Road Junkies: Florida

Showing posts with label Florida. Show all posts

For years we have talked about visiting Key West, but we were put off by its party central, wasted-away in Margaritaville reputation. And yet it hovered on our list because of our friends’ enthusiasm about its eccentric personality and tropical allure. And there were the literate types like Hemingway and Tennessee Williams and even Robert Frost who found it compelling. Finally we had to see for ourselves, so we spent three days in Key West from March 11 to 13. Though we did a modicum of research prior to our departure, we learned several major lessons that would have made our trip much more enjoyable if we'd had the knowledge beforehand.

Tallahassee, FL
April 8-11, 2010

A veritable forest of Woods gathered in Tallahassee for our triennial family reunion. Even though some family members were unable to attend and were missed, we had a wonderful time.

Bruce and June, the epitome of gracious hosts, opened their beautiful Tallahassee home to our big group on Friday evening. Informality was the rule of the day and renewing family bonds was top priority.

With a nod to Wood family tradition, the evening was punctuated with a homegrown fireworks show. Thankfully, since we were in an urban neighborhood and not the family farm, the show did not dissolve into a Duncans vs. Thorntons bottle rocket war. Maybe next time we're at the Lonesome Pine...

After some fun explorations of Tallahassee sights like Florida State University and nearby Wakulla Springs State Park on Saturday, we gathered the whole group for some family photographs.Though the posed group shot was awesome, our favorite was this one, in which Woodie captured everyone's reaction to a funny remark made by Bruce (of course). We admired Tom and Baylinn for maintaining self-control and holding their pose when the rest of us lost it.

After a delicious meal at a local restaurant with the surprising name of Stinky's Fish Camp, we retired to the reunion hotel for Wood family style entertainment. As always, for "the cousins" the most fun was in the rehearsal.

In fact, we were having such a barrel of laughs at our rehearsal session, we almost missed the actual performance.

It was another fabulous Wood famly reunion spent sharing old memories and making new ones. Can't wait for the next one!

Perdido Key, FL
January 22-31, 2010

After a lengthy interruption of our planned month on the Emerald Coast, we left Atlanta and doctor appointments behind and returned to our condo by the sea.

Returning to our coastal letterboxing adventures, we went in search of "Lennon the Rolls," which we were informed was hidden in a magnetic container in the wheel well of the passenger side of this car. Legend has it that this vehicle was once owned by Beatle John Lennon. Some even said he planted a time capsule in the car. Though none of that has been confirmed nor disproved, a Pensacola attorney obtained and restored it, displaying it in the parking lot of his law office. And a Pensacola area letterboxer planted a box on the car.

While we refuse to disclose how long we looked on the right side of the vehicle before translating the term "passenger side" to a British-manufactured car, we did eventually locate the letterbox.

Imagine our surprise when we passed the parking lot a couple of days later to discover that someone had bashed poor Lennon. We learned later that the car was sent to the body shop and re-restored (it had already been given a restoration after Hurricane Ivan left severe salt damage in 2004).

Dianne's mother, Sylvia, had come to the beach for a visit, so we thought it was time to travel across the panhandle to Tallahassee to meet the newest yaya-- Baylinn, Clint and Carrie's baby daughter who was born on December 11.

Of course, we found her just as charming and adorable as those who had already met her had attested. A very sweet baby who patiently goo-goo-ed and ga-ga-ed for all who held and talked to her.

And no trip to Tally town would be complete without a visit to Roostah and June's house, where we were lucky enough to find the winsome Reese. Her great Aunt Sylvia helped us bring her a couple-of-weeks-early celebration of her third birthday. What a doll! Her grandparents, Bruce and June, were the consummate hosts they always are, and we enjoyed a wonderful evening in their home, delighted by a surprise visit from Adam and Jessica as well.

Back in Perdido after Sylvia left, we had a few days for planting some letterboxes in the Pensacola area. The fantastic National Museum of Naval Aviation was an obvious choice.

As was a trail near the Pensacola lighthouse...

With just a few days left in our time at the beach, our friend Jamey came for a long weekend. We took her letterboxing (she was underwhelmed) and to an ice hockey game, which she enjoyed.

This was our second Ice Flyers game. We had planned to attend more before we ended up stuck in Atlanta for a couple of weeks. This minor league team plays with a lot of heart and enthusiasm and provides an entertaining evening of fun for a very reasonable price. See you next season, Flyers!

Perdido Key, FL
January 1-5, 2010

What a surprise! While we were updating our house to get it ready to sell, it sold... before we ever put it on the market. So without a plan of where to move to, we decided maybe it was time to just hit the road for a while.

We crammed everything into a little apartment (our base camp) and set out for Perdido Key, Florida.

Mr. Pelican and his friends were there to welcome us to the beautiful Gulf coast, in spite of the chilly temperatures.

Since we were last in the area, a couple of new letterboxers have been busy planting lots of new boxes, including one in Pensacola's beautiful St. Michael's Cemetery, which dates back to the 18th century.

We were delighted to learn that a replica of the Nina, one of Christopher Columbus's ships, was at the Palafox Pier and available for touring. On the far left in this photo, you can see that the Nina, at 65 feet long, is not much larger than some of the recreational sailboats that were docked at the pier. Imagine boarding such a ship in the 15th century, not having any real idea of where you would end up!

Built in Brazil in the 1990s, the Nina has been touring around the U.S. along with a replica of the Pinta (which was actually built larger than the original ship). Since they are relatively small, the ships have been able to travel inland on river systems and came to Pensacola from the Northeast. We talked with a member of the crew, who told us the ships came down the Ohio River to the Cumberland, then the Tennessee to the Tombigbee, which brought them to Mobile and through the bay to Pensacola.

Photo by the Columbus Foundation

When we asked whether they didn't generate some interesting reactions from people who saw these caravel replicas sailing down American rivers, she told us of an incident as they came down the Tombigbee in Alabama. They heard a tugboat captain, who was guiding a sizeable barge down the river, say on the radio, "I may still be drunk from last night, but did anybody else see those two pirate ships that just went by?" The crew explained to the tug captain what the ships were and one can imagine he was quite relieved!

Check out the Columbus Foundation's web site for more information about the ships and where they're going next. Wish we were going with them. Unfortunately we have to return to base camp for the removal of what we're assured is a small a basal cell cancer growth on Dianne's nose. Not exactly relaxing on the beach!

Since our last reunion-planning trip to Tallahassee was rudely interrupted by an inconvenient broken kneecap, it was time to return and finalize some facility locations. On the way we passed one of our favorite signs in Griffin, Georgia. A close look reveals that both the sign and bridge have been hit more than once, inspite of the valiant and clever efforts of those who posted this sign.

As we reached Tallahassee, we were treated to a magnificent sunset while traversing I-10. Yes, we tried a different (and much worse) way into Tally.

We got our reunion business accomplished, deciding on the Homewood Suites, but couldn't resist an opportunity to visit one of our favorite Tallahassee landmarks, the fabulous New Leaf Market. New Leaf is a cooperatively owned business and has been serving the Tallahassee community since 1974. Bruce and June were among its first members.

As the largest natural foods store in North Florida and South Georgia, New Leaf offers an abundance of organic and local produce, natural groceries, organic wine and beer, supplements, vitamins and body care products. They even have a deli offering hot and cold menu items. So many choices... Exquisite!!

We were again honored to be guests at the incomparable Duncan B & B. Bruce and June are hosts extraordinaire!

They even have the world's cutest server on their B&B staff! Thank you, Reese!!

Although we have thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated having a GPS on our travels, we have also learned that "her" directions are only as good as her database. After all, she's reading off a chip and can't "see" what the roads look like. So being sent down the occasional dirt road isn't a huge surprise. However, we got a good laugh when the GPS sent us to a road heading into someone's pasture.

We arrived in Tallahassee and began our search for locations for the 2010 Wood family reunion. One place we really liked was Alfred Maclay Gardens State Park in Tallahassee. We found a fantastic large pavilion...

...located on Lake Hall.

Also on the grounds near the magnificient gardens is a gardener's cottage we can rent for the day.

On the other hand, the Hampton Inn had some really nice spaces we could use also.

After a day of searching for reunion spaces, we arrived at Bruce and June's house just after a big rainstorm. Wearing slick-bottom flip flops and not paying attention to where she was walking, Dianne slipped and landed on her left knee as we were walking from the car to the house. Before we even got in the door we were off for an x-ray.

A trip to the urgent care center confirmed what she suspected. Her kneecap was fractured.

Meanwhile Bruce and June had planned a wonderful celebration for our one year letterboxing anniversary the previous day, on which we found our 700th letterbox. And there we were hanging out at the urgent care center. Fortunately we did get to visit with everyone that evening but headed home the following day.

Photo by June
Even though our scouting mission we cut short by the need to get home and see the orthopedist, we did get a bit of letterboxing done on the way home.

Westview Cemetery in Moultrie has produced a fascinating audio tour relating stories of some of the people interred there. A local letterboxer took advantage of the opportunity and planted a fabulous series of letterboxes in the cemetery. Since they didn't involve hikes, they were perfect candidates. Ken retrieved the boxes and brought them to the car, where we worked together to stamp in.

The story goes that Charlie Etta Burney was a very cultured, beautiful and well educated young lady. She hailed from a well respected family. Imagine the shock when she slipped away and married a traveling salesman! Sadly, it was a short lived romance. Charlie Etta and her baby died in childbirth just ten months after the couple married. The statue you see is a likeness of Charlie Etta, carved by Italian sculptors using a post-death photograph of mother and child as a guide.

At last it was time for our long awaited trip to Tallahassee to visit Dianne's cousin Bruce and his loving wife June. We had discussed this visit for a few years and finally found a mutually agreeable time. As a special treat, Bruce's brother Steve and his wife Betty planned to visit at the same time.

As we so often do, we letterboxed a little on the way down to help break up the trip. The most interesting box we found was "An Elephant Never Forgets" at a cemetery in Moultrie, Georgia.
According to the clue, back in 1950 (the year Bruce and Dianne were born), a local man, William F. Duggan, Sr. fulfilled a life long dream of owning a circus when he purchased the Pan American Animal Exhibit and transformed it into the Hagen-Wallace Circus. Sadly, he died of a heart attack before the first performance. There was a baby elephant in the show which Duggan had named “Nancy” after his granddaughter. Duggan’s son sent a photo of Nancy to the Georgia Marble Company to have a monument made for his father’s grave. The 5.5 feet tall and 7 feet long sculpture is an exact replica of baby elephant “Nancy”. The grave marker lists Mr. Duggan's name and his birth and death dates, along with the inscription "Circus Owner."

After a rainy trip, we arrived at Bruce and June's beautiful home in Tallahassee. The house is so perfectly situated in its wooded surroundings that the home is very private even though neighbors are not so far away. The recent renovations were brilliantly conceived and executed, causing us to search around for the HGTV camera crew.

Bruce and June are the epitome of gracious hosts, making everyone who visits feel welcome and pampered. June had just completed a week of training in healthy eating and lifestyle at Hallelujah Acres in Plant City, FL, and shared some of what she learned with us. She even set up stations so that we could have the hands-on experience of trying some of the recipes she brought home with her. Steve and Ken mixed up some yummy green smoothies.

Other healthy foods we helped prepare and enjoyed were: walnut pate, portobello burgers, dairy-free cheese, a moccachino drink, and a delicious apple crisp dessert. All were vegetarian and non-dairy. Portions sizes were appropriate (unlike the supersized portions restaurants so often serve) and filling.

In discussing the foods we had been eating for two days on Sunday morning before we left, we four guests were all surprised when we realized that none of us had even thought about having a snack between meals. There was no hunger to feed.

On Saturday night, Bruce and June's son Adam came for a visit with his charming wife Jessica and the adorable Reese. Listening to this little one talk, it's hard to believe she turned two only two months ago. Staying with Bruce and June two days each week, she has developed a close bond with them. Sometimes she has to help "Big Daddy" by showing him how to do puzzles.Thanks mainly to the efforts of that fabulous carver Kirbert, Tallahassee is a letterboxing haven. We couldn't just ignore all those boxes calling to us, so we persuaded Steve and Betty to let us take them on their first letterboxing adventure. One of the places we visited was Lichgate on High Road. A Florida State professor bought three acres of land in 1955 for the express purpose of saving a live oak tree on the property. She built a Tudor-cottage home situated to allow her to look at the tree.
The tree that attracted her passion is now called the Lichgate Oak. The tree stands about 60 feet tall, has a 22-foot circumference and spreads its limbs 130 feet across. Its age has been estimated at 175 to 200 years, though some believe it to be older.
After a wonderful weekend in Tallahassee, we were treated to blue skies and definite signs of spring on the way home. Wisteria was out in full force.
At the Georgia Veterans State Park in Cordele, Georgia, we encountered an impressive stand of bald or pond cypresses skirting Lake Blackshear. Curiously, most had limbs on only one side of the tree, which happened to be the side facing the water.
We knew we had seen this same phenomenon before and dug up this photo of some other trees which we thought were a type of cypress along Elder Lake in Kilgore, Texas. We've searched the internet without success to find information about this and to discover what specific kind of tree it is and why the limbs grow in this manner.