A Refreshing Refresher

Ahhh, the life of leisure, relaxing at an uncrowded pool during a hot, central Florida summer and chuming around with the friendly sandhill cranes,

sprinkled with a dose of reality like car repairs and waxing the coach and grilling wings in the rain.

Time for a brief change of scenery - nothing like the beach for a quick recharge and a state park to give us a little refresher on some Florida history. So it was off for a week in the Daytona Beach area.

Little can compare with the Pacific northwest when it comes to grandeur or the Keyes when it comes to incredibly beautiful waters, but nothing beats the warm, clear waters of a Florida Atlantic beach for pure swimming, sunning, and just plain relaxing fun. The 80 degree water temp and the gentle breakers make a little body surfing irresistible - even for an OLD body like this.

Florida's history of European settlements goes back further than any other state's. So it's not surprising to find a plantation or two, even here on the east coast of the state. The Bulow Plantation was a 4000 acre homestead, over half of which was cleared of its live oak and palmetto and figs and cocoplums and planted in sugarcane and rice. A large sugar mill on-site meant the crop could be reduced to barrels of syrup for easy shipping to market and also exporting back to Europe. Hard working German settlers (and a couple hundred slaves) made it into a successful enterprise for only about 20 years before the local Seminole Indians burned the place out and drove them to seek a life elsewhere. The ruins form the centerpiece of a state park, marked with beautiful arbored roadways throughout the area.

 

 

 

Nearby Ormond Beach, between the Intracoastal (which is really the Halifax River along this stretch) and the ocean provides nice parks and other greenspaces to spend time in. This particular one has a nice little winter home for the Rockefellers - even pictures of John D on "the verandahhh." We cruised by here a handful of different times in our coastal travels on "evermore."

Then, of course, in true Walton style, we stopped for lunch at the Pig Stand - a great BBQ place just outside the largest Harley dealership in the world. (This is just a picture of a big semi in the parking lot - we actually went inside the restaurant to eat!) How many times have we passed this place over the years on the way up and down Interstate 95????