My niece and her new choppers

All of my previous photos of my niece Blair, who is my brother Bob's daughter, have not been smiling pictures. But now that grandpa spent lots of his hard earned money, Blair can smile with pride! Here she is!

Shell Mounds on The Wacissa

White and glossy ibises enjoy the warm sunshine.
I have thought this was a shell mound and so today I got out and walked around. There were tiny black and white clams all around this area and it is easy to walk in the shallows.
I'm told by one of the river rats that this is a mound, just as I thought. Here is a view from the top.

The Wacissa is on the Life Flight helicopter route from the local hospital to Gainesville so I often see this helicopter. This appeared to be the biggest gator I have seen on the river. He jumped in the water when I came near but he didn't go under. Instead he swam parallel to the boat (about thirty feet away) and showed his tail. I felt he was displaying dominance and so I left quickly.

Monarchs can usually be seen migrating at the tops of the trees but this one stopped for a sip of nectar to send him on his way refreshed.

Channelling the Ivory Bill Woodpecker: Mark's joke!

Those of you who know me know I am looking for the ivory bill woodpecker. I do expect to see one in my yard since I AM known as "the bird magnet" after all. But I think Mark is playing a joke on me to expose my hubris in believing I will see the first ivory bill woodpecker close up, in my yard! Here's what showed up this afternoon five feet from the front door in my decidedly suburban neighborhood! BTW, you may recognize this friendly visitor as a tail free ring-necked pheasant.

With dad's first mate on the river

Mom and I went out for a fall paddle today. Mr. Bob helped us with a tandem kayak and we also got to see his 1984 hot car! The pileated woodpeckers nearly drove me mad all day long but mom is such a strong paddler and so used to being first mate that she didn't neek up on the peckers! So I have mainly alligator photos. The small ones were all about. I saw a bald eagle since they have returned for mating season and the red shouldered hawks are about. It is hunting season for bows so I saw some bow hunters. I won't say who! The trash can was knocked over in the park and it may have been a brown bear! There were a lot of mullett in the upper river as well as down by Goose Pasture where I was paddling last weekend.

I like the winter for birding better than summer! when the leaves fall lots more birds are visible on the river. With all the spanish moss this time of year, it is challenging to see songbirds. Of course I listened and looked for ivory bills!

I've also included a photo from the 55th Florida Folk Festival.

The Wacissa at Goose Pasture

Fall Friday Float

Girl From Immokalee

This song goes out to all the fellas I know with ties to Big Cypress..Oh joy...I may get to float The Ichetucknee this weekend.....or hunt ivory bills in The Aucilla Wildlife Management forest..along the Wacissa....



Girl From Immokalee
by Raiford Starke

Well, its Saturday night and the sun's gone way down
I'm gonna take my chances in this funky little cow town
I saw her late last night down at the gamin palace
Now I'm spendin my roll on my pretty little Alice

She's the girl from Immokalee and the only
way I wanta be
is under a chikeee
with my girl from Immokalee

I seen her ridin' in the rodeo
And down at Miner's Market
I seen her workin' in the orange grove
That's where I'd meet her after dark, yeah

Well, her daddy was from Mexico
He came for the harvest
And her mama is a Seminole
From out of Big Cypress

She's the girl from Immokalee
And the only way I wanna be
Is under a chikee
With my girl from Immokalee

I hear people talkin their schemes

Down at the Million Dollar Log

Well, I'll be dreaamin all a my dreams

With my girl from Immokalee

She's the girl from Immokalee

and the only way I wanta be is under a chikee

She's the girl from Immokalee

and the only way I wanta be is doin the Seminole boogie

With my girl from Immokalee

"mico sucios"

Lake Miccosukee is a prairie lake in north western Jefferson county. The Indians who lived along its' shore lived in hollowed mounds and were covered all over in mud. Ponce De Leon's lieutenant Diaz de la Torre y Gonzaga-Palacios remarked that they looked like dirty monkeys and hence the name.... Some years later, General Jackson kindly burned down their village of three hundred homes. The Second Seminole War was led by Osceola...[In a dungeon down in St. Augustine, Chief Osceola wept]...they spoke the Hitchiti dialect.
This is an egret roost in the southeastern area of this prairie lake.
The lake is thick with , tussocks, swamp lily pads, and moorhen paths....

Toklan....Nakni...Tayki...hakla, hica, impa.....O:ki......Ni:lha:si.....

Twilight on The Wacissa: Storm Season

Like Peggy, I had to get out to see what the river looked like after all our rain. I left much later in the day on Thursday last week, since I am gainfully employed....It was difficult to get to the Wacissa with all the flooded roads and it took me over an hour because the way I normally go was blocked at Bucklake and the bottom of the Alford Arm behind my house, again at Chaires, again at Baum and again at 90. Much of this water was overflow from Black Creek which flooded my friends home's in the Micosukkee Land Coop. I did finally get to 59 which was clear and then I had a straight shot.

The river was very full, as full as I have ever seen it and of course it looked different. Like Peggy, I noticed lots more gators and in fact, I ran over a couple while I was paddling. There was very little floating vegetation and the river flowed freely with no log impediments. It was after seven o'clock in the evening when I got out and it rapidly got dark. The river was very misty and foggy and it was difficult to see. I felt that the river was full of gators because it was deeper and I was careful to watch as I paddled. I too, went into some coves which had heretofore been unpassable because of low water depth. The fog and mist hung over the river like a veil....

My time on the river is measured now, but when it gets cooler and visibility in the trees is better I will take some longer floats.