Waccasassa Park

Saturday afternoon drive down the backroads just to see something different. Waccasassa Park is literaly at the end of the road. There is a public boat dock, a few cement tables and benches and functional restrooms. And No-See-Ums. I've been inside so long, I forgot about bugs. (Self - add bug spray to the car travel kit) Most imprtantly, there is the Waccasassa River. Dark and wild. Occasional sound of an boat motor; otherwise quiet. Sunny but crisp.

There is a fish club next to the park which must have it's own boat ramp as this red airboat is heading in for the day.

The sky and water reflect the colors of the sun setting.

Colors are gone for the day; gray and then dark filter in.

Map to area:

Tuscawilla Preserve, Subtle Flowers, Sunday Afternoon

Just south of Micanopy Florida along S.E. Tuscawilla Road just east of Highway 441, we drive along the Tuscawilla Preserve site of the historic Tuscawilla Lake.

We walk through the Spanish Moss covered Live Oaks onto a damp prairie. It's April but the prairie is still brown. A hawk flies high hunting for lunch. We hear some traffic sounds but overall it's quiet. We see patches of subtle flowers ever where.

Subtle Flowers? The ones that don't scream their bright colors at you. They're there. You see them. But it takes a longer, more in depth look to really see them. They coexist with the landscape around them, provide beauty without the need to dominate.

The world could use more subtle flowers.

Anthropomorphism on a Sunday afternoon.

   

The Dixie Monuments Co.

Driving west along Highway 19 outside just outside Old Town, Fl. early afternoon last Saturday, the combination of American flag, purple rooster and Florida Gator bird bath caught my attention.

Knowing that at least one of us in the car would find this an interesting stop, I turn the car around.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

American flag, purple chicken and Florida Gator bird bath 

Interesting selection of lawn ornaments and tombstones

s

Should the Georgia Bulldog should have black dots on his nose?

Guess what went home with us?

In the Company of Cattle Egrets

Driving south on U.S. Highway 41 between Williston and Dunnellen (Florida) late on a Sunday afternoon on our way to visit friends, we were simply enjoying the drive. Looking east, I saw the typical Florida scene I have come to love: black cows, white birds, humongous green trees and a dark looming sky.

Suddenly, in the grass field next to the cattle, there were hundreds of white birds flying. This certainly got our attention! We turned the car around and came back to the side of the road to observe.

They would fly up and land in the tall grass. Then fly up again. Moving from one side of the field back to the other. Not still for more than a few minutes at a time.

Some continued hanging out with the cows and others seemed to prefer hanging out on the fence posts.

After a good while observing and absorbing, we were back in the car heading south, doing "research" on the smart phone on the "humble" but ever present Cattle Egret.

 We learned:

1. "The cattle egret is a cosmopolitan species of heron found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. Wikipedia
3. Scientific name: Bubulcus ibis
4. Rank: Species
5. Higher classification: Bubulcus"

"The short, thick-necked Cattle Egret spends most of its time in fields rather than streams. It forages at the feet of grazing cattle, head bobbing with each step, or rides on their backs to pick at ticks. This stocky white heron has yellow plumes on its head and neck during breeding season. Originally from Africa, it found its way to North America in 1953 and quickly spread across the continent. Elsewhere in the world, it forages alongside camels, ostriches, rhinos, and tortoises—as well as farmers’ tractors" Cornell Lab of Ornithology

 

Arrived safely at our destination to friends who patiently "humored" our amazement and appreciation of this "typical" rural Florida scene which was played out before us in abundance this afternoon.

Grateful for the opportunity to witness.  Even more grateful for the aptitude to "turn the car around" and be able to appreciate and enjoy what was before us.

Down the Creek; With a Paddle

It's early Sunday morning; bright sun and few clouds. Here we are at the Earl P Powers Boat ramp in Southeast Gainesvile, Florida meeting our outfitter and group for our paddle down Prairie Creek. 

We head out to Newnan's Lake
  

Until we reach the entrance to Prairie Creek

A narrow, winding creek in a natural preserve area

Many cypress knees

A Limpken along the bank

Another Limpken amongst the cypress knees

The water is high considering all of our rainfall but we still have several down trees to contend with

LLL 'does the Limbo" with this tree. I'm hearing Chubby Checker in the my mind singing "How loooooow can she go?"

Apparently, quite low!  The rest of us got hung up on the other side with a submerged log. But there was no way I was going to be able to get under this log the way she did.

Another log requiring some assistance and a bit of "scrunching"

Prairie Creak is absolutely beautiful to navigate. Well worth the hassle of an occasional "scrunch" and "duck"

Many Apple Snail eggs attached to grass and  cypress knees. Vivid orange in some cases. Unfortunately for the eco system, these belong to an exotic variety instead of the native Florida snail and bodes for an uncertain future.

Not too many alligator out today. Just a few of the "small guys"

A "nature" quiet morning and afternoon.  (Nature is NOT quiet. I mean we heard no machine sounds during most of our paddle)

The creek skirts the eastern edge of Payne's Prairie State park.  Original water flow for the creek empties into the Prairie.  In the 1930's canals were dug to divert the water down to Orange Lake.  Still a very contested issue to this day.  Toward the end of our journey, we are in Camp's Canal and paddle past a weir which determines how much water flows to the Prairie and how much flows to Orange Lake. 

We exit the creek and headed home by 2:30 in the afternoon. Physically tired but emotionally exhilarated both by being in such close contact with nature as well as having challenged ourselves and come through. 

My ice cold tea from the car cooler would not have tasted so good under other circumstances. 

Smile.

Our Blackberry Sniffing Dog

Sarah, our faithful canine, and I are never sure where we will end up when traveling with LLL- a glimpse at a sign by the side of the road ....

....and the next thing we know, we're out in the hot sun picking blackberries. 

Two other people jokingly (we think) accused us of having better luck finding the ripe berries because our dog was telling us where they were. Sort of like a truffle pig.

Sarah's nose pointing to ripe blackberries

 Sarah may have found another calling; although I think she prefers her "callings" to come with air conditioning. 

Usually our "outings" are reward in themselves, but today we have

fresh picked blackberries and vanilla ice cream!

At the Blues Brothers Blueberry Farm in Anthony, Florida 

On the Road to Rooterville

Rooterville, a set on Flickr. Click HERE for Slideshow in new tab

What to do when one of your friends tells you they have "prepared" a mystery trip "just for you"?

Well, after much trepidation, we simply decided to "trust and obey" and offer to buy her breakfast before leaving to who knows where so at least it would take a little longer for us all to starve to death when she got us lost in the middle of nowhere.

9 a.m. We're all sitting at an outdoor table at The Flying Biscuit Cafe in the Millhopper Shopping Center. Still cool enough at 9 a.m. to eat outside. Excellent breakfast; wonderful service; company isn't too bad either.

Then we are off. East to Melrose ... then some dirt road off a county road where it feels as if we are looking for the 2nd dirt road past the stump on the right. Very intricate system of dirt roads here which the people who live there probably know very well. Judging by the "NO TRESPASSING" signs on the end of most driveways, I'd guess that they also know if one doesn't live back here, they don't want you ending up in their yard unless that is your mutually agreed upon intended destination.

We trudge on. Marcia is driving. Linda is next to her navigating from Marcia's handwritten directions taken from a phone conversation. I am providing moral support from the back seat while gently sipping my coffee.

Huh? We are now THERE and I need to get out and open the gate. It was to be left unlocked for us.

We still don't know where we are. Large area with huge Florida trees and pastures and a few barns in the distance.

Marcia parks the car and we see a tall young man in a red shirt working over by an out building. We get out of the car and slowly come to realize, there are pigs here. Everywhere. Not crowded together but in small groups lying in the dirt; the leaves, under bushes or any other patch of shade.

We have arrived at Rooterville

From their website "Rooterville is a beautiful place, providing safe haven for over 100 rescued animals. We provide medical treatment and proper nourishment for unwanted, abused and abandoned animals of all species, particularly potbellied pigs." Their web site has some wonderful information and photos on who they are, what they do and opportunity to volunteer or support their mission.

The tall young man in the red shirt isn't exactly expecting us, but he makes a noble effort to tell us about Rooterville and some of the rescue animals living here. (And available for adoption via Petfinder)

People adopt cute little pot bellied pigs but don't realize they're going to grow up or don't know how to care for them or sometimes for circumstances not in their control, the pigs need somewhere to go. Rooterville is one of very few rescue sanctuaries which specializes in pot bellied pigs. They also have a miniature horse, a pony, a couple of goats, turkeys, chickens, Guinea hens and many dogs.

We see the facilities and see all the work that's been done since Rooterville moved here a couple of months ago. The nice young man in the red shirt also tells us of all the work that they still need to do. He describes how one person was out collecting outdated produce from grocery stores and how they process it when it comes in. About the "elderly pigs" who need special food. About the 40 school children coming on Wednesday to help spread a couple of loads of sand in the new barn areas.

We are impressed and very grateful for the people behind Rooterville as well as all who work with rescue of all kinds.

We find our way safely back home.

Thank you Marcia!

or Click HERE for Slideshow in new tab