Story Aunt Gus and Little Bear's Adventure Book 2 (Complete)
- Thread starter Kathy in FL
- Start date
March 10 (Sa) Dunnellon Trail
Short trail day today. The Dunnellon Trail is the remaining piece of the Cross Florida Greenway that we are visiting. Gotta say that it was a pretty park. The 2.4-mile-long paved, multi-use trail is situated primarily along a historic railroad bed that runs along the Rainbow River south of CR484 and the Blue Run Park and tubers take-out. There were two trailheads, one located along Bridges Road on the Marion County (north) side of the Withlacoochee River and the other on CR39 just east of US41 on the Citrus County (south) side of the paved trail. Either trailhead provides access to this popular and scenic trail that was opened in 2015. The focal point is the beautiful views from the Withlacoochee River trail bridge, which connects the two counties together via the trail. Makes for a busy section and it being Saturday it was even more so.
We saw wading birds and alligators, and several turtles along with lots o’ bugs along the trail while people walked, jogged, skated, or bicycled around us to enjoy the scenery. Lev, who did a photo-story on the railroad as one of his first independent pieces early in his career, explained to Benny what the railroad was like on similar ground back in the “old days.”
We spent the morning going back and forth along the busy trail, taking nature photos, and giving Benny time to use his discovery toys. By lunch though I think all three of us had had all of it we could handle, and we decided to head back to Rainbow Springs by way of an old tourist trap kind of thing; the Blues Brothers Statue. Lev and I were both a little embarrassed to get a kick out of it. It now sits near the Two Rivers Inn after years of vandalism and other equally stupid stuff. Benny had no clue and I could tell he was simply putting it down to some adult strangeness.
Back at the park I was just about to take Benny to the water so he could mess around a little bit when some ominous thunder boomed out.
“Aw,” Benny grouched but then stopped and asked, “Can I work on a geocache instead?”
“Sure, so long as the lightning isn’t too bad.”
Tonight was going to be some Fondue Fun but we decided popcorn hit the spot better. I swear I think Benny and Lev could eat their weight in popcorn every couple of days. Good thing I picked up more on my last grocery run.
March 11 (Su) Rainbow Springs State Park (camp)
No rain today so was finally able to “do” Rainbow Springs and let Benny complete the Junior Ranger program that was available.
Rainbow Springs has served as an important natural resource for humans and animals for many years. At one time, mastodon and mammoth fossils were found in the Rainbow River, along with relics of the American Indians who used the river for transportation and fishing. Much later, in the early 20th century, the surrounding area was mined for phosphate. That industry brought an economic boom to the area and the towns of Juliette and Dunnellon were founded. Juliette, once located on what is now park property, no longer exists.
In the 1930s, Rainbow Springs became a privately owned theme park. Most freshwater springs tourist attractions around Florida offered some form of glass bottom boat ride. But at Rainbow Springs the distinctive boats had stairs that went below the waterline and visitors could look out at eye level. Waterfalls were built on piles of phosphate tailings, and a zoo, rodeo, gift shops and a monorail with leaf-shaped gondolas were also added.
The development of the interstate highway system in Florida eventually led to the demise of the early Rainbow Springs attraction. The interstate didn’t stop in the small towns that hosted such attractions, and the newer, modern attractions in Orlando drew many away from the older parks (aka “tourist traps”). By 1974, Rainbow Springs was closed.
It reopened as a state park in the 1990s. Area residents who supported the acquisition of the park soon formed the Friends of Rainbow Springs, the park's citizen support organization. The group’s volunteers led the way in opening the park by physically clearing paths and bringing life back to the gardens and other features.
Today, the Rainbow River is a designated National Natural Landmark, a Florida aquatic preserve, and an Outstanding Florida Water. The park consists of more than 1,470 acres and has three main entrances: the head-springs day use area, the tubing facilities, and the campground.
They haven’t opened the river for tubing yet; that’s not until the beginning of April. However, we were able to swim in the headsprings where the water is a near-constant 72F. No inflatables of any kind are allowed so I mostly used it to practice swimming and snorkeling with Benny. It was busy but not nearly as busy as it gets once tubing season opens and then during the warm summer months.
We hopped out for lunch and I fixed Croissant Grilled Cheese sandwiches using gluten-free croissants. While Benny chowed down on his I asked Lev, “Are you getting enough to eat?”
“Er …”
“Lose the deer in the headlights look please. This isn’t a man-trap. I’m serious. I know Rick is fine with the rabbit food with some protein thrown in but he’s not what you would call a big guy. You’re even taller than I am and well … are you getting enough to eat?”
“Yeah. I know how to eat a meal bar if I get hungry. Or at least I do now that I know what isn’t going to make me sick. Er … popcorn at night or that GORP stuff you make for when we are hiking is good. Uh … have I complained?”
“No. If you did I wouldn’t have to guess,” I told him with a snort. “I just know guys … or at least this part of the equation. My friend Pei and I sometimes had to work the numbers six ways from Sunday to make sure our Crew didn’t mutiny. Grocery maffs can get crazy when there is only so much to go around.”
“Do Rick and I need to throw in some more? I’ll be honest. I’ve never had it this easy when it comes to the food. Eating out costs big bucks.”
“Nah, so long as you two keep up with your coffee addiction and the cost of your personal stuff. I could add some bulk and filler to our meals and I may have to if the groceries in the store keep going up, but it will be things like rice or gluten-free dumplings. It’s not that big a deal, or isn’t right now. I was just asking. You’re easier to reach on this stuff than Rick is.”
For some reason Lev took that as a compliment when I was just stating a fact. Lev is easier to talk to about some subjects. For dinner what I did was make meatballs in gluten-free brown gravy and served it over rice. Then for dessert I fixed gluten-free Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls[1]. It helped me to clean up a few things in the frig and gave me an idea of how much rice I will likely need to purchase going forward.
Tonight, another quick text from Rick letting us know that he would see us at tomorrow’s park as we move into Levy County. Lev and I have made a concerted effort to keep things cleaned up on the schedule by crossing all the t’s and dotting all of the I’s. Hopefully we have stepped on anyone’s toes.
Resources:
Sholom Park – Find Your Peace – Ocala, Florida
Ocala Shooting Range
Historical Markers and War Memorials in Marion County, Florida
[1] View: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/810507264202560169/
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you very much for the chapters.
Mar 12-18: Levy County
March12(M)- Manatee Springs State Park (Part 1)
Rick is back and looking pretty strung out. His uncle is okay, but Rick finally had that “talk” with Rosa. She let slip she wasn’t the helpless and clueless innocent he thought she was. He’s not taking her coming clean very well. They’ve come to an understanding apparently, but Rick’s feelings are hurt but more on that after I deal with describing today’s park.
# # # # #
We left Rainbow Springs and drove the hour up US98 to get to Manatee Springs State Park. There was a welcome packet waiting on us that included Benny’s Junior Ranger program material and a note from Rick that he’d catch up with us after taking care of some Admin stuff. At least we knew he was around which I was honestly concerned about.
Rather than a physical guide we had some educational materials that got us going on the history of the park.
For thousands of years Manatee Springs and the surrounding area have provided for human habitation. Artifacts found in the spring and adjacent areas indicate that people have been living and raising their families here for at least 9,000 years. The arrival of Spaniards during the 1500s brought an end to a series of cultures that lived in harmony with the Earth for thousands of years.
In 1774, William Bartram, a naturalist, botanist and artist, traveled through the area while exploring the Southeast. Later, he wrote a book about his travels in which he described Manatee Springs in detail and noted the presence of manatees.
Manatee Springs State Park offers 8.5 miles of nature trails on the North End Trail system that wind around cypress swamps, sinkhole ponds and uplands. This is what we did until after lunch when it warmed up.
Swimming activities can be enjoyed in the natural feature of this beautiful first-magnitude spring. Use caution - the current is swift.
I was putting Benny through some swimming exercises when a head popped up beside me startling me and making me irritated that someone was in my personal space. Then Benny laughed hysterically. “Ranger Rick! You’re back!”
“Yes. Yes I am,” he said. I didn’t like the manic look in his eyes so I kept an eye on both of them in the swift current. Thunder boomers not long afterwards had me getting Benny out and Rick and Lev followed even though most people hadn’t decided to leave the water yet. That’s on them. If you can hear thunder, lightning is likely closer, and it was simply the rule I’d always had and I was raising Benny the same way. Lightning and water do not mix well.
Rick had stowed his gear in the jeep, so we just drove to see if our campsite was ready and it was. The park features 80 campsites in three loops, each with its own hot shower restroom and all within easy walking distance of the spring. There is electricity and water at each site which was a nice plus.
# # # # #
March 12 - Manatee Springs State Park (part 2)
While I had Benny clean up and dry off I took supper out of the crock pot … pot roast over rice. It was a bit of a repeat, but Lev and Benny didn’t complain. By the time Benny was out Rick and Lev had a new canopy set up over the picnic table. This one was the next that a vendor had donated to get included in the pictures (it has their logo on it) and it was basically a pop-up screen room. Heavier and more cumbersome than the other one but would be better now that the mosquitos were more troublesome.
After supper I pulled out the dessert surprise; Thin Mint Ice Cream Pie that used a gluten-free version of thin mint cookies[1]. Clean-up was easy since I had lined the crock pot and we used paper plates. That’s when Rick asked, “Gus? You … you got a minute to talk?”
I was drying the dishpan and said, “Let me put this away and make sure Benny is good for a bit. You want to sit or walk?”
I could tell what his answer was so when I checked on Benny I whispered, “I’m gonna lock the door. Use your tablet to beep me if there is a problem but Ranger Rick needs to talk. I’m gonna try and keep his head on his shoulders but it might take a while.”
“Is he angry?” Benny asked in concern.
“Not at me if that’s what you’re wondering. Or us. I think he just needs to talk with someone that is … sympathetic or something like that.”
Benny relaxed. “Oh. You talk good Aunt Gus. You listen really, really good too. When my brain itches you always know how to help.”
I gave him a kiss on the head and a tickle and then pointed to his tablet and he plugged it up and didn’t make a fuss when I locked the door on the way out. Lev had set up his equipment and gave me a serious look and a thumbs up where Rick couldn’t see.
“Why don’t we take a walk,” I suggested.
He asked, “What about Benny?”
“He knows we won’t go far, and the van is locked. Lev is sitting at the picnic table doing his thing and will keep an eye out for any emergency.”
“Oh.” He looked pretty blasted, so I just started walking and pulled him along.
After about fifteen feet he said, “He could have died. Almost did.”
“That’s rough,” I said sympathetically. “But you said he is better and in good hands.”
“His doctor is German.”
“Is this the same doctor that he always has?”
“No. That guy isn’t bad, but the new doc is top notch and more proactive. His other doctor recommended this new guy. Apparently he’s world renowned or something close. But my uncle … he could have died.”
“But he didn’t,” I told him since he seemed to need it reinforced.
“Rosa and her mother …”
Uh oh. Warning Will Robinson. Watch where this is going. “Were supportive?”
“No!” He stopped and took a deep breath. “No. All they seemed to … to be thinking about is …”
He just stopped talking. “Rick, it doesn’t make them or you bad for being blunt. I take it all they could do is think about how his passing would have affected them.”
He jerked to a stop and stared at me in the dark. “How did you know?”
I snorted but tried to be honest but compassionate at the same time. “Because that’s the most common reaction that people have when things go toes up. It’s … look, it’s fear. Let me give you an example. Penny, Benny’s mother, pretty much fell apart after my brother died. Lawrence hadn’t just been her lover and friend, he’d been her protector and provider. Penny really didn’t have any family close … not that kind of close anyway … that could help. After Lawrence? As a mother she always worried about Benny. Mostly I got caught betwixt and between because she was pissed off at me because I couldn’t follow her down the hole. See, I’d made my brother a promise I would take care of both of them if anything ever happened to him. She was so afraid that it took her a while to see that I was grieving and terrified too. But … she did, she just couldn’t keep it together. Rosa and her mom … they don’t have the same problems as Penny. But they do have the same worries. The question is are you going to stay angry at them, or are you going to avoid carrying that baggage around.”
It took a moment but Rick answered, “My uncle still wants them to come to the states and he still wants me to keep getting their paperwork in order. He just hasn’t had the energy to push and now the docs are saying he shouldn’t be stressed at all.”
Asking what I thought was an important question I said, “Do you still want to help them out with their immigration paperwork? I thought the agreement was they needed to be proactive of the stuff they must do on their end.”
He was quiet for a long time. “Right now I’m angry that it is being dumped on me again. From what I was able to discover, Rosa’s parents are the ones that screwed it up. They never started the naturalization process. Didn’t even bother keeping their green cards up, just moved from state to state when things started getting hot in any location. They also didn’t make sure any of their kids took care of their DACA paperwork or started on their own naturalizations.”
“Wait, I thought Rosa was an only. Where are the others now and why aren’t they helping?”
He sighed deeply. “All over. The one son that could help … won’t for his own reasons. Rosa is her mother’s only kid but her mother helped rather Rosa’s half siblings. They … haven’t really been a cohesive family in a while.”
I avoided the TMI by asking, “What about Rosa’s aunt?”
He gave me a look and said, “Aunt Sylvia is … she’s pretty straight. She might as well be a nun. But she is devoted to my uncle. And I think he retired to Costa Rica to be near her. However if Rosa’s mother is a … uh … ultra traditionalist, Rosa’s grandparents were ten times as bad. It made things complicated what little of that stuff I can find out. They just died last year. Sylvia was the middle daughter, sent money home to her parents, and would have more than likely been called home to be her father’s caretaker if there hadn’t been a younger third wife that pretty much took things over and moved Aunt Sylvia and the rest of them out in favor of her own kids.”
Oh brother. “Yep. Story I’ve heard a few times before, just not all of them are Spanish.”
He nodded and had started to lose some of that weird energy he’d been giving off. “They own a coffee plantation and had a cattle ranch as well. Apparently Aunt Sylvia’s older brothers insisted she get some of the money when the cattle ranch was sold. Not even their stepmother could change that and gossip is that she tried.”
“Not to be cynical, but more than likely her brothers did it that way to keep her, Sylvia, from moving home, or maybe for a bigger dower so she’d find a man to take care of her now that she is past her prime on the regular marriage market. Maybe to a man that already has heirs.”
He gave me a look before saying, “You really do know.”
“Basic Human History 101 until the last century. They still do it in some families and cultures, you just don’t call it that. So back to your story.”
He sighed. “Aunt Sylvia is cool. She’s good for and to my uncle. And for the record I’m fine if there is more to it than nurse/patient.”
“But?”
“But … this whole thing with Rosa.” He shook himself. “You know … I want to be more than a friend. With you I mean.”
“We’ve already had this discussion Rick. Being co-workers creates complications that might be not be insurmountable, but that doesn’t make it smart to pick Door #1.”
He gave a cynical chuff. “I wish Rosa was as patient and understanding as you. I … need time. I don’t want to hurt her. But she’s got expectations that I’m not necessarily interested in meeting. But then my uncle has his expectations and … I can’t exactly have a discussion with him about things right now because of his health.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“What?”
I said, “Are you sure you can’t have that conversation. And I’m not asking you to think about that because there might be something that could grow between us besides friendship.”
“Might?”
“Yeah, might. No pressure remember? I like you. I know I like you. But we are still in the friends-lane and it looks like you need it to stay that way and I’m willing to see that need met because of all the other reasons we’ve talked about before. And I’m not making this discussion about me. When we started walking you looked like you were about to come uncorked. So talk. Bleed it off. What is it you need?”
He growled. “Dammit why do you make this so easy?”
A little affronted I said, “Well excuse the hell out of me. Who in their right mind wants to make things harder?”
He stood there with his mouth hanging open before shutting it and starting us walking the camp road another circle. “That didn’t come out exactly right,” he said as a form of apology.
“Okay, I’ll give. What did you mean to say?” I said, willing to let it go.
“I wish people would stop pressuring me.”
“I’m not,” I reminded him.
“Exactly. God, my uncle almost died Gus. And I can’t give him what he wants.”
“Which is? Or do I even need to ask.”
A little hesitantly he explained, “He wants some happily ever after for me. I’m not sure I’m even interested in that right now. I have things I want to do. I’m only twenty-six years old dammit. There’s got to be time for other stuff. I want to go back and get my master’s degree for one, and you know that’s out the door given my current salary if I have to support a family.”
“A ready-made family?”
He gave a deep sigh. “I’m sorry Gus, but yeah. It’s like some fairytale in his head and I know he has the best of intentions. I mean his motivations are pure, he just feels like he is running out of time. And if you hadn’t come along, I might have even been willing to fall in line so long as he wasn’t expecting it to happen so fast.”
Trying not to be disappointed I said, “He’s older, in bad health, and he cares for you like a father. I can see my own father maybe doing something similar if he’d been given the time to see me as something other than a burden he was going to have to take care of for all his days.”
“Uh …”
I gave a sad chuckle. “Relax. I get it. Dad just never got to see me grow up. And he might have gotten in the way of me growing up … until he didn’t have a choice. I could be walking in your shoes but life … decided differently. But that means you have options. You’re just going to have to choose. It sounds like for now you want to shelve the entire relationship thing, just not in a way that you view will hurt anyone. And you can uncross your eyes, I do know how to converse like an adult.”
“Why do you make me want to laugh when you say stuff like that?” he asked bewildered. “Are you doing it on purpose? Is this too serious for you? Not serious enough?”
“None of the above. I’m being me and I’m taking your need to talk seriously. We’re crew, or a team if you prefer, and this is what I was trained to do and part of what I am supposed to do as my contribution to the grant; observe and find solutions so we can keep ticking along. So here it is. You are badly stressed Rick. As in it is making you sick. You are getting it coming and going. And none of it is something you can just punt down the field for someone else to handle. Been there, so I’m sympathetic. I also know you’ll survive this phase, you just have to decide what you are willing to accept and live with.”
“I wish Rosa … wait, there’s no way that doesn’t come out sounding not what I mean.”
I rolled my eyes and was glad he couldn’t see it in the dark. Instead, I told him, “Will you relax already. I’m. Your. Friend. We’ve established the likes here. But … there is your uncle and there is Rosa. Your uncle’s place is obvious. Rosa is … was … is … a piece of your life. You need to decide how that piece fits in now rather than letting other people tell you how she fits.”
“Well it doesn’t fit with me marrying her and making it easier for her to move back to the States,” he snapped.
“Whoa. Is that you assuming or did someone actually say that?”
More than a little embarrassed he answered, “My uncle. But he was on pretty strong meds at the time and maybe wouldn’t have said it otherwise. Aunt Sylvia told me not to take anything he said seriously but she wasn’t in the room when he said it, so I don’t know how much she knows. I do know that Rosa and her mother were shocked that I came back here. They thought I would stay in Costa Rica but … I don’t have the leave. Uncle George said he understood and even his doctors said I couldn’t do anything but stand over him at that point. They all have my new number and so does Aunt Sylvia.”
“Your new number.” A new piece of the puzzle.
“Er … yeah. I … er … I took a page out of your book and set a new number up that routes my calls depending on the number calling. Sylvia understands boundaries. Rosa and her mother not so much. I told them because they called my number so much during work hours that it caused a problem with the rule about personal calls. I’ll have to see how that goes.”
Trying to impress on him without bossing him around I said, “Rick, you need to be upfront with her. Tell her she’s pushing and that you just want to be friends.”
Mildly confused he said, “I thought that was the understanding we had. She just keeps pushing.”
“Put her on ignore until she believes you.”
“I don’t want to hurt her. And I’m worried it will get back to Uncle George and he doesn’t need that kind of stress.”
“Okay, don’t take this the wrong way, but do you really want people that would resort to that kind of blackmail around your uncle?”
“They wouldn’t do it on purpose.”
“Bull crap.” He was getting stressed again so I backed off. “Look I’m your friend before anything else so I’m just going to say it like I see it for your sake, not theirs. Regardless of their motivation, this is something you need to put your foot down about. Tell them if they don’t back off you aren’t going to make time for their immigration paperwork. That it is going to cause such problems with your employment that you aren’t going to have time to help them with their immigration paperwork. I’ve made that suggestion before. I’m doubling down on it. It is already going to take money and a lawyer to get them back in the country legally. At least Rosa and her mother. And for your info, they must apply in person on their end in their country of origin, at the US Embassy.”
“That’s for refugees.”
I shook my head. “Nope. That’s every applicant. If she left any unpaid bills, that must be paid before they’ll even look at their application. They’ll also have to prove they don’t have any outstanding warrants … and Rosa may if she didn’t show up for her DACA hearing, assuming she had one.”
“How do you know this?” he asked suspiciously.
“I got worried about you and your uncle playing Don Quixote. I looked it up and then called a couple of people to confirm that I understood what I was reading. And Florida is very strict. If they catch you without proper paperwork you can plan on being arrested and put in one of the containment camps until the hearing comes up. She will be separated from her kid and her kid will go into the foster care system until that time. If she’s found to be an unfit mother, the kid might just remain in foster care until a judge signs off on an order removing her parental rights and him getting put up for adoption. With all the fertility problems from the covid infections, you know it won’t take long. As for Rosa …”
Overwhelmed with the new information Rick said, “Stop. I’ll … I’ll see how much of this is true in the next couple of days.”
I tried not to be oversensitive to the fact that he thought I might be lying. I told him, “Make sure you call a good immigration lawyer … one that has the right license in the right state … and not one that is just going to take your money and tell you what you want to hear rather than what you need to hear. Rick, I care about you and as a friend I’m telling you, be careful. You work for the State. If you get tied to something hinky, it could mean your job. I don’t want to see you get hurt no matter how innocent Rosa thinks her motivations are. If she cares about you, she’ll pay more attention to how her actions could hurt you.”
He'd opened his mouth until my last sentence and slowly closed it. “You … you think she doesn’t understand?”
“I have no clue.” Yeah right. “I’ve never met her. And I freely admit most of this is none of my business. Also for the record, I don’t hate her. But you are my friend, and it is obvious how much you care about your uncle. It is also obvious this is wrecking your peace of mind. And if you don’t get it under control your job could be collateral damage. I’d hate to see that happen. Not because of what it would mean for the grant, but because of what it would do to you. You love your job. Just stand up for yourself. I get that your uncle’s health makes things harder. But at the least you need to get Rosa to see things from your side. She’s got problems that you may not be able to fix, that it might not be your responsibility to fix. She’s freaked out six ways from Sunday … her second father is seriously ill, she has a little boy she is trying to secure a future for, her kid’s father died by the sword and won’t be helping her to support the little boy, and she’s grasping at straws and you are the biggest and strongest and best known. I get you want to help her. But it isn’t your fault she made the choices to do what she did.”
He sighed. “I … I like you Gus. I always know where I stand.”
I wish I could have returned the compliment, but I couldn’t. I don’t know where I stand with Rick. Oh, I trust that he thinks he likes me and all that. I’m just not sure of the rest of it. This isn’t nearly as bad as it was with Christopher but I’m going to have to get my own grip on things.
When we got back to camp I took care of Benny who refused to go to sleep until I got back. I also fixed myself a mug of chamomile tea and sat outside as the coals turned from red to barely orange in the fire ring. I nearly jumped when my phone buzzed in my back pocket. Without thinking I took it out. It wasn’t Benny wanting one last thing. It was Lev.
“Well R came back with his head sewed back on. But now you look stressed out.”
“Nah. Just thinking.”
“About?”
“That you give good advice when it comes to co-workers and entanglements.”
“Uh oh.”
“Nah Pappaw. Even if R and I weren’t co-workers, he’s got major crappage going on and there wouldn’t be room for anything else.”
“You okay with that?”
“Meh. Kinda figured. You give good advice.”
“Ha. Wish I could fix this. You look sad.”
“Like I said, Meh. He says he likes me. That’ll have to do until he figures things on his end out.”
I couldn’t stay up all night and neither could Lev. Time to hit the hay. Just hope I can sleep without resorting to a caffeine bubbly water. The stress is making the hamster feel like it has static electricity.
[1] Gluten Free Thin Mints Cookies | A Girl Scout Copycat Recipe
While I had Benny clean up and dry off I took supper out of the crock pot … pot roast over rice. It was a bit of a repeat, but Lev and Benny didn’t complain. By the time Benny was out Rick and Lev had a new canopy set up over the picnic table. This one was the next that a vendor had donated to get included in the pictures (it has their logo on it) and it was basically a pop-up screen room. Heavier and more cumbersome than the other one but would be better now that the mosquitos were more troublesome.
After supper I pulled out the dessert surprise; Thin Mint Ice Cream Pie that used a gluten-free version of thin mint cookies[1]. Clean-up was easy since I had lined the crock pot and we used paper plates. That’s when Rick asked, “Gus? You … you got a minute to talk?”
I was drying the dishpan and said, “Let me put this away and make sure Benny is good for a bit. You want to sit or walk?”
I could tell what his answer was so when I checked on Benny I whispered, “I’m gonna lock the door. Use your tablet to beep me if there is a problem but Ranger Rick needs to talk. I’m gonna try and keep his head on his shoulders but it might take a while.”
“Is he angry?” Benny asked in concern.
“Not at me if that’s what you’re wondering. Or us. I think he just needs to talk with someone that is … sympathetic or something like that.”
Benny relaxed. “Oh. You talk good Aunt Gus. You listen really, really good too. When my brain itches you always know how to help.”
I gave him a kiss on the head and a tickle and then pointed to his tablet and he plugged it up and didn’t make a fuss when I locked the door on the way out. Lev had set up his equipment and gave me a serious look and a thumbs up where Rick couldn’t see.
“Why don’t we take a walk,” I suggested.
He asked, “What about Benny?”
“He knows we won’t go far, and the van is locked. Lev is sitting at the picnic table doing his thing and will keep an eye out for any emergency.”
“Oh.” He looked pretty blasted, so I just started walking and pulled him along.
After about fifteen feet he said, “He could have died. Almost did.”
“That’s rough,” I said sympathetically. “But you said he is better and in good hands.”
“His doctor is German.”
“Is this the same doctor that he always has?”
“No. That guy isn’t bad, but the new doc is top notch and more proactive. His other doctor recommended this new guy. Apparently he’s world renowned or something close. But my uncle … he could have died.”
“But he didn’t,” I told him since he seemed to need it reinforced.
“Rosa and her mother …”
Uh oh. Warning Will Robinson. Watch where this is going. “Were supportive?”
“No!” He stopped and took a deep breath. “No. All they seemed to … to be thinking about is …”
He just stopped talking. “Rick, it doesn’t make them or you bad for being blunt. I take it all they could do is think about how his passing would have affected them.”
He jerked to a stop and stared at me in the dark. “How did you know?”
I snorted but tried to be honest but compassionate at the same time. “Because that’s the most common reaction that people have when things go toes up. It’s … look, it’s fear. Let me give you an example. Penny, Benny’s mother, pretty much fell apart after my brother died. Lawrence hadn’t just been her lover and friend, he’d been her protector and provider. Penny really didn’t have any family close … not that kind of close anyway … that could help. After Lawrence? As a mother she always worried about Benny. Mostly I got caught betwixt and between because she was pissed off at me because I couldn’t follow her down the hole. See, I’d made my brother a promise I would take care of both of them if anything ever happened to him. She was so afraid that it took her a while to see that I was grieving and terrified too. But … she did, she just couldn’t keep it together. Rosa and her mom … they don’t have the same problems as Penny. But they do have the same worries. The question is are you going to stay angry at them, or are you going to avoid carrying that baggage around.”
It took a moment but Rick answered, “My uncle still wants them to come to the states and he still wants me to keep getting their paperwork in order. He just hasn’t had the energy to push and now the docs are saying he shouldn’t be stressed at all.”
Asking what I thought was an important question I said, “Do you still want to help them out with their immigration paperwork? I thought the agreement was they needed to be proactive of the stuff they must do on their end.”
He was quiet for a long time. “Right now I’m angry that it is being dumped on me again. From what I was able to discover, Rosa’s parents are the ones that screwed it up. They never started the naturalization process. Didn’t even bother keeping their green cards up, just moved from state to state when things started getting hot in any location. They also didn’t make sure any of their kids took care of their DACA paperwork or started on their own naturalizations.”
“Wait, I thought Rosa was an only. Where are the others now and why aren’t they helping?”
He sighed deeply. “All over. The one son that could help … won’t for his own reasons. Rosa is her mother’s only kid but her mother helped rather Rosa’s half siblings. They … haven’t really been a cohesive family in a while.”
I avoided the TMI by asking, “What about Rosa’s aunt?”
He gave me a look and said, “Aunt Sylvia is … she’s pretty straight. She might as well be a nun. But she is devoted to my uncle. And I think he retired to Costa Rica to be near her. However if Rosa’s mother is a … uh … ultra traditionalist, Rosa’s grandparents were ten times as bad. It made things complicated what little of that stuff I can find out. They just died last year. Sylvia was the middle daughter, sent money home to her parents, and would have more than likely been called home to be her father’s caretaker if there hadn’t been a younger third wife that pretty much took things over and moved Aunt Sylvia and the rest of them out in favor of her own kids.”
Oh brother. “Yep. Story I’ve heard a few times before, just not all of them are Spanish.”
He nodded and had started to lose some of that weird energy he’d been giving off. “They own a coffee plantation and had a cattle ranch as well. Apparently Aunt Sylvia’s older brothers insisted she get some of the money when the cattle ranch was sold. Not even their stepmother could change that and gossip is that she tried.”
“Not to be cynical, but more than likely her brothers did it that way to keep her, Sylvia, from moving home, or maybe for a bigger dower so she’d find a man to take care of her now that she is past her prime on the regular marriage market. Maybe to a man that already has heirs.”
He gave me a look before saying, “You really do know.”
“Basic Human History 101 until the last century. They still do it in some families and cultures, you just don’t call it that. So back to your story.”
He sighed. “Aunt Sylvia is cool. She’s good for and to my uncle. And for the record I’m fine if there is more to it than nurse/patient.”
“But?”
“But … this whole thing with Rosa.” He shook himself. “You know … I want to be more than a friend. With you I mean.”
“We’ve already had this discussion Rick. Being co-workers creates complications that might be not be insurmountable, but that doesn’t make it smart to pick Door #1.”
He gave a cynical chuff. “I wish Rosa was as patient and understanding as you. I … need time. I don’t want to hurt her. But she’s got expectations that I’m not necessarily interested in meeting. But then my uncle has his expectations and … I can’t exactly have a discussion with him about things right now because of his health.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“What?”
I said, “Are you sure you can’t have that conversation. And I’m not asking you to think about that because there might be something that could grow between us besides friendship.”
“Might?”
“Yeah, might. No pressure remember? I like you. I know I like you. But we are still in the friends-lane and it looks like you need it to stay that way and I’m willing to see that need met because of all the other reasons we’ve talked about before. And I’m not making this discussion about me. When we started walking you looked like you were about to come uncorked. So talk. Bleed it off. What is it you need?”
He growled. “Dammit why do you make this so easy?”
A little affronted I said, “Well excuse the hell out of me. Who in their right mind wants to make things harder?”
He stood there with his mouth hanging open before shutting it and starting us walking the camp road another circle. “That didn’t come out exactly right,” he said as a form of apology.
“Okay, I’ll give. What did you mean to say?” I said, willing to let it go.
“I wish people would stop pressuring me.”
“I’m not,” I reminded him.
“Exactly. God, my uncle almost died Gus. And I can’t give him what he wants.”
“Which is? Or do I even need to ask.”
A little hesitantly he explained, “He wants some happily ever after for me. I’m not sure I’m even interested in that right now. I have things I want to do. I’m only twenty-six years old dammit. There’s got to be time for other stuff. I want to go back and get my master’s degree for one, and you know that’s out the door given my current salary if I have to support a family.”
“A ready-made family?”
He gave a deep sigh. “I’m sorry Gus, but yeah. It’s like some fairytale in his head and I know he has the best of intentions. I mean his motivations are pure, he just feels like he is running out of time. And if you hadn’t come along, I might have even been willing to fall in line so long as he wasn’t expecting it to happen so fast.”
Trying not to be disappointed I said, “He’s older, in bad health, and he cares for you like a father. I can see my own father maybe doing something similar if he’d been given the time to see me as something other than a burden he was going to have to take care of for all his days.”
“Uh …”
I gave a sad chuckle. “Relax. I get it. Dad just never got to see me grow up. And he might have gotten in the way of me growing up … until he didn’t have a choice. I could be walking in your shoes but life … decided differently. But that means you have options. You’re just going to have to choose. It sounds like for now you want to shelve the entire relationship thing, just not in a way that you view will hurt anyone. And you can uncross your eyes, I do know how to converse like an adult.”
“Why do you make me want to laugh when you say stuff like that?” he asked bewildered. “Are you doing it on purpose? Is this too serious for you? Not serious enough?”
“None of the above. I’m being me and I’m taking your need to talk seriously. We’re crew, or a team if you prefer, and this is what I was trained to do and part of what I am supposed to do as my contribution to the grant; observe and find solutions so we can keep ticking along. So here it is. You are badly stressed Rick. As in it is making you sick. You are getting it coming and going. And none of it is something you can just punt down the field for someone else to handle. Been there, so I’m sympathetic. I also know you’ll survive this phase, you just have to decide what you are willing to accept and live with.”
“I wish Rosa … wait, there’s no way that doesn’t come out sounding not what I mean.”
I rolled my eyes and was glad he couldn’t see it in the dark. Instead, I told him, “Will you relax already. I’m. Your. Friend. We’ve established the likes here. But … there is your uncle and there is Rosa. Your uncle’s place is obvious. Rosa is … was … is … a piece of your life. You need to decide how that piece fits in now rather than letting other people tell you how she fits.”
“Well it doesn’t fit with me marrying her and making it easier for her to move back to the States,” he snapped.
“Whoa. Is that you assuming or did someone actually say that?”
More than a little embarrassed he answered, “My uncle. But he was on pretty strong meds at the time and maybe wouldn’t have said it otherwise. Aunt Sylvia told me not to take anything he said seriously but she wasn’t in the room when he said it, so I don’t know how much she knows. I do know that Rosa and her mother were shocked that I came back here. They thought I would stay in Costa Rica but … I don’t have the leave. Uncle George said he understood and even his doctors said I couldn’t do anything but stand over him at that point. They all have my new number and so does Aunt Sylvia.”
“Your new number.” A new piece of the puzzle.
“Er … yeah. I … er … I took a page out of your book and set a new number up that routes my calls depending on the number calling. Sylvia understands boundaries. Rosa and her mother not so much. I told them because they called my number so much during work hours that it caused a problem with the rule about personal calls. I’ll have to see how that goes.”
Trying to impress on him without bossing him around I said, “Rick, you need to be upfront with her. Tell her she’s pushing and that you just want to be friends.”
Mildly confused he said, “I thought that was the understanding we had. She just keeps pushing.”
“Put her on ignore until she believes you.”
“I don’t want to hurt her. And I’m worried it will get back to Uncle George and he doesn’t need that kind of stress.”
“Okay, don’t take this the wrong way, but do you really want people that would resort to that kind of blackmail around your uncle?”
“They wouldn’t do it on purpose.”
“Bull crap.” He was getting stressed again so I backed off. “Look I’m your friend before anything else so I’m just going to say it like I see it for your sake, not theirs. Regardless of their motivation, this is something you need to put your foot down about. Tell them if they don’t back off you aren’t going to make time for their immigration paperwork. That it is going to cause such problems with your employment that you aren’t going to have time to help them with their immigration paperwork. I’ve made that suggestion before. I’m doubling down on it. It is already going to take money and a lawyer to get them back in the country legally. At least Rosa and her mother. And for your info, they must apply in person on their end in their country of origin, at the US Embassy.”
“That’s for refugees.”
I shook my head. “Nope. That’s every applicant. If she left any unpaid bills, that must be paid before they’ll even look at their application. They’ll also have to prove they don’t have any outstanding warrants … and Rosa may if she didn’t show up for her DACA hearing, assuming she had one.”
“How do you know this?” he asked suspiciously.
“I got worried about you and your uncle playing Don Quixote. I looked it up and then called a couple of people to confirm that I understood what I was reading. And Florida is very strict. If they catch you without proper paperwork you can plan on being arrested and put in one of the containment camps until the hearing comes up. She will be separated from her kid and her kid will go into the foster care system until that time. If she’s found to be an unfit mother, the kid might just remain in foster care until a judge signs off on an order removing her parental rights and him getting put up for adoption. With all the fertility problems from the covid infections, you know it won’t take long. As for Rosa …”
Overwhelmed with the new information Rick said, “Stop. I’ll … I’ll see how much of this is true in the next couple of days.”
I tried not to be oversensitive to the fact that he thought I might be lying. I told him, “Make sure you call a good immigration lawyer … one that has the right license in the right state … and not one that is just going to take your money and tell you what you want to hear rather than what you need to hear. Rick, I care about you and as a friend I’m telling you, be careful. You work for the State. If you get tied to something hinky, it could mean your job. I don’t want to see you get hurt no matter how innocent Rosa thinks her motivations are. If she cares about you, she’ll pay more attention to how her actions could hurt you.”
He'd opened his mouth until my last sentence and slowly closed it. “You … you think she doesn’t understand?”
“I have no clue.” Yeah right. “I’ve never met her. And I freely admit most of this is none of my business. Also for the record, I don’t hate her. But you are my friend, and it is obvious how much you care about your uncle. It is also obvious this is wrecking your peace of mind. And if you don’t get it under control your job could be collateral damage. I’d hate to see that happen. Not because of what it would mean for the grant, but because of what it would do to you. You love your job. Just stand up for yourself. I get that your uncle’s health makes things harder. But at the least you need to get Rosa to see things from your side. She’s got problems that you may not be able to fix, that it might not be your responsibility to fix. She’s freaked out six ways from Sunday … her second father is seriously ill, she has a little boy she is trying to secure a future for, her kid’s father died by the sword and won’t be helping her to support the little boy, and she’s grasping at straws and you are the biggest and strongest and best known. I get you want to help her. But it isn’t your fault she made the choices to do what she did.”
He sighed. “I … I like you Gus. I always know where I stand.”
I wish I could have returned the compliment, but I couldn’t. I don’t know where I stand with Rick. Oh, I trust that he thinks he likes me and all that. I’m just not sure of the rest of it. This isn’t nearly as bad as it was with Christopher but I’m going to have to get my own grip on things.
When we got back to camp I took care of Benny who refused to go to sleep until I got back. I also fixed myself a mug of chamomile tea and sat outside as the coals turned from red to barely orange in the fire ring. I nearly jumped when my phone buzzed in my back pocket. Without thinking I took it out. It wasn’t Benny wanting one last thing. It was Lev.
“Well R came back with his head sewed back on. But now you look stressed out.”
“Nah. Just thinking.”
“About?”
“That you give good advice when it comes to co-workers and entanglements.”
“Uh oh.”
“Nah Pappaw. Even if R and I weren’t co-workers, he’s got major crappage going on and there wouldn’t be room for anything else.”
“You okay with that?”
“Meh. Kinda figured. You give good advice.”
“Ha. Wish I could fix this. You look sad.”
“Like I said, Meh. He says he likes me. That’ll have to do until he figures things on his end out.”
I couldn’t stay up all night and neither could Lev. Time to hit the hay. Just hope I can sleep without resorting to a caffeine bubbly water. The stress is making the hamster feel like it has static electricity.
[1] Gluten Free Thin Mints Cookies | A Girl Scout Copycat Recipe
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you. 
March 13 (T) – Suwannee River Kayaking
We remained in Manatee Springs today and since the weather cooperated, after a breakfast of gluten-free pancakes and sliced sausage (which all three of my caballeros inhaled as fast as I could cook them), we spent the day kayaking on the Suwannee River.
Manatee is a first-magnitude spring, meaning it pumps more than 100 million gallons of water daily. It is popular with scuba divers, both open-water divers and cave divers. There is a limit on the number of divers allowed at a time and each day. We didn’t do any diving but we saw a few.
Given its name, you would expect to see manatees in this spring, but even in the winter manatees are not consistently present. The Suwannee River here is wide and lined with giant cypress trees. Signs warn that this is the area where huge leaping sturgeon can be a hazard in the spring. Now those we saw. I had a couple bang off the kayak and another I had to fend off like an errant baseball with my paddle. Luckily none of them got close to Benny. It’s like they were doing it on purpose. Geez.
The water was tinted orange from all the tannin from leaves that have fallen in, and the current is two or three miles per hour. Despite the forested shoreline, there was little shade while paddling, so I was glad we were prepared with hats and sunscreen even if it was only March. There were several places to stop along the way and stretch which made for a leisurely day. Andrews Wildlife Management Area is primarily a resource for hunters, but it offers trails and picnic tables right along the Suwannee. Clays Landing, at the border of Manatee Springs State Park, has a boat ramp and more picnic tables.
We ended up at the Treasure Camp Restaurant in Fowler Bluff on Concrete ramp. Really “old Florida” kinda place with a dock we could tie off at so long as we were eating there. Yum. Benny had crab-stuffed portobello mushrooms with a mini-Greek side salad. I ate baked stuffed shrimp au gratin that were large gulf shrimp split, stuffed with crab, wrapped in bacon, topped with herb garlic butter and Italian six-cheese blend then broiled. I also had a side salad myself and then split a baked potato with Benny. The guys had the surf n’ turf which was ribeye and grilled shrimp with two sides.
Took a while to walk off lunch but that was okay. It gave Lev time to take some photos for filler. Unbelievable wilderness as we paddled back, but many speed boats coming around bends at full speed for the last 3 miles which more than a little irritated me.
Back in camp at Manatee Springs the guys had work to do and I needed to do some adulting as well. An email from Uncle Daniel. What on earth does he want? If it is just to be “family” I guess I can deal with that but I don’t know, if he wants something else I wish he would just get around to it.
I’m putting things away for the night. The hamster keeps trying to make an entrance. Nothing I can’t manage but I need to keep busy to do it.
March 14 (W) - Cedar Key Scrub State Reserve
Weighed anchor this morning after a breakfast of Oatmeal Brulee and Ginger Cream[1]. Wasn’t bad but was a little frou-frou for the guys I think. That’s going on the bottom of the stack for any possible duplications or maybe I’ll just chuck it. It took more time than I would normally give something like that anyway when we need to get a move on in the mornings. Spent the day in Cedar Key Scrub State Preserve.
Located five miles east of Cedar Key, the reserve is over 5,000 acres. Should have been a lot to explore with that many acres but most of the trails were soggy and unmaintained because more focus has been placed on rehabilitating the damaged state parks in Florida. It is accessed from two trailheads, one on SR24 and the other on Levy County Road 347. The trailheads provide access to 13 miles of multi-use trails located within the reserve - hike, bike or ride a horse. Saw a lot of horse sign. I managed to keep Benny from stepping in horse sign thank goodness. Contained within the reserve's boundaries are 12 distinct natural communities, including one of the rarest in the state, Florida scrub. These natural communities are home to a variety of wildlife, including the Florida scrub-jay, Florida mouse, gopher tortoise and bald eagle.
The geography of the park on its western boundary includes tidal marshes where creeks can be used for fishing from a canoe or kayak or simply paddling to observe wildlife. While the reserve does not have a canoe/kayak launch, the tidal marsh can be accessed by launching at the public boat ramp located at the FWC Senator George Kirkpatrick Marine Laboratory, located off SR24 at the entrance to Cedar Key.
We used our time there to hike the White Trail Loop in the park; just under four miles. This is a trail that would definitely be better during Florida’s cooler winter months because even though it is only mid-March it was more than a little warm-ish since there was no shade. It was a good example of coastal hiking however with lots of green stuff to look at and pretty decent wildlife evidence though none around while we were hiking through.
We came back to the van/jeep and decided just to eat the kabobs that I’d fixed … cubed chicken, grapes, strawberries, and melon … and then head on to our camp for the night which was a private business; Shell Mound Campground.
Well, I wouldn’t say it is the worst campsite Benny and I have ever had because it has water hook up and 30 amp electric, but it lacked something. It’s a small remote campground within walking distance to a Shell Mound that really isn’t all that exciting. Sites are back-in and are either grass or dirt. Bathrooms are dated but clean and functional. Small playground, a couple of short hiking trails, fire rings, picnic tables. It is nice that it is right on the water with a public boat ramp in the campground. Friendly & helpful staff that went out of their way to make sure we had what we needed. But there were some drawbacks. Since it has a public boat launch, airboats were coming in and out all day and some at night and it was loud.
For the sake of Rick and Lev I’m glad we got the screen room set up during the day and they set their tents inside it. Because as soon as the sun started to set, the no-see-ums were out in droves. It was hard to walk and not simply inhale the little blood-sucking monsters. I wound up spraying deet on the screening and we just separated – guys into their “work space” and Benny and I in the van – after an early dinner.
Connectivity isn’t that great either. Most people come here to disconnect but we were here to work, or that’s the excuse I used for being irritated at not even being able to boost a signal with my set up. Gonna try and make an early night of it and hope the air boats give it a rest sometime soon.
[1] Oatmeal Brulee with Ginger Cream
March 15 (R) - Cedar Key Museum State Park
Breakfast was Banana Bread Oatmeal[1]. Definitely putting this on the repeat list. We headed straight for the park and thought I was prepared, it was even smaller than I reckoned on. Cedar Key Museum State Park encompasses 18 acres and offers an opportunity to imagine yourself as the naturalist John Muir by taking a quiet walk past large pines and oaks down to view Cedar Key's expansive salt marshes. John Muir did in fact spend a few months in Cedar Key in 1867, commemorated with a state historic marker located on the museum grounds.
The exhibits are now vintage examples from the 1950s to 1960s by the University of Florida design team, which at the time developed numerous displays for state parks. This offered a unique opportunity for Benny to not only to learn about the history of Cedar Key, but also to appreciate the incredible artistry that went into these museum displays. He thought they were “cool” and thinks he can make something similar for any virtual geocaches we do in the future. The kid’s mind seems to get stuck in the “on” position a lot lately. I’m trying to keep him from getting over wound up but when there isn’t a lot of physical activity we can do, it transfer to other things. So far they are healthy things but I still need to help him stay focused on occasion.
The historic Whitman home that is also part of the park commemorates the life of St. Clair Whitman, whose collections of seashells and native American artifacts are featured in the museum. The home has been restored to how it would have looked in the 1920s, offering yet another portal into the past. Cedar Key Museum State Park is fortunate to have collections donated by a man as interesting as the treasures he coveted, or so the museum curator told us.
St. Clair Whitman moved to Cedar Key as a boy in the late 1800s and during his life was involved with two of Cedar Key's major industries, the cedar pencil mill and the fiber factory. He was well known for his extensive personal collections of seashells and Native American artifacts that he displayed to the general public and tourists in the front room of his home. We also found out that Mr. Whitman and his collections were featured in National Geographic magazine in 1955.
When Mr. Whitman died in 1959, he donated his collections to the University of Florida's Florida Museum of Natural History with the intention that they would be displayed in a museum in Cedar Key. The St. Clair Whitman Museum opened its doors in 1962 and a plaque commemorating the dedication can be seen in the museum's entrance hall in between exhibits that highlight Whitman's life. The museum's name was later changed to the Cedar Key Museum State Park, and in 1991 his family donated Mr. Whitman’s home, which was the first museum in Cedar Key. The house, originally built in 1880, has been restored – and then repaired following several hurricanes – and is now open to the public so that people can get a glimpse of what life was like in 1920s Cedar Key.
Tonight Benny made a virtual geocache for the park and it was immediately accepted. Apparently the Little Bear and Aunt Gus stuffies are very non-threatening for special ed students and teachers have been asking for more of them. Hurray for Benny but at the same time, I want to protect him from people turning it into his job rather than a joy which is what it currently is.
The afternoon we spent sea kayaking. Kayaking out to Atsena Otie Key is one of the top things to do in Cedar Key according to all the travel brochures. Atsena Otie Key is an island that was home to the original town built in this cluster of small islands. That ended when the hurricane of 1896 and a 10-foot storm surge flattened the town. Surviving residents moved to the island that is now Cedar Key.
Today, the historic island of Atsena Otie Key (pronounced aSEEna Otee, apparently a Muscogean Indian words meaning “Cedar Island”) is managed by the Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge. You can see the old cemetery at the end of a path through the woods under a canopy of oaks. A little spooky but I kept it educational for Benny. Cemeteries never have bothered me, went to plenty with Grandma Barry and Meemo but they aren’t everyone’s cup o’ tea. To me they are just history.
The history of Atsena Otie Key goes something like this: Atsena Otie drew residents in several waves. It was originally occupied by indigenous people and then was used as an outpost during the Second Seminole War – until a hurricane destroyed the hospital there. Its post office was established in 1845, the same year Florida became a state. The little town thrived with hundreds of residents and A.W. Faber opened a lumber mill, preparing red cedar wood to be shipped north to become pencils. Fishing, oysters and harvesting sea turtles also contributed to the economy. At its height, Atsena Otee had three factories, a school, a church and 297 residents.
Then, there was the traditional Florida disaster: A hurricane swept across Atsena Otie with a 10-foot storm surge in September 1896. It was among the worst hurricanes Florida had ever experienced, at least in recorded history up to that point. It washed away the town and factory, killed 31 people and left few structures.
Due to the complete destruction, the town was never rebuilt. The few remaining buildings were floated to the better protected Way Key, the site of the current town of Cedar Key, where lumber salvaged from Atsena Otie was used to rebuild. Atsena Otie was never developed after that. It became part of Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge in 1997, a wild island preserved through the Florida Forever land acquisition program.
It was a pleasant twenty-minute kayak out and back. We saw dolphins on our way out but I kept an eye on them. Dolphins can sometimes take their play too far. Lucky for us they were more interested in fishing and eating than pranking the humans. On the white sand beach of the island we saw horseshoe crabs. Benny thought they were hysterical and even Lev became fascinated with the animal that was called a crab but looks anything but like a crab. The things look more like an aquatic tank in my opinion..
We didn’t do much investigating of the interior of the island beyond the cemetery due to bugs and snakes. None of us had on more than water shoes and I made the command decision to repair to the beach when I saw a slithering tail disappear under some oak leaves. We spent a little time on the beach within sight of our kayaks but then I saw dark clouds building off in the distance.
When we got back we were invited by a couple of rangers that know Rick to dinner at one of the local seafood restaurants along the waterfront in Cedar Key. On recommendation I tried their Heart of Palm Salad. It was good and I split it with Benny along with several skewers of grilled shrimp and a side of rice pilaf.
I was going to leave the guys to jabber and man-talk, but Lev said he had some editing he needed to upload so he came back in the jeep with us and Rick was dropped off not that long ago by one of his buddies. The no-see-um’s aren’t quite as bad tonight because there is a breeze blowing that keeps them from settling. I also put a battery-operated bug-zapper candle out to attract the worst of them and keep the few that make it inside the canopy under control.
Tomorrow we change camps and I’m pretty sure that the guys aren’t heartbroken over it. The air boats do get annoying, but it is the bugs that are the worst part of this camp.
[1] https://www.quakeroats.com/cooking-and-recipes/banana-bread-oatmeal
March 16 (F) - Waccasassa Bay Preserve State Park
Took an hour to get to our park of the day … Waccasassa Bay Preserve State Park … but we didn’t rush out of camp. Rick and Lev were a little bleary-eyed until they started on their second cup of coffee and their second breakfast burrito. Scrambled eggs, sausage, shredded potatoes, and cheese fried up like a hash and then put on a gluten-free burrito-shell is one of our favorite go-to meals; fast, easy, and easy clean up. Nothing wrong with that.
We didn’t meet our guide until 10 am. See the park is another one of those that are only accessible by boat. Bordering Florida's Gulf Coast between Cedar Key and Yankeetown, salt marshes and tidal creeks create habitat for saltwater fish, crabs and shellfish. The horizon-to-horizon expanses of salt marsh is broken up with dense tree islands of red cedar, cabbage palm and live oak.
The islands, tidal creeks, and salt marshes provide a typically scenic backdrop for boating, fishing and wildlife observation. Our guide helped us to keep an eye out for sea turtles and manatees using the seagrass beds and other estuarine and marine communities in the preserve, and we did see a few.
Our guide explained that the hydric hammock that borders the estuary is one of the last remaining remnants of the once vast Gulf Hammock. It is now protected as a reminder of the expansive hardwood forest that was once a feature of Florida’s outstanding natural areas. The Waccasassa River also provides a unique boating or paddling experience as it passes through the hydric hammock and the estuary before draining into the Gulf of Mexico. Public boat ramps can be found in Cedar Key to the west, in the town Gulf Hammock on the Waccasassa River and in Yankeetown to the south.
We spent the day fishing and birding for the most part. We caught our dinner as well as enough for another meal after I cleaned the catch. Our guide, who had been kinda quiet up to that point except for the barest of teaching moments, finally opened up when he saw that I was going to clean everything and how fast I did the filets. I even did his.
“Whoa Little Lady, that’s some knife action.”
“My grandfather insisted I learn, and it didn’t break my father’s or grandmother’s hearts either,” I told him to be polite.
He scratched his chin. “Barrymore. Barrymore. Your dad a trucker? Guy I’m thinking of used to deliver to my brother’s store.”
Cautiously I answered, “He was. He … passed a few years back.”
“Aw man, sorry to hear that,” he said like he meant it. “I’ll have to tell my brother. I remember him. Good man. Never asked for help unloading but was always willing to lend a hand getting things into the cooler.”
The world is a small place and that isn’t always comfortable.
Tonight and tomorrow we camp at this place called B’s Marina, another private camp. Our guide had good things to say about it and I agree after we got there and set up. Electric, water, a dump station that is free for RVers, free Wifi, shower rooms, and bags of ice for sale. Pets are allowed but they aren’t allowed to roam. The guys both wanted to shower so while they did I grilled some of our filets but didn’t do anything fancy. I also fixed steamed veggies and gluten-free hush puppies. I suppose I could have fixed cole slaw but wasn’t in the mood.
After dinner I also fixed two giant bowls of popcorn … one for Rick and Lev to split while they worked in the screen room and one for Benny and I while we stayed in the van. Instead of work tonight I used the extra time to work out. Benny used it to have a whole Crew confab. He crashed and burned not long ago and I’m thinking I’m going to try and do the same. I’m tired. It is a lot more work to keep my nose out of Rick’s personal business than it should be. Not because Rick is making it like that but because I’m having to hog tie the stupid hamster.
March 17 (Sa) - Inglis Bypass Recreation Area & Inglis Lock Recreation Area
Okay, I let the hamster out of its cage briefly this morning. I mean why go to the trouble of having gluten-free green food coloring on hand if you aren’t going to use it? Green eggs, green gluten free toast with a green shamrock painted on it, green gravy … er, yeah. I went there.
Benny and Lev thought it hilarious once they got over the shock. Rick tried for Benny’s sake but he admitted later that he simply hadn’t found it funny. That’s fine, I didn’t think it was as funny as Benny and Lev did. I wish Rick would lighten up a little but more for his sake than mine.
Today we were at Inglis Bypass rec area as well as the Inglis Lock. We spent most of the day bank fishing for both fresh and saltwater species. And we caught our limit despite it being Saturday and the area busy. That’s more food I don’t have to spend money one at the grocery. It’s all good.
The bypass spillway feeds freshwater from Lake Rousseau into the lower Withlacoochee River, which flows downstream through the towns of Inglis and Yankeetown before reaching the Gulf of Mexico. Approximately four miles east of US19 along CR40 is the entrance to the Inglis Bypass Recreation Area. The paved entrance road runs south through the town of Inglis’ Buddy Risher Park, then turns westward for 0.75 miles along the Bypass Canal Road before ending at the Bypass Spillway Recreation Area.
There are two picnic pavilions along the waterfront where you can escape the sun or relax and watch the birds and other wildlife in the area. Well you could if people weren’t there ahead of you. It meant having our picnic on a sheet I tossed down. Sausage dogs, baked beans, and leftover hush puppies. Not bad if I say so myself.
The Bypass Canal and Spillway were constructed as an afterthought by the US Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Cross Florida Barge Canal project. This happened after they bisected the original Withlacoochee River channel with the barge canal, thus impeding the freshwater flow that historically continued on to the Gulf. There were also mowed grass paths that run along the bypass canal eastward from the spillway and westward from the barge canal all the way to U.S. 19. These are used for hiking, biking and other recreational pursuits. And for kids to burn of some energy running around which is how Benny spent part of his time after catching his limit early on.
Rick spent most of his time on Admin activities as well as what I suspect was personal crap. I shouldn’t call it that but the mood it puts him in can be a little difficult to be around if you know what I mean, especially as I am still trying to keep my nose out of it unless invited in. Lev was happy to pick a spot and make some technical notes for his people on some shots that he uploaded tonight.
We are back at the marina for the night. Fish are all cleaned and put in the freezer. I made shamrock shakes for dessert; these went over better than the green breakfast did. Tomorrow is Rick’s day off and may he use it to burn off some of those weird vibes. Please.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you
beaglemama
Contributing Member
Thanks, Kathy!
March 18 (Su) – Williston, FL
Rick’s Day off. I guess I must admit that sometimes I need a day off from Rick. Or maybe just some space. I like him. I do. But he brings out the managing side of the hamster and I have enough trouble controlling that beastie during normal times. Seeing Rick just making himself more miserable when he could … oh forget it. It’s none of my business.
Rick headed out before breakfast so I don’t know what he would have thought of the Caramelized Pears and Oats[1] I fixed. Lev and Benny liked them plenty which I’ll admit was gratifying. Everyone likes to be appreciated for the work they put into stuff. After breakfast we broke down camp and drove towards Williston. Rick says he will meet us at our overnight location. Whoever gets there first checks in.
Our first stop of the day was at Cedar Lakes Woods and Gardens[2]. Pretty neat place. It was a botanical garden set in a 100-year-old limerock quarry. We got a guided tour that was included in the admission. They have hundreds of plants species, dozens of gardens and several waterfalls, bridges and doggone good views. I know it might seem strange for me to enjoy places like that. Plenty of people have said that it doesn’t fit my personality. Well phooey on them. Places like that … I don’t know … it is like a piece of peace for me. So there. They operate as a non-profit and there were a couple of seniors groups visiting the same time we did that thought Benny “was just the cutest.” Uh, yeah. You can imagine how well that went over with Little Bear. He was polite but stayed behind me rather than deal with people getting in his space.
Our afternoon was spent at Devil’s Den Spring in Williston[3]. We got there slightly before our reservation time so spent a few minutes reading the sign thingies that explained the location.
It is a natural wonder that has been transformed from a simple scuba diving site to a world class tourist attraction starting in the 1990s. The underground spring is inside a dry cave that has been home to many now extinct animal species. The fossils of these animals that were found in the cave and spring, dating back to the Pleistocene Age, are on display at The University of Florida's Museum of Natural History.
Benny was too young to dive, you have to be at least eighteen years of age, and at six he was just barely old enough to snorkel. We had ninety minutes and I intended that he enjoy every one of those minutes. The surface diameter of the spring was 120’ and it was mushroom shaped meaning the surface area was larger than the deeper places. The maximum depth where you could snorkel was 8’ but for divers they could go down nearly 50’. I might have tried it but there was no free-diving, and I wasn’t going to leave Lev and Benny at the surface just so I could prove I could.
Lev got some great shots of Benny. Most of them he is going to have to fool with a bit so Benny’s face isn’t in any of them, but he said not to worry about it.
Rick was waiting on us when we got to the private Crossing RV Resort, but he hadn’t been able to check in. They needed to inspect the RV/Van. Here’s the kicker, they don’t allow tents, so I offered to have them sleep in the van but oh no, that wasn’t happening. They are asleep in the jeep as I write this. At least they went to “bed” in a good mood after the Strawberry Banana S’mores[4] that I fixed for dessert.
I really … never mind. Just never mind. I’m not even going to get into it and start the blasted hamster up. I’m going to put on the sound machine and try and get some sleep. People make life way more difficult than it needs to be and I might just be one of them.
Resources:
Historical Markers in Levy County, Florida
[1] Brown Sugar Pear Steel-Cut Oats
[2] Cedar Lakes Woods and GardenS
[3] Devil's Den Spring - Scuba Diving Florida, Snorkeling, Scuba Diving Certification
[4] View: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/60587557476661443/
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you this morning.
Mar 19-26: Citrus County
March 19(M) - Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
Well some people were not bright eyed or busy tailed this morning. I didn’t say I told you so but I was sure thinking it. And I’m just going to say right here and now that I think whoever did the itinerary for this county didn’t know what they were doing. I’ll deal with it, but I really don’t think the time is going to be used as well as it could be. But I’m not the boss and I’m not paying for the fuel. If I was, then I’d have something to say about it. I also think some of the parks look as if they had used the driving time better then we could have gotten two done in one day. So there, that’s my cranky for the day.
For breakfast I tried to make things better with Apricot Honey Oatmeal[1]. We needed to head out so I had to do something fast but I still tried to sweeten things up a bit. I think coffee was a better remedy so I left the two men to it.
Today we drove to Homosassa Spring Wildlife State Park and its Junior Ranger program was better than some of the recent parks. I was happy to see it as Benny is growing mildly bored with some of the activities and I can’t blame him.
Homosassa used to be a main stop of the Florida train system going back a hundred years. Passengers could picnic and take a dip in the spring while train cars were being loaded up with cedar, crabs, fish and spring water. On a 1924 visit, one tourist called it “the most beautiful river and springs in the world.” An astounding number of fresh and saltwater fish still congregate in the natural spring bowl — large jacks, snapper, snook and others. A unique underwater structure, the Underwater Observatory allows visitors to "walk underwater" beneath the spring's surface to watch the various fish and manatees swim about. Gaze down into the depths of the first-magnitude spring and perhaps catch a glimpse of fish and manatees in their natural habitat. The place occasionally gets closed, and the storms caused some damaged, but it has reopened and it took a few minutes to get our turn to go through despite it being Monday.
The park also features a variety of captive animals such as alligators, black bears, red wolf, Key deer, flamingos, whooping cranes, and the oldest hippopotamus in captivity. The native wildlife that reside in the park are treated as ambassadors for their species, providing visitors face-to-face connections with the animals and their habitats and receiving the best of care. Each of the animals has a unique life story, and all of the animal inhabitants are here for the same reason - they are unable to survive in the wild on their own.
According to one of the first sign-thingies we read, we learned that the park has been a tourist attraction since the early 1900s, when trains stopped to let passengers off to walk the short trail to the first-magnitude spring. The tracks ran alongside what is now Fishbowl Drive. While passengers enjoyed a view of Homosassa Spring and its myriad of fresh and saltwater fish, the train's crew were busy loading their freight of fish, crabs, cedar and spring water aboard the Mullet Train. The 50-acre site and surrounding 100 acres was purchased in the 1940s and was operated as a small attraction. In 1964, the Norris Development Company bought the property and expanded it as Homosassa Springs "Nature's Own Attraction," with an emphasis on entertainment and with a variety of exotic animals and some native species.
Another signed told us that Ivan Tors Animal Actors housed their trained animals at Homosassa Springs Attraction for several years. These animals were trained for television shows and movies. When they were not performing, they were kept at Homosassa Springs. One of the most popular of these animals was Buck who was a stand-in for Gentle Ben in the famous television series. I had to look that one up as it was way before my time.
From 1978 until 1984, the land went through several changes in ownership. Eventually the Citrus County Commission purchased the attraction to protect it as an environmentally sensitive area until the state of Florida could purchase the property as a Florida State Park. Modern thinking about captive wildlife has influenced how the park is now managed with animal welfare and visitor safety the two most important elements.
In addition to all of wildlife part of the park there is the 0.75-mile Pepper Creek Trail that offers opportunities for birding and nature study. The trail is paved for wheelchair accessibility. And there is a 1.10-mile paved trail with elevated boardwalks that winds throughout the wildlife park. Benches and rain shelters are conveniently located along the trail and we had to make use of one when a shower passed through.
There was a short boat tour that transported visitors along Pepper Creek from the visitor center to the west entrance of the state park. Boat captains provide an introduction to the park and the Florida Park Service. Native wildlife is identified along the way. Benny enjoyed the activity but I felt a bit like I was on an amusement ride.
The park is an excellent site for birding. The Pepper Creek Birding Trail runs from the visitor center parking area along the tram road and loops through the parking areas at Fish Bowl Drive and returns via the boat ride along Pepper Creek. This trail is one of 20 birding trails in Citrus County that are part of the Great Florida Birding Trail. As part of his Junior Ranger activities, Benny “collected” birds that he saw. It was at this point that things went a little sideways.
Benny and I had been scheduled to snorkel with a manatee, but we got bumped by someone. No one knows who and Admin had not been informed and were as confused as the rest of us. My personal opinion? Someone knew someone and cut us out without realizing who they were cutting out thinking any potential stink being made could be ignored. I noted that a couple people in the group that did snorkel appeared to be friends of those operating the activity. I’m glad I didn’t make a big deal of it to Benny beforehand due to the weather (thunder boomers, and I don’t care what the activity, we are not going to be in or on the water). I did make a point of asking Rick and the Park Manager how things got screwed up when we had confirmed the activity multiple days and times ahead. Rick’s response was that someone from Admin was already chasing it down. Park Manager seemed to agree but I noted that the people running the activity did not look quite as comfortable with that info.
I know that makes me sound cranky and I’m not. Had Benny really been counting on the activity I might have made a stink but then again maybe not, it wasn’t worth it. But someone needs to get their smiley stickers taken away for doing this. For Benny and I this is a job and we’ve gotten so many other privileges it seems stupid to turn into a hammer looking for a nail, but other visitors might only have one chance to do something like this in their lives. Definitely uncool to do that to people.
Got a surprise tonight. We are staying at the Riverside Resort in Homosassa. Really nice people. Very old Florida. They had two studios come open at the last minute and asked if in exchange for the rooms – which would have gone vacant because they don’t take last minute bookings – if we could include “Monkey Island” in one of the vids. The storms had done a number on the small island making it difficult to rehome the monkeys that live there. The State quickly approved it and that’s why I’m sitting on a real bed in real air conditioning watching Benny getting bored looking at a real tv. Three … two … one …
Yep, he just asked if we could turn the tv off so he could have a confab with the entire Crew (which came in with us for the night). Thank goodness. After being without a boob tube for so long, even the noise and antics of the much-loved (and ancient) Bugs Bunny and Friends on the kid toon channel can get on my nerves.
Okay … Monkey Island. The history of it is a little convoluted so I’m going to simply use the explanation on the local sign thingies. The island itself wasn’t always an island. It started out as an easily-missed rock outcropping that took out the bottom of boats on a frequent basis. A developer named G.A. “Furgy” Furgason finally decided to “take action.” He had his crew members “throw some dirt” on the rock pile to keep boaters from bottoming out. The crew were a little over-zealous, and when Furgason returned from a business trip in Africa, where a small, hardly noticeable outcropping used to be was now what could only be described as a small island. Always the optimist (aka looking to make a buck), the developer threw a lighthouse and a few trees onto the new island and went back to more pressing business, primarily the new wildlife attraction (now Homosassa Wildlife State Park) he was building a little way up the stream. The attraction was to include all sorts of exotic plants and wild animals, including a small group of monkeys brought into the country by polio researcher Dr. John Hamlet. Their use as research animals exhausted, they were to retire to the wildlife park as attractions.
And just when you think you’ve got it figured out, monkeys do what monkeys do best. It’s fairly common knowledge that monkeys and their hijinks can be amusing. Yeah right. They are clearly giant pain in the butts—and these particular monkeys were exceptional escape artists with an extra special side order of obnoxious. After several run-ins with tourists that included swiping candy from children, breaking into cars, and taking bites out of trusting, food offering hands, Furgy was up to his ears in monkey business and repeatedly stated he wished he could send the little hooligans to Alcatraz. And that was the politest expressions he used.
Then, a lightbulb went on. He had a monkey-sized Alcatraz right there in his grasp-the tiny island with the little lighthouse. If there had been a bureau of monkey tourism it would described the island as the perfect getaway for the monkeys to live in peace, observed by visitors who could enjoy them without becoming victims of their mischief. The three spider monkeys and two squirrel monkeys were shipped off to their new monkey jail, which of course then earned a name and became an official plot of land—Monkey Island.
After some trial and error, (trees originally planted had to be replaced with some that were a little less delicious to the monkeys, huts built to act as homes needed to be rebuilt a little more durable) peace between man and beast finally settled across Homosassa, and decades later, the surviving monkeys (and some new additions thanks to what else … monkey business) still live and play freely on the island while delighted tourists observe from a safe distance.
I don’t know who shot milk out of the nose as I read the story first … Benny or Lev. Even Rick cracked a smile at my rather salty description of the monkeys. Sorry. Not a fan. Got compared to one growing up way too much until I went to a zoo for a fieldtrip and realized that wasn’t the compliment I once considered it. I freely admit that on occasion my old monkey prejudice returns, especially today when one of those hairy little turds shot me the bird then showed off his boy parts. Someone taught that long tailed menace some bad manners. Grrrr.
We ate dinner at the resort’s café and have agreed to eat breakfast there as well since dinner was good. Fine by me just so long as we don’t do this so often it eats into the normal food budget which is getting tighter every time I go.
I think I am just going to put the log away and just chill out for a bit though on second thought I think I am going to go over the itinerary and make notes of what I can potentially include in Benny’s portfolio. I feel like I’m juggling all these balls and am getting a little off-time. I need to watch out.
[1] https://www.quakeroats.com/cooking-and-recipes/apricot-honey-oatmeal
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Mant thanks.
March 20(T) - Crystal River Archaeological State Park >> Inglis Dam & Island Rec Area
Got up this morning and drove to Crystal River Archaeological State Park. It was 61 acres so I wouldn’t call it small. And it had six mounds. But I wouldn’t call it an all-day type of state park unless you were into hiking or paddling, though it did have a Junior Ranger program available that was a little more interesting than some of the other parks have been. Or maybe it was just less repetition.
I wasn’t a fan of the weather, lots of dark clouds, so we stayed off the water except when we hiked out to an area called Mullet Hole where our guide got us on a short toot around the area while he gave us the historical spiel.
Native Americans who lived here until about 500 years ago built the ceremonial mound complex. It was settled about 2,500 years ago when the river system and local marine estuary had matured and could provide enough food to sustain a large sedentary population. Throughout the site's occupation, social complexities and ceremonialism changed as populations increased. Although ideas and technologies from other areas filtered in and were adopted, these coastal dwellers retained much of their own cultural identity.
Archaeological evidence shows the influence of at least three cultural periods at the Crystal River site. The six-mound complex is one of the longest continuously occupied sites in Florida. For 1,600 years, the area served as an imposing ceremonial center for Native Americans. People traveled to the complex from great distances to conduct trade and bury their dead. It is estimated that as many as 7,500 Native Americans may have visited the complex every year.
The park offers a self-guided hike along paved pathways with lots of sign-thingies to explain things. The park is also part of the geocache system and tonight Benny added a virtual one with the stuffies. After lunch Rick, Lev, and I decided to make some adjustments in our schedule. We decided to shoot over to the Inglis Dam & Island Rec Area rather than do nothing for the remainder of the day.
Lake Rousseau is manmade and was originally flooded in the early 1900s by the construction of a hydro-electric dam. The dam was constructed to provide electricity to power the phosphate mining boom that occurred in the Dunnellon area at the turn of the century.
The Inglis Dam Recreation Area is located off West Riverwood Drive approximately 2 miles east of U.S. 19. The Inglis Main Dam, the larger of two spillway structures for Lake Rousseau, is located at the site and provides an access bridge onto Inglis Island’s south side. There was lots of paved parking located south of the Main Dam and that where the boat ramp with access to the upstream Lake Rousseau side of the dam is also location.
Rick and the ranger on duty knew each other from a clean up job last year. The man warned us that if boating in Lake Rousseau, it is wise to stay within the marked navigation channels. The river channel is maintained by Cross Florida Greenway staff and the side channels are maintained by Citrus County, the only parts of Rousseau that are not heavily riddled with stumps.
The weather was still to iffy for me to be willing to be comfortable on the water so we used the multi-use platforms that run along the lakeshore for our exploring. They are there to provide access for freshwater fishing, bird-watching, and picnicking.
On the lower downstream side of the dam is another large paved parking area with another boat ramp that also serves as a canoe/kayak launch. That ramp provides access to the Withlacoochee River segment that runs 1.5 miles from below the Main Dam and Spillway to the barge canal channel. That segment can have high freshwater flows if significant discharges from the lake are needed, but often there is little or no flow and the river can be tidally influenced from the Gulf of Mexico. The weather hadn’t cleared up so no paddling today. Plus it was getting late and with no camping the gates would be locked at sundown which was quickly approaching.
Right before we left Benny spotted something in the water but I couldn’t tell if it was a manatee or a large piece of debris in the water. Just to be on the safe side Rick called it in. For a manatee it would have been off-season and debris could have turned into an underwater hazard. There’s also rumors of sightings of American Saltwater Crocodiles in the brackish water. I was careful down in The Keys if I was going to be paddling in brackish water. They number in the thousands these days and are expanding their habitats. Not something I would want to run into. There is both fresh and saltwater fish species to catch on the downstream side of the dam so it is not beyond the realm of possibility that the rumors ultimately wind up to be true.
You are not going to believe where we are going to be holed up for the next few nights. An Econolodge. No, I’m not kidding. The accommodations had always been listed TBD but I guess they never could find something and just sort of stuck us here. Can we say expensive? Unless we are getting the nights comp’d. I’m not sure and I’m not asking. The guys have a room and Benny & I share one.
I will say that it was nice to take a longer-than-normal shower without having to worry about using all of the water in the tank. And Benny got in a good scrub-a-dub-dub as well. The AC put him to sleep not long after he got out and dried off and that gave me time to do some female type adulting. The curly hair that I’m starting to grow is getting annoying, I’m just not sure what to do with it. Last thing I need or want is some high maintenance mop on my head.
I worked a little bit on our personal finances. I’ve got until the end of June to come up with the next leg on this journey through life and it looks like that is going to require some kind of job. The blog still brings in some money but not enough to cover all of the day-to-day expenses, especially if we move from the van into something more stationary. The cost of rent … er … bleck. I’m still looking for handy man or maintenance possibilities as a job but all I see right now requires training certificates and experience I don’t have. And tools. Let’s not forget the expensive tools. If I don’t have things figured out closer to the end of this gig a possibility might be to find a small or private RV park and exchange lot rent for work. And none of that covers what to do with Benny.
I’m going to put it down for now. I’m getting the heebies. We aren’t quite as bad off as after Penny died but we aren’t much better either. It’s an awful feeling to blame Penny for not saving more for Benny’s care instead of spending it on her “self medication lifestyle.” That way leads to anger and baggage I don’t need to pick back up and carry around. But yeah, I’m going to have to find some courage if I going to provide Benny all he needs.
Siskiyoumom
Veteran Member
Thank you very much for the bountiful additions!
March 21(W) – Felburn Park >> Crystal River Preserve State Park
Breakfast in the parking lot of the Econolodge. Yum, yum. Ugh. Actually it wasn’t bad, just meant a later clean up and I hate leaving dishes in the sink. I fixed Orange Juice Oatmeal[1] and it wasn’t bad, just wasn’t great either.
Two parks again today. We are trying to double up so that we can have the upcoming weekend free to work. I’m all for it. The guys are getting fritzy from report and uploading backlogs and I have a few things I need to focus on myself. A personal issue in Sumter County that I’m trying to work around.
Today’s first park was Felburn Park which is an approximately 140-acre property owned by the private nonprofit Felburn Foundation and is leased to the state of Florida to manage as part of the Cross Florida Greenway. Yep, more of the Greenway. The park was located just east of US19 on the south side of the Cross Florida Barge Canal. It was a well-kept location with paved parking, potable water, several picnic pavilions, a small playground, and access to paved trails running east and west along the barge canal. We biked today and we now have another bike (thanks to an abandoned one at the ranger kiosk) that Lev can use whenever he needs one. The rangers were just happy to have it gone and out of the equipment shed.
Heading west from Felburn Park along the Withlacoochee Bay paved trail, several multi-use platforms are available for picnicking, taking a break or fishing in the barge canal. The Withlacoochee Bay trail continues westward for 5 miles from Felburn Park before it terminates at a scenic-overlook pavilion adjacent to where the barge canal channel enters the Gulf of Mexico. I was all for just going ahead and doing that one today as well but there was some utility line work being done so we’ll come back to the WB Trail on Friday.
Eastward from Felburn Park along a newer paved segment, trail users cross between the approximately 30-acre freshwater Phil’s Lake (named after Phil Felburn, founder of the Felburn Foundation) and the brackish water Cross Florida Barge Canal. The trail continues eastward and climbs up a slight rise onto the top of the berm created by the construction of the canal. The trail then goes 1.25 miles east before ending near the old Withlacoochee River channel where.
In addition to the paved trails at Felburn Park, there were several miles of mowed grass and natural surface trails that circle the former lime-rock mining pit now known as Phil’s Lake. When the mine was operational, workers eventually hit the local groundwater table and freshwater began to seep into the pit. Happens a lot in Florida. Eventually, pumping the water became too expensive and the mining ceased. Someone started “planting” fish in the lake and it is now a natural habitat for them. In addition to fishing, you can canoe, kayak and use other non-motorized crafts. Bank fishing is also possible in some locations. Our guide told us that largemouth bass, bluegill, catfish and tilapia are the primary game fish.
Lunch was gluten-free, flatbread sandwiches and chips. The chips were gone before the sandwiches were … all three of the caballeros are more salty than sweet … so I’m glad I grabbed a couple for myself before setting them on our picnic table. Then it was on to Crystal River Preserve State Park.
Crystal River Preserve State Park is a remnant of the Florida coastline that has changed very little since Europeans arrived 500 years ago. The preserve covers more than 27,500 acres of scrub, pinewoods, hardwood forests, salt marshes and mangrove islands. Management of the property was transferred to the Florida Park Service in 2004 with several larger parcels added to the park over the years donated from families that homesteaded in the county. One the largest tracts was part of the turpentine industry in the early 1900s. Much of the property is still undeveloped, allowing visitors a glimpse at what this area of Florida looked like centuries ago.
Rick took up a picnic table and told us to basically have at it as he had to return some calls from Admin. I looked at Lev but he just sorta shrugged. That left me figuring things out and I told Benn, “Get your discovery toys Little Bear and let’s go exploring.”
Well he was all over that. We killed a few hours and it gave Lev time to get some filler, Rick time to make his phone calls, and Benny and I to get the wiggles out. When we came back to see if Rick was ready to head out he instead said Admin had made arrangements.
“Uh …” Lev and I both said thinking that sometimes Admin’s “arrangements” could be left-field strange. Turns out this was really nice. A concessionaire in the park had room for all four of us on their one-hour sunset cruise. It turned out to be the perfect way to close out our day. Bonus points is that it was a family-friend, non-alcoholic cruise. There were refreshments and light snacks on board and most of them were even gluten-free … cheese, fruit, and nuts primarily though there were some cocktail shrimp.
The sunset wasn’t glorious but it wasn’t bad either and it was just getting full dark when we pulled back to the dock. It was a short drive back to the Econolodge, though traffic was pretty heavy. Lev and Rick were still hungry so were going to go to grill next to the hotel (aka, a sports bar) and but not if Benny and I needed anything.
“Nope. You guys go do guy stuff. I’m going to pop some popcorn and then just hang out in the room. Benny probably won’t last long after a shower. He ran off a lot of energy today and I thank you kindly.”
Both men chuckled because they new Little Bear could be kin to the Energizer Bunny on occasion. They knocked on the connecting door to let me know when they came in … earlier than I expected to be honest … and I’m about to hit the hay myself to enjoy the last night in some serious air conditioning. Tomorrow we head out to Yulee and we’ll be in an RV park tomorrow night.
[1] https://www.quakeroats.com/cooking-and-recipes/orange-juice-oatmeal-with-banana-dates
March 22(R) - Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park
Not loving the eating out. I just have a feeling that the guys are going to get hooked on it for a while and it is going to screw up the grocery budget. I’m going to let it ride for a couple of days and see if it becomes a habit or not. Had breakfast at a local restaurant. I wasn’t overruled exactly since there wasn’t a vote but I didn’t need the day off like the guys were using as an excuse. Or maybe they really were trying to be nice. Who knows and I’m not going to complain.
From there we went to today’s park which was Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park. The site was once part of a 5,000-acre sugar plantation owned by David Levy Yulee. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the site was part of a sugar plantation that was operated during the 1800s. The park is mainly set up to feature remnants of a steam-driven mill that processed sugarcane into syrup, molasses and rum. The remaining structures include a 40-foot limestone masonry chimney, iron gears and a cane press. The mill operated from 1851 to 1864 and served as a supplier of sugar products for Southern troops during the Civil War.
David Levy Yulee, the owner, was a member of the Territorial Legislative Council, and he served in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate after Florida statehood. He was also one of Florida’s most prominent businessmen in the first half of the 19th century, building railroads as well as his massive plantation. He was also the first U.S. Senator to represent Florida and first Jewish member. The mill processed one of the area's major cash crops, sugarcane, into syrup, molasses and rum.
Enslaved people worked the 5,000-acre Margarita Plantation and there were several sign-thingies that discussed the working conditions that were harsh and exhausting. Field workers planted and cut sugarcane stalks with machetes, then mill workers processed the stalks in several stages. Workers operated a cane press that rolled the stalks flat to extract a juice that was then boiled to make sugar, dangerous work that could result in crushed fingers and burns. The dry stalks were discarded or used to power large furnaces that created a sweltering environment inside the mill compounded by Florida’s summer heat. The sugar, syrup or molasses was packed into barrels and loaded onto ships on the Homosassa River, bound for other harbors to be sold at a good profit.
The machinery at the sugar mill is one of the best examples of the engineering and innovation of the early 19th century. In the years before the Civil War, many plantation owners enjoyed economic prosperity. David Yulee greatly profited from the goods produced on his plantation. When the Civil War began, Union naval blockades cut off many markets for Yulee's mill and plantation products, and the mill was forced to close. In May 1864, a Union force burned the plantation and Yulee’s home on nearby Tiger Tail Island, which was being used as a stockpile for Confederate supplies. The Union troops, unable to locate the mill, left it untouched; however, the mill never went back into use. Yulee fled and was imprisoned for a short time before returning to the state to continue building railroads. Over the years the abandoned mill structure fell to the ravages of time, and today only the ruins stand as testament to the site’s complex history.
The park is located in Homosassa, about three miles west of the city of Homosassa Springs. The ruins of the mill are situated within five feet of the road and can be easily seen. We could have probably done it the same day we did Homosassa Springs State Park, but like I’ve been saying, whoever scheduled the parks for this county doesn’t appear to know their geography and we could have used our time more wisely. In my opinion, of course.
We covered everything by lunch time and Rick suggested we head to Lecanto for lunch. He “knew a guy” and if things panned out, he had a surprise for Benny afterwards.
I really wish he would have talked to me first. I didn’t have a problem with there being a surprise nor with what the surprise turned out to be. I just wish he wouldn’t have mentioned it until it was a sure thing. Benny didn’t have a clue how to act.
Lunch was at Paige’s Rootbeer Shop. They make their own rootbeer there. No really. And it is some of the best I’ve ever had though it made me a weeeeeee bit bouncy. The burgers were top notch as well. I had mine on a bun and my three caballeros had theirs like a chopped steak. They deserved the awards they’d won.
As for the surprise? Funny Farm Alpacas. Years ago they had a breeding program but now the family just takes care of their retired alpacas or “rescues” alpacas that need homes. The work on donations and income raised from the alpaca wool and items they sell. Gotta admit, I think I like alpacas better than llamas. And yes, there is a difference.
The four main differences between an alpaca and a llama is that alpacas are smaller, have softer hair, a gentler disposition (no kidding), and have ears that are shorter and pointier. But it is the personality that stands out. Llamas really like to spit. The alpacas we met today were more interested in being spoken to and fed treats. Trust me, Benny definitely obliged.
I thanked Rick for his thoughtfulness and he seemed pleased. Is that what I need to do? Notice him a little more? Maybe some of the things that Christopher said has some truth to them.
We pulled into the RV resort and I fixed Tater Tot Cheeseburgers[1]. I know we had burgers for lunch but no one seemed to mind. They didn’t mind the ginormous bowl of popcorn I fixed either. Time to hit the hay now that everything is cleaned up. We have an active day planned tomorrow and then a couple of work days.
[1] Cheeseburger Tots
March 23(F) - Withlacoochee Bay Trail
Breakfast this morning was Maple Apple Oatmeal[1]. That one is definitely going in the repeat column. And I’m glad I fixed something so stick-to-your-ribs because we spent the day on the bicycles on the Withlacoochee Bay Trail.
The Withlacoochee Bay Trail is a five-mile trail that goes west from the Felburn Park Trailhead to the Gulf of Mexico along the southern side of the former Cross Florida Barge Canal. It is a very well-maintained 12-foot-wide, multi-use paved trail that runs adjacent to the barge canal for the first 2.5 miles and then switches its path to the south side of the berm that was created by the canal's excavation. The westernmost 2.5 miles of the trail run through scenic maritime hammock and salt marsh habitats.
I mean sure, it was only five miles long but we did it several times, stopping to take pictures, to let Benny “discover” things, and just in general to enjoy ourselves. The weather was cloudless and cooler than it has been with low humidity which was the nicest part of all.
In the late 1800s, railroad entrepreneur Henry Plant established a rail line that ran from Croom to Inverness, Florida, thus completing the Plant System’s West Coast Route. The Plant System eventually became the Atlantic Coast Line in 1902, the Seaboard Coast Line in 1967, and finally, CSX Transportation in 1980.
In December of 1989, CSX Transportation sold 46 miles of right-of-way between Gulf Junction (Citrus Springs) and Owensboro Junction, six miles north of Dade City, to the state of Florida to establish the Withlacoochee State Trail. The corridor was one of the first purchased under the Florida Rails to Trails Program.
At 46 miles in length, the Withlacoochee State Trail is one of the longest, paved rail-trails in Florida and I would have enjoyed the entire length, but that wasn’t today’s purpose; only the bay trail portion. The trail corridor runs through small towns, ranches and natural areas as it makes its way south from Citrus Springs to Dade City. Like most rail trails in Florida, the Withlacoochee State Trail is generally flat making it an easy ride for all skill levels. What’s nice is that mile markers are located along the trail letting you know exactly how far along the trail you are. There is also an unpaved equestrian trail parallels portions of the paved trail.
While we were biking, other people were walking or using inline skates. There are a few benches and picnic tables along the path and we took advantage of those for our picnic lunch and fresh fruit snacks.
Eventually all good things must come to an end and we packed it in and headed to the next overnight which was at another RV park. We are here tonight and we’ll also be here two nights beyond that for our work days. This RV park as a swimming pool and jacuzzi. Yeah, I would say that the age range of most people using the place was in the “upper range,” but they were nice. Especially after they found out we weren’t some “non-traditional family unit.” Oh brother. Talk about embarrassing. Benny and I kept to ourselves in the swimming pool while Rick and Lev were grilled by people while they relaxed in the jacuzzi.
Actually everyone was nice and we’ve been invited to a resort-wide cook out tomorrow night. We’ll probably attend as the cost is donations and then being willing to do a little clean up. I’m going to get a big of organizing done for tomorrow then I’m hitting the hay. G’nite.
[1] https://www.quakeroats.com/cooking-and-recipes/maple-apple-oatmeal
March 24(Sa) & 25(Su) – Work Days
We needed a work day. All of us. It is why we changed up the way the parks were scheduled. No one in Admin squeaked about it and Lev’s people were fine since it meant he would be getting them more material uploaded. I started Saturday morning with Blueberry and Flax Oatmeal[1]. The blueberry part was good. I might have added too much flax. It wasn’t bad, just kinda something or other.
First part of the day was very productive. We went over the itinerary in general, focusing on the next couple of counties. I was even able to raise what I needed to do in Sumter County without going off the rails. Both men assured me that time would be made.
Lunch was really simple. Almond butter and Jelly on gluten-free sandwich bread. And chips. Of course.
After lunch things started going downhill. I can’t explain exactly why they went downhill. Nothing bad happened but for sure the attitude of Rick and Lev kinda changed. And then out of the blue Rick said he was taking off early and would be back Sunday night before we headed to Fort Cooper on Monday. And then he was just gone.
I looked at Lev and he just shrugged. “He’s gotta make some phone calls. For his uncle.”
“Uh huh. On Sunday?”
“Hey, don’t ask me. If Rick is gonna be a ‘tard …” he winced. “He’s having a hard time keeping his crayons inside the lines.”
“Yeah. And that’s his story and he’s sticking to it.”
Lev snorted then finally gave a grin. “You two feel like the cook out or not? I don’t mind either way.”
“Cookout. I promised Benny.”
“Cool.”
And that’s what we did on Saturday night but we didn’t stay too long as we both had things to work on. But I told Lev that he was the ‘tard if he didn’t agree to sleep in the van. That got me another grin and that’s what he did.
Most of Sunday we both worked except for the short time I took Benny to go swimming in the pool. Lev opted to come with us to “get the kinks out” where he was hunched over his editing program. For supper I fixed Pizza Potatoes[2]. Rick limps in about nine o’clock and I left it to Lev to figure things out. I decided to stay out of it completely when I hear, “Dude, don’t be a XXXX. We’ve both been working.”
I’ll deal with it tomorrow. G’nite.
[1] https://www.quakeroats.com/cooking-and-recipes/quick-blueberry-flax-oatmeal-with-nut-butter
[2] Pizza Potatoes
March 26(M) - Fort Cooper State Park
Breakfast was Blueberry Ginger Oatmeal[1] and that is the only sweet thing to the start of the day. First thing I get into an almost argument with Rick before he has to leave to meet with a Park HR rep about what he will be doing after the grant is over with. I am not even going to try and record it word for word. There is no way to transcribe it and get it right. Basically, it all boils down to I guess he just doesn’t think I need him, or maybe it is don’t know I need him, which kind of morphed into I just don’t want to need him. It was a really strange conversation that came out of left field. Of course, I could be missing social cues, but it was still bizarre. At least to me.
On the other hand, after thinking about it, it sure was strange that it happened after his day off. I know he spends a lot of time texting and talking with Rosa on those days. I’m going out on a limb here that she might have found a weak spot and is taking advantage of it. However, I’m not going to act weak and needy just so some guy’s testosterone can feel validated. And yeah, I know that is a rude as heck way to put it, but this is my log and I’ll phrase it however the heck I feel like. I’m just going to put it aside for now. I like Rick, but he is going to have to like the real me and not some fake Barbie doll me. If I am going to continue to like Rick, he is going to have to be someone that I can like. Not that a dat blasted thing I said made any sense whatsoever. The dang hamster is trying to run my life again and I’m not having it. Period. So let’s move on so I can at least be constructive and record the day. Which actually wasn’t bad given the mood the almost-argument put me in.
Our first activity of the day was an airboat ride down the Withlacoochee River. I swear I think I’m still deaf. A 650-horsepower motor will do that to you. Got a couple of cute pics of Little Bear holding some baby gators. They weren’t hatchlings but they were still small.
For lunch Lev and I were both in a mood. Not with each other but the Rick thing kinda cramped the day. On a recommendation we stopped at this place called Fishermans and at their fish platter … grilled with a potato and cole slaw. Hit the spot and put us in a better mood once again.
Then it was off to Fort Cooper State Park. We picked up the Junior Ranger program materials at the entrance kiosk where they knew we were coming and I gotta say, I could have spent longer at the park, especially since the guide we had made it so enjoyable.
In September 1823, many Seminole leaders relented to the increasing government pressure of the time and signed the Treaty of Moultrie Creek. This agreement required they give up their established farms and cattle ranches in North Florida and relocate to a 4-million-acre reservation in the center of the peninsula - the Cove of the Withlacoochee. The Seminoles quickly adapted to life in the watery, wilderness of the cove by putting their hunting, fishing, agricultural and survival skills into practice. But peace here was fleeting. Andrew Jackson was elected U.S. president in 1828, and pressure from Washington to move the Seminoles west grew fierce. The Seminoles declared they had no intention of leaving. You can guess what came next. Tensions grew and the U.S. government sent large numbers of troops to remove the Seminoles. The Second Seminole War began in December 1835 with the massacre of Dade’s troops in the Cove of the Withlacoochee.
For the first year of the war, the Seminoles and their Black allies scored impressive victories. In March of 1836, General Winfield Scott launched a campaign to surround the Seminoles in the cove with an army of 5,000 men. While marching to Fort Brook in Tampa, Scott stopped by a lake to leave the sick and wounded under the care of Major Mark Anthony Cooper. Cooper’s priority was to build a protective fortification, aware that if a large Seminole force caught the soldiers out in the open, the entire command might be wiped out.
A few days after Scott departed, a force of several hundred Seminole warriors led by Osceola attacked. The 380 soldiers remained safe behind the picket wall fortification of pine trees; however, the Seminoles kept the soldiers trapped by attacking for 16 days, stealing cattle and forcing them to slaughter horses for sustenance.
The Seminole warriors who attacked Fort Cooper needed no fortification. Their defense was familiarity with the forests and swamps of the cove, where they could hide unseen and travel undetected. The Seminoles had adapted to the conditions of Florida’s interior.
The siege continued, and just as the fort’s provisions were running out, reinforcements finally arrived. U.S. troops held the Seminoles at bay until Thomas Jesup took command of the war in December and began to drive the Seminoles out of the cove. The war continued for another five years until finally, in 1842, with only a few hundred defiant Seminoles still at large, the Second Seminole War was declared over. Fort Cooper was utilized as a reconnaissance and dispatch post by various units of the army until the war’s end. After a third and final war from 1855 to 1858, the last remaining Seminoles stayed hidden in the wilds of the Everglades.
Today, the several thousand Seminole Indians who live in Florida are proud descendants of the fewer than 200 defiant warriors and their families who refused to give up the homeland they loved. The site of Fort Cooper and the surrounding 710 acres became a state park in 1972 thanks to a forward-thinking resident of Citrus County who donated the land so that the ground where these important events in our state’s history took place could be preserved forever.
During our hours there, we hiked the five miles of trails, “collected” birds as part of the birding trail, explored the replica fort that pays tribute to the original Fort Cooper, and hiked the Seminole Heritage Trail. The trail is approximately 1.5 miles round-trip and includes a series of interpretive kiosks with sign-thingies about the battle of Fort Cooper and Seminole history in this area.
As a concession, we were allowed to use the primitive group camping site since there was no one using it tonight. I actually enjoyed it much better than the RV resort we were going to dock at tonight. And Rick sent a text to Lev to let him (us) know that he wouldn’t be back for a couple of days. Fine. By. Me.
Supper tonight was leftovers from lunch and Lev is staying in the van again to avoid being carried off by mosquitoes. He’s editing away in the front of the van. Benny is snoozing. And I’m going to put this log down before my hair catches fire and do a few adulting things to cool my jets.
I know part of this is nerves. Lev has told me not to worry about it but … yeah, nerves.
Resources:
Burger Restaurant | Paige's Root Beer | Lecanto, FL
Historical Markers and War Memorials in Citrus County, Florida
[1] 40 Oatmeal Flavor Combinations
Mar 27- Sumter County
March 27 (T) - Dade Battlefield Historic State Park
No Rick today and I’m glad. Not in I’m still hacked off glad, just … not up to dealing with his damage while trying to deal with my own. I didn’t have any appetite, but I made breakfast sandwiches for Benny and Lev on gluten-free pancakes instead of sandwich bread.
We started the day off at the invitation of a local U-pick farm. Back Road Berries is a U-pick farm in Oxford, FL. It is a family owned and operated you-pick berry farm. They grow three types of berries: strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Strawberry harvesting began in December and continued into March. Blueberry picking begins in April and ends in May. They also have Thorn-less Blackberries that ripen the latter part of May and pick through June. Harvest times may vary slightly from year to year due to Mother Nature. We got some of the last of the strawberries. They’d already plowed under most of their fields, and I was grateful to get what we did.
From there … I might as well just say it straight out rather. Very early in the morning so that we wouldn’t run into anyone Benny and I took flowers to Grandfather, Grandmother, and Lawrence’s graves. My parents are buried in the church cemetery where I grew up. Penny wasn’t there either, at her own request, and had been cremated and wanted her ashes spread at different places that she and Lawrence had been happy at. Actually couldn’t do it due to restrictions by the various locations so I took her ashes and interred them with her little dog she had when she was a kid. Long story and not one that Benny needs to know about. All he needs to understand is that Penny and the others are in Heaven and that his mom didn’t want a headstone or anything for him to have to take care of. The cemetery was fuller than it should have ever been. But not with live people. I was grateful that Rick wasn’t there, the almost argument we’d nearly gotten into yesterday had rattled me. I think Lev knew more than he was letting on because all he said was, “He’ll come around. No one is really that stupid.”
I couldn’t focus on that though. I’d promised myself something. I got permission from the person on duty to play TAPS after Benny and I laid the flowers. There were other Barrymores in the cemetery. Too many. And too many in other places as well. I tried not to cry but the only thing I accomplished was making it worse. Lev picked Benny up and we walked back to the van. I asked him to give me a moment.
“Take all the time you need.”
I pulled myself together, but it took longer than I expected it should. “Sorry,” I muttered in embarrassment.
“Why?”
“Because. I shouldn’t still be doing this. They’ve all been gone … a long time.”
“Again, why?” All I could do was shrug or I’d be crying again. He said, “Be who you are Gus. Be how you feel. There’s not a damn thing wrong with it. Your folks sound like good people to me. And you miss them. Be glad you have someone to miss. Not having that … sucks.”
I looked at him and he sat on the bumper beside me while Benny laid down and had fallen asleep as sometimes little kids do when emotions are just too much. Lev sighed. “I can’t even remember how much I’ve told you, but the bottom line is … my ol’ man was only there because he was court ordered and because my grandfather said so. Neither man … look, I was pretty young when my father died. I wasn’t much older than that when my grandfather died. My great uncle was last man standing and did the family thing but by then … I just never had anyone like you in my life. Not even my own mother and sister. You had people. And now you are trying to be Benny’s people, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop wishing the people that were there for you were still around.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I said the first thing that made sense. “You are a really good friend Lev. Thanks.”
“Well, at least I’m good at something besides photography and goofy t-shirts.”
I chuckled wetly and said, “Definitely. But don’t forget the socks. The weird socks are a major talent.”
He barked a laugh, and we side shoulder bumped. I needed to start doing something, anything, to give the Hamster something besides me to chew on. We drove on to the Dade Battlefield but I just … couldn’t. Lev agreed. Not to mention there were several school groups there cutting up and making it impossible for Lev to get any clean shots. We grabbed the junior ranger pages for Benny but he didn’t seem too interested in them. The day was still pretty young so we decided to do an activity we hadn’t thought there would be time for. Webster Flea market[1].
For more than 50 years, Webster Fleamarket has been the place to find everything imaginable! The market takes up 35 acres of an 80-acre compound of 3 different open-air markets. According to the advertisement they are especially known for great deals on quality antiques and collectibles. There were one-of-a-kind items, gifts, jewelry, pictures/signs, boutique items, furniture, new and old electronics, hardware/tools, pet supplies, crafts, clothing, and items used for personal protection. We pretty much just winded our way through more stuff than I can remember. When you aren’t there to buy there isn’t a lot of attraction to be honest.
And then there was the farmers’ market. I did pick up a lot of fresh stuff. Some will go in the dehydrator, some the frig, some the freezer, but a lot of it I hope to use over the next week. Weather is getting warmer and if I can pull myself up out of this funk, it will just be easier to feed everyone this way rather than try and come up with an interesting menu every day.
From the flea market we drove to Lake Griffin SP and we’ll wake up where we start tomorrow.
Resources:
Back Road Berries
Welcome to Swap-O-Rama's Webster Westside Flea Market - WEBSTER WESTSIDE FLEA MARKET
Historical Markers and War Memorials in Sumter County, Florida
[1] Webster Flea Market normally is only on Mondays but I’m using some artistic license here.
March 28 (W) - Lake Griffin State Park
Couldn’t even start the day without a tiff. This is getting a little close to my Barrymore if you want to know the truth. Rick came in this morning and we had another conversation where Rick wonders if I really need him since there have been no problems in his absences. You’d think he’d be glad of that instead of sad to almost angry about it. I’m not getting it, I’m really not. And I think he is beginning to suspect just how much I am not getting it. And why. At least I hope so.
“Rick, you count on Lev and I to have your back just like we count on you to have ours. What the heck kind of crew would we be if we just didn’t give a crap and let everything slide just because you aren’t around?”
“But …”
“No buts. I know that when you go to Park HQ you aren’t going to throw us under the bus. You can know that Lev isn’t going to stab you in the back with his people. My job is making sure that Benny and I don’t create problems that you and Lev must protect us from and that we do make it as easy as possible for Lev to get the shots he needs and so that you have as little poop-scooping as possible. Not to mention we are your friends even if we do work together, and know you are under stress because of your uncle’s health issues. Friends don’t crap each others’ lives up by a bunch of screw ups.”
“Oh.”
“Why would you even …”
“Just … never mind. I was reading things wrong. I’m … I am stressed and … I just didn’t realize that’s how you saw things.”
“How about asking next time instead of assuming. Geez Rick. How many times do I have to tell you … stuff … my feelings. If it isn’t apparent I … I …”
“Stop. Please. I … I’m sorry.”
I don’t know if you’d say that we’ve worked through it but geez Louise I hate having the same almost-argument more than once.
I barely remembered cooking the breakfast burritos I through together for breakfast. We had a park to do and I had a nephew to keep clueless that his aunt was just this side of losing control of her mouth and letting the hamster run free. Lucky for all of us our guide showed up. Frederica “please call me Freddie” Jimenez was a short, round, happy morning person. Oh. My. Gawd. But she grew on me nearly immediately when she focused on Benny’s enjoyment of the day.
Native Americans traveled and fished in the area of the park for thousands of years. The first white settlers, Major Orlando and Josephine Rooks, built their home in 1877 and named the town Fruitland Park. From 1904 until 1910, J.D. Robertson used tracts of longleaf pine that are now the park entrance, shop and ranger residence for a turpentine still. The land was used for farming and citrus through the 1920s and '30s. Initial purchase of 383 acres to create Lake Griffin State Park began in 1946 under the Murphy Lands Act. The surrounding area continued to be covered with orange groves into the 1980s. Additional acreage was purchased through the years and after the city of Fruitland Park donated four acres in 1961, work began on park facilities. Construction was completed in 1963 and the park was opened to the public.
At Lake Griffin State Park, a series of six curving concrete block walls mirrored similar details found in typical 1960s recreational facility design. Lake Griffin's entrance was, and continues to be, divided by a small median allowing for the central placement of the traditional iron pipe flag poles. This particular design for flag poles, found in many Florida State Parks of the era, was most likely created by park staff welding together a series of galvanized pipes of different diameters, resulting in the appearance of a tapered pole. As a testament to ingenuity and the use of available inexpensive hardware, what appear to be copper balls atop the poles are really copper toilet tank floats. Although replaced several times through the years, the floats continue to occupy the top of the staffs. The daily routine of raising and lowering the United States and Florida flags, and now the POW/MIA flag, is a ritual carried out at most Florida State Parks and typically signifies the opening and closing of the park.
Benny and I were given a special privilege this evening. Benny got to help lower the flags at the entrance and I played Taps. It is the first time we’ve been invited to help do such a thing and I was very proud of Benny for being so careful with the flag, just like I taught him.
Just past the park entrance is the ranger station. At the hub of all activity within the park, visitors make their first contact with park staff at this location, and entrance fees and camping fees are collected there. With the exception of a few hurricane days including the storms of last year, Lake Griffin's ranger station has been continually staffed from 8 a.m. to sunset, 365 days a year since the park opened in 1963.
The park was created to accommodate recreational anglers who come to the area for the lake's renowned bass fishing. The park boat ramp provides access to Lake Griffin, and the nearby campsites provide anglers with a place to stay while fishing. The double-wide concrete boat ramp provided stable and improved boating access to Lake Griffin. This boat ramp has allowed thousands of anglers and recreational boaters to access Lake Griffin and the Harris Chain of Lakes. On the day the concrete for the ramp was poured, the first superintendent of Lake Griffin State Park, Lieutenant Zane DeLoach, was out inspecting the freshly poured concrete ramp when his pet dog jumped out of the park truck and proceeded to run through the wet mix.
Today, Freddie helped us to get a close look and we found paw prints embedded in the ramp and a few signatures of park staff and family members who witnessed that date in history.
We hiked a little in the park but it wasn’t extensive. What we did do was fish. Freddie said we’d catch something today even if she had to jump in and put them on our lines. Benny thought it was funny but I suspected she might have been getting close to her truth. We found out during the day that Freddie descends from a long line of fisher folks and is rather proud of her prowess. Bass, crappie and catfish were just some of the fish that were waiting for the chance to snap up our bait. The lake is approximately one mile from the park’s boat ramp via a canal and tributary. Freddie showed us that some of the lake’s best fishing is between the boat ramp and Lake Griffin.
You can guess what we had for dinner tonight. Freddie ate dinner with us and I got a bonified complement on the grilled filets. And I got a new recipe from her … Crappie Scampie[1]. Geez was that good. We all went our separate ways when the bugs came out. We’ll be here tomorrow as well. I hope I can get some sleep. The hamster doesn’t want to turn loose of the blasted back and forth with Rick. And something is going on between Rick and Lev as well. I’m ‘bout ready to hang it up … or maybe just hang the two of them.
[1] Quick Crappie Scampi Recipe - Game & Fish
March 29 (R) – Lake Griffin Day 2
Breakfast was Mango Oatmeal[1]. Can’t make up my mind whether I liked it or not. Might try it again just to make sure. Don’t know. What I do know is that we had a slow start to the day before heading out on the first eco-tour of the day. Freddie was our guide again and I was happy for the distraction. She reminds me a bit of a couple of my crewmates from back in school.
The eco tour was a 1.5 hour boat tour on the dead river and Lake Griffin on a pontoon boat. Interpretive guide was interesting enough that I didn’t have to sit and try to distract the hamster. When we docked, Freddie took Benny around and helped him to locate a good spot for the virtual geocache he was creating. She thinks – or at least acts like she does – that the stuffies are hilarious.
We had a picnic lunch of grilled chicken kabobs and then Freddie and Rick went off for a zoom meeting with Admin and Benny, Lev, and I kayaked for the remainder of the day.
“Psst. You okay?”
“Is it showing the pics?”
“Uh uh. You’re good. I’m more interested in if you are okay.”
I sighed. “Just … don’t like the tension.”
“Yeah. Rick needs to get his crap under control. He told me this morning that he’s trying.”
“He needs to do more than try,” I said, trying not to growl.
When we got back to camp it was to find that Rick had brought the leftovers from the meeting. Seems most of the people there were either raw vegan or pescatarian, so the food made for an odd combination … the remains of a fruit and cheese platter and a cold bowl of shrimp cocktail. None of us were averse so that was what we ate to save on the grocery bill and prevent waste.
Rick was stepping lightly but I just wasn’t into it. I left him and Lev to discuss whatever the meeting was about. I finally gave in and called and talked to Pei about the Rick situation. Final result of that conversation? Until I figure out what I want, I’m not necessarily going to be able to give someone else what they want. Common sense advice I just hope I can put into use.
[1][1] https://www.quakeroats.com/cooking-and-recipes/oatmeal-bowl-with-mango-chia-and-coconut
Yeah. I'm trying not to whine about it but the wound vac had me up most of the night. Alarms, the suction that sends those lovely zingers through my shoulder, the crappy little noises it makes. Another week and a half of this. I can take it. I'm pretty sure I can. I'm told the wound looks so much better than it did when the surgery first happened that it is like "night and day." I made the mistake of looking at early pics and ... for someone not easily grossed out, I was. At least it is shrinking. I'm still going to eventually need plastic surgery to get it fully closed but better than the alternative.
I'll get through this. But thanks to everyone reading being there even when I'm posting at funky hours. LOL.