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Photo Hunt - Bad Hair Day

"Bad Hair Day'
 bydamanti

More Photohunters found here.

Florida Fires

Again...fire.  Sadly, fire has become an annual occurrence in Florida.  This year, the fires burning Florida are reminiscent of those horrendous ones in 1998, when Florida's landscape was so widely charred. 

The pines planted to replace those lost that year were finally getting tall enough to make you forget how ravaged the landscape looked.  Now, they and other trees are burning again with no rain in sight.  The drought and heat has made the whole state tinder.

Lost vegetation...animals displaced and killed...homes burned to the ground.  Heartbreaking.  Set by lightning?  No...it was arson.

 

The Music Of Florida

Back in January I posted about a new state song for Florida. Well, in between then and now the state legislature got deluged by angry citizens who didn't want to retire "Swanee River" as the state's song.  There must have been plenty because last week they voted to keep an altered version of "Swanee River" as the state song. They just changed its lyrics to be less racially offensive. What about the new song?  Well, they've dubbed that the state's anthem.  So now we have a state song AND a state anthem.  Jeez...

Florida Rains

We call them gully washers. Torrents of rain with thunder and lightning in a short span of time on a summer day. They're violent, they're dangerous, they're exciting.

They were an integral part of my Florida childhood.  The day would always begin with sun and an abundance of cumulus clouds. It was oh so hot and oh so humid. You looked up and you just knew that by afternoon a storm would come. Sure enough, as the day went on the clouds would grow taller and darker and heavier, laden with moisture...the earth's sweat having risen up to them. More and more, hotter and hotter until at last the distant rumblings began. The storm announced its coming: I am strong. Better take cover. I am bigger than you. I am coming, I am coming. Better take cover.  In the distance out over the glades you could see the rain...a solid sheet coming out of a cloud. Look to the glades, always from that direction.  Still sunny here, but better take cover. The wind picks up, the air becomes electrified, the sky becomes a darkened blanket. You know it's close now. Better take cover. Take cover now!  Crank the the windows closed. Spatters of rain striking your face...needles. Tension now crested. I am coming...one last warning. Then...in an instant...relief. I am here.  The storm arrives full of power, taking ours.  Blowing rain...flashes...cracks of thunder. Over and over until finally gone. 

In those times, you could almost set your clock by these storms. They came every day around 4 p.m. and were gone by evening. Now days, it's still hot and you believe it's got to happen just like it used to, but so frequently, it doesn't. Nature's cycle has been disrupted by man's insistence of imposing himself. What once was part of the Florida landscape is now more of an occasional guest.

More Weekend Wordsmith writings here

Flashback Friday - Dodgertown

In 1948 the Los Angeles Dodgers...then the Brooklyn Dodgers...made  Vero Beach, Florida their Spring Training home for the first time. Dodgertown was born.

Now sixty years later, Dodgertown as we know it will cease to exist. Tradition be hanged, the Dodgers are following the trend and are moving to Arizona. It's a sad time for the area, and for me. You see, Dodgertown is part of my history. 

My family has Brooklyn roots. They lived on Glenwood Avenue, which is just off Bedford Avenue, which of course, is the street that Ebbet's Field  used to be on. 

Gramp was a huge baseball fan and would go to Dodger games whenever he could. Usually, he'd take my mom along.  They watched greats like Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, and Roy Campanella.  Oh how I wish I could have been there! 

Their game day outings went on for years until finally, our family moved to Florida. And of course as luck would have it, the Dodgers beat the Yankees in the World Series the very next year. Oh My God! It was huge. Here's Gramp, Mom, and Dad having a good time celebrating while in Miami. I'm sure it was killing them...especially Gramp... not to be in Brooklyn to see it first-hand.

Back when I was a young girl, a trip to Vero Beach was a big deal.  There were no interstates and a ride up from Ft. Lauderdale took a lot longer than the 2 1/2 hours it takes today. Consequently, while we continued to be Dodger fans, we mostly went to Yankee games since they played in Ft. Lauderdale. That wasn't too much of a hardship. After all, those were the days of Maris and Mantle. What more could a kid ask for! 

But at least twice each spring season, we'd go see our Dodgers.  We'd all pile into the car and take the trip up to Vero Beach.  My brother and I would gather our autograph books and off we'd go.  We didn't have Jackie and Pee Wee and Roy anymore, but we did have Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, and Maury Wills . Win or lose, it was always a wonderful time.

Time passed and life went on. I grew up and moved away.  Gramp and Mom died.  By the time I finally returned to Florida, my interest in baseball had  waned.  But last week when I read in the paper that the Dodgers were leaving, something inside me stirred and I knew I had to go see them one more time for old times' sake. 

I got tickets to see the final game.  The very last one.  And today's the day. I'm piling into the car and taking a sentimental journey up to see Dodgertown for the last time.  Judy's coming along, and I have a feeling Gramp and Mom will be with me too!

More Flashback Fridays

Post Note
For those who may be wondering, "Friday Facts" hasn't disappeared for good.  I've just decided to mix it up a bit.

 

Pelicans

The other day I went with a friend to her Ft. Lauderdale Garden Club's flower show. I took a few pictures of the flower arrangements, but it quickly became obvious I wasn't going to get a good shot: the flowers were full of blue ribbons and the lighting was bad.  So I decided to take advantage of the fact that they hold their affairs at Birch State Park...located right across from the beach...and made my way to it.

It was a calm sea as it was early enough for the wind not to have come up yet. It glistened. Ships were anchored on the horizon, gulls were darting about, and yes....there was a pelican! I love to pelicans.  In flight, at rest, or feeding...it doesn't matter. This pelican was obviously in the midst of having his morning meal.  I joyfully sat and watched him do it. 

I took what pictures I could given the ad hoc nature of my outing. The morning sun was back-lighting him and I had trouble anticipating his moves...especially the point where he crashed into the water. But here's what I could get:

First, the crest up to the acme

Then the start of the dive down

Like I said, I missed the point of impact but here's  the "just after" shot where he's swallowing his catch

The next is a shot of a "normal" landing

And not long after...rising up for another flight

 

Green Cay Wetlands

In December, I made a commitment to spend my winter finding Florida. I started out with a visit to Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex. This month, my exploring took me to Green Cay Wetlands & Nature Center just up the road a bit in Palm Beach County. It's positioned near development (it's hard not to be down here), but with the exception of one little stretch, you never see it...and you never feel it. It's a wonderful little place.  And... there's no charge to get in!  Here are some of the photos I took while there.

If you're inclined to see them enlarged you can here: bydamanti.   

New State Song

In 1851, Stephen Foster wrote "Old Folks At Home".   It was written for E. P. Christy and his performing troupe, Christy's Minstels. The original draft of the song actually referred to the Pedee River instead of the Suwannee River, but in the end, Foster decided to replace it...one might imagine why... by the Suwannee River. Foster chose the Suwannee not out of familiarity (Foster lived in Pennsylvania and he never once visited Florida), but because Suwannee...shortened to "Swanee... fit in with the song's cadence and rhythms.   

The song...renamed as "Swanee River"...was adopted as the official state song of Florida in 1935.  That surprised me. I thought it had been adopted earlier than that. But actually, a song called "Florida, My Florida" had been its state song since 1913. By 1935, Foster had become famous and I suppose Florida..well, who knows why politicians do things. 

By 1978, when "Swanee River" was sung at the dedication of the new state Capitol, there was enough social consciousness to substitute some of the more offensive lyrics:  "brothers" was substituted for "darkeys" in the chorus and there was no attempt to reproduce dialect.  More recently, the song's been shunned as governors nixed having the song played at state functions. But the song remained the official state song...until now.

This is the year that Florida has decided to abandon "Swanee River" and adopt a new state song.  A search for a new song was launched last year.  Songs were solicited and 243 of them were submitted.  Then some specially formed committee narrowed down the submissions to 3 finalists. The three finalists were:  "Florida - Where  The Sawgrass Meets The Sky", "Florida, My Home" and "My Florida Home".

I'm not sure what this committee was using as criteria to select the finalists...all of them are rather somber. I guess the more jingly tunes were eliminated in favor of these because they'd be more appropriate for state ceremonies.

At this point, the selection process became more democratic.  The three songs were put up on the internet and residents got the opportunity to vote on the song of their choice.  By the end, there were only 8,767 votes - mine one of them - and the  winner was announced yesterday:  "Florida -  Where The Sawgrass Meets The Sky".

It received about 4,600 votes and you can listen to it by clicking here and then clicking on the audio slide show link on the right.

Florida, where the sawgrass meets the sky,
Florida, where our hearts will ever lie,
Sitting proud in the ocean like a sentinel true,
Always shielding your own yet giving welcome.

Florida, land of flowers, land of light.
Florida, where our dreams can all take flight,
Whether youth's vibrant morning or the twilight of years,
There are treasures for all who venture here -- in Florida.

Mocking birds cry and 'gators lie out in the sun
Bridges span southward to the Keys
and rockets skyward run,
The orange blossoms' sweet perfume
and fireworks fill the air,
and cultures rich, our native people share.

Florida, where the sawgrass meets the sky,
Florida, where our hearts will ever lie,
Sitting proud in the ocean like a sentinel true,
Always shielding your own yet giving welcome.

Florida, land of flowers, land of light.
Florida, where our dreams can all take flight,
Whether youth's vibrant morning or the twilight of years,
There are treasures for all who venture here -- in Florida.   

   

It was penned by Jan Hinton a music teacher from Pompano Beach, Florida (she's actually a native of Birmingham, England, but has lived in Florida for the past decade or so). It didn't get my vote...I liked  another one better...but I have to say that its melody is growing on me. 

So now, the song will be written into legislation for lawmakers to consider later this year.  I'm guessing it's just a formality and that by years' end, Florida will have its third state song. 

 

At The Craft Fair

Yesterday, Delray Beach had its annual crafts fair.  It's one of many that go on this time of year down here.  It was a lovely day...sunny and warm...so Judy, Shaynee, and I decided to take advantage of it and go there.  Lots of people had the same idea.  This was good for Shaynee, by the way.  Getting more comfortable and less excited when interacting with strangers...especially children...is good preparation for her therapy dog training.

It was a relatively small affair, but there were interesting things to see, including a couple of booths that were doggie oriented.  There was one selling doggie treats called things like "Paw Licken Chicken", "Pet Me Pumpkin" and "Pea Mutt Butter".  I think this last one should have been "Pee Mutt Butter", no? 

 

And another was selling canine ready to wear.  You know, little jacket sweaters and such.  But this vendor had something I'd never seen before: chiffon neck rings...of all things! There they are hanging on the rack in the background below. We passed on them, but did find Shaynee a new sun cap. 

When we felt like we had "done the show, we headed back to base via a pizza parlor not too far from home.  They have tables out on the sidewalk so we could stop there with Shaynee.  We're fortunate here in south Florida to have lots of restaurants with outside eating areas - why not!  And then, last year, Broward County passed an ordinance making it OK for restaurants to permit dogs in them.

Today is a "catch-up" day...catching up with things around here and errands. Judy's watering the new plants, Shaynee's chasing lizards, and I'm catching up on desk work while watching (again) Nanny McPhee.  It's a wonderful charming & magical little story with Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, and Angela Lansbury...three of my favorites. 

Later I'll head out to make some returns.  I'm sorry to say one of them is a toilet seat to Home Depot. There's always a line there.  The other day I found one I liked and picked out a box right behind its display.  This morning, when putting it on, I discovered that it was neither the same style nor color of the one I wanted.  I guess I should have checked, but I didn't have my glasses on at the time.  And so it goes these days.  I'm still not much further along in finding the right purse to carry all my "stuff" than I was in November.   

Uninvited Guests

We have some uninvited guests.  Right there in the crook of our roof -  we've got bees...at least I think that's what they are.  I really haven't gotten close enough to one to tell...and don't care to!  Their shape is definitely bee vs wasp though.

They've been with us for a few weeks now and their constant swarming has me wondering if they might be the Africanized bees that have been working their way up from south and central America. 

Unfortunately, their nest is directly above where Judy, Shaynee and I like to sit.  We often sit outside under the palms and in the breeze watching the world go by.  Having these guys swarming above our heads is unsettling, to say the least.

 

It's actually pretty high up, but it still makes us nervous...especially Judy who is highly allergic to insect stings. 

Not only do we not like them hovering above us, but from watching them, we're thinking they may have made their way into our attic. Our minds think this way because we had some yellow-jackets take up residency at Blackberry Ridge a year or so ago.  They made it into the storage area and...when the wind blew the hatch door open...into the living area.  Fortunately, we weren't there at the time and when discovered, they had died...thousands of them...all over the house.  Needless to say, we plugged up everything we thought might be a way of entry and got the door secured better too. 

I suppose sooner or later these guys will move on or die, but with Florida temperatures being so mild this year, it could take a while. I'm betting we don't wait. 

Post Note
For interesting information on the differences between Africanized bees (aka Killer Bees) and European honey bees, click here.