...is very near the town of Sebring. I know that because I ran out of LP in one of my tanks and I couldn't fire up my grill last night. It took only 20 minutes to drive to Sebring, exchange the tank, get my butt back and put the fresh tuna on the grill. The tuna was accompanied by those little red soft skinned potatoes that were steamed in my potato bag (that's another story unto itself), some real guacamole and giant red tomatoes. I made it all from fresh ingredients. The tuna was never frozen and the veggies came from a road side stand down the road. Two very helpful ladies made sure I got my money's worth when I tried to short myself on the oranges I had counted out wrong and then when I tried to give them an "extra" five dollar bill. "Ya got'ta watch those new fives Hun, they stick together like that all the time." she admonished me. "Yes Ma'm they sure do, thank you dear for the help." was my response. As I walked back to the camper I could here them say "He was such a nice boy!" Yes Ma'm, I am.
...this park is very different from Kissimmee Prairie Preserve. Not only is this park very near civilization and all the creature comforts it offers, but it is also a very busy, very organized park with 140 camping spots. I can go to drum circles, pancake feeds, pot lucks and even take a tram ride some where out in the Hammocks I guess...damn! The camping areas are very open, the individual camping spots much closer together and the folks here don't seem near as neighborly as the people of the Prairie. I guess isolation brings out the best in people.
...I did walk and run most of the trails today. The elevated Cat Walks are cool and mysterious, some even a little scary. I didn't see any gators in the cool weather, but I bet they stay close to the narrow walks that have only one rail...wary be the tottering Snow Bird! There are giant Live Oaks that grow here hat are over 1000 years old. The things they have lived through I cannot imagine. How long they live for I do not know either. I can only appreciate the here and now of them...they will out live all of us and our comparatively brief lives as we walk by their giant root structures in awe. The 1000 year old tree had a girth of over 34' when measured 4' from the ground...impressive to say the least.
...the life cycles of many of the plants and animals are interconnected, one dependent on the other for their continued survival...symbiosis. I'm sure the giant Live Oaks are host to 100's of life forms. Many of the trees had brightly colored lichens and mosses on them. The weather was cool when I walked with my camera, I saw few birds, animals or insects. When I walked the Cat Walks and peered into the water looking for giant gators, all I saw were billions and billions of wriggling larva. As soon as the weather warms the air will be full of insects, the small birds will follow the insect hatch, the larger birds and animals will follow suit. I was glad it was cooler...I didn't want to be part of the food chain and be the first course for the the newly hatched mosquitoes.
...my eyes did see flickering light and shadow, new forms and shapes, new textures and designs. The light here is not what I am used to. It "moves", or rather the constant movement of the plants make it seem to move and dance. When I run the dappled trails I almost get a feeling of motion sickness. That combined with the rattle and rustle of the palm fronds make for some weird moments as I run. The shapes of some of the root balls and knobs border on the sur-real. Some resemble alien creatures from space movies...or maybe the costume creators of the movie "Alien" walked the same elevated walks I did. At first glance many of the organic root forms seem to be on the verge of coming to life and writhing their way across the swamp. Still others make you look twice to see if they are really an innate root or possibly one of the giant Boa Constrictors that are taking over the swamps of southern Florida. I know the forms are the result of seasonal flooding, life spans of time and the shear adaptability of a species. No energy is wasted and only the most adaptable survive for long.
...one of my favorite Florida plants is the lowly Sabal Palm...alias Cabbage Palm, Sabal Palmetto, Cabbage Palmetto and variations of. It's giant Palm fronds are a play of form, light and shadow to me. Running through them, around them and under them is a joy. I don't know all the species there are, but there must be many. I'm sure I could fill up a photo album with photos of light filtering through the massive fan shaped fronds. Something about how the light reacts with the folds and lines of the segmented leaves amazes me. The artists in me is excited about capturing the images and feelings on paper or clay. The little boy in me is just happy running under them...letting his imagination run wild as well.
Nice pictures Mike! We got a potato bag for Xmas, amazing thing!
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