Monday Rainout

 Normally on Monday mornings we are laughing and having fun with our friends beginning at 7AM. As we were drawing near to the courts this Monday morning, a text came in from Rene stating that the courts were soaked. Boo hoo! Knowing rain was in the forecast, I was not entirely surprised, but it won't surprise you in the least that we all were disappointed. At the same time (no pun intended!) it was super dark outside, the result of this weekend's time change of which I am not a fan. We were enjoying it being light at 6:30 in the morning. Now it will be ages until that happens again. While chatting with Matt and Tom on Saturday afternoon, I mentioned the time change and how Marco Rubio is leading the charge to go back to year-round standard time. Europe and England, according to him, are thinking of doing the same.

All that to say that we said our goodbyes to the gathered group, drove home in the dark, ate a toasted bagel,  cleaned the bathrooms, and now here I am. 

SO FAR behind!!! Wakulla Springs and Toreya State Park. We went to those two places and they've never been featured in Camera Crazy before so cannot be left out! It was weeks ago now! We've been birding and enjoying it so much and while I'm dying to show some of the cuties, well, maybe just one.

Technically two, but aren't they just so darn cute together? Bruce even got a shot of them kissing; I will admit to being jealous! The colts have arrived!! For those new to this space and unfamiliar with that term, it means Sandhill Crane babies. Adorable with a capital A!

So back to that tiny trip that has taken up a bit of space in this blog already, from Apalachicola we drove North about seventy miles to check out a State Park that we knew had some challenges that we wanted to see for ourselves. Indeed, as advertised, the campground was seriously damaged by Hurricane Michael.

The entry drive mentioned on the sign looks like this.

I know the signage might be a little hard to read, so I will just tell you briefly that it details the incredible damage in just a few hours. 90% of the tree canopy was felled! Over 500 trees were downed along the very road you are looking at!! Whoa....

It is no wonder the campground is very wide open. 

It is a safe bet we will not be traveling 350 miles to camp here any time soon. Just on the other side of the spindly trees lies the Apalachicola River as it makes its way to the Gulf of Mexico. The park is named for the extremely rare Torrey tree which looks like this:

We found it not far from where Bruce is standing which is in front of the Gregory House.

Should any of this interest you, here's a link to the park website with all the info. 

In an instance of not believing everything you read on the internet, after leaving Torreya, I looked at the map and decided to head to Quincy. Why Quincy? Because it was relatively close? While there was some of that, after choosing it as our next destination, I came across a lengthy article relating the charms of Quincy, Florida. To that I say, not so fast!

This is how lively the supposedly charming downtown looked at lunchtime.

From what we witnessed, this was the neatest thing situated in the historic downtown.

To the people that live in Quincy, I am sure it is much beloved, but as a casual traveler, I think we missed the charm. 

Where to next?

Studying the map, Wakulla Springs State Park, (a shortened version of the full name) was not too far away so let's go there. Here's the link to that park.  It's been a very long time since last we made a visit to this park. I mean a really long time. Dating back to Matt's first year at FSU, which I am thinking might have been nearly 30 years ago!! He has always been one for seeing and doing and back then was no exception. I imagine Jonathan was with us when we went to visit him at school. and he suggested we see the springs. Speaking of Matthew, he is once again traveling for work and is in Duabai, UAE,  as I type. Which is to say, that's a pretty long way from his days in Tallahassee! 

Not only was there an available room, but it was pretty inexpensive in the grand scheme of things. That's saying a lot for the current economic climate we are living in. As the cost of every single thing in life escalates, sometimes it is the little things that shock me the most. Say for example, Bays English Muffins, which I much prefer over the Thomas brand. Yesterday, the cost was close to $4.00!! To put that into perspective, just last year it was $2.50. When that happens to every item in your grocery cart, it is shocking to say the least. Our homeowner's insurance just went up by a third, we received notice that our storage unit went up nearly $40 a month, and the list goes on. I cannot imagine how some people are getting along when it comes to feeding a family. 

Lastly, on this subject or runaway inflation, which sadly will probably be revisited many times throughout this year, Karen told us this morning that a turkey leg at the Strawberry Festival in Plant City was $18!! Unbelievable is what I have to say about that. 

The drive through the forest to get to the lodge was lovely and peaceful with barely a car sharing the road. Before long we arrived and it was just lovely.

I remembered next to nothing about the place but somewhere, deep in my brain, I have the faintest vision of our boat ride on the famous springs. Sadly, all five, yes you read that right, all five boats were out of commission!! While I was really looking forward to the guided trip, it was not meant to be. We did enjoy a late lunch in the beautiful dining room, shown here in the evening.

Much to our delight the food was scrumptious and if it weren't so close to dinner time, I would have had a bowl, instead of a cup, of this delicious gumbo.

We found our cozy room, complete without a television, a good thing in my opinion. This desk lamp!! 

Need I say more? As a matter of fact I will say more about the room. All of the artwork was bird related. We were among our people!!

Bruce took a little nap while I went out to see the springs.  I could not tell whom was trying to impress whom as these FSU students jumped into the chilly water on a late February afternoon.

Pretty impressive form wouldn't you say?

I then took a little hike through the woods where I encountered lovely tiny wildflowers of every hue. 

Blooming trees too.

Say yes to Dogwood trees!

As to the lodge itself, it is super cool with many amazing details like this chandelier we found in the sizable library located on the second floor. 

The lobby is ornate with every surface decorated in some way. How about the size of this fireplace??

The arched windows...gorgeous!

By all accounts the boat tour is fantastic which means we will have to find time to return to this charming lodge set along the shores of one of the world's largest and deepest freshwater springs.

The drive home? Until we reached I-75 it was lovely and peaceful, with both of us sharing the driving duties. Once on I-75, not so great. 

The number of trucks on the road, all of them carrying expensive goods is simply mind boggling to me. Eventually, as we saw that the Turnpike was horrible as well, we got off and found another way to get home. Holy cow there are a lot of people in Florida! Make them stop! Funny how it was the prevalence of air conditioning that did us in. Not really funny, as it is to be expected, but still, to think that on this trip we visited the town where it first began. Here's what the Census Bureau has to say about Florida's growth. 

As regular travelers in our state, we could have told them that already!

Until we meet again, when I will finally get back to my birdies, I remain,

your friend,

Gail

Here and There

As I type, there is the sound of hammering. A unit, two away from us is undergoing a complete renovation. While I am surprised that I can hear it, what I am most worried about is that our upstairs neighbors are moving tomorrow. Undoubtedly, the new residents will remove the carpet and there is no telling how that will affect us. Not only that, but the unit next to the one above us will also undergo a major renovation in the next few months. I've given you fair warning that the next few months may contain some bitching!!

So, we were in Apalachicola and there was more to tell. The thing is, since that time, we visited Blackpoint Wildlife Drive and saw some great birds. I'd chosen the photos for that post already, so I'm puzzling on which direction to take. Choices, choices. Aren't I the lucky one?

Apalachicola it is.

I left you when we were heading over to check out our suite. That's one heck of a headboard isn't it? Bruce is studying the manual to learn how to turn on the much-needed air conditioning. While it wasn't full on hot, it was still warm enough to need the ac. Speaking of which, although we did not go to the museum in his honor, the doctor who invented the precursor to air conditioning did so while living in Apalach and trying to find a way to keep the yellow fever patients cool in the Florida heat!  

According to this, Willis Carrier is to be credited for modern air conditioning but still, he had a hand in it. During some of my life here in Florida,  I lived without it, but by golly, I sure would not want to now! Anyway, I just love learning stuff, thus I include links in case you do as well.

Our new acquaintance Pam suggested we have dinner at Hole in the Wall. Not one to argue with a local, we went there straight away and when I asked what time they closed, (it was 5:30 btw), they said whenever they felt like it. Okay.

One of the other guests at Riverwood Suites suggested we go to The Station instead. Everything was within walking distance so no problem. To get there we walked just a few blocks and when I saw this big B just sitting there, well, of course you know what I had to do!

The Station is just what it sounds like, a converted gas station.

We sat at the bar and got the lowdown along with our food. Turns out, the young man with his back to the camera in the light green shirt is the former gas station owners' grandson.

Fresh from the bay, the fried shrimp was delicious, as were the usual suspects in the form of cole slaw, fries and hush puppies! So, we learned about the history of the place which was somewhat entertaining, but what really tickled us was Debbie, the woman sitting next to me at the bar. Oh was she a talker! Imagine me saying that! We learned a lot about their family and how they made their money. Tommy owned convenience stores in Georgia where they live on a farm most of the year. According to her, and him for that matter, lots of it! I love hearing people's stories as they are as varied as their faces.

FYI---it is a sleepy little town with, as far as we could discover, only one place to eat open at 6:30AM. 

They serve biscuit sandwiches which we did not try. Here's another FYI--it looks like this after sunrise.

The above photo was taken on the next morning, so obviously, I've gotten ahead of myself. Anyway, we were up early, hoping to get a sunrise picture. Fortunately I took this one before the actual sunrise because when it did happen, it was nothing to write home about.

Within the hour though, we found a coffee/candy shop/gelato shop/bakery and was it ever tasty! So much so, we went again the next morning. Located in this little strip of cute shops that do not open until either 10 or 11 in the morning. Yup, very sleepy indeed.

We walked back to our lodging which looks like this.

Here's a link with the history. Formerly known as The Baltimore building, it was built in 1908. Imagine the stories this building has seen over the years. If those walls could talk I suspect that they would have a lot to say.

We visited a small nearby public garden where the trees were just beginning to bud.

We saw the salt marshes off one side of Water Street,

followed by a relatively short hike a mile or so down the road to a beautiful view of more of them. It was so beautiful and peaceful. That green tree!!

Over the years I must have seen a salt marsh before but try as I might, I can't dredge up any memories of such an encounter. It is really pretty in person, with so many shades of grasses, from golden to almost white. We watched an eagle being chased by an Osprey.

Here's the info on the Scipio Creek boardwalk trail. 

Boats were lined up along the little nearby marina, 

which really puzzled Bruce as to why there were so many docked rather than out fishing. We learned a little bit about the reasons later in the day from Pam. 

Leaving this area, we drove through a few of the nearby streets and were shocked by what we saw. So many worn out houses. And I do mean worn out.

The house below, if you can call it a house, is on a corner lot and so this image is but a fraction of the mess.

Between hurricanes, which damaged the church roof below,

and the ban on oyster harvesting, there is a lot of poverty to be found. That said, a few blocks away, we came across a park with this very long dock.

If you are still interested and haven't already quit reading, this sign has good information.

Barely a stone's throw away from the above dock was this beautiful home with others nearby equally as appealing.

By now it was lunch time and we tried once again to go to Hole in the Wall and although we did get a seat at the bar, we were completely ignored. It is such a weird place where the server keeps hollering at the owner and well, let's just say, it was not our cup of tea, no matter how good the food is! Instead we went to Up the Creek and it was tasty, albeit somewhat expensive, but we were given a water view seat. I imagine it would be quite fun to stay in one of the houseboats docked adjacent to the restaurant. 

More roaming around into shops as well the Raney House museum. In more recent times, seafood has been king in those parts, but what put the place on the map in the first place was cotton. Steamships carried cotton down the Apalachicola River for mills in New England and Europe. It was once the third largest cotton port on the Gulf of Mexico.  Mr. Raney was a cotton merchant and built the house, which some might call a mansion, in 1838. 

Scads of interesting things to show off but I will limit it to two. One, this beautiful needlepoint,

and two this map of Florida during the Civil War. Three of the Raney sons fought in the Civil War. Note, Fort Christmas which is near the wetlands we visit, as well as Ft. Gatlin, a block or so from our former home. I get it, it will take some serious enlarging, but for Floridians it might be worth your time.

A block from there is this self proclaimed dive bar which we were told has good live music although we were probably fast asleep when it was being played.

We had a light dinner at The Tap Room, below the famous Owl Cafe. Super good. As we were walking back to our room, we stopped by the riverfront little park,

where before long Pelicans and gulls appeared. 

No post about Apalachicola is complete without an oyster photograph!

The next morning we vacillated on where to go next. Should we go over the bridge to St. George Island? With such a hazy start to the morning, we chose to head north instead but not before I took this of the sun peeking through the haze.

One more day might have been good, but then again, maybe we saw all that we needed to see of this quaint fishing village. I was happy to get a nice Pelican portrait before leaving.

According to Cornell, it is sporting breeding colors with the yellow head. Holy cow, just reading that entry myself, they incubate their eggs with their feet!!!! 

Gosh, birds are interesting.

your friend,

Gail

p.s. good grief this has taken me a long time as she looks at the clock.