw planted in cotton during our journey.

According to this report from the University of Georgia, cotton was first grown in 1734, the first colony to do so. Lots of interesting facts in that report, but one that we have puzzled about is not. Where does the cotton go? China, for clothing? I spoke too soon, I have found information and it tells me that 80% of the cotton goes into the global market. There sure is a lot to learn about how things work isn't there? 

Now that our agricultural history lesson is over, let us proceed to even more learning, shall we?

After a restful night sleeping on the air mattress, we awoke to very gloomy skies. Not just gloomy, but drizzly as well, with everything feeling damp. Not horrible at this point, but certainly not what we were hoping for. I checked my phone, reading that it was meant to drizzle for the next hour. Okay, let's get on with breakfast under our canopy. Not five minutes later, rather than a steady drizzle, the heavens opened with a vengeance with rain coming down in sheets! Finally it quit, and with breakfast over and the dishes done, I discovered that I had only a few teabags left so instead of sitting around the wet campsite, we drove about six miles into the closest town, Blakely, GA. 

On our last trip to the area we drove through it on Hwy 27, but this time, after stopping at the local grocery store, we did some looking around, first coming across a very well kept Methodist church with lovely and numerous stained glass windows. Too large to fit in one photograph, I managed just the front.

Well kept is not really an adequate description, immaculate is more like it. Bruce thought there must be some folks in town with money to keep a church looking so good. Around back, real evidence of small town life celebrating a major industry in Blakely.

Peanut proud indeed. From what we've now learned, that has not always been the case. Not only did we learn that Blakely was the scene of a very high profile lynching (!), it was also the scene of the peanut factory that caused the largest ever food recall!!! Yet another article, (this one old) about the town following the catastrophe, describing how it affected most everyone. Although we rely on folks like these who live and work in small farming towns, most of the time we know very little about their struggles to provide our food. 

On our drive home I read glowing things about another peanut plant, located pretty much in downtown.

Think the peanuts in M & M candy. Here's a look at the processing side of things. 

As it was still drizzly, when I saw this restaurant featuring Southern favorites, I suggested we stop, parking alongside the old version of Blakely Chicken. A mural on the side of their little museum depicts the Kolomoki Indians who once lived in the area. 

The old version, sporting the sign below, remains, in rough shape, but that tin ceiling is pretty neat.

Not a fish lover, I'll admit I know nothing about what a Swai filet is, and a whole Mullet sounds not great either. On the other hand, I do love me some fried okra and wanted to taste some from the South, so we drove around the other side of the adjacent building to order takeout.

They definitely aren't kidding as it was as good as advertised. Why they haven't torn down the old building remains a mystery, but if you're in the area, it is indeed, finger licking good.

Back at the site we ate the goodies and even though it was gloomy Bruce went out to fish,

and I went exploring on my bicycle.

Following the bike ride, I took up my walking stick for a little trail that led to the other part of the park, the one I'd struggled to visit the previous afternoon due to the steep incline. Walking there was far easier and might I just say, prettier. 

A small section was the above boardwalk over some very shallow water but mostly it was wet forest. Do you know how when you watch a show on HGTV and they constantly talk about using various textures while decorating a home? That's because they are imitating nature where textures, various shades of the same color, and even sparkles abound.

How did I forget different shapes? Those too are to be found in abundance. 

While I cannot identify the green thing in the photo above, I sure can identify magic in the form of rain drops on a spider web. Oh my!

You could decorate a whole house using the above color palette! Texture alert, both rough and smooth  below.

As has been the case to date, I see more birds and butterflies here at home than I've seen while camping, so it was nice seeing this little one in the forest.

Looking back through the tons of photos I've included, I see that most of them are a bit dreary with not a hint of blue sky anywhere, but you take what God gives you while spending some days living in nature. 

Bruce's fishing trip was successful, we had stars, a good dinner and sleep. 

What more could we ask for? No rain, which was not what we got. 😔

your friend,

Gail

p.s. If you missed the first installment of this trip, here is the link.