Lucy Tobias

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…

‘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…

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 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…

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 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…

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…

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.…

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 – 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…

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…

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…

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…

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

GAINESVILLE – Here’s a clue: Turning onto a long winding road to get to your final destination it usually means you are headed for a totally different world. This clue works well for Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville. Turning off…

Ba bing! Here. Have $1,000. Your lucky day. But there’s a catch. You have to give it away and do it soon, within a week. Three hundred audience members at Oprah Winfrey’s television show in October got the chance to…

Winnelle Horne of Chiefland can remember as a small child playing under the quilt her mother was making. She declared, “I ain’t never going to do that.” The girl who played under the quilt grew up and made many quilts.…

Wanted: Sunset stalkers. Must be willing to work evenings. Your job: Watching the sun go down. It is a terrible job but somebody’s got to do it. All applications considered regardless of race, creed, age, political party or sex. I…

Welcome to Fanning Springs State Park on the banks of the Suwannee River. There is no reason to lean on the railing in your street clothes and feel left out. Come prepared to dive in or jump into the headspring.…

During last week’s Florida Outdoor Writers Assocaion (FOWA) Conference in the Keys photographers could enter a photo contest for the best pictures taken in the Keys during the conference. Lucy entered and won second place.Fun! Awesome! See the first, second…

Let’s be honest. People who rise at 4:30 a.m. and are ready to go swimming by 5:15 a.m. have to be a little weird. Okay, maybe not terminally weird, like send in the white coats and you get a little…

The old straw hat ain’t what she used to be. In the front, there is a permanent droop .The silk flowers are perky but looked dated, like maybe they bloomed last spring. Still, I kept it around. It was good…

How would you like to go to a playground and just sit there watching? No, that wouldn’t be any fun at all. Yet until the concept of a Boundless Playground came along, children with disabilities often simply sat on the…

Isabel Casin would rather take care of cats than buy new shoes for herself.“If someone gave me $100 for new shoes, I’d spend it on these cats instead,” Isabel said, nodding to the woods behind her.These are feral cats; some…

Is there a time for peace and a time for war? That was the question at the Interfaith Alliance forum on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006. It was held in the Fellowship Hall at Druid Hills United Methodist Church in Ocala.…