That is the question, even if the gender is she instead of he. We’re talking dogs, out for a stroll in a new place. Along comes another dog. Naturally both are leashed. Before contact is made one dog owner will ask THE QUESTION:

“Is he friendly?”

It is also code for a question unasked: “Is he up to date on his rabies shots?”

Fortunately, the answer is almost always “Yes”.

And so the two dogs can meet and greet, sniff noses, sniff butts, it is a dog thing.

In search of new adventures, Obi, my Welsh corgi adopted from Sunshine Corgi Rescue, and I traveled to Cedar Key for an overnight stay – it is a tough job, researching places to travel with your dog, but we were up for the task.

We had just gotten out of the car at City Park when along comes a miniature poodle and her two owners. Naturally the question was asked. Her owners rolled their eyes and nodded. The poodle, sporting a pink bow, was quivering with excitement – oh, boy, a new dog! Obi was polite but unimpressed. He was more interested in sniffing and marking the nearest palm tree.

City Park beach in Cedar Key, Florida

For those of you who, like me, are single travelers with their dogs, parks are a blessing. Obi can use a tree but humans need a restroom, especially after traveling an hour and a half. I marched Obi into the women’s rest room and got a laugh from a lady who was exiting. Hey, you do what you have to do.

Cedar Key sits at the end of SR 24. Think about this. Gainesville, the nearest city, is 60 miles away. Everything has to be brought here. So it makes sense that many accommodations have kitchens. Bring your own food. We did. That turned out to be a very good move at mealtime as only one restaurant lets dogs sit outside. We opted for our own meals.

Cedar Key loves its canines and many restaurants would like to be pet friendly. The city passed an pet friendly ordinance but state health law, that must be followed too has many hurdles to jump, including economic, and thus it isn’t easy for small family restaurants to comply.

Faraway Inn (very pet friendly) where we stayed has a number of lovely seating areas on the grounds. The full kitchen in our cottage included a four-burner stove, refrigerator, microwave, toaster and coffee maker. Our little cottage was so cozy we felt at home right away.

We sat outside near our room and along came Turtle, a tortoiseshell cat that is the Faraway Inn office cat. She wanted to be petted and was perfectly fine with Obi. Walking around Cedar Key you will see that felines are very much part of the scenery along with canines.

Obi in the doorway of our cottage at Faraway Inn, Cedar Key

For a listing of lodging and other places that are pet friendly, see the Cedar Key Chamber of Commerce Web site – pet-friendly places have a paw next to the entry. Call to make sure the information is up to date.

Faraway Inn office, Cedar Key

Cedar Key is known for being a laid-back, throwback to a kinder, gentler, less harried time – the relaxed atmosphere, and small area means everyone strolls, especially in the evening as sunset draws near. Sidewalks are few but no matter, walking along the street is accepted. Cars move slowly.

Both locals and visitors walk their dogs. You, as a responsible pet owner, know the drill. Carry poop bags for those events. Cedar Key has stations around with bags.

They are also big into recycling. Every trashcan has a wire enclosure next to it for recyclables like plastic bottles.

At the end of the day, sunsets are spectacular. The Gulf of Mexico is right there at land’s end. Cars line up along the gulf. Walkers stop to wait for “the moment” when sun touches the horizon. At the Faraway Inn where we stayed a whole section of outside seating faces west. Every seat was full as the sun set.

Obi and I walked the beach waiting for the event. A flat rock is the seating choice on the beach but just along the roadway above the beach; look for benches with signs nearby. All the benches face west and are dedicated to locals who liked to come to that spot. This is public seating. We found one bench between two old houses. Perfect.

Here’s a side effect of being in a small, old Florida town – no bright lights. There are few streetlights. When a business closes in the evening, they turn out the lights. No bright neon. No lit up billboards.

Sunset over the Gulf of Mexico, Cedar Key

I thought Obi and I might do a late night walk to see the stars but we folded after sunset and missed the heavenly show. Next time.

An early Sunday morning walk was delightful – the Gulf was still, the surface a mirror, all around us was the hush of Sunday morning quiet mixed with the tangy smell of Gulf salt air. We passed restored old homes and ancient trees and then turned around to head back to the cottage for breakfast.
A local stopped us and asked “Is he friendly?”
The answer was yes.
He reached down to pet Obi and said: “Of course you are, how could you be anything but friendly.”
It was the nicest compliment Obi had all weekend.

We’ll be back.

Sand hill pine trail at Silver River State Park, Ocala

A fact of life – the first one down the trail sees the wildlife, which promptly vanish now that humans have arrived. People who come along later are left saying “What? Did someone see something? What?”

One early morning we saw something quite wonderful – three white-tailed deer came out of the woods about 50 feet ahead of us.

Here’s what happened next: All three bounded into the air at the same time, legs bent, their white tails flashing straight up. With that leap in unison they looked just like Lipizzaner Stallions. Running for a few steps, they crossed the trail and leaped up into the air again all at the same time. I’m thinking they had secret walkie-talkies tucked somewhere and a director giving dance directions.

My dogs sat down to watch the show. The three deer leaped again in unison and disappeared into the trees. I felt like clapping.

It was a “you had to have been there” moment. You only get those moments by venturing into the trees, walking trails in the woods, hanging out in wildlife habitat.

A walk in Silver River State Park can be found in Chapter 26 “Two Rivers Run Through It” in my guide book “50 Great Walks in Florida.”

gnarled trees at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge

There are plenty of opportunities to go where the trees are. Florida has 35 state forests , 151 state parks, 11 national parks, 28 national wildlife refuges and three national forests ( Ocala, Apalachicola and Osceola). Add to this city and county parks, Greenways, plus the Florida Trail and the possibilities get really interesting.

Right now forests are in winter mode. Leafy trees are pretty bare, their naked branches opening up sky vistas not seen before. Some late fall color shows in the leaves fallen to the ground.

Pine cones are scattered everywhere. Pine trees show off green needles against a cloudless blue winter sky. A breeze kicks up. Late fall leaves spiral down to the ground. We walk on a carpet of pine needles and leaves.

Ah, big plus coming up – the cooler weather means no deer flies and no mosquitoes. No bugs? That is a reason to lace up your walking shoes and get going.

One warning – national forests and conservation areas allow hunting in certain areas in winter months, always check their Web sites or phone before you go. I do not advise walking in any area open to hunting.

The dogs and I walk all seasons of the year. It never fails to surprise me that you can get just a short way down a forest trail and the thickness of trees blocks out the city sounds of traffic. So quiet at first then the forest sounds take over.

I’ve come to appreciate that forests are a huge part of this simple statement – everything is connected.

At Silver River State Park, for example, all of the park, and the land on which we walk, is a water recharge area for the Silver River. In Ocala National Forest the “jewels of the Ocala” – Alexander Springs, Juniper Springs, Salt Springs and Silver Glen Springs are vital natural resources protected by being part of a national forest.

Canoes at Horseshoe Lake, Marion County

Forests are diverse ecosystems with diverse recreational activities. Walk, bike, use the OHV trail system, go where there are horse trails, take a canoe to the water’s edge and start paddling, swim, camp, scuba dive, snorkel, picnic, bring your paint box and paint a stately oak tree, fish, sit quietly and commune with nature. Pick one or more.

Whew! What a great way to start 2012.

Florida Favorites
In my Florida travels I meet fantastic people who are travel writers, residents, newcomers, guides and entrepreneurs, all are digging into the Florida places they love and finding treasures worth keeping. Here is Joan Landis, a Florida Audubon member who is just starting out her writing career. Her bio is below with an e-mail address to comment on her contribution to this month’s forest theme:

About Joan:

Joan Landis grew up in Texas spending summers fishing in South Padre Island, exploring the seashore and imagining the adventures the sea and world would bring her. Her career in sales brought much travel and new trails to explore. Fishing, Scuba Diving, Hiking and now Birding, Joan has spent her life enjoying nature and learning from it. Joan has experienced a wide variety of wilderness habitats from living in the Florida Keys to the Inside passage of Alaska. While living in Juneau, Alaska she joined the sisterhood of “Becoming an Outdoors Woman” learning skills that led to wonderful adventures and people that will be forever friends. Camping has been one of her passions and over the years, she has taken multi-day trips in the Alaskan back country where there are more bears than people and paddling trips through the 10,000 islands in the Everglades. Along the way discovering, experiencing and meeting some of the most interesting people and places one can only imagine. Joan’s passion for the wilderness and conservation has been a thread throughout her life and now she’s sharing some of her wonderful and life-changing experiences. You can reach Joan at: JCLandis@hotmail.com

A Symphony in the Woods

Tourists swarm like mosquitoes come January in the Everglades. Craving relief, I decided to try the Pineland Trail. As soon as I ducked through the big gate, I knew I’d found my sanctuary.

I was overtaken by the silence of the woods. An old logging road jutted through the forest, barely visible under a thick carpet of pine needles. The brown needles muted my footfalls and provided a dramatic contrast to the riot of green under story and the tops of the slash pines above. Through the open canopy, I could see the sky gathering clouds.

A few steps in, I entered the world of the forest and the outside world disappeared. Seemingly silent at first, I soon became aware of my surroundings and began to hear the woodland sounds. A giant striped dragonfly skimmed right in front of me, its wings softly fluttering as it worked the tall grasses. The sound of its wings was rhythmic. A crunch and rustle got my attention next and I followed the sound to a small squirrel darting across the forest floor. As it raced away, the skittering sound faded and created a backdrop to the cadence of the dragonfly wings.

Each step further into the forest, I heard more of the melody the forest played for me. The raspy sound of leaves moving across a limestone formation introduced another layer to the riff. Studying its ancient fissures, I wondered what might live there now when so long ago this rock was caressed by the Atlantic. Mesmerized, I stepped further into the enchanted forest.

I saw a standing dead tree and the forest symphony grew louder as it played back the cacophony of a ravaging lightning fire that ripped its bark and threw it in chunks to the ground, gnarling its crown. The rattle of wind through a stand of pines that were leaning but not toppled lent percussion to the verse describing Hurricane Wilma’s blustery visit.

The sounds that the forest gave up were its signature opus. The symphony I heard that day had been evolving over eons, with all the changes in the forest both subtle and grand tuning and refining its chorus. No two-day’s songs are ever the same. So the next time you’re looking for a retreat, go out and listen to the sounds of the forest. It will play for you its newest notes.

UPCOMING IN JANUARY

Jan. 13-15 – Eighth annual Southwest Florida Nature Festival
Jan. 13-15 – 35th annual Art Deco Weekend, Miami. Read about taking an Art Deco walk in North Miami Beach in Chapter 44 “The Delight of Deco” in my book “50 Great Walks in Florida” available on my Web site.
Jan. 14 - Edison Day of Discovery 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Florida Gulf Coast University, free, Fort Myers
Jan. 28 – Gasparilla Pirate Festival, Tampa

Coming in SMM in February – Travel with Fido

Did you know? My new book “Florida Gardens Gone Wild” is available on my Web site with an option to contribute $2 towards one of two non-profits – Audubon of Florida and the Ocala Public Library. Go for it!

Got crabs? The Peace River Seafood Market & Restaurant in Punta Gorda does. Lots of them. Stone crab claws in season along with whole blue crabs that turn from blue to an outrageous shade of orange when they’re steamed.

Waiter Chris Molinet serves a container of blue crabs at Peace River Seafood

Ah, to me a meal in this old cracker house turned restaurant is heaven unfolding. A bucket of steamed blue crabs arrives. Let the serious eating begin.

From the water to your plate, the seafood here is that fresh. After dinner, surrounded by blue crab shells, blissfully full and impressed with a friendly, efficient staff (they keep the crabs coming) – I realized this meal inside an off the beaten path restaurant spoke volumes for the city of Punta Gorda itself – a vibrant, energetic, off the beaten path place that hums with friendly people who care about their community plus, and this is a big plus, Punta Gorda has a full catch of delights from waterfront walks and gallery walks to serious fishing, elegant places to stay and fresh seafood.

Historic Downtown Punta Gorda has this motto: “It’s happening on the Harbor.”

Indeed it is happening on Charlotte Harbor. Devastated by Hurricane Charlie in 2004 that caused $3.2 billion worth of damage in Punta Gorda and Charlotte County, the spirit to rebuild includes the theme of connectivity.

One result: The Punta Gorda Harborwalk is a long walkable/bikable connection. It goes from the west end of Gilchrist Park next to Fishermen’s Village east about 2.3 miles and ends near a medical center.

Punta Gorda Harborwalk

What a great promenade – the Harborwalk has winding wide sidewalks, trees, benches, overlooks. On some parts you can walk your dog, other parts are a no-no. Watch for signs.

Plans are to eventually have a Ring Around the City, about 18 miles of bicycle and pedestrian trains and paths connecting Punta Gorda’s neighborhoods, parks and commercial areas. Super!

While cars whiz by overhead on two bridges (US 41 going north and south) walkers, joggers, and bikers can go under the bridges in style. For those who like a bit of uphill, there are walkways on the bridges. Left your bike at home? Not to fret. There are free canary yellow bicycle loans with three locations on this walkway – Fishermen’s Village, Four Points by Sheraton and Dockmaster’s building at Laishley Park.

Punta Gorda has a free bike loaner program

I stayed at Four Points by Sheraton and literally walked right out the front door, turned left, and there was the bike rack and the Harborwalk. Perfect.

Everyone I passed on my early morning stroll, walkers, joggers and bikers, said “Hello” or “Good morning”. What a great way to start the day. A crabber had a full bucket of crabs. Wading birds worked the shoreline. Dolphins swam in the Harbor.

breakfast at Elena's, Punta Gorda

Later I had breakfast at Elena’s, 615 Cross Street, phone (941) 575-1888, a friendly, family place with funky turquoise and purple booths. Located in the Cross Trails Shopping Center, it came recommended by locals and I can now add my two thumbs up, especially the hash browns.

Punta Gorda is the kind of place where you come across it by accident or design, take a look around, and end up staying for the next 20 years or more.

“I sailed into Charlotte Harbor 20 years ago to see my brother and stayed,” said Charles Peck, a fine artist who turned his talents to murals. He has just finished a mural of the old hotel in downtown Punta Gorda, and has others to his credit.
“We are in a transient society,” Peck said. “These murals create a sense of social continuity.”

Charles Peck, artist, with hotel mural, Punta Gorda

All murals, 22 and counting, have a historic theme and are presented by the Punta Gorda Historic Mural Society that has its office at 715 Monaco Drive, Punta Gorda, phone (941) 575-0785.

Cattle Drive down Marion Avenue mural section, Punta Gorda

In a different vein, for a look at wildlife rescue, visit Peace River Wildlife Center at 3400 West Marion Avenue, phone (941) 637-3830, inside Ponce de Leon Park.

With each new find it became obvious that Punta Gorda can’t be seen and experienced in a day or overnight, give yourself several days to soak up the vibes and the smiles.

Note: Many thanks to the Charlotte Harbor Visitor & Convention Bureau for coordinating our trip and to the Four Points by Sheraton Punta Gorda Harborside for providing accommodations.

Jennifer Huber, Tourism Public Relations Manger for the Charlotte Harbor Visitor & Convention Bureau sums it up well:
“There are lots of reasons to be here, very active in the wintertime from November to Easter. People here care about conservation. They care about each other. People have specifically chosen to live here and they bring their values with them.”

Upcoming in Punta Gorda:

Annual Christmas Light Canal Tours, Friday, Dec. 2-Saturday, Dec. 31, call (941) 639-0969.

Annual Peace River Lighted Boat Parade (941) 639-3720, begins at dusk on Sunday, Dec. 11, free. Location: Charlotte Harbor.

Festival of Lights, Fishermen’s Village, through Dec. 31

COMING IN JANUARY SATURDAY MORNING MAGAZINE – “Where the Trees Are . . .”

by Lucy Beebe Tobias

Susan Becker is a Street Concierge in Naples, Florida. Say what? Naples may be the only place in the country to have Street Concierges, located at the Third Street Concierge, an outdoor kiosk on Third Street South – part of an historic area also called the birthplace of Old Naples.

Planter on Third Street South, Naples

The concierge service is open seven days a week from 10-6 and Thursday and Fridays hours are extended from 10-9 p.m. Thursday is Becker’s day to work. She answers question, hands out maps, brochures and restaurant menus and loves every minute of her 12-hour shift.

“I came from a helping profession, a college professor, I was used to helping several hundred people a day, this continues that,” said Becker.

With the holidays coming on Becker grandparents who have family coming want to know what there is to do with children of all ages.

“The best thing is free – the beach!” Becker laughed. “They can run, play, build sandcastles, swim, ride boogie boards.”

The beaches, and the historic Naples Pier, are just a few blocks from Third Street South. Walk or ride a bike to any free access point to the beach. Within the city limits every avenue (streets that go east and west) ends in a public beach walkover access. Arriving by car to the beach means feeding parking meters or having an annual beach-parking sticker.

One access point to the beach is the historic Naples Pier. There is no admission fee to the Pier. I found free parking lots just off Third Street South then took an easy walk for two blocks down tree-lined streets past old homes to the Historic Pier, a delightful walk with a great sunset view.

Open 24 hours a day, no fishing license is required. Fishermen come equipped

with food and chairs for a long stay on the long pier.

On the beach, stretching left and right of the pier, a parade of umbrellas in bright colors testify to beach popularity. Other signs of sun and fun: blankets, outdoor chairs, sunbathers, Frisbee throwers, surf swimmers and sand castle builders.

Who could have imagined all this back in the 1800s? Back then General John S. Williams and Water N. Halderman sailed into the bay. Williams thought it looked like the Bay of Naples in Italy and thus Naples was named. The two men brought families from Ohio and Kentucky. The first two homes were built in 1887 and the first pier, a freight pier with railroad ties, was built in 1889.

Walking tours of Naples Historic District are popular. Design your own with help from the Third Street Concierge or visit Palm Cottage, built by Halderman, and take one of their walking tours, $16 for non-members, on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. from November through April. Reservations required.

View of The Norris Gardens through a gate at Palm Cottage

For ardent fans of GPS, Out’nBack Nature Tours has a walking tour of Naples using hand-help GPS and clues along the way. They also offer bicycle tours.

Bicycling is another popular way to see Old Naples.

“I am a citizen of Old Naples, live just a few blocks from Third Street South and I ride my bike to and from work,” said Becker. “Bicycling is very popular. The roads are all flat.”

Sculpture on Third Street South, Naples

For strolling along, and thinking of food, Third Street South has small, unique boutiques and off-the-usual-beaten path restaurants including Jane’s Café with organic and natural food and Sea Salt where Chef Fabrizio Aielli uses organic and local produce along with wild caught seafood.

Being addicted to coffee, I soon found Bad Ass Coffee, a shop whose name raises eyebr

ows. But it is all good – Bad Ass was founded in Hawaii and serves Hawaiian coffees. Really super coffee.

The day of the week matters on Third Street South and also along Fifth Avenue South, an upscale shopping and dining area along with places to stay like the boutique Inn on Fifth Street.

Live entertainment throbs on Thursday evenings at Third Street South from January through May. Called Thursday on Third, stores stay open, you can dance in the street, have dinner, enjoy all kinds of music. During the summer, June through December, the music happens every third Thursday.

Along Fifth Avenue South enjoy Evenings on Fifth the second Thursday of each month. And in November Fifth Avenue South has added a special Evening on Nov. 25 during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Walking along Fifth Avenue South, Naples

On Saturdays check out the Third Street Farmers Market from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Grownups, children and well-behaved dogs are all welcome. The market happens all year long.

Shop-till-you-droppers will appreciate that you are not done yet. Tin City in the Naples Waterfront district has shopping and entertainment. And right across the street is Bayfront with shops that take the word “upscale” to a whole new level.

If you can extract yourself from Old Naples, nearby attractions have plenty of outdoor appeal.

Here are a few: Naples Botanical Garden is breathtaking, with gardens devoted to different areas of the world.

The Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens has a boat ride through primate islands on a large lake. Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary features a 2.25-mile long boardwalk through the county’s last old growth bald cypress forest.
Whew! Time to head back to the beach and relax. Need a bathing suit? I’m sure the Third Street Concierge can help with that too.

FLORIDA FAVORITES
In my Florida travels I meet fantastic people who are travel writers, residents, newcomers, guides and entrepreneurs, all are digging into the Florida places they love and finding diamonds. Here is Brian E. Holley, Executive Director of the Naples Botanical Garden telling in his own words how this amazing garden came into bloom:

Creating a new botanical garden requires a remarkable alignment to take place – you need dreamers to create a vision; pragmatists to assemble a viable plan from the vision; artists to create a design that sings to the soul; philanthropists to share and support the vision; land, lots of land; and worker bees – staff, board, volunteers, ecologists, engineers, contractors, plant nerds (I take pride in being one), artisans, educators, gardeners – who can merge their skills and energy into the team that makes it happen.

This amazing alignment has taken place in Naples, Florida and the result is the 170 acre, Naples Botanical Garden. The Garden started as a dream in Naples’ downtown library in 1993 when a group of a dozen or so plant people got together and agreed that it was important for the community to have a botanical garden.

In the ensuing years the group expanded and turned the dream into a plan for a major new garden that would combine urban renewal of Naples’ poorest neighborhood, a dynamic visitor attraction, great design, a venue for the arts, education, extensive documented collections of plants, research and restored natural areas.

The plan was compelling and attracted the attention of philanthropist Harvey Kapnick. Harvey agreed to purchase 170 acres of land in East Naples for $5 million in 2000. The Garden started slowly but with great innovation – they hired a very talented designer Gary Smith to turn a parking lot into a one acre garden so the community could see the potential of this endeavor.

In 2005, what the Miami Herald called “The Dream Team” – noted landscape architects Raymond Jungles, Robert Truskowski, Herb Schaal, Ellin Goetz and Balinese landscape designer Made Wijaya -agreed to join the project and create a new master plan for the Garden. There was a huge risk for the Garden in having five firms work on the plan but the mutual respect and excitement about the opportunity to work on a once in a lifetime project brought these brilliant minds together to work as one cohesive team. Shortly thereafter, Ted Flato of Lake/Flato Architects in San Antonio, Texas brought his sense of place and passion for sustainable design to the project.

By 2008, the Garden had raised $30 million toward building the project, led by a $10 million gift from Harvey’s son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Kathleen Kapnick, and in June of that year construction began.

In November 2009 Naples Botanical Garden opened its first new gardens – The Vicky C. and David Byron Smith Children’s Garden, The Brazilian Garden, The Kapnick Caribbean Garden and the Mary and Stephen B. Smith Family, River of Grass. In January 2010 another dream of Harvey’s became a reality, The Kapnick Education and Research Center, in partnership with Florida Gulf Coast University, opened and gave the Garden excellent facilities for education. The expansion continued with the opening of the Marcia and L. Bates Lea Asian Garden, the Karen and Robert Scott Florida Garden and the Water Garden in November 2010.

Today the Garden welcomes over 100,000 people a year and hosts an extensive array of classes and events. Check us out at www.naplesgarden.org and watch for our free mobile app for iPhones and Androids in January, 2012.

GET OUT AND PLAY

November – Celebrate the Arts month presented by the United Arts Council of Collier County (where Naples is located) see their Celebrate Calendar for events.
Nov. 11-13 – St. Johns River Blues Festival in Palatka with 16 regional blues bands.
Nov. 12 – Second Saturdays at ArtSouth in Homestead. Browse four galleries and open artist studios. Children welcome. Hours: 3-7 p.m.
Nov. 21 – Annual Celebration of Festival of Lights happens from 6-9 p.m. on Third Street South, Naples. Santa arrives, lots of entertainment, and promptly at 7:30 p.m. snow will fall. I am not making this up. Lampposts have snowmaking machines; they all turn on at the same time.
Snow falls at 7:30 p.m. every night that week (except Thanksgiving) and continues on Thursday nights during December.

Come to the second annual Authors Book Fair!

Admission is free. Parking is free.

Saturday, Oct. 15 from 11-3 at the Deltona Regional Library.

It is an event so full of energy and creativity you will come away inspired and hopefully loaded down with new books.

I’ll be there with my new book “Florida Gardens Gone Wild”.

Stop by my table!

There are authors reading, classes, a sweet lunch place, lots of authors to meet and all this happens inside a library!

How cool is that?

See you!

IN FOCUS
A feature story from Lucy

Fresh Energy Paints Walls and Benches in Englewood

New energy. That is exactly what blew into the Englewood art scene five years ago and quickly fanned new expressions – exhibits, galleries, an arts learning center, murals and fantastic benches – this outdoor seating is both lovely to look at and even comfortable for sitting – a rare combination.

Twenty benches are installed in Olde Englewood Village on Lemon Bay. Twenty more are on the way. These benches are original from the ground up.

These benches were designed and built structurally to last, with a normal bench look in the front and reinforced metal structure in the back. Artists paint the benches while words are embedded on the sides – there are quotes from famous people and quotes from locals too.
Benches cost about $700 each, the money coming from donations and development funds.

Historic Dearborn Street, the main drag for Olde Englewood Village, is a good venue for this public art. The street is lined with old buildings from fishing village days, now housing antiques, art, boutiques, dining and that vital ingredient for caffeine addicts like me, a really good coffee shop called Roasters Coffee Bar.

Roasters is across the street from the Arts Alliance of Lemon Bay, a big exhibit and learning center, and you could say this is where the new breeze originated.

“It always takes a couple of people to come in with new energy and make things happen, ” said Stephanie Borchard, president of the Arts Alliance of Lemon Bay. Founding members five years ago include Borchard and Diane Davidson.

In addition to bright benches, check out the murals on Dearborn Street and nearby. Just a two block walk from historic Dearborn Street takes you to the Tiki Bar at the Royal Palm Marina in Lemon Bay, right on the Intracoastal (ICW Marker 30).

Over the course of a month different artists painted twenty murals. Using large slabs of seawall as their canvas, the themes were either nautical or historical Florida. It is well worth a walk around to see them all.

The new arts wind in Englewood found easy acceptance in a town that likes its artists and says so on street signs.

Just drive along and check out the street signs with names like Artists Way or Van Goth. You get the idea.

Artist Lois Bartlett Tracy painted masterpieces here and her legacy continues at Artists Acres in Englewood. Her grandson Todd Tracy and his wife Mary Tracy, a residence designer carries the artist community spirit, including residence cottages, forward. Her vibrant, tropical homestead is preserved along with her studio, which can be visited by appointment.

It comes as no surprise to see the street outside Artists Acres is named Artists Avenue.

I know you are going to ask – where is Englewood? Definitely off the beaten path, Englewood is one hour south of Sarasota and one hour north of Fort Myers. It is well worth a visit.

Come to see the vibrant art scene, stay to put some sand between your toes at their great beaches.

©2011 Lucy Beebe Tobias

FLORIDA FAVORITES

In my Florida travels I meet fantastic people who are travel writers, residents, newcomers, guides and entrepreneurs, all are digging into the Florida places they love and finding diamonds. Here is Jennifer Huber, Public Relations Manager, Charlotte Harbor Visitor & Convention Bureau, telling about her job in her own words:

Jennifer Huber – Telling the Story of Charlotte Harbor and the Gulf Islands

Navigate a kayak through a mangrove tunnel. Whack a steamed blue crab with a wooden mallet while sitting in a Florida cracker house. Cheer on the Tampa Bay Rays during spring training. These are some of the stories I tell as public relations manager for the Charlotte Harbor Visitor & Convention Bureau.

“You have a difficult job,” a travel journalist once told me. Why? “Because Charlotte Harbor & the Gulf Islands is geographically large and diverse,” she said.

Three days was not enough to experience all there is to do. During her stay, I arranged for her to enjoy the serenity of Don Pedro Island, a beach getaway only accessibly by car ferry or boat, and see the renaissance of Punta Gorda.

She rode a swamp buggy with Babcock Wilderness Adventures (www.babcockwilderness.com), ogled over one man’s affinity for speed at Muscle Car City (www.musclecarcity.net), viewed where many retired circus and abused exotic animals live out their lives at Octagon Wildlife Refuge (www.octagonwildlife.org), and saw tender care administered to native wildlife at Peace River Wildlife Center (www.peaceriverwildlifecenter.com). A boat tour up the Peace River and a self-guided mural walking tour of Punta Gorda rounded out her trip.

My job is to connect with travel journalists and encourage them to visit then share their Charlotte Harbor stories with their audience. I work with a variety of electronic and traditional print travel journalists and pitch story ideas, plan itineraries to fit their story needs, and stay connected through old fashioned means and social media.

It’s a great sense of accomplishment picking up a newspaper, magazine or guidebook or opening a website link and reading a travel journalist’s Charlotte Harbor story. It means we’ll soon be welcoming more visitors to our part of Florida.

Jennifer Huber
Public Relations Manager, Charlotte Harbor Visitor & Convention Bureau
www.CharlotteHarborTravel.com
Facebook.com/charlotteharbor
Twitter.com/chgiflorida
jennifer.huber@charlottefl.com

GET OUT AND PLAY

October 2-9, 2011 — Amelia Island Jazz Festival. The Amelia Island Jazz Festival always kicks off with a FREE concert for the community and visitors. During the week long festival, music fans enjoy a diversity of styles ranging from traditional New Orleans jazz and big band swing to bebop and contemporary. Presenting a full slate of established jazz recording artists, past festivals have featured Grammy Award-winning musicians like saxophonist, David Sanborn and pianist Ramsey Lewis. The 2011 Amelia Island Jazz Festival features Grammy Award-winner Buckwheat Zydeco plus Nicole Henry. Expect a full roster of talented musicians and venues at Amelia Island’s Jazz Festival in 2011. Check out the official Amelia Island Jazz Festival website for all details or call 904-504-4772.

14th annual Greek Festival
Friday, Oct. 7 – Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011

St. Augustine, FL 32084

Local Phone: 904.829.0504

Website: http://www.stauggreekfest.com

Come join the fun and experience St. Augustine’s fascinating Greek Heritage at the 14th Annual Greek Festival hosted by Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. Enjoy a delicious assortment of Greek foods, pastries and beverages along with nonstop entertainment with live Greek music and performances by Greek dance troupes. Location: Francis Field Hours: 4 to 9 p.m. on Friday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission: $2, children under 12 are free.

La Florida Festival
Saturday, Oct. 8 – Monday, Oct. 10, 2011
Paul Morris Park , 1401 South River Road , Englewood
941-270-2040
La Florida Festival

Forgotten Coast Black Bear Festival
October 15, 2011
Sands Park, Carrabelle, Florida
The festival is an opportunity for Floridians of all ages to learn about wildlife and the environment around them. This years’ celebrations will include favorite programs such as the “Procession of Species” parade produced by Carrabelle Cares, bear and bird field trips to Tate’s Hell State Forest and a workshop on living with bears and bear-proofing your trash. We are adding some terrific new programs such as our “Bear Banners” created through a program with local school children. We will be giving a nice prize for the best home baked pie brought to the festival. Prizes will also be offered for the best original painting and sculpture displayed at the Festival. The festival will have live music, stories and tall tales told and read by local residents and authors. There will be food, arts and crafts for sale, a raffle and lots of fun for all.

BRING IT HOME

check out the Upcoming Events page for Lucy Tobias and pick a book signing event that fits your schedule. FREE terra cotta pots to all who buy the new book “Florida Gardens Gone Wild”, while the pots last. Let’s get potted! Oh wait, that is a chapter in the book . . . .

Built in 1843 by a free black builder named George Proctor the house in 1865 served as a temporary Union headquarters.
On May 20, 1865 Brigadier General Edward McCook stood on the front steps and read the Emancipation Proclamation.

Emancipation Day is celebrated every year in May with a reading of the Proclamation from the Knott House steps, live music and a free picnic at Lewis Park.

A roll call of famous people lived in the house over the years including three Supreme Court judges, an attorney, and a physician and finally, in 1928, the state treasurer William Knott and his wife Luella bought the house.

Naturally there were parties, lots of parties. Luella hosted the social functions and got a chance to show off her flair for writing poetry.

Remember this is the age before e books, Twitter and Facebook, yet Luella came up with a creative way to share her thoughts with others.
All throughout the house she attached poems about the home to its various furnishings – chairs, table legs, lamps and mantles. She is long gone but still the gracious hostess, her sweet creativity reaching out to house visitors.

When the Knott’s son died in 1985 the Historic Tallahassee Preservation Board received the home and in 1997 the Knott House was transferred to the Museum of Florida History.

Guided tours are given on Wednesday through Friday and also Saturday. Do check times the museum is open. Admission is free. Trip Advisor rates the Knott House No. 7 out of 32 Tallahassee attractions.

If you like your history up close and personal then visiting historic houses is a good fit, it lets you step back in time and feel connected. Here are more possibilities:

At Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings house in Cross Creek where she lived, worked and wrote prize-winning novels, a small manual typewriter similar to the one she used, sits atop a round table on the front porch. It is easy to imagine Marjorie sipping her morning coffee; putting in a piece of paper and writing about this place she loved. Marjorie said: “I do not understand how anyone can live without some small place of enchantment to turn to.”

Admission is $3 per group in one vehicle to this state park. You can walk around the house and grounds anytime but the house itself is only open for guided tours and special events. See Web site (above) for times. Tour cost: $3 per adult, $2 for children ages 6 to 12, children 5 and under admitted free.

In Fort Myers, the Edison & Ford Winter Estates have historic buildings, gardens and the Edison Botanic Research Lab and Estates Museum
Inside the homes the rooms are roped off but you can see inside at the slice of life these winter visitors enjoyed.

Guided and self-guided tours with audio wands given. Check times. Admission prices vary by the type of tour chosen. The complete estates tour, for example, includes orientation, audio tour, lab and museum for $20 for adults, $11 for children ages 6-12 and children age 5 and under admitted free.

The Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum in Key West reflects Hemingway’s life as he lived here for more than ten years. Six-toed cats, some of them descendents of the ones he kept, still live here.

Admission (which includes a 30-minute guided tour) is $12.50 for adults, $6 for children and children under the age of 5 admitted free.
The Orman House Historic State Park in Apalachicola has plenty of stories to tell and park rangers do a vibrant history presentation of the home built in 1838. Admission is $2 per person, museum admission free.

UPCOMING

Lucy’s new eco gardening book “Florida Gardens Gone Wild” is a Kindle and Nook e book and now the book has blossomed into print. This is not your typical gardening “how to” but rather a green primer on discovering the connections between you, me, butterflies and milkweed for starters.

Two upcoming book signing events in Ocala:

Friday, Oct. 7 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Primary Oven bakery and handmade café, 128 SW Broadway, downtown Ocala. There will be complimentary wine and tapas by Kelley.

Lucy will sign books and everyone who buys a book receives a decorated terra cotta pot of their choice while supplies last.
Sunday, Oct. 23 from noon to 4 p.m., a book signing at Chelsea Coffee Company, 3217 Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala. Complimentary coffee and cookies will be served. Demonstration of e book on Nook and Kindle, print books for sale, author signing plus free terra cotta pots for all who buy books.

Questions? Contact Lucy at her e-mail: mailto:greatwalks@gmail.com

Well, buckle up. Have I got a super road trip just for you.

Fernandina Beach, 23 miles north of Jacksonville, combines the gracefulness of yesterday hand in hand with today’s amenities – upscale shopping, awesome seafood and other culinary delights (including fantastic fudge), great places to stay and a slew of things to do both outdoors and indoors.

Tucked on the north end of Amelia Island, this town is all about water. Fernandina Beach touches the Atlantic Ocean on its east side. The Amelia River laps at its north point (you look across the water and see Georgia) and the place to watch sunsets is along the Intracoastal Waterway on its west side. With water on three sides it is no wonder many start their day inhaling salty air by going fishing or taking a walk.

Start your morning walking the Atlantic side beach at low tide. Bend over and do the shoreline shuffle, a slow walk with eyes pealed for shark’s teeth and whole shells.

Look up once in a while. Perhaps a line of pelicans will swoop by low to the water, alert to any fish below. Or you might see a submarine coming out of Kings Bay and headed into the Atlantic. Shrimp boats may be headed out too.

Ah, shrimp. Here in Fernandina Beach, the little crustacean is the stuff of legends. The modern shrimping industry started right here in the early 20th century, and there is no need to remember that because the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, a huge weekend blowout always held the first weekend in May, will do it for you.

Pirates roam the streets and so do visitors. Eight blocks of downtown are closed to traffic so pedestrians have the right of way to view arts and crafts booths, vendors selling, what else? Shrimp, live music, happenings all day long and late into the night.

By comparison, the rest of the year in Fernandina Beach seems positively quiet, but not really. There is always a festival or a happening of some kind going on – a writers festival, music festival, food festival, antique car festival – you get the idea. This is a town that likes to party.

A good place to gather information is the Fernandina Beach Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center inside the old Railroad Depot at 1102 Center Street. Lots of free brochures for the taking and we found a friendly face at the desk to answer questions.

If walking in historic districts is your thing, be sure to pick up the free Fernandina Historic District Tour guide. Fifty blocks are on the National Register of Historic Places. The guide has color pictures.

For a guided tour check with the Amelia Island Museum of History.
If you take one of their private tours of historic homes, it is a chance to see the inside of some historic homes. They also offer museum tours at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. each day, Ghost Tours every Friday starting at 6 p.m. and a Pub Crawl (one ticket takes you to four pubs) every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Reservations required.

Just across the railroad tracks from the Train Depot is a stop for the Amelia Island Trolley, a different way to see the sights.

Personally I try to plan my visit so that a Saturday is in the equation. Every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. is the Fernandina Farmers Market located on 7th Street and Centre Street. Small but full of local farmers, organic produce, outstanding plant vendors, fresh foods including a bakery. Yummy.

Here’s a plan for a Saturday. Throw off the shoes, get sand between the toes, and go for a beach walk. That will work up an appetite. Head downtown, have breakfast at Bright Morning Cafe a great breakfast spot with indoor and outdoor seating. They have something called Southern Comfort – a bowl of grits with poached eggs and cheese on top. Over the top but so truly southern comfort.

Be advised to always check hours and days of operation for any place you want to visit. Bright Morning opens early, 8 a.m. on Saturdays, but most of downtown Fernandina does not rise and shine until 11 a.m. It is not unusual to see tourists wandering around downtown early, looking for places that are open.

After breakfast, take a walk uptown and visit the Farmers Market, it is open all morning. Right across the street is Eileen’s Art & Antique Centre full of fun stuff including artwork by the owner, Eileen Shannon Moore.

If art is calling you do visit the Island Art Association at 18 N. Second Street, downtown. In addition to the co-op gallery a new art education building next door offers all kinds of classes, including walk in adult art classes.

Notice the mosaics on the outside wall. It is a work in progress and future sessions include mosaic “parties” where you can get involved. Ask about the Mosaic Project.

Whew! By now I’d be ready for a good latte at Amelia Island Coffee on Centre Street. If you are feeling electronically deprived, there is free wi fi here.

Fortified by caffeine, I never miss a chance to visit Barnabas New to You at 930 S. 14th Street. It is a car trip from downtown, but not far. It should be on everyone’s trip list. This amazing place is loaded with great high end brands of everything from clothes to furniture to household goods all at prices that will knock your socks off they are so low. And you are helping to fund their charitable work. I easily walk out with a bag full of great finds for under $20 and had fun doing the deed.

Well, you get the drift of how my Saturday in Fernandina is going. I’d like to head to Fort Clinch State Park next, maybe walk or ride a bike and surely take a walk out on the fishing pier. It may be a weekend when they have Civil War reenactments, a real bonus. If so, do take the evening candlelight tour of Fort Clinch.

On our last visit we went to dinner at the Crab Trap downtown at 31 N. Second Street, and had shrimp caught that day! Of course the day is not complete without walking a few blocks over to the waterfront and watching the sunset. You will have lots of company. This is an evening ritual.

What are we waiting for? Start the engines. Fernandina Beach is calling.

Oh, and about that fudge. Fantastic Fudge at the corner of Centre Street and 3rd Street has been making their own fudge for 20 years. And, yes, it is fantastic.

©2011 Lucy Beebe Tobias. All rights reserved.

Plus, and this comes as a surprise, there are several museums devoted to lens art from traditional images to cutting edge technology.

The Southeast Museum of Photography, part of Daytona State College, resides on campus in a contemporary new building, all curves, soaring ceilings, rising staircases and lovely lighting – conveniently located on one of Daytona’s busiest streets – International Speedway Boulevard.

Walking into this museum for the first time last month was a delightful surprise. We have something in Florida this nice devoted to photography? Who knew? I came with a group from the Webber Gallery at Central Florida College in Ocala. We were all pretty stunned. With 9,000 feet of gallery space, give yourself ample time to wander. Admission is free.

Current exhibits include “The Touch of Nature” – Florida through the lens of the Orlando Camera Club, Departures VI, a juried show of graduating student photographers from Daytona State College and the University of Central Florida and two other exhibits.
Check Web site for times. Closed on Mondays and some school breaks including July 31-Aug.17 and again at Christmas and Spring Break.
Web site: http:’//www.smponline.org
Address: 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd., Building 1200, Daytona Beach, Florida, phone (386) 506-4475.

In Tampa, the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts is located at 200 N. Tampa Street, Suite 130, phone (813) 221-2222. The entrance is the corner of Jackson Street and Ashley Drive. Web site: http://www.fmopa.org

Admission is $10 for non-members (or, as they like to say: not-yet members). They too are closed on Mondays. Check Web site for hours. Current exhibit is “Classic Images: Photography by Ansel Adams” but to see this one you must hurry, the last day is July 6.

On July 20, FMoPA presents “Your 15 Minutes of Fame” where six members get 15 minutes to do show and tell about their photographs. They will do this 15 Minute event again on September 21 and November 9. In addition, the 11th annual member’s show runs from July 19 through August 30.

Richard Bickel traveled the world photographing different cultures. Bickel came to Apalachicola in 1994 to document oystermen harvesting their crop with their long tongs. He decided to capture the culture of what he calls “Florida’s last stand.”

Richard Bickel in Apalachicola. Photo supplied by Richard Bickel

He is still here, still documenting, producing books (“The Last Great Bay” among others) and prints that are showcased in his gallery at 81 Market Place, Apalachicola, phone (850) 653-3900. Web site: http://www.richardbickelphotography.com

Bickel’s black and white and sepia-toned photographs are breath-taking close ups of bay life laced with a twinge of sadness – one photo is looking through the netting of a shrimp boat and the viewer knows deep in the gut that someday this way of life, already endangered, will become extinct.

Let’s leave the Forgotten Coast, travel down the spine of Florida and arrive at Ochopee where Clyde Butcher has a gallery on the Tamiami Trail.

The Big Cypress Gallery, 52388 Tamiami Trail, Ochopee, Florida, phone (239) 695-2428, is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Web site: http://www.clydebutcher.com

Bucher wades into the Everglades with a large format camera and equipment that adds up to 135 pounds to carry around. After hours of looking he captures moments of clarity that are monumental in any size.

Here is what Jean Michael Cousteau, explorer, environmentalist and film maker, has to say about Butcher’s work:

“People protect what they love. But you can’t protect what you don’t understand. Clyde Butcher makes us want to understand, because he touches our hearts and our heads follow.”

I visited the Big Cypress Gallery this week (he also has a gallery and studio in Venice, Florida). Walking around the gallery rooms it was too much to take in once around so I walked the walk twice to view prints and books. His books include “Cuba”, “Florida Landscape”, “Big Cypress Swamp”, “Millennium”, “America the Beautiful”, “Nature’s Places of Spiritual Beauty”.

What is it about black and white photography that makes us step into an alternate world and look at familiar things like trees and water in a whole new way? I don’t know the answer but there is an inner beauty in black and white photographs that can get lost in the vibrant loudness of color.

Honestly, confession time, I could not begin to afford a Butcher print but appreciation of his work is free. I indulged and did not walk out empty-handed, his note cards fit my budget perfectly.

As summer weather curtails outdoor activity, do consider moving indoors for your adventures. Visit photography museums and galleries for inspiration. Florida photographers are ready for their close ups.

©2011 Lucy Beebe Tobias, all rights reserved. www.Lucytobias.com

A view of the Anclote River was a lunch requirement and we certainly met that by sitting outside on the back deck at Dimitri’s on the Water, 698 Dodecanese Blvd., phone (727) 938-6890.

Pleasure craft glided by. Had we arrived by boat we could tie right up at Demitri’s dock.

Our waiter confessed he had the best job in the world, serving food with the river life happening right alongside.

We felt special sitting on the water with blue sky, puffy white clouds and a bit of a breeze. I ordered the special that day, a fish gyro to die for. Others ordered octopus, chick peas cooked in rosemary, sautéd chicory. The list goes on.

When food arrived, out came the cell phone cameras to photograph the dishes. Welcome to the 21st century where a well-presented meal will end up on Facebook, Twitter and FoodSpotting within minutes of arrival.

Lunch was long and leisurely. Afterwards, we felt compelled to walk around the Sponge Docks, checking out the shops, stopping inside the Sponge Exchange to buy sponges gathered from the nearby Gulf of Mexico.

Sponges come in all sizes and uses, from cosmetic to art to bath and really big ones as containers for plants.

St. Nicholas Boat Tours, (727) 942-6425, right next to Dimitris, give half hour boat tours ($8) on the river with a diver going down and bringing up sponges. Best to do this on a weekend, as they like to fill the boat before going out.

Tarpon Springs is called the “Sponge Capital of the World” with good reason. In 1896 John Cocoris was the first Greek to arrive. With five other Greek men he started a sponge diving business in 1905. Word spread that sponges were plentiful and Greek families began migrating to Tarpon Springs.

It is an easy stretch to say that sponges, and the Greeks that came to harvest them, are the reason you can buy baklava everywhere in Tarpon Springs today. Greeks love food and fellowship and they have a sweet tooth for desserts.

Baklava and a lot of other Greek pastries called us onward to Hellas Bakery, 785 Dodecanese Blvd., phone (727) 943-2400 at the other end of the Sponge Docks. So many sweet choices, too many actually.

But we braved the tough decisions and had dessert along with Greek coffee. Hellas has a restaurant as well as the bakery.

Tarpon Springs contains different areas to explore. The Sponge Docks are a destination, so is the historic downtown area and the distance between the two means taking a car or trolley.

The Jolly Trolley (www.clearwaterjolleytrolley.com) rruns between the Sponge Docks and historic downtown every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Single rides are $2 adults, $1 seniors over 65, $1.25 for students. Children five and under ride free.

We visited St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral in historic downtown, with its beautiful stained-glass windows patterned after St. Sophia in Istanbul, and then we walked around the downtown area.

Be advised before you go that a number of stores are closed on Mondays, the day we made our visit. So we didn’t get to go inside Back in the Day Books or get caffeinated at the UnderGrounds Coffee House and Art Gallery or see the Train Depot Museum, all closed on Mondays.

But a new venue, the Artists’ Faire Fine Art Gallery and Gift Shop caught our attention. Located at 111 E. Tarpon Avenue, phone (727) 937-7125, this is a cooperative venture between the Tarpon Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Tarpon Springs Art Association.

At Global Folk Arts, 208 E. Tarpon Avenue, phone (727) 942-6977, we wandered through an exotic collection of global gifts and paused at display tables full of beads and stones for making jewelry. You can make your own right here.

None of us could resist picking up menus for the Zante cafeneo, 13 N. Safford Avenue. They serve Cajun-Greek-Creole-Italian-French and bill themselves as an eclectic café. I am not making this up. They are closed on Mondays.

So much more to see and experience – the famous bayous, Anclote Nature Park, ride a bike on the Pinellas Trail, see the Inness Paintings inside Tarpon Springs Unitarian Universalist Church, go to the Leepa Rattner Museum, check out antique stores downtown, walk around Spongeorama, visit the Shrine of Saint Michael Taxiarchis, go to Sunset Beach, communicate with the primates at Suncoast Primate Sanctuary - whew!

Back at Dimitri’s their trademarked motto is “Only the love of food can lead you here”.

That could sum up a visit to Tarpon Springs – come for the cuisine, stay for the culture. We’ll be back. Opa!

UPCOMING IN TARPON SPRINGS
Every Sunday - Farmer’s Market, 9-2, corn of Tarpon and Pinellas Avenues.
June 11 – Second Saturday Downtown and Sponge Docks Events, call (727) 937-6109
June 16 – Sunset Beach Concert, The Little Big Show, 7 p.m. free (727) 942-5628, www.tsrdonline.com

©2011 Lucy Beebe Tobias, all rights reserved.

That’s how it was fishing on the Ocklawaha River last week. Twenty assorted brim ended up in the boat cooler and later sizzled in my cast iron skillet as stir fry dinner. My cats were delighted to share in the bounty. The dogs woofed down their portion and looked for more.

Capt. Tom holds a redbreast sunfish caught in the Ockalawaha River

Are we having fun yet? Oh yes.

Let the good times roll. Four hours cruising down the Ocklawaha River with Captain Tom of Captain Tom’s Custom Charters, had me floating along, admiring the scenery (no houses, just wild Florida), and becoming so de-stressed I felt like Gumby, all limp like putty, no joints, just totally relaxed.

Fishing on the Ocklawaha River

For me going fishing is a great excuse to get out of Dodge for a while. Actually catching fish is an added bonus.

Mother wood duck and her ducklings on Ocklawaha River

It is a novel concept. Getting away is so often packaged with salt water. Visitors are always inundated with beach brochures. Surely tourists go home think Florida is the coast, the beach and that’s it. That is fine. It means more play time on the fresh inland waters for those who live year round.

Getting ready to kayak on the Rainbow River

Here are the facts: Florida has some 7700 lakes with more than 10 acres. We have 27 first magnitude springs more than any other place in the world. Add to this some 11,000 miles of rivers and streams.

But, you say, you don’t have a pontoon boat or kayak. Join the crowd. Neither do I. Does that mean you stay home? Nope. Four hours of fishing with Capt. Tom cost $20 per person. He provides rod and reels, bait, and even cleans the fish. Compared to $87 for a day pass to Disney, going fishing is a cheap thrill. Or rent a kayak or canoe for your float time.

Canoes & kayaks for rent at KP Hole in Dunnellon

We were fishing away when Captain Nick Bozman of Slick Charters came alongside, telling some bass fishing stories. Captain Nick (slickcharters@aol.com) does both salt and fresh water fishing.

Did I mention fishing is optional? I took pictures, just looked at scenery and got out the sketchbook too, all this in between dealing with fish that have a thing for worms.

So many rivers and streams, so many different ways to go. Lars Andersen has Adventure Outpost in High Springs, right in the heart of North Florida’s “Spring Country”.

Get on his “wanta go” list (free) and read about upcoming kayak and canoeing trips, including water trips at Crystal River to see manatees in season.

Tubing down the Rainbow River

Come summer, float down a river in a tube. Bring friends and neighbors. Wherever you are in Florida there is going to be some fresh water near you and at the very least, go sit on a bank and watch the water flow by. Leave the cell phone at home. Count this as valuable down time. We all need it.

Take a look at the Florida Outdoor Writers Association (yes, I am a member). Many of their members are also guides and see who is in your area.

Spring has decided to stay around for a while and even when summer simmers being out on the water is a cooling change.
The fish are calling. Or is it the river itself, flowing along, calling you? No matter, time to answer the call.

Kayaks from Marion County Parks & Recreation at Rainbow River

UPCOMING

You are invited to the Florida Museum of Women Artists in DeLand on Friday, May 13 from 5-7
Lucy Beebe Tobias, author of “50 Great Walks in Florida” will give a talk on “Seeing Florida with Fresh Eyes.” Presentation begins at 5:30 p.m. Starting at 5 p.m. there are hors de’oeuves by Chili’s Restaurant. Come early and see the new exhibit “Through the Collector’s Eye”. There will be copies of “50 Great Walks” available for signing in the Museum shop. The address is 100 N. Woodland Blvd., Suite 1, DeLand, FL, phone (386) 873-2976.

©2011 Lucy Beebe Tobias