Harvey Campbell had a plan for Lake City murals. “I want to take our Lake City officials down to Lake Placid so they can see the murals. ” He hoped to excite his local power makers into splashing color on…
Florida blueberries are a healthy thrill
Florida blueberries – picking is a thrill Florida blueberries – picking them is a healthy thing to do. Your body will be thrilled. All berries are antioxidants. A holistic practitioner, Dr. Andrew Weil, says just a half cup of blueberries…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
A Great Cup of Coffee and a Mission
A friend and I stopped at Mystic Bean Coffee Company a week ago on our way to St. Augustine. Their coffee is fabulous. A big “WOW”. I could hardly wait to go back. Yesterday I had an assignment to take…
Baby birds make their debut
A few mornings ago I was sitting on the porch, fiddling with a new camera, reading the directions. One booklet about something called “image stabilizer” showed how to shoot through bars (say you are at the zoo and there is…
Growing old and ill is hard to do
Suzi is dying. There is nothing I can do about it. Oh yes, I know death is the flip side of the life coin. Heads and tails. Sooner or later it comes up tails. Saying it is one thing. Living…
Heart of Florida Paint Out Going on Now
The sun is shining. The sky is blue. What are you going to do? Why paint, of course, or at least go watch lots of plein air artists paint. Charles Manning works on his under painting.“See the meadow in the…
What’s Growing on Your Roadside?
Ah, spring. Now is good time to see a riot. Florida’s wildflowers are in a full color, rioting all along roadsides. Masses of flowers crowd the right of ways. Hold the mower. We want to see this beauty. Quilts of…
Let’s get down and dirty
‘Tis the season to get down and dirty. I’m doing it. It feels great. Over Easter weekend, I picked a sunny backyard location, put concrete blocks on the ground, then a large round container on top. It looks like stone…
How to make your vote count
Let the mudslinging begin. Clinton blames Obama for holding up Michigan re-vote. Obama’s minister makes racist comments and somehow that makes it Obama’s problem. McCain goes to Jordon, gives a speech, says Iran is training Al-Quaeda when in fact they…
You are invited to book signings in Ocala and Gainesville, Florida
You are invited to book signings for50 Great Walks in Florida by Lucy Beebe Tobias* * Sunday, Feb. 10, 2 – 4 p.m. Barnes & Noble, 3500 SW College Road (SR 200), Ocala * Wednesday, Feb. 13, 6:45 – 8…
Pancakes at your table, then wildlife and nature
Breakfast. Just hearing the word conjures up images and aromas for me of coffee perking, turkey bacon on the grill, eggs scrambling, pancakes sizzling. You can tell I love breakfast any time of day. Apparently I am not alone in…
When the sun goes down, light displays go up
When the sun goes down during the holidays a number of nearby cities and parks light up, sometimes in quite spectacular displays. St. Augustine, the nation’s oldest city, celebrates with Nights of Lights. It begins in mid-November and continues every…
Dive into Tarpon Springs
By Lucy Beebe TobiasTARPON SPRINGS – Two pieces of history sit about a mile apart in Tarpon Springs – the Sponge Docks and downtown. A red trolley connects the two. For a dollar each way, or three dollars for all…
Forget the glass – worry about the water
When Guy Marwick, Marion County environmental activist, gets up in the morning he doesn’t stop to wonder if the glass of water on the kitchen table is half full or half empty. Nope. Not Guy, It could go either way.…
Pre-order 50 Great Walks in Florida
My goodness,what a blessing. Here’s the overview and review of my upcoming travel guide. Enjoy. You can pre-order the book at www.amazon.com or www.upf.com Overview “Lucy makes my toes itch! I can’t wait to get out and explore all the…
St. Augustine Lighthouse still a beacon
ST. AUGUSTINE – Lighthouses have a romance all their own. They are strong silent beacons rising in solitary splendor above the shoreline. The towers had keepers, rugged individuals and their families who lived right next-door and devoted their lives to…
Picking up the trash
We’re standing on a dirt road in Ocala National Forest, Marion County, Florida. Volunteers have turned out on a Saturday morning for a forest cleanup. None of us have ever met before. Retired folks, Boy Scout troops, men and women…
Give something of yourself to your mom
Mary Hunt writes about money matters. Her nationally syndicated column before Mother’s Day combined money matter with what really matters. Florists, she told her readers, will make a good third of their annual income on Mother’s Day. Restaurants do very…
Flowing into the future
HIGH SPRINGS – Fiddles finesse. Banjos bedazzle. Together they rush the country tune forward like a barrel tumbling in a fast current towards a waterfall. Happy dancers, laughing and smiling, twirl around the floor. Feet stomp on the old wood…
A full plate of art in Polk County, Florida
Like art? Polk County has a full plate. See Lucy’s story for Visit Florida Getaways, March 2007, on where to go and what to see (including upcoming art festivals) at: http://getaways.visitflorida.milesmediagroup.com/ezine/index.php?get_segment=387