Go fly a kite. Well, why not? When my boys were in grade school in Gainesville, Florida they became infected with a bout of kite fever. As a result we constructed diamond-shaped kites using the color Sunday comics from the…
Garden Statues Salute Saints & Sinners
Garden statues – There are saints and sinners along with some surprise winners sitting in my back garden. Let’s start with saints. Next to the fish pond stands a metal angel, hands touching in prayer, wings serenely open wide…
Four Travel Journalists Find Great Food on the Open Road
Lunch in a river outside Puerto Vallarta By Lucy Beebe Tobias Our bright yellow 4×4 grinds higher up into the Sierra Madre Mountains. The high peaks rise like jagged green jewels above Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. Under a canvas canopy…
Art and Food Go Together in Puerto Vallarta
The smell of salt air hits our senses like a savory spice. We are at the edge of downtown Puerto Vallarta. Does the name sound familiar? This is the small fishing and pearl-diving village that became famous due to a…
Mount Up – Horseback Riding in Florida
In his seminal book A Land Remembered published in 1984 author Patrick Smith traced three generations of a family homesteading in Florida. Life was tough. Mosquitoes were relentless in their pursuit of human blood and bad guys burned down their…
Let’s Change Gears and Volunteer
Sunrise is still sound asleep. We drive through the dark with lights on. During the day US 41 in Sarasota, also known as Tamiami Trail, will turn into a bumper-to -bumper traffic disaster. Before dawn it is empty except for…
Water Tours Offer Unique View of Florida
“That house on the right sold for seven million last year,” says Harold Bubil, Real Estate Editor of the Sarasota Herald Tribune. All eyes swivel starboard. We look at the elevated waterfront home with patio, pool and a dock. Impressive.…
Flower Power Blooms in Florida
Wait for it. Coming. Coming. Zing! The calendar page turns and voila, March arrives today – yeah! Flower power in Florida starts in January and goes through April, This is much different than “up North” but then Florida is tropical.…
Fishing and Fall are Big Lures in Florida
Ah fall. Crisp air, cool mornings. And fish are calling your name. Seriously. Fishermen hear these things. Redfish, mullet, shark, croppie, trout, grouper . . . listen to the siren call. “What kind of fish you catch depends on the…
Bed & Breakfasts Keep Florida History
I’m always surprised at how quickly things can change with just one turn. For me it was a right-hand turn off busy Highway 17/92 in Orange City near DeLand. That turn put me onto French Avenue. The frantic traffic, carried…
50 Great Walks in Florida is now an e book!
BREAKING NEWS University Press of Florida has just announced that Lucy’s award-winning print book 50 Great Walks in Florida is now available as a Kindle e book on Amazon. Did you know that once you click the “Buy” button you…
Sea Turtles lay eggs in summer months
As she labored, stars sparkled like diamonds embedded in the midnight sky. The sea breeze carried exotic aromas – seaweed, fish and ocean salt overlaid with faint suggestions of faraway places. A female loggerhead turtle dropped white, golf ball-sized eggs…
Walk Leaf-strewn Trails in a Florida Forest
My dogs like walking the Sand Hill Trail at Silver Springs State Park in Ocala. Often we’re the first ones walking the leaf-strewn path and that means our chances of seeing wildlife are pretty good. A fact of life –…
Are You Ready to Make Your Writing Dreams Come True?
Do you have a writing idea that lies dormant, waiting for that ’right moment’ to get started? The moment is now! Lucy Tobias’ 29 years of professional non-fiction writing and publishing experience can give your dream wings to fly. For…
Kennedy Space Center Rocks
On assignment as a reporter, I drove right up to the rocket garden at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex east of Titusville. The rockets are permanently grounded, a garden of huge slim needles pointing to space. Has your heart ever…