High Springs, Fl., Sept 2nd

I got up this morning to walk the dog and get started finishing up a motor home modification I started months ago. (Hey, I might add that right now, I'm sitting at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and it's blowing 50 knots!) OK, back to the subject...... the coffee pot was turned on/filled the night before, so when I return with the dog, my first cup would be ready.

This Park Service Campground was 10% full, cool, out in the woods and quiet. Lovely.

While enjoying our Breakfast Blend coffee, I pulled out some premixed Awlgrip polyurethane paint(container wrapped in Saran Wrap and stuck in the freezer overnight). Layed the 5 small fiberglass pieces I had made in the days prior to leaving St. Pete and now taped underneath to a cardboard mount, I proceeded to pull out my 75 cent chinese paint brush and delacately and sparingly, stretch the paint onto the surface of my soon to be new Clearance Lights.

The trick is with some paints, is to put it on VERY sparingly. Do not leave a Void, (no paint) but stretch the liquid as far as you can until you re-enter the paint brush into the pot. A few minutes of this and we were off to the next nights campground.

Manatee Springs, Fl., Sept. 2nd

MANATEE SPRINGS, FL. IS WITHIN LOWLANDS BESIDE THE SUWANNEE RIVER AND IS PRONE TO FLOODING. THE MARKER HERE SHOWS THE YEARS AND HEIGHTS OF THE FLOODS. (ZOOM IN BY CLICKING)



Latter that day, after putting a coat of paint on our upcoming Clearance Light fixtures, we drove not too far west to Manatee Springs, Fl.



THE SUWANNEE RIVER IS A PIECE OF AMERICAN HISTORY AND A PLACE ANYONE FEELS AT HOME.



This was a special spot Dorothy and I found a few years ago, when once again, "following our headlights". I use this term to suggest being led by nothing but the moment. It's childlike but heck..... following intuition, instinct, love, impulse or "what did that sign say?" feels good. Nice to be free of the Need and into the Want.


WILDLIFE OF ALL SIZES. UPON WAKENING, DEER WERE WITHIN A SPITBALLS DISTANCE FROM OUR SITE AND INSECTS MINDED THEIR MANNERS.



Again, a quiet State Park of Florida, on the south side of the famous Suwanne River proved to be ideal. At night it was silent except for the sounds of nature. In the morning, deer were quite close to our campsite and did not seem to be fazed by humans. That's nice as long as humans continue to give them space in these parks.


THE SPRINGS THEMSELVES WERE 1/4 MILE INTO THE SOUTHERN SHORE OF THE RIVER. CLEAR AND INVITING-OPEN TO SWIMMERS.



We walked the paths we walked several years ago and photographed the springs themselves. A quite walk down to the river thru a field of Cypress trees and wetlands leading to the Suwanne. The river was silent but often 7'Sturgeon and larger will be jumping at least once a minute in this prehistoric river breading ground.

SUWANNEE RIVER MEDALLION, ON A POST WITHIN THE PARK.



Very Special morning....

Grand Canyon Trip ..the Beginning.

Beautiful weather to begin our trip and a morning view from our condo balcony, of an osprey perched atop a sailboat at our dock.




Watchful of everything around it, it's always a pleasure to have these views everyday we are there. Only 100 yards away from us is an island sanctuary for birds. Pelicans, egrets, blue herons, cormorants, pink spoonbills, rosetta ibis and crows. The top dog, or bird as it may be, is the Osprey.




We begin here in St. Pete Beach on Sept.2nd and end up at Manatee Springs State Park, up the coast on the Suwannee River.

Now how many folks can say they've seen a deer dump?






Suwanee River in early morning haze. The river is down as much of the southern U.S. is having a drought. We visited this remote park a few years ago while doing a slow tour of this bend area of Florida on a gentle trip with my father along. We saw at least a dozen 5-7' long Sturgeon jumping out of the river...a common practice I here.