One of the volunteers at Merritt Island encouraged me to make the 2-hour trip again today, only to visit the Lake Woodruff NWR instead. She said that the both the pileated woodpeckers and swallowtail kites were abundant and that babies had been spotted. Despite being tired from yesterday and not looking forward to another long drive, I loaded up and headed out. When I arrived at the Visitor’s Center, there was my friend from Merritt. She and her husband just moved onto the property. She gave me the scoop and also let me know that even the alligators were hatching early. Excited to see what was in store, I hopped back in the car and drove the next 1-2 miles to the first parking lot, for the Mayaka Loop. As I was unloading, I was pleasantly surprised by the sounds and sights of my beloved pileated woodpecker! There were two of them right at the edge of the parking lot. The lighting really wasn’t working with me and to be honest, I could barely see them against the trees. Fortunately, the Sony saw a lot better than I did. I was surprised when I got home and could actually make […]
Starke is yet another small town in Florida that I’ve driven through for years but never stopped. It was never a destination, just a spot along the way. It was the mid-point between two even smaller towns which once reigned supreme as Florida’s most well known speed traps, Lawtey and Waldo. I’ve made many trips down US301 to Gainesville, which is probably most peoples’ destination if they’re traveling this way. However, unless you’re planning on stopping, most driver’s likely take new wonderful new bypass and miss the town altogether. On this Saturday afternoon, I decided to drive down and see what I’ve been missing all these years. As it turns out, not much. There isn’t much to see in this town of around 5000. It does stake claim to being home to Florida’s oldest weekly newspaper, The Bradford County Telegraph, which began publication in 1879. It is also the county seat for Bradford County. Aside from that, I found one street which really held any promise. It seems like most of the activity revolves around Call Street. Now it does make sense. After all, Call Street is actually a National historic district. Although the street is relatively short, there is […]
In my continuing quest to seek out new places that I haven’t explored around my home turf, I traveled to Palatka, Florida yesterday. It’s actually got a pretty interesting history so I’d encourage you to read the link. I’ve been through Palatka countless times but I’ve never really stopped to see what the town has to offer. With a population around the 10,000 mark, it’s considerable larger than where I grew up but it still has a familiar feel. I parked at one end of the historic downtown area and walked about 20 blocks. I was surprised that despite it being a weekend with the holidays right around the corner, very little was open. There are plenty of shops which should’ve been busy but most of downtown was closed up. My main target was a large number of murals representing the community’s history. They were very well done. Something that impressed me is the kindness of the people I crossed paths with. Many times I found myself shooting across the street to get the entire mural in the frame. On more than one occasion, driver’s would stop and wait for me to finish rather than driving through my shot. At […]
