At Bethedsa-by-the-Sea, worship is not held just in hallowed halls but in the grace of the garden. Surrounding this historic Palm Beach church are colorful plantings of unusual tropical plants like the big leafed sea grape. Behind, the lively Cluett Memorial Garden invites a stroll, where the fishes – colorful koi – will follow you until you break bread with them. Find a moment of serenity here.

The Ghost Bride of Tolomato Cemetery?

It was a dark and stormy night…well, perhaps not so stormy, but certainly threatening for the rains that befell us earlier in the day to shower down again as my sister Sal and I swept through the streets of old St. Augustine with Maria, our personal pirate from Ghost Tours of St. Augustine.

Now I’ve meandered scary streets alone at night and in the company of storytellers before, so I always enjoy a good ghost tour, and these folks offer one of the finest. On my last visit, it was a meander along the Mantanzas, the bloody history of Spaniards, Frenchman, and pirates laid out along a line of B&Bs on the waterfront. This trek was a different story. Maria had a thing for cemeteries. Passing through the city gates, we circled our way around the Huguenot Cemetery (and being of Huguenot descent, I was disappointed that none are actually buried there), all the while hearing tales of old St. Augustine and restless spirits of all ages, including Chief Tolomato.

Arriving at the Tolomato Cemetery, Maria was in the midst of telling us about the Ghost Bride when I captured this image on my iPhone. I’ve studied it over and over. The college students with us are all accounted for in the frames before and after, as well in the shadows of this one. But that face in the middle? Perhaps a ghost. Perhaps a trick of the light (click on the image to enlarge). Certainly a souvenir to remember, as memories – and photos – provide the best reminders of our journeys.

Spongeorama, along the Anclote River

Okay, it’s a bit dated and kitschy, but there just ain’t nothing else like it. When in Tarpon Springs, you must make a point of visiting SpongeORama!  The film (watch it and you get a discount in the shop) sets the tone for the extensive displays on the history of sponging in Florida, which appear to date back to my youth (the museum opened in 1968) but, despite their age, give a detailed overview of all aspects of the industry and Greek culture and life in Tarpon Springs. Did you know, for instance, that red tide walloped the commercial sponging industry back in 1957? It’s not a new phenonmenon. After you’ve soaked in the history (be sure to stand under the fans), take a gander at the wide variety of sponges available for everything from artists brushes to keeping you clean in the bath. Buy a sponge, support a native Florida industry!

SpongeORama
510 Dodecanese Blvd, Tarpon Springs
(727) 943-2164

Cypress Lodge is a treat within the Babcock Ranch, open for groups – family reunions, business meetings, corporate retreats – to rent. Formerly a hunting lodge, it now caters to a more laid-back crowd, but you’ll still see trophies on the walls and hunting-related artwork in the simple, sunny rooms.  Casey Bruni, resident chef and manager, can cater your breakfast or your meeting … and imagine sipping coffee in this setting. It’s marvelous.

Learn more: Cypress Lodge

A tour inside the lighthouse revealed a museum-in-progress to recount the history made here. Quite a crowd attended the event when we visited yesterday morning, the weather just perfect and skies so clear you could see the village of Panacea off in the distance across Dickerson Bay.