Florida shorelines are underwater jungles teaming with young fish and marine live finding food and shelter in mangrove roots and sea grasses. Their predators come and go with the tides. It is a world of eat and be eaten, just…
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…
Venice is a Vision Worth Visiting
“So, what you like about living in Venice?” I asked my dinner companion. “Everything.” Wow. That is not something you hear every day. But are we in the same zip code? My dinner companion was not talking about THAT Venice,…
Winter Park Puts a Smile in Your Step
Want to put a smile in your step? Spend a Saturday in Winter Park. Yep. Saturday. Why? Because it is Farmer’s Market Day. Every Saturday an encampment of tents fan out in a tight cluster around the old train station…
Birds and Birders Flock to Florida
The guide sang out “LBB at 2 o’clock.” Birders with binoculars swung them up tight to their eyeballs and looked off the right. But no, not me, I am standing there clueless. This was my first bird walk. I have…
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.…
Florida Sunsets are Free and Fabulous
Another day. Another sunset. The ritual begins. We drift onto the beach, each headed to a personal place. There are no signs saying “Park here” or “Reserved for Lucy” but we know where we belong. I go for a flat…
Florida History Makes a Great Walk in DeLand
The year was 1876. Henry Addison DeLand took a vacation from his baking soda business in New York to visit his sister and brother-in-law, O.P Terry. They lived in South Carolina. Perhaps it happened over several glasses of wine before…
Monarch Butterflies Need You Now
You can save the world. Right now. Today. Well, all right, a piece of the world. How? Buy milkweed. Seriously. I’m not kidding. Monarch butterflies need milkweed as host plants. They lay eggs on milkweed, caterpillars emerge, eat leaves then…
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.…
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…
Food Festivals & Schools – Let’s Do Lunch
Let’s do lunch – this phrase forks up to a whole new level of food at The Bistro tucked inside Marion Technical Institute, 1614 SE Ft. King Street, Ocala. The Bistro, a hands on experience in cooking and serving to…
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…
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…
A Declaration of Cultural Diversity
We believe these truths to be self evident – cultural diversity makes us strong, celebrating our heritage keeps the past alive for future generations and when the Greeks are cooking, just show up. Amen. Cultural Diversity Alive and Well in…
Farmers markets on a Saturday morning
What are you doing Saturday morning? Here’s an idea – let’s go to the Fernandina Farmers Market, held every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. I like those hours. You don’t have to get up early to get the…
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…
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.…
Empty Bowls Filled with Love and Soup
I walked up the wide stairway then down a long hallway looking for the right room number. I heard my destination before arriving. Laughter spilled out of an open doorway of the ceramics studio at Central Florida Community College in…
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…
Liberty Bell Museum Rings True in Melbourne
The Liberty Bell Museum is pointed out by a small arrow on a city map. Hummm, I thought the Liberty Bell was in Philadelphia and I am in Melbourne, Florida. What’s up? Curiosity got the better of me. I’m glad…