Since I posted the Sally Port, I thought i ought to post more of the fort. It never saw any hostile action but still served as a defense position for the important harbors. One of the larger of the all brick forts only a few of the bricks were made locally, most came by ship from South Carolina. It occupied briefly by the Confederacy but they withdrew and the Union took control early in the war. Today it is part of the Florida State Park system and has a small museum, a lot of the fort to explore and they charge a modest entry fee. On many weekends there are volunteer costumed guides to answer questions and show some of the life required to man such a fort.
Portrait Project # 11 /
I met Kenneth on a dock along the Silver River in Silver Springs State Park, FL. He was paddling a very small, light weight vessel that was mostly canoe with a touch of kayak. Kenneth was most interesting. He said he was just a hippie gypsy. He is from Vermont where he works a bit each year as a painter to support his travels that he does most frugally. And successfully, he has been to 132 countries. Wow. We talked about places he has seen and the wildlife he enjoys so much. And he lives in his minivan or hitchhikes. Who knew people still did that. I used to hitchhike to work while in high school but even then it seemed less simple then what you read about a few years before that when it was more ordinary. I once picked up an Amish man in Lancaster County, PA who was carrying a huge watermelon. It felt virtuous - not the watermelon.
So after a bit, Kenneth bid me goodbye and paddled off to his next adventure.
All Together Now....awwww..... /
The little nose you see poking out of the water belongs to a four day-old manatee at Silver Springs in Florida. That is mom to the left of her baby and in a protective posture keeping the little one shoreside of her. Some male manatee will occasionally attack the mother to get milk and she defends herself to feed the newborn. I also shot a photo of another manatee about 12 days old when I saw him/her and I will post that photo sometime here. This one was taken from a boardwalk the other I took from a kayak. The ranger was the source for the ages of the newly arriving manatee.
Sally Port /
This is the only entrance to Fort Clinch along the St. Marys River east of Jacksonville, FL The fort was built in the early 1800’s to protect the harbors up river - which now include a major submarine base for the USNavy - but I don’t thing they depend on the fort’s armaments. The sally port was from the old meaning of sally as in bursting forth and would be used to attack the attackers of the fort or for going out on a mission (“sally forth”) from the fort. There are still sally ports today in prisons, for example. A fort’s sally port almost always had a cannon located so if the port was breached by attackers, the first thing they met was a burst of grapeshot from the cannon. This fort usually has a cannon by the flag pole but it was out back getting a repair.
Clearly the educational value of Two Lane Touring is staggering. If you pass the test I offer, after 4 years of viewing, I imagine many prestigious universities would be happy to grant you scores of credits.
Portrait Project #10 /
Meet the artist, Lisa. She and her club of fellow artists were spending the morning at the Kingsley Plantation east of Jacksonville, Florida. I watched a number of them but Lisa’s work was the most compelling to me. She was using pastels to work on a rendering of the house itself. I thought her work was subtle and captured the feel of the place well. She was not really done with her canvas but the group was leaving just a bit after noon, so I did not get to see her finished project. She also belonged to a different arts group with a different media.
Sunday Scripture: Photo is from Silver Springs State Park of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. /
Oh, the Humidity! /
“I will never be ready for church with this hair. It is not going to be fixed with a scrunchie that is for certain and I am not sure enough hairspray exits in Florida. What ever will I do, everyone is going to be pointing at me. I can just hear old Mabel, not a feather askew, Anhinga prat on and on about how her nest is better and “did you see her hair today?’ I really wish she would just hang out with the crazy Wood Storks, she would fit right in. But the hair, a new cut? A new hat? That’s it a new hat and I will start a fashion trend and won’t Mabel just be so jealous. Now where is my purse?”
Industrious /
I watched this cormorant gather sticks from one side of the Silver River and fly across over some trees on the other side for a long time. He made a trip about every three minutes and I am glad because it took a few trips before I captured a photo in focus and in frame. He was only about 25/30 feet in front of me flying fast left to right. It could have been both the male and female taking turns at the task or maybe just the female and the male was watching football. It was a beautiful afternoon in the Silver Springs State Park in central Florida and nice to be out in the warm sunshine.
A Few More (five to be precise) /
These are a handful of shots from the CherryLake races 5k, 10k and DUO. Beautiful morning, slightly cool, no wind and several hundred participants.
10k Start
Angie on her way to a win in class.
A DUO runner heading downhill and back to the bikes.
All ages were competing (check next photo)
Sweethearts /
St. Valentine’s Day is upon us. I trust that you have let someone special know how much you care and you plan to spend time with each other. Don’t take days for granted. Even ones that might seem trite or too commercial. Tell someone you love them, better, show someone you love them. Even if you just carve E. S. loves J. L. on a tree. (it is recommended that you use correct initials, those are just instructional.) No not right, carve the old park bench, in a heart of course. Well, maybe neither of those are good ideas but make an effort! Hold hands, walk on the beach, eat chocolate, kiss like you mean it! Or send flowers, walk in a garden, sit by the fire, or listen to romantic music from years ago when you first dated. The point, is to make sure that someone knows you love them. Be creative folks.
Happy Valentines Day.
Photo is from Fort Clinch State Park, Florida, sunset on the ocean.
Portrait Project #8 & 9 /
This married couple, Lee and Nancy, are enthusiastic members of Trinity Methodist Church in Fernandina Beach, FL. I met Lee first as he stood outside the modest building waving to people passing the church, everybody passing the church. He was wearing a great hat too, just like Nancy is in this photo. She and Lee were the people I sought out after the service to learn more about the church and its ministry. What a delight they proved to be and we enjoyed a great conversation about the turn around of this historic congregation that was founded in 1822 as a fully integrated church. As it remains today with Pastor Felix, an energetic and faithful proclaimer of the gospel.
Accomplishment /
These are a few of the photos I took on Saturday at the CherryLake race in Florida. These four are folks crossing the finish line for the 5k. Lots of emotions especially for the first timers who were not sure they could do it. Lots of joy in their feat. There will be more photos this week. Lots of fun there.
Sunday Scripture: Photo (iPhone) is from Indian Boundary on the south side of the Smokies east of Madisonville, TN. /
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Rise Above! /
These are the quarters where the enxlaved men and women lived at the Kingsley Plantation just south of Jacksonville, FL. They are remarkable for having survived so well. There were about 30 in a very large semi-circle 1/2 mile from the main house. Each of them is about 9 by 15 feet, all with a two doors and a single window with no glass. Some have two rooms others one and a small fireplace. The setting appears idyllic but of course it was not. The swamps are just behind the quarters and the work was hard, long and often brutal. Heat and mosquitos were constant companions; the lack of freedom, crushing. Yet people survived and some rose well beyond these terrible circumstances. One young woman, 13 years old, was bought by the plantation owner and he married her, Anna. She ran this plantation and ran it very well. One of her descendants is the women who is married to James (portrait project number 7). You can read about her https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnnetta_Cole. Don’t let where you came from, your history, or your challenges determine your future.
Shrimper /
I saw this shrimp boat most evenings as I walked the beach at Clinch River State Park near Jacksonville, FL. It seemed so graceful with the booms extended on either side of the boat and trailing the nets in the wake. The port it was heading to was up the St. Mary's River. It was close to dark each time so I guess the days on the water were long. This night there were almost no waves at all.
Portrait Project #7 /
James and I had lunch together. Well, sort of. I was in the small town of Fernandina and sought out the most excellent Timoti’s for lunch. You order inside and then eat at picnic tables outside. I sat across from James and we began to chat. We actually had a wide-ranging discussion about many things - food, racism, faith, state of the world, he was a most interesting man with insight into life’s issues. James held government positions in NC, Washington DC, Georgia and other spots as well. So we also chatted about careers, his and mine. As I was finishing the meal and asking him if I could take his portrait, I mentioned in a light-hearted way that he appeared to have snuck off to have this lunch and he said his wife was in a meeting, “she is always in meetings.” I asked what she did. WOW, this is her Wikipedia entry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnnetta_Cole The things you learn if you just ask. The portrait project has been a wonderful window into the people around me. So exciting to meet folks I otherwise would have walked past.
The restaurant. Excellent food.
One Good Tern /
This was one of the few birds I spotted along the ocean at Fort Clinch State Park. A ranger said it might have been because of the dredging going on nearby. So this tern appeared over the ocean on my last evening and auditioned for the Olympics for 15 minutes, swooping, twisting and diving in a wonderful display. I caught him just peeking in the late afternoon sun as he flew off. I think he wanted to be sure I got a decent photo.
Clearing Weather in the Smokies /
Along the road across the base of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is a nice overlook. As we watched the clearing clouds, a rainbow appeared. God’s reminder of His promise to all of us that his mercy is long and generous. His reminder to his people of his power and a wonderful hint of His presence. The moment was special.
Subtile /
It was late in the day - the sun was nearly down. I was off on a short trail toward the beach about a mile from my campsite and this deer emerged from the foliage near the dunes and was standing in a small field, very still and hard to see. She just stood, wary I am sure, judging if it were safe to eat or even stay. She stood so still for 4 or five minutes only moving her head slightly left to right. Finally she did nibble at some grass but usually just stood. There was another person on the trail headed away from the beach, Gilles, whom you will meet later and he had stopped to watch from his end. I took the photo with the “eye detect” feature on the Fuji camera and it worked well avoiding focus on the many tall plants between us and locking on to the deer’s eye. I know you can see these animals lots of places, and I have seen here two 6 or 8 point bucks here though they were too quick or I too slow to photograph them, but this encounter was sweetly special.
