Well, the trip to Florida was really good. We had a great time doing the Hoggetowne Medeival Faire in Gainesville. It was our first time there and we met some really awesome people, made new friends, visited with some old friends and enjoyed ourselves immensely!
We really wanted the weather to be warm while we were there but that didn’t really happen….our first night there was in the 20’s. Yikes!! We did have one really warm day and we went out on the river with our kayaks. And if you ever get down to Gainesville you have to go see this river and the warm springs. The Ichetucknee stays at a constant 72 degrees year round. There are no boats with motors allowed, no food, no drinks, and no fishing. It was one of the cleanest rivers I have seen for a long time. And not only was the river clean, but the wildlife was abundant. We saw huge turtles, about 15 inches in diameter, all in a row on downed trees. We saw a raccoon…just a baby…so very cute! And Tara saw a Jaguarundi in Florida. Now these wild cats are from South America but have made their way up through Texas and across to the lower Eastern states. Their actions resemble an otter but they look like a cat. They have been called “Otter cats”. It was a wonderful day with warm weather and lots of sun!!
The next couple of days it rained so we went to the local Natural History Museum at the University of Florida. Wow is all we could say …. This is a free museum, ( you can support them by donation) and it is fantastic. All of the fossils, and there are plenty, were found within 100 - 150 miles of the University. If you don’t think you will ever visit in person then check out the website. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu The staff is very helpful and loaded with information, all you have to do is ask.
One afternoon we made our way to Cedar Key, FL for a view of the sunset on the Gulf of Mexico. We were hoping to walk the shore a bit too, but there was no shore to speak of. There was a small 30 yard strip of land on one side of the marina and a 30 yard strip on the other side. Sad really. The town was cute and quiet and we visited some of the galleries. We really wanted some fresh fish for dinner but that was not to be found in the town of Cedar Key. Ahhh, but we did find some great fresh fish at Robinson’s Seafood Restaurant and Market on State Road 24 about 8 or so miles outside of Cedar Key. And folks we have to tell you that the drive to Cedar Key was worth every minute to go to the Robinson’s Seafood Restaurant and Market. Everything about the evening was great. The service was fantastic, just like being at mama’s, the food was excellent, better than mama’s sometimes, and the atmosphere was really comfortable…not quite like mama’s. Eve Robinson is the owner, cook and waiter!! A busy and very nice woman. We had an excellent meal and bought some fresh Grouper for the next evening camping out. Whew…makes me full thinking about it!!
So, as you can tell we had a pretty good time in Florida. Thank you to all our customers that came out to see us and the new customers we gained while there. It was pretty awesome to have emails from you folks even before we got back home!
As always … Peace and keep great Hope in your Heart for a change in our country’s economy….We All Need It…And together we can get it!
Just some pics from the trip……enjoy
February 17th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
I met you at the Hoggetowne Medeival Faire in Gainesville and bought some of your fantastic tea. You said I had bought the last bag of the Chai tea (it’s delicious, so I can see why it sold out!). I just ordered some more tea flavors and some bath soaps. Thanks for making these great products!