Partying Between Set Up and the Start of Business at the Raid

Brooksville Now-- we started the kettle korn business

Bev's Mom and Dad

Once we started going there as a business, we needed to get there much earlier.  Instead of arriving on Friday, we now had to set up on Wednesday.  Thursday was a day in which not much happened. Then the get-togethers started to accumulate between setting up and actually starting selling at the event.  Steve and I are not party folks as mentioned before.  But we do like our special traditional and annual gatherings.

Parents of my long-time friend Bev are snow birds.  They are currently 89 and 91.  Several years ago, Mrs. S. invited us for lunch on Thursday.  At that time we still lived in South Florida.  So, when we left on Wednesday, we did not return to our home until after the event Sunday night.  The Thursday luncheon with old friends was perfect in so many ways.  That first year, we were served a variety of breads, rolls, chips, cold meats and salads…egg, crab, tuna, potato.  The next year Beverly asked what we would like to eat.  We requested the same meal.  And, thus, a traditional was born.   Even after we moved to North Central Florida and we could go home easier with fewer miles, the traditional continued.  Last year, Mrs. S. was battling illness.  So, we did not go.  But this year, Bev and her sister decided they could go back to this wonderful tradition.   We did go this year.  And the meal was as wonderful as ever.  Good food, good friends.

Bob's get together

Loafer’s Glory sutler—Debbie and Bob live near the Brooksville Raid.  He is the sutler co-ordinator.  Several years ago, because most of the sutlers came in on Wednesday to set up and, like us, did not have much to do on Thursday, they started inviting a handful of us to their house for a small get together.  It is held primarily out of doors.  Some of these evenings have been reaaaaaaaaaaaaaallly cold.  But this year, it was cool, but pleasant.  They have a fire pit where we roast our own hot dogs.  Every one brings something.  A list is compiled during the day of such goodies.  That first event I brought cheese cake—a variety of flavors which we bought at the local Winn-Dixie.  It became my traditional donation.  Since most of us do not have the convenience of “making” or “baking” our contributions on site, almost everything is store-boughten.  There is, however, homemade slaw and homemade chili.  Various beverages (no alcohol).  Sometimes children (Bob’s and Debbie’s granddaughter).  A pleasant evening.

Karaoke takes on its special doings.  Steve and I are not fond of this entertainment.  So, we often leave about the time the singing starts. 

Manatee Springs State Park, Chiefland

Manatee Springs

11650 N.W. 115th Street
Chiefland, Florida 32626

(352) 493-6072

http://www.floridastateparks.org/manateesprings/

8:00 a.m. until sundown, 365 days a year

$6.00 per vehicle. 2-8 people per vehicle; $4.00 Single Occupant Vehicle; $2.00 Pedestrians, bicyclists, extra passengers, passengers in vehicle with holder of Annual Individual Entrance Pass.

Diving: spring, open water and cave diving. All divers are required to register with the office prior to diving. All divers must be registered by 3:00 p.m. and out of the water and checked out (c-cards returned) by 5:00 p.m.

Pavilion Rental, Camping, Organized Youth and Adult Group Camping fees apply.  See web-site.

 

 

(From the Web-site): The first-magnitude spring at this park produces an average of 100 million gallons of clear, cool water daily. In winter, West Indian manatees swim upriver to the warmer waters of the springs. Popular for snorkeling and scuba diving, the headwaters of the spring are also a great spot for swimming. The spring run forms a sparkling stream that meanders through hardwood wetlands to the Suwannee River. Canoe and kayaks can be rented May through September. Children enjoy the playground in the picnic area. Hiking and bicycling are available on the north end trail system. The full-facility campground is surrounded by red oak woods.

To continue our day's adventure with Don, Peg, Lynne, Steve and me, Steve's idea was to visit an altogether different state park. So, we followed the rural roads of Alachua and Levy Counties and meandered our way to Chiefland.

By this time, Don's and Peg's early morning McDonald's breakfast had worn off. Steve is not known for stopping. When he is focused on getting somewhere, that's it. Well, with four against one, we talked him into stopping. We went through Newberry.. There is a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Lynne had been there before and did not really want to go back to it.

Our morning adventure continued.  Miles and miles of trees, cattle and more trees, we finally came to outskirts of Trenton (no, not New Jersey…Trenton, Florida…the County Seat of Gilcrist County…yeah, I know y’all never heard of it).  SUBWAY.  Yeah! Food!  Not terribly exciting, but it would do.  Don treated all of us.  Steve and I split a BLT sub (or as we call it in Southern New England—grinder) which was surprisingly quite good.

Continuing on to Chiefland, we followed the signs to the springs.  Well, actually Steve knew where it was, so the signs were not necessarily necessary.  

Steve at times can be a conniver.  First he told the man at the gate (this one is “manned”) that we had already been to a State Park.  That did not matter.  Then, Steve asked him if his volunteering at another State Park would help.  The guy wanted proof.  Well, as it were, he has a Silver River Museum volunteer placard on the dashboard. Voilé.  That seemed to be good enough to get a complimentary pass.

A boardwalk follows the Suwanee River with several overlooks.  It ends at a boat ramp.  Normally, in the winter, there are many manatee.  But, this has been a rather warm winter.  So, they have not sought the warmth of shallow and temperate waters of the “springs.”  We did not see any. Also, the day was hazy, so the blue sky did not show its unfailing beauty.  The many examples of flora (most trees) had shade their leaves.  This gives the landscape a much more dreary look than one might see any other season (yes, we do have seasonal changes, albeit not as dramatic as it is “up north.”).

We followed the boardwalk, spent quite some time taking in the quietness.  We back tracked and went to the Springs portion of the park.  The colors were not as vibrant as we have seen them, but everyone enjoyed the serene nature of the place.  Fauna observed was a gazillion turkey buzzards in the trees and two snakes nestled around two branches in a bush in the River.  And a bunch of squirrels.

Cypress trees and a bazillion knees were surrounded by some very pretty yellow flowers. I love the knees (how a cypress tree breathes when the water is high).  Large groups of them remind me of a troop of soldiers standing at attention.  A single sentinel here and there guards the entrance to the path.

Sometimes when we have visited, there have been many swimmers.  This day, only two, using snorkels and masks.

We spent quite some time taking it in before we headed for home.  Lynne helped me get supper on the table.  As the old-fashioned soul that I am, I hang my clothes on the line to dry.  Peg pulled them in for me.  Nothing like having my friends and guests help me with housework.

Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the day, despite the lack of color.  Peg and Don left somewhere around eight.  It was a good day with a nice loop of a trip.  They understand a bit more about rural Florida, which both commented that they enjoyed.

more pictures later

Dudley Farm

Florida State Parks--the Real Florida.

Dudley Farm Historic State Park

18730 W. Newberry Road
Newberry, Florida 32669
(352) 472-1142

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday.

Self-guided tours of the farmstead are available Wednesday through Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Farmstead is closed for “shutting down operations” after 4:00 p.m., daily.

http://www.floridastateparks.org/dudleyfarm/

Admission: $5.00 per car—up to eight people (a true bargain) payable at the gate container. One places money into an envelope and takes the stub which goes on the mirror. The envelope goes into a little blue mailbox-type locked container. And off you go.

By now you know my love for Florida State Parks. Many of them are protected natural areas, such as various “Springs.” But, the state parks system has some very diverse venues. One which we had thought about for some time is Dudley Farm in Newberry.

(This paragraph is background--My longest-term friendship is with Beverly. We met in eighth grade. Shortly after meeting Bev, she invited me to come to her house after school. At this time, I met her parents who are now ninety-one and eighty-nine. Bev has three sisters…Peg, Jan and Phyl. Peg is twenty-three months younger than Beverly; Jan, twenty nine months younger than Peg; and Phyl, nineteen months younger than Jan (so, about two years apart). So, I’ve known all the siblings for almost as long as I have known Bev. Bev lives approximately seventy miles from me. Another post will describe our get togethers. Bev’s folks are still snow-birds…travel and winter in Florida and return to New England in the summer. Children and sometimes grandchildren visit off and on throughout the winter. Peg and her husband Don, now retired, came to visit for three weeks. They almost always visit us at the Raid (separate posting). This year, Mom and Dad are less than excited about doing things outside their normal routine. Travel, once they arrived in Florida, is not as much fun as it usta was. They consistently go the McDonald’s for breakfast, mosey through three of the local Walmarts and watch TV. They have been guests in our house many a time. But, the seventy mile car trip is no longer fun. This year Beverly went away with several of her friends for a week. This is something very unusual, but it was a one-time opportunity for her. Usually, Bev spends a lot of time with her visiting relatives although the relatives stay at Mom and Dad’s. Without Beverly’s company right in the middle of Peg and Don’s stay provided for some boredom on their part…too much McDonald’s and too many Walmats. So, when Peg and Don made their almost annual visit to the Raid, we asked them if they would like to come up to do “something” with us for a day. They jumped at the idea. Borrowed Dad’s car for a day. After a couple of phone calls to make arrangements, they showed up at our doorstep mid-morning. Steve and Don are a month apart in age. So, it was good for both of them to have another male around their own age with whom to “hang”).

Lynne, still staying with us after the Raid, was happy to join us in our plans, whatever they might be.

Plan A was a boat trip on the Rainbow and Withachoochee Rivers--which did not work out. Steve came up with an idea for Plan B. Why not go to a couple of state parks. Most tourists and many snowbirds have no idea about the beautiful rural portions of Florida. I often brag that our town has only ONE blinking light…lots of stop signs, but no regular stop lights. Well, Peg and Don found out and, I believe quite amazed.

Piling into the car, we headed toward Newberry. The farm is still a working farm.

Hiking/Nature Trail (FROM THE WEB-SITE)

Picnic Area Loop - A pleasant 15 minute walk that wanders through a hammock with many live oaks and sinkholes.

The Pause and Ponder Trail - Enjoy this .3 mile loop nature trail at Dudley Farm's Visitor Center. This is your chance to take a quiet, meditative walk through the diverse habitat of Dudley Farm's woodlands. There is mystery here as the trail slopes downhill and curves out of sight. The trail climbs to high ground with a view across pasture land where the Dudleys once grew cotton and where cows still graze. A hand-hewn cedar bench is made for resting or bird-watching. Pileated woodpeckers can be heard calling; native magnolias and live oaks create a majestic canopy.

The trail begins and ends at the park's picnic area.

The Old Homestead Trail - This trail is featured January through June, the 2nd Saturday of the month.

A ranger or docent will meet you at the Visitor Center at 10:00 a.m. for this behind-the-scenes view of the Dudley Farm that was before the existing 1880s farmstead. The original log homesite location and possible location of slave houses will be pointed out. Participants will learn about Captain PBH Dudley, who established the original farm. This walk back through time traverses the original lane past 100-year-old split rail fences. One will experience the flavor of the true South while walking under ancient canopy live oaks and red cedars dripping with Spanish moss.

Allow a leisurely hour or two for this new guided walk.

Although we did not hike the various trails, we spent considerable time walking around the farm and buildings. We will go back for a revisit and some hiking... 

A short film presents some very good history about the three generations of Dudleys who lived and farmed here. Philip B. H. Dudley was the first. He bought some acreage in the 1850’s. He ran the farm with his large family and local slaves. After the Civil War, however, most of the same slaves worked for him as paid laborers or tenant farmers. His only surviving son P. B[en] H. Dudley, Jr. was the next owner. The last to live on the farm was Myrtle (1901-1996) who was the youngest of the twelve children (eight girls, four boys), donated some of the land to the State in the 1980’s. Her vision was to see the farm continue to be used as it had been. But due to her advanced age, much of the buildings had deteriorated. The State currently owns 325 acres of the original 640 acres. An ongoing project was begun.

We talked to a wonderful lady named Terry who told us that she was soon retiring (one of very few paid staffs—I think one of two). She had grown up on a farm and had done much of the heavy labor in the restoration process. Split rail fences and gardening were two of her specialties. The physical labor is getting too much for her. She did say that she would like to remain as a volunteer.

Steve is interested in building a draw horse. Terry’s father had made the one used on the farm. She let the rope down and invited Steve to try it (something not usually done for touring folks). She also mentioned that she still had the drawings and would send them to us. A most charming and helpful lady. One could tell that she REALLLLLY loves her job.

Live stock currently includes a couple varieties of chickens, horse, mule, and two turkeys—the thirty pound tom with an “attitude.”

Crops include sugar cane, sweet potatoes and field corn. Mules are still used for the cultivation. Due to a recent killing frost, the banana trees were a wintery shade of tan, but they will come back in the spring. Many of the flowers in the front of the homestead looked pretty good, however. Some of the trees were a hundred or so years old.

Eighteen historic structures made the farm totally self-sufficient. Some of these buildings include:

The farm house was built by Ben Dudley. Four rooms arranged around a central hall. Boys slept upstairs and girls downstairs.

As was oft the tradition in the South, the kitchen and dining area were housed in a separate building. There were at least two reasons for this: (1) The heat in the summer would have made the house unbearable and (2) There was always a concern about fire hazard. If there was a fire in the kitchen, the rest of the house would have been kept safe.

The “flower pit” was built by Myrtle and Winnie Dudley as a kind of green house.

Dairy shed/canning house—an area for “women’s work.” Making butter, cottage cheese, canning farm produce and laundry.

Chicken coops housed 600 chickens in the 1930’s. Brooder house was built for raising baby chicks.

Sweet potato cellar—a general “root” A-frame cellar. This family used it primarily for their produce of sweet potatoes.

Syrup House Complex—The cane mill was powered by mules. Various times of the year, the complex was used for different chores—soap making, sugar cane syrup making, lard processing,

Smoke house, corn crib, stable, hay barn, tobacco barn.

Farm equipment and implements from the early days to “modern”-- early 1900’s) including a fairly early John Deere tractor which Ben traded for two of his mules. Various carts, wagons and pull sleds used by various animals were abundant Great antiques which have been preserved in the various buildings, including the house. At one time, one of the buildings housed a general store and local post office. The mail was received twice a week, and the locals came, met and gossiped. The general store has been restored with the types of inventory that would have filled its shelves.

A cistern collected rain water. And a water tower (no longer in existence) further collected water for the times during the year when rain was scarce.

I bought a great quint little cookbook in the gift shop Cookhouse Cookin’. It includes many family recipes and a hand-written recipe from Myrtle.

It was great fun and educational. All five of us enjoyed this portion of our trip.

Banana trees killed by frost

Steve at the draw horse

The back porch

Wonderful, hardworking Miss Terry

But Steve wanted to show Don and Peg a different part of the real Florida.So, after a couple of hours, we piled into the car once again and drove off to Manatee Springs.(See separate posting).

CHRISTMAS AT DISNEY—Well, Sort of

Christmas at Disney--Well, Sort of

It was a cold and wintry day.  All the topiaries were wearing their winter coats and covered nicely with a good warm blanket of special material.  Even so, they may still have been shivering under them.  Lots of the more delicate greenery and outdoor flowers also were blanketed.  This was true all over WDW.  It was COLD!  And terribly windy.

A couple of years ago, Lynne, John, Steve and I spent a day checking out the Christmas trees and ornaments at the resorts—Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Coronado Springs, and Grand Floridian.  We decided that we would repeat this adventure by going to some of the other resorts which we had not previously visited.  None of the four of us would EVER go to one of the parks during the days near Christmas.  Many of the Orlando attractions had to stop allowing people through their gates during the last week or so due to being “filled.”  Actually, that is a misnomer, as they were filled well beyond capacity.  Waiting lines were long and horrendous.  We heard by TV that some of the “rides”/ attractions had lines that lasted more than two hours.    

Both Lynne and I had called to find out how long the Christmas decorations would be up.  Lynne’s information was January 3; mine, January 7.  In either case, we thought we would be able to see some beautiful decorations.  As it were, neither was totally correct.    John had only Tuesday off from his job.  So, we made arrangements to meet at the Swan near EPCOT.  

Steve and I missed a turn and had to back-track.  When we finally got to the place we should have been to begin with, we discovered Lynne and John were in the car two ahead of us.  God had to have had a hand in that, because when we got to the gate house for the Swan, we discovered that one needs to swipe the room card in order to park there.  Since we were not registered, we needed to back up and go to Plan B (we did not know we had one, but apparently, we did).  If we had not arrived at the same time, one or both cars would have had a certain amount of confusion.  But, of course, I suppose, we could have used the cell phones (as much as I hate them, I HAVE to use one occasionally), 

They decided to follow us (wherever we were going to go). 

Steve and I decided to go to the Wilderness Lodge.  I love breakfast there.  Anyway, they followed us.  Their decorations were still up.  As with everything Disney, every detail is perfection.  The decorations at the Wilderness are themed to the Wild West.  Some of the lights are behind giant tepees.  Other ornaments (besides regular large round Christmas tree bulbs) include canoes, ornaments with printed deer, bison, etc. and lots of lights.  The tree is approximately six stories tall and is in the lobby/atrium.  A star tops the tree which is decorated  all the way up. 

The heat from the resorts, buses and monorail would come to feel ever so nice and warming. Outside walking was just not too much fun. Yet, the parks were jammed with people. 

The weather seemed to keep the train empty

After breakfast, we hopped a bus to the Magic Kingdom.  No, not to go to the park, but to take the monorail to the three resorts around the “Seven Seas Lagoon”...Contemporary,  Polynesian and The Grand Floridian.  We wandered through the Contemporary, finding their tree in the new Towers building.  Turquoise and gold.  Not bad.  We crossed the walking bridge.  It was very cold and windy.  When we went back to catch the monorail, we walked on ground level…much easier to travel.  The buildings protected us from the wind.  The setting for the Contemporary is beautiful, right on one of the many Disney lakes.  The building itself really wowed me the first time I saw it many years ago (1973).  Can you imagine a monorail traveling and stopping right inside the building? I guess the novelty has sort of worn off, but it still gives me a thrill.  The building has very sleek lines (I’m more of a Wilderness Lodge or Grand Floridian type…old themes).  The colors are earth tones.

Hopping back on the monorail, our next stop was the Polynesian.  A few poinsettias here and there, but not much other Christmassy looks.  We did find a tree in one of the restaurants that was well-themed.  The Polynesian (along with the Contemporary and Fort Wilderness Campground) are the three original resorts at WDW.  The Polynesian is the smallest of all the resorts.  Surprisingly, this is the first time we actually walked through it.  Even though there was not much “Christmas,” it was really cool to see.

 

Back on the monorail, we then stopped at the Grand Floridian.  To our sad disappointment, not one fragment of Christmas availed.  Its gorgeous huge tree…gone.  Its full-sized ginger bread house gone.  Its gilded bird cages totally de-decorated.  We might as well have been there in the middle of summer, Talked to a young man named Javier and asked about the decorations.  He said, “Christmas has passed.”  I am a strong believer in the twelve days of Christmas which ends on January 6.  Many cultures celebrate the main part of this very special holiday on January 6—Epiphany, Three Kings’ Day, the Twelfth Day of Christmas, or any of the other names under which it may be.    He did agree with me, but apparently, Disney does not.  We wandered around, nonetheless, as even without the Christmas decorations, the Grand Floridian is a beautiful highly decorated themed resort.  As with any Grand Victorian, the resort offers "high" tea.  We did not get the details, but Lynne and I (who love tea rooms and high tea) would like to go without the guys some day.

Back to the monorail--one last time--to catch a Disney bus.  We decided that we would not traverse to any other resort this year as we had been disappointed with the de-decorating.  But, next year we will go earlier and enjoy the themed beauty in each resort that we have missed.

We further decided to go to Downtown Disney.  It turns out that there is not a direct bus connection from the Magic Kingdom to Downtown Disney.  One can only get to Downtown Disney from one of the zillion resorts.  But the wonderful Disney employee who helps people at the bus depot suggested that we take the bus to “Sarasota Springs,” which is the closest resort to Downtown.  We waited almost no time, when our bus showed.  As we pulled in Sarasota Springs, the Downtown bus pulled in right behind us.  So, with no wait time, we hopped the bus to “Downtown” Disney.

We poked in several of the shops.  Downtown Disney still understood that Christmas had not yet gone away.  Christmas decor abounded.  Everything from the cast (plastic, plaster or whatever?)characters--wearing their winter garb--to Christmas trees, wreaths and peppermint bark samples at Ghirardelli's.   

http://ghirardelli.com/

Then, we decided to go to lunch.   On another trip to Disney some time ago, we had dined at the Earl of Sandwich…which is a quick, large portions, good lunch time fare, good value (not cheap…nothing at Disney is cheap these days…unlike days of yore).  It is cafeteria style and the food is quite good with seasonal offerings (hot turkey with stuffing and cranberry was really good...it seems to be a special between Thanksgiving and shortly after Christmas).  All sandwiches are on hogie-style fresh baked bread.  Salads and soups add to the menu. Wraps.  Beverages. Potato or Pasta Salads.  Fruit Cups Chips, etc. Cookies. Cookie Sandwiches.  Bread or Chocolate Puddin'.  Breakfast sandwiches.  The portions are fairly true to the pictures on the web-site.  The Sandwich was named after the Fourth Earl of Sandwich; the current restaurant chain is run by the Eleventh Earl.  Not just a registered trademark, but probably the absolute truth! The World's Greatest Hot Sandwich®    

http://www.earlofsandwichusa.com/about-us/

Don'tcha love the bar stools?

But given all that hype, we decided to go for sit-down and be waited upon. John had a recent birthday and Steve and I had not been “out” to eat for some time.  So, we bypassed the sandwich for a trip to the Rainforest Café.  Steve and I had poked our heads into one a couple of times.  It looked like fun.  But the prices were higher than we like to pay.  This, however, was kind of a special day.  So, the four of us decided to go for broke and dine there.  It was a bit pricey, but a whole lot of fun.  The food was very good, the service was super and fun (except when paying…it took a long time to get our change and Lynne’s credit card).  The portion sizes good-sized (except John's steak...although he was happy).  Steve had pot roast.  He did not like the veggies (he likes very few veggies and those need to be over cooked—not al dente).  John had a “Primal” steak dinner, which he enjoyed.  Lynne, who had a gastric bypass a zillion years ago, still does not have much of an appetite.  She chose a "side" salad, which turned out to be bigger than she expected and could not finish it.  And, I had Rasta Pasta…penne with a basil Alfredo cream sauce with all kinds of goodies…red bell pepper, spinach, broccoli.  It was yummy.  The café is a really fun place.  From time to time, the lights flash on and off and simulates a thunder storm.  There are all kinds of animals…animated monkeys swinging from overhead trees, apes of various sizes making appropriate noises along with chest pounding.  There are large parrots of plaster or plastic flying overhead.  An elephant blaring its trunk trumpet.  Rain.  Tropical fish (these are real).  It was soooooo much fun.  Due to the prices, I probably will not repeat this experience, but it is a memory which I certainly will relish and remember forever.  Much too full to dine on dessert… they looked out of this world yummy.

http://www.rainforestcafe.com/

After moseying a bit more, we boarded a bus for the Wilderness Lodge and left for home.  A good day with special friends.  For the cost of gas, tolls, lunch (and one always has to eat) and parking, we had a wonderful day.