This small Florida town calls itself a city. Pretentious? Heck, when you live at the end of the road and are a throwback to a slower time then you can be whatever you want to be. The City of Cedar…
Manatee Festivals, Oh My!
Holy guacamole! Can you believe it? Two manatee festivals take place on the same weekend this month! What were they thinking? (That would be the festival planners, not the manatees; they are just trying to stay warm). Ah, the choices…
Florida birding festivals take flight
Somewhere in a drawer or under a pile of file folders you can, with a little luck, locate your wish list of adventures in Florida you haven’t done yet. Oh, I know you have one. Yep, I’ve got one of…
Paddling & Floating in Florida
Just the thought of getting in and out of a kayak seemed daunting to Eileen Hoppert of Oak Run in Ocala. Then her book club read “Twenty Wishes” by Debbie Macomber and a friend suggested that Eileen make a list…
Bird Sanctuaries Fill a Need in Florida
Can you roll your R’s and say these words – Rescue – Repair – Rehabilitation – Release? Say them with me now. Congratulations, you’ve just described the amazing world of bird rescue. And, you can go see this world in…
Dog Friendly beaches in Florida
Dog days of summer are here. There is only one cure – grab your leash and water bowl and head for the beach! Obi, a Welsh Corgi, and I did just that, winding our way down A1A south of St.…
Loving the Levees in Florida
Levees are elevated structures built by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to impound and hold back high water. Building levees causes “unintended consequences” as they like to say in political speak. The “unintended consequences” in this case turn out to…
Florida Museum of Natural History wants you
The Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville wants you to see Florida’s natural beauty with fresh eyes. From Feb. 6 through April 25 the Quilters of Alachua County Day Guild have 100 original quilts on display in a juried…
Give a Day, Get a Day, Clean Up & More
In the chill of early morning a line of cars blinked their left turn signals to get into Lake George Ranger District parking lot. Orange cones directed cars into two lanes. I rolled down my window and pulled up to…
DeLeon Springs Boat Tour shows history’s wake
Breakfast at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill Restaurant inside DeLeon Springs State Park is an event. The tables have built in griddles. Our waitress showed us the button to turn on the griddle (gee, that was the hard part, it…
Native Plants Bring Birds & Butterflies
Jeff Nurge went native eight years ago. He planted native flowers, bushes and trees in an effort to attract wildlife. You can’t really tell from the front – native trees and bushes are spaced apart. It is the sides and…
Florida Books – five fall favorites
School has started. You know what that means. In the morning, after the macaroni munchkins are gone, you may even have a few minutes to yourself. And the weather is trying to turn towards fall. Cooler days suggest that outdoor…
Bioluminescent Kayak Tours -Only in Summer
We stood around the canoe launch site at Haulover Canal on Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Our guide held up a two-bladed paddle and explained techniques. Dig this way, the kayak goes that way. You know the drill. She joked…
Turtle Walk with Grandchildren & More
When I go to book presentations and signings for “50 Great Walks in Florida” the most asked question is: “What is your favorite walk?” Each one is different. I love them all. As proof, I’d do them all again in…
Rain Barrel Makes a Difference
The rain came down in buckets. Lightening crashed nearby. Thunder boomed. My dogs and cats suddenly decided they ALL needed to be on the bed with me. We huddled together. Outside the house my three rain barrels – two in…
Five Fun Things to Do in April
Ah, spring. Open the windows. Let in fresh air. Inhale. Find fun things to do. Makes you restless, doesn’t it? Have I got a cure for you – five fun events for April all happening in places from my book…
Rainbow Springs State Park has Azaleas
Yes, all the azaleas are blooming! That’s the good news from Rainbow Springs State Park in Dunnellon. Rejoice. Do not hesitate. Pack up the kids, the family dog and its leash. Alert your neighbors, get together and carpool or caravan.…
Seeing Sandhill Cranes at Paynes Prairie
The air is alive with noise. All around us on Paynes Prairie near Gainesville it sounds like a thousand squeaky doors swinging open and shut on their hinges – creak, creak, creak. Noise surrounds us. We can’t see the noisemakers…
Lessons Learned from Stranded Starfish
Note: This is a true story Starfish were the last thing on my mind as I began my beach walk. My footsteps made no sound on the fog-shrouded beach. I searched the sand for telltale signs of tracks leading out…
Photographs of Life Moments at Villa Lucia
Photographs. As a reporter it used to get to me when people said “a picture is worth a 1000 words”, hey, I was the one writing those words! Why should the photographers have all the fun?But sometimes they do. This…
Alachua County Forever Opens Sweetwater Preserve
Alachua County Forever opened its fifth property to the public on July 19, 2008, with a vine cutting at Sweetwater Preserve. Two reasons to cheer – new trails to walk plus another piece of natural Florida saved from concrete and…
Rain Barrels in Florida capture water
Rain barrels in Florida are an investment in a valuable resource – water Having rain barrels in Florida seem like such good things to do, and why not? I watched rain sleeting…
Fountain of Youth found in St. Augustine and Elsewhere
Fountain of Youth. There comes a time later in life when those words 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…
Flutter with the butterflies
One day the birds complained to the Great Father“Why did you make butterflies so beautiful? We feel left out.”“What would you have me do?” God asked.“Give them a flaw,” the birds said.“Well, how about I make them silent,” the Great…