Candid Florida

A visit to the Maitland Art Center recently reaffirmed my appreciation of architecture as art. While I was smitten with some of the works displayed in the gallery, it is this historic site itself that is a wondrous work of art inside and out. Conceived in the art deco era and shaded by a canopy of ancient oaks, it is, in part, a fantasy of a Mayan temple, with hidden niches and colorful murals. But what intrigued me most was the chapel, where positive space meets negative in a very real way. These are not black and white tiles as they appear. One misstep, and your foot gets wet!

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

An exploration for another day: Fort Center is an archeological complex located within Fisheating Creek WMA west of Lake Okeechobee near Lakeport.  The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission built this beautiful observation deck over a remnant of prairie – a nice spot for birding, accessible by wheelchairs – and has blazed a combination trail – bicycle and hiking – out to a significant archeological site. Round trip is over 3 miles. The day I stopped in, my exploration was stopped short by dense smoke and beyond, a wall of flames. Seems a prescribed burn was going on, and there wasn’t a warning at the trailhead. Oops! Common sense ruled, and I beat a hasty retreat. I’ll get back here later this year to spill the full story of this site for Florida Hikes!

Some folks know where to place a porch, and Mr. Fred Babcock was one of them. His Cypress Lodge is deep in Babcock Ranch, set on a creek draining into the Telegraph Swamp. On a visit there, I watched a gator sunning on the shore, wood storks and ibises winging their way above the dark water, and a squawking little blue heron in the shallows. This is one fine porch with a view.

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

Cowboy’s is the newcomer in the town of Okeechobee, a steak-and-barbecue restaurant that filled in the blank left by the closure of the R.J. Gator’s chain last year. I saw the sign back during my New Year’s visit but the restaurant wasn’t open yet. Passing through Okeechobee this weekend, I discovered my favorite BBQ joint – Skip’s – is no more. A sign on the door directed me to Cowboy’s.  It’s a very different experience, and different approach to BBQ, but Cowboy’s takes on the Okeechobee image and holds it forth proudly for the world to see. The decor leans heavily on photos and paintings of local ranches and ranch families.  And each table is named for a ranching family and decorated with their brand. Now that’s touting OkeechoBEEF! Mine was a quick lunch, a loaded baked potato topped with shredded barbecued pork, but I’ll linger longer on the next visit.