Had breakfast at the Pioneer Restaurant where there was a sign indicating it was ‘Nana’s Kitchen’ and we immediately thought of Marilee Devenzio and took a picture of it. The actual Nana was there at a table next to the kitchen. Then we went to the Pioneer Park where they have the Cracker Trail museum. Crackers were colonial era British and American pioneer settlers and were called crackers because of the sound of their whips as they drove cattle or because of their great boasting (cracker is a boaster in the Queen’s English) depending on where you get your information.
At the Cracker Trail museum I saw letter from an Indian Chief, Chief Seattle, to President Franklin Pierce in 1855. The letter read:
“The Great Chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land. How can you buy or sell the sky or the warmth of the land. The idea is strange to us. Yet you do not own the freshness of the air, or the sparkle on the water. How can you buy them from us. Every part of the earth is sacred to my people.
We know the white man does not understand our ways. One portion of the land is the same to him as the next, for he is a stranger who comes in the night and takes from the land whatever he needs. The earth is not his brother but his enemy, and when he has conquered it, he moves on. He leaves his father’s graves, and his children’s birthright is forgotten.
There is no quiet place in the white man’s cities. No place to hear the leaves of spring or the rustle of insect wings. But perhaps because I am savage and do not understand the clatter, it only seems to insult the ears. And what is there to life if a man cannot hear the lovely cry of the whippoorwill or the arguments of the frog around the pond at night.
The whites too shall pass — perhaps sooner than the other tribes. Continue to contaminate your bed and you will one night suffocate in our own waste. When the buffalo are all slaughtered, the wild horses all tamed, the secret corners of the forest heavy with the scent of many men, and the view of the ripe hills blotted by talking wires. Where is the thicket — gone — where is the eagle — gone — and what is it to say goodbye to the swift and the hunt, THE END OF LIVING and THE BEGINNING OF SURVIVAL.”
Wow, nuff said!
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Received word that our May trip to the UK has been cancelled. We will only be losing about $43 because we have such an awesome travel agent, Pam Smithgall with South Shore Travel. This is sad news because I was so looking forward to this trip, but always better to be safe than sorry, I suppose. Dennis is glad that I will be home for his birthday this year!
Friday, March 20, 2020
Our new friends Archie and Eva invited us to go with them and another couple, Joan and Ray kayaking in the mangroves on Lido Key. Now this was gonna be an hour drive, but we are assured the trip would be worth it.
We stopped at a Cracker Barrel restaurant on the way. I have never seen a Cracker Barrel with this few customers in my life. We got to South Lido National Park about 10:30 and Archie said they had never seen so many cars in the parking lot. People can’t gather in public, so they are out in nature. Several families were here! We launched our kayaks and headed to the mangroves tunnels. This was such an awe inspiring adventure. I was so happy we were introduced to this — I will never forget this trip and will do one like or similar to it every single time I come to Florida for the rest of my life!! This first picture is of the launch site from the water.
This little guy was swimming under our kayaks and kept us company for a while. We even got to see him catch a good sized perch and eat it. Eva got these pictures, none of mine turned out. She knows her way around a camera, even on her cell phone. Joan is an avid birder and she said this is a double breasted something or other and it is not native to Florida. To the untrained eye, I just saw a mud duck.
Above is Archie, our fearless leader!
We all had the time of our lives!! I hope everyone will take a kayak trip through the mangroves while visiting Florida. You can do it in the Everglades and/or other places in Florida. It is like hiking narrow paths in the woods, but on a kayak!!
Driving home we drove back through Sarasota and stopped at the Unconditional Surrender Statue.
Of course we each did our own pose by the statue. The first is of me and Dennis, then Joan and Ray, followed Archie and Eva. Aren't we all just cute as a button!
Saturday, March 21, 2020
HAPPY 33rd ANNIVERSARY TO THE MAN OF MY DREAMS, MY SOUL MATE, MY EVERYTHING!
Florida has closed their beaches. The only people allowed on the beach are those that live on that beach. That is a real bummer. Our next stop will be closer to the Gulf side of Florida but north of Orlando. We were thinking we could spend some time at the beach on our travels back home. I guess that will not be the case in Florida. I believe one of our stops in Mississippi will be on the beach. We will see how they are treating this pandemic when we get there.
Today we went to my cousin, Pam Winkle and her husband, Thomas. They live in Ellenton on the Manatee River. We had lunch and then took off on their pontoon boat to see the sites. Loved being on the water and beginning to realize how much I miss my boat back home. We saw mating dolphins, which I have never witnessed in person. Pam and Thomas are both still working stiffs, at least for now. Looks like Florida may close down everything non essential in this Pandemic and they may have to shelter in place. That is gonna be hard on everyone. Loved seeing these guys and wish we had more time to spend with you guys.
Monday, March 23, 2020
Took a trip to WalMart to pick up a few things. I am down to two rolls of toilet paper and a dozen eggs. Well, guess what? No toilet paper and no eggs to be seen. So we went down to the Winn Dixie and tried there. Nada. As a last ditch effort, we tried CVS. No toilet paper, but they had eggs. We bought two dozen - in hind site, we should have acted like all these other people and bought them all. Not really, I just cannot be that selfish.
Got home and unloaded the things we were able to grab and Archie stopped by. They had been to the store and he mentioned they couldn't find any eggs. I told him we couldn't find any toilet paper. So I gave him my extra dozen eggs and later in the day we found 4 rolls of toilet paper and some wipes on our doorstep. The toilet paper fairy had visited us.
Snowbirds:
I have to tell you, I had no idea what to expect from these snow birds. They come every year usually for about three months or so from about December to May. They come the same areas an have built lasting friendships. Archie and Eva are from Ohio, Joan and Ray and from Ontario, Bonnie and Donnie are from Texas and Peggy and David are from Tennessee. There are many more that these guys know and are real friends with that we haven't yet spent any time with. They know all the ins and outs of the area and of the park we are in. I may have to make Peace River an annual stop for us so we can stay in touch with our new friends.
Another interesting fact. Joan and Ray from Ontario were informed that they had to be back in Canada by the 27th of March or lose their insurance coverage. We had another couple behind us that were from Quebec so the same for them. Here they are in Florida and have to get back to Canada in such a short time. The park cleared out pretty quick after that notice went out. Sounds a little counter intuitive to me, but hey.
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