Searching for the Fountain of Youth

There comes a time when the words “the Fountain of Youth” sound pretty attractive. For me, that time is now. So off I go, thinking it will just be a myth, a dream Juan Ponce de Leon chased all over Florida back in the 16th century.

Wrong. There really is a Fountain of Youth. De Leon was sure he had found it near St. Augustine. Today the small spring looks a little hokey all encased in a building full of stage sets, but drinking the water can’t hurt and, who knows, imbibing might help a few wrinkles disappear. De Leon couldn’t get enough of the stuff.

In 1493 de Leon joined Christopher Columbus in his second voyage to the New World. These explorers excelled at saying they were going one place and ended up somewhere else. Obviously they traveled before GPS units were available.

Columbus wanted to find a short passage to India. He ended up finding the New World. De Leon first stayed in the Dominican Republic then conquered Puerto Rico. In 1512 he got a permit (some things never change, like needing permits) from King Ferdinand of Spain to discover Biminy.

Hiring three ships at his own expense he sent out in 1513. Using a really cool instrument called an astrolabe to navigate, the ships went north then turned inland and anchored right up to land on April 2. The next morning they came ashore on what de Leon thought was an island on April 3, 1513.

Because flowers were in bloom, he named it La Florida (the flower). So much for Bimini. De Leon was just north of what would become St. Augustine. He gets the credit for discovering the continental United States. Yes, I know, back in grade school it was all about Pilgrims. Well, guess what, the Spanish were in Florida long before the Pilgrims got their feet wet jumping ship and rock skipping. Ah, the things you learn when you go discovering in Florida.

A guide at the Fountain of Youth told us the Spaniards met Timucuan Indians. Their Indian town called Seloy was right here. The Indians stood over seven feet tall. Good thing they were friendly. The Spaniards averaged about four feet eleven inches. And there was this fountain, a natural spring. The water tasted bitter (sulfur water) but heck, maybe the Indians were tall and lived long because they drank the water. It couldn’t hurt. De Leon loaded up caskets of water to take back to Puerto Rico.

After five days hanging out with Indians and drinking the water, he sailed around the tip of Florida, discovered the Gulf Stream and landed on the West Coast of Florida. Returning again to the West Coast in 1521 he tried to land and start a colony. The Calusa Indians didn’t appreciate the newcomers and fought many battles. De Leon died on from a poisoned arrow wound. He was almost 61 years old, ancient by the standards of the day. Most Spaniards were only living until the age of 30 to 40. Maybe it was the water.

Surprisingly, proof that the Spanish landed on April 3, 1513 lay covered up and ignored for generations. In 1904 a private landowner wanted a palm tree removed to improve the view. The gardener found a pattern of stones buried near the tree. Typically, when Spanish explorers set foot on new soil, they claimed it by making a cross. The long arm has the number of stones corresponding to the century. This cross has 15 stones. The short arm has 13 stones. So the year was 1513. Unpretentious and unadorned, the stones of the cross lie on the ground next to the fountain.

Also found at the site was a salt container. These were used to hold documents and a parchment found inside attested to the fact de Leon was here.

The property is in private hands but operates as an attraction. You can walk the grounds and get the guided tour of the fountain, a big indoor globe that rotates (you just have to see it to believe it) and a planetarium, the oldest planetarium in America. This is where they explain how navigators used that astrolabe. The stars played a major part in discovering the New World.

One building has Indian history and the grounds are open for walking. I like the huge clay jars the Spanish used to put under eves to catch water. The day I was there a group of students from a nearby charter school arrived with sketchbooks and found much to draw.

It is pretty amazing to walk out towards the water and see the area where the small ships (they were 84 feet long) came into shore. The shoreline has changed but this is the spot. And so Florida was discovered. It already had a thriving Indian culture. More cultures would follow.

It is said these are the words Juan Ponce de Leon uttered when he stepped ashore:
“Thanks be to thee, O Lord, who hast permitted me to see something new.”
Amen.

©2008 Lucy Beebe Tobias is a freelance writer, photographer and artist in Ocala, Florida. Her book “50 Great Walks in Florida”, February, 2008, is available now at www.Lucyworks.com

welcome to my newly discovered world

How sweet it is to have this new site. It is a work in progress. Before long, this will be where my blog is posted and upcoming events for my book “50 Great Walks in Florida” and, most exciting, future events including walks in the fall and winter.

Meanwhile, visit www.saturdaymorningswithlucy.com to read weekly blogs and check out www.Lucyworks.com for all things Florida book and more.

walk in peace

lucy

Fresh Tomatoes from the Garden, yum

Something special sat on my kitchen windowsill this week – The first ripe tomato from the garden! It didn’t last long. Ended up sliced in a salad. Organically grown, red and delicious, there’s another one sitting on the windowsill now. What a blessing! Thank you Lord.

This year the whole growing veggies thing started when the price of gas shot up like a geyser. I’d better grow close to home, I thought and promptly started sowing seeds and seedlings in containers and in the ground.

Of course, the big planter that you saw when this adventure started (see spring blog below) got seeds and seedlings that have grown and overflowed as you can see from the recent photo.

That yellow flower? It is a squash blossom. Quite lovely. When the morning sun rises, the flower opens. As the heat of the day progresses, it closes up tight. Squash flowers are good to eat. Pick them fresh and open and add at the last minute to scrambled eggs for a sweet delicate flavor. The small white flowers you see are from the arugula gone to seed. I read this week that arugula blossoms are good to eat. Perhaps with the new tomato!

Between gas prices rising and the recession (yes, it is here) growing food in your yard and going to local farmer’s markets is starting to look VERY attractive.

I love farmer’s markets, especially ones with organic food. Why put pesticides in your tummy?

In Ocala a farmers market has started at Circle Square on SR 200 every Thursday from 8 a.m. to noon. Wahoo! Something nearby. We went the first day they opened and I came home with . . . .an olive tree. Yes, I know. It is not produce. But someday there will be olives.

If you want to know where the Florida Community Farmer’s Markets are, go to the Florida Agriculture site and look up your county. Some markets are expanded and have farmers and craftspeople and cooked food and . . .well, they are just an adventure. Stroll slowly and be enthralled. You may find something homemade or homegrown with your name on it.

I was in Tallahassee last weekend, staying high up in a hotel overlooking the chain of parks. On Friday night the park below was springtime green with big oak trees. The next morning, as if by magic, the same park still had the trees but you could hardly see the green grass. Tents had sprung up everywhere, an instant city. Craftspeople, farmers, food vendors and even a horse and carriage showed up to give people rides around the parks the old fashioned way. One of the crafts was a lady making beautiful baskets out of pine needles.

The Downtown Market Place happens every Saturday from March through November.

Fernandina Beach has a Farmer’s Market on Saturdays in the historic district. This is a lovely stroll anytime and the market makes it even more special. Funny thing about local markets – you meet people growing plants, raising food, making jams who turn out to live not so far from you and usually know someone you know. It’s called connections. We need them. Buying locally means using less gas and supporting your home community.

While all of that works for me, it may also be what can happen organically when the distribution system breaks down. Did you know that any given grocery store has about two days worth of goods? I didn’t until I read my son Martin’s review in his blog DeepGreenCrystals of the book “World Made By Hand: A Novel” by James Howard Kunstler who thinks the post industrial world will arrive as a slow steady slide. Martin gave it five stars. Yes, this is a pessimistic subject but it doesn’t hurt to ask the question “What if?” Well, what if there were no grocery stores? We’d be back to the way people did business – farmer’s markets, co-operatives, barter and trade, neighbors helping neighbors.

Maybe if we did more of that right now, the slow slide will be put off for a very long time. In fact, growing vegetables and using farmer’s market could be a whole new world for us and squash blossoms are definitely part of the equation. So are ripe tomatoes fresh from the garden. Yum.

Lucy Beebe Tobias is a freelance writer, artist and photographer in Ocala, Florida. Her book “50 Great Walks in Florida” is part of the Wild Florida series published by University Press of Florida

The Goodtime Girl is Gone

The goodtime girl is gone. Suzi is dead. She had lymphoma, could barely eat and was in pain. She was put to sleep by a veterinarian in Ocala and her passing was very peaceful. Her mother Lucy was at her side. Suzi Tobias was 13 years old, a boxer- Golden Retriever mix that thought everyone she met was her newest best friend. When she met you, she’d try and twist herself into a pretzel. That was her way of saying she was glad to see you.

Born in Ocala National Forest on Oct. 11, 1994, her boxer mother was supposed to be bred to another boxer but met a Golden Retriever instead. She is survived by two sisters who live in Ocklawaha with Erika Ritter. The whereabouts of her four brothers, all adopted, are not known.

Her forever family in Ocala includes Mom Lucy, a stepsister Annie, five years younger, and her feline pack currently consisting of Amy, Tito and Grace. A story about her aging and illness can be found in an earlier bog below. See “Saturdays Past” on the right in 2005 for a sweet tale from her youth – about the day Suzi danced with butterflies.

This photo of Suzi in her younger days was taken by Alan Youngblood of the Star Banner. Suzi was dressed in pearls and a flower for a feature story on dressing up your dog. Alan had her complete attention because he was most generous with the dog biscuits.

Suzi loved to swim and run. She and her mom did many 5k races together. Suzi could have won first place if she had a better human runner. She looked forward to going to the beach but lakes, rivers and wading pools were fine too.

Her mission in life was to keep Mom close at all times, and that meant going from room to room which got much harder towards the end. With the exception of the last two weeks of her life, Suzi never had an unhappy day in her life, something many people cannot say for their time here on earth.

She has crossed the Rainbow Bridge and can now be ageless. She will be eternally happy running free, off lead, forever.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Humane Society of Marion County, P.O. Box 1542, Ocala, Fl. 34478-1542.

Independent bookstores attract me every time

Like a butterfly attracted to a brightly colored nectar plant, I flutter into bookstores, heart racing a bit fast, and eager to sip new things.

I confess my step gets a little extra skip in it when I see an independent bookstore blooming in a funky building. Independent bookstores also fit in well with supporting local businesses and I’m trying to do just that.

Inkwood Books resides in a pale yellow1920′s bungalow with aqua trim located near Hyde Park in Tampa. Right across the street a two-story building is going up – this will be Publix Supermarket’s first organic supermarket. Hum, organic food on one side, books on the other . . .

Walking in the door on Tuesday morning, I was greeted with smiles and “Welcome”. Right ahead of me were a couple, regulars, and they were greeted by name.

I turn left into what may have once been the parlor. Bookshelves fill the walls from floor to ceiling. A large table has books displayed and, what’s this? A small plate of chocolate chip cookies sits on the table. It is not a prop. These are real. Next to the plate stands a gentlemen with silver hair thumbing through a book and munching on a cookie.

I wander on, past fiction, non-fiction, through another room, perhaps the old dining room. I soak up colors, book covers and the wonderful smell of new books. Also I’ve got an eye out for the Floridana section to see if they carry my travel guide 50 Great Walks in Florida, published by University Press of Florida, February, 2008, part of their Wild Florida series. Yes, it is part of my new life to visit bookstores and check the shelves. This is not a chore for me!

Ahead of me is a small round table with a sign saying, “Celebrate Spring”. The books are artfully arranged on top and, I’m not making this up, 50 Great Walks in Florida is on the table. Honest! I took a picture or you wouldn’t believe me. (book is upper middle on the left next to the roses).

Then I meet Leslie Reiner, her arms full of books ready to be shelved. Leslie and her sister Carla Jimenez are co-owners for the past 17 years of Inkwood Books at 216 South Armenia Avenue in Tampa.

When I asked Leslie what she likes best about having an independent bookstore she says immediately “The people.” It is so obvious customers are like family (pass the cookies please). Not only do they know what books customers want, the owners themselves, since it is an independent bookstore, get to put their personal stamp on things.

“We get to choose things that are meaningful to us,” Leslie says, “Not like the big box stores where corporate headquarters tell you what books to carry.”

Inkwood has close relations with local schools including St. John Greek Orthodox Day School, where I was earlier in the day, having been asked by their Friends of the Library to speak to parents about 50 Great Walks (see marquee sign, Liz Prokosch took the the picture).

We met for the talk/slide show in the school library, an upbeat place that has a flat-bottomed jon boat brightly painted and outfitted with big pillows. The perfect place for reading. I often wonder why kids have all the fun. Can’t adults have a jon boat to read in too?

At Inkwood I signed copies of my book and Leslie inserted a card saying “Signed by the author”. We were both smiling.

I bought Mirage by Cynthia Barnett, a grim but beautifully written book on Florida and the vanishing water crisis. On the way out more people were coming in. They were greeted by name. Ah, my kind of place. Here are several more independent bookstores in Florida that are like nectar to a butterfly for me:

Books Inc. and Book Lovers Café in Gainesville has floor to ceiling old and new books in a former residence at 505 NW 13th Street, Gainesville. I really like browsing through the cookbook section, conveniently located next to the Café.

Phil and Anne Haisley started Books Inc. in their home in Indiana, and then brought the store with them to Gainesville. The addition of a vegetarian café, utilizing the home’s kitchen, led to the store’s motto: “Come for the books. Stay for the food.”

Dale Julien has Downtown Books in an old storefront at 67 Commerce Street in Apalachicola. A display of current best sellers caught my eye and I ended up with The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards. A book you cannot put down. I should know, I was up until 3 a.m. reading, aggggg…..

The latest issue of Writers Digest has Literary Hot Spots – not surprisingly, independent bookstores take the lead. Like Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle and Books & Books in Coral Gables. The hot spots are online too.

The independent bookstores that speak to me could easily have the motto: “Come for the books. Stay for the ambiance.” Now if they have coffee, I may never leave.

Lucy Beebe Tobias is a writer, photographer and artist in Ocala, Florida. She is the Authentic Florida Expert for Visit Florida.