Month: May 2020

Ponce Inlet Revisited

reweidman50 Florida Beaches, Florida Wildlife, Gopher Tortoise , , , , ,

We arrived at Lighthouse Point Park in Ponce Inlet early on Friday to attempt some beach time before the crowds started descending for Memorial Day Weekend. However, when we arrived just after 8 AM, the parking lot was full. So, we parked at the Marine Science Center (which has been closed temporarily to help slow the spread of the coronavirus). Fortunately, the beach was nearly deserted because just about all the cars in the parking lot were owned by surfers (at least 100!) already out on the water. And let me tell you, there were definitely some huge waves on this day! The rip tide was intense as well and we saw a couple of young ladies get rescued by a lifeguard. Also, we roamed around the boardwalk and saw six Florida gopher tortoises in the dunes. On the way back, we hit DJ’s Deck in Port Orange for a great lunch (it’s all outside and tables were a good distance apart). Bottom line: An awesome way to start the long holiday weekend!

Southbound

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Believe it or not, I recently found a copy of Doc Watson’s great 1966 album, Southbound, at a thrift store for $2! Released by Vanguard, the album also features Doc’s son, Merle, and John Pilla on guitars and Russ Savakus on string bass. The tracks include “Walk on Boy,” “Blue Railroad Train,” “Sweet Georgia Brown,” “Alberta,” “Southbound,” “Windy and Warm,” “Call of the Road,” “Tennessee Stud,” “That Was the Last Thing on My Mind,” “Little Darling Pal of Mine,” “Nothing to It,” “Riddle Song,” “Never No More Blues” and “Nashville Pickin'”. Best investment ever!

The Tortoises of Tibet-Butler Preserve

reweidman50 Florida Box Turtle, Florida Hiking Trails, Gopher Tortoise , , , , ,

During your next visit to Tibet-Butler Preserve, don’t miss the tortoise habitats that surround the Vera Carter Environmental Center at the entrance. Here are just a few of the tortoises that call Tibet-Butler Preserve home.

Remembering Michael McClure (1932-2020)

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“This was still a time of cold, gray silence, but inside the coffeehouses of North Beach, poets and friends sensed the atmosphere of liberation.” Allen Ginsberg once referred to critically acclaimed Beat poet Michael McClure’s poetry as “a blob of protoplasmic energy,” while Jack Kerouac called McClure’s long poem “Dark Brown” the “most fantastic poem in America.” Gary Snyder stated McClure was “closer to [William] Blake than anybody else writing.” As the age of 22, McClure gave his first poetry reading at the legendary Six Gallery in San Francisco on October 7, 1955, the night Ginsberg first read “Howl.” For many years, McClure toured extensively with Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek.