Brutality

The seasonal influx of Northerners is brutal here to those who live in SW FL. The traffic and daily bottlenecks that some elderly drivers are causing every day going to and from work grow more ridiculous every year. I mean, some of these drivers shouldn’t be on the road. One even hit a school bus the other day!

I won’t say how long it took me to get home that day, but by the time I got home, I was ready to pack up and move away.

“Season” also fills up the hospitals and doctor’s offices, including ours. Most of the patients are very, very nice, but some seem to feel that since they’re only here for a few months, they should automatically command priority over those who live here permanently.

Not so, señor.

And just because you might have a pickleball game scheduled for 3:00, doesn’t mean we can squeeze you in on an already overbooked schedule, and does not mean the doctors and medical staff should stay late to accommodate your “pickleball elbow” after hours.

But we often do, because we are committed to giving consistent, quality care, despite the toll it takes on us physically and emotionally. We care about everyone equally, and honestly, most of the snowbirds are very considerate. But the few bad apples, the ones who snarl traffic, and make unreasonable demands, tend to sour the season for the locals.

The upside is that Naples is a prestigious place to live, and has a generally well- funded police department which makes it nice and relatively safe (except for the occasional school bus), although I’m not a big fan of the uppity-ness, nor am I in love with the high cost of living here. I do, however, like my generous paycheck, bonuses, and insurance benefits, as well as other perks, like the considerate snowbirds who bring us Christmas treats.

And as the holidays grow closer, I’m not a fan of the warmer weather. I have a friend in Denver who showed me a pic yesterday of his patio. I told him I wished I was in Denver, because I’d be lying on the couch with a cozy blankie in front of a warm fireplace.

Instead, I had to be content taking a long, hot bath after my nearly hour long drive home (off-season takes 20 minutes) in 85 degree weather. That bath did help calm the angry muscle spasm gnawing on my lower back.

Sorry if I seem to be complaining. I’m really not—just venting a little. There are many, many things I’m thankful for, which I’ll talk about tomorrow or Thursday.

But at the same time, I am entertaining the thought of moving somewhere quieter much more often. I still love the idea of moving to Vermont, but just am not sure about the cold. Maybe I can retire sooner than later, and become a snowbird myself. But not to Naples. Nope. I don’t want to become the problem.

So, today’s schedule is brutal, and it will be a long day. But, the five day weekend will be glorious!

Early Florida

I remember being delightedly amused reading the journals of Lewis and Clark as they attempted to describe the new animals they found along the way.

That delight returned reading the various journals of various English, French, and Spanish explorers.

The first thing I’ll say is that Florida was very different in the 1500’s than it is today, and I don’t just mean in population, culture, and architecture. It was an entirely different climate.

First of all, Florida was nearly twice the size as it is today. So, the earliest map may have been more accurate than uninformed readers may think.

This map was drawn by Jacques ale Moyne de Morgues, a French artist tagging along with Pedro Menendez de Aviles.

So, yeah, Florida used to be a lot bigger. Some archeological sites of the early Indians have been found as far as twenty miles off the coast of Florida.

Secondly, Florida’s climate used to be much colder. While reading The Journal of Jonathan Dickinsin, he repeatedly mentions how bitterly cold the coast of Florida near Cape Canaveral was, especially at night. However, this wasn’t in the middle of December, but July, August, and September. Reading it, I was incredulous, because I grew up very near Port Canaveral, and the summers were never cold. Surely never so cold as to render limbs, “black and useless” as Dickinsin describes.

However, upon further research, his descriptions were confirmed. Florida used to be pretty dang cold. 

Okay, so the animals...

One thing I found really amazing was the animal the Spanish explorers called “Sea-Wolves.” I imagined they were referring to something fierce or blood-hungry, like sharks or orcas, but they weren’t. They were referring to manatees. Playful, gentle, manatees, like the ones that would come play in the little cove near my old condo in Merritt Island.

Here’s Flappy making waves:

And here’s Matilda and her pup, Bubbles, being happy:

Some other descriptions of the animals amazed me, but didn’t really surprise me, since I’m aware that the encroachment of humans has disastrous results on wildlife.

For example, there were once large black bears roaming in great numbers on the Florida Keys. Statistics say that the bear population is only 45% that of historic Florida, and that’s sorta sad, isn’t it? Key deer, now endangered, were also proliferate, being spotted often by early explorers.

The journal of Fontaneda, who became a captive of the Calusa and remained with them 17 years, describes what I think is a raccoon:

“And I also relate that in these islands (the Florida Keys) there are many deer, and some animals that look like foxes and aren’t, but something else different. They are very fat and good to eat.”

And lastly, for today’s post, Fontaneda describes sea turtles, which were so plentiful back then that the Tortuga Islands were named for them. Of course, they are now a protected species. 

“...The turtles are of the size of a shield, and have as much meat as a cow. They have all types of meat, and it is a fish.”

A fish. Lol. But not too far a stretch, as sea turtles live their entire lives in the sea, coming ashore only  to lay their eggs. 

Oh, just one more...the captive Juan Ortiz mentions the Florida panther in his journals, which seemed to be more plentiful, more ferocious, and less timid in the 1500’s, maybe because they were often found carrying off the Indian dead, who had a unique way of burial. I’ll mention more about that in a later post. 

Anyway, that’s about all I have time for this morning. I’m looking forward to seeing the kids for Christmas! Joe will be here Dec 4th (he’s enjoying Dartmouth immensely), and Callie the 11th. Callie is still enjoying the U of San Fran, and is playing guitar and singing in a band. She wants to start an all girl band, though, and I’m excited to see where that goes! Aidan is coming home just for the holiday, because she’s now working two jobs. She just started her job at a brand new axe throwing pub in Daytona, and she loves it. She had her axe throwing orientation last night. An appropriate job for a Viking!

All of my kids are different, but one thing they have in common is they’re pursuing their passions, not money. When you do something you love, it’s a labor of love, not work. I’m glad they’re pursuing the things they enjoy, because when you pursue those things you’re passionate about, success is easy. 

Big Ideas

I’ve been reading the most amazing book. It gives the actual word for word translations of eyewitness accounts of the people who first discovered and explored the area where I now live.

Our history books are sorely lacking by omitting the Spanish contribution to the founding of our state. The hardships those explorers faced with amazing courage and determination are knight-like and their survival nothing short of miraculous.

However, despite the survival of a lucky few, many perished in the conquest of Florida. And the Indians of South Florida were no joke—they were violent, tall, muscled warriors that had no qualms about murdering any Spaniard through deceit and trickery. By the time the Spanish made it to the Gulf Coast, they’d learned of Pedro Menendez de Aviles and the way he conquered the Indians on the East Coast through cruel, ruthless force. They’d heard of the Spanish “habit” of capturing Indian women and children, as well as men, to live as slaves and interpreters.

When subsequent Spanish came around on the Gulf side to the tribe of the Calusa, the Calusa knew who they were, and were determined to kill them. The resultant years of bloodshed testify to the name that lingers for certain places in Florida today— Matanzas, which means “massacre.”

Juan Ponce de Leon himself was mortally wounded one an area very near my home. What history of his explorations, and others, remain all around me? I want to find out. I’m curious like that.

Even Naples still has part of a canal the ancient Indians of Florida dug, and the homeowners that live on that canal doubtless have no idea of its origins. That’s a shame, but they probably wouldn’t care anyway.

The experiences of various first-hand witnesses tell a fascinating story I had never heard in any Florida classroom, and it’s a shame. People have built homes right on top of many sites, burying history forever—most likely the result of ignorance.

Many mound sites on the Gulf Coast remained unspoiled, and untouched. I’m joining the SW FL Archeology Society, because they often get permission to dig.  All of this is extremely fascinating to me, and arouses a deep, soulful excitement to explore. I want to be a part of rediscovering Florida.

There’s even a lost town in Florida, did you know that? It’s located somewhere around here, and I hope it’s not covered up by a city. The town was comprised of Indian refugees that had fled to Havana when Menendez tore up the area near St Augustine, and fled back to the Gulf Coast when persecuted in Havana. The chief of the Calusa gave them permission to live in their own town, under his rule.


I’d love to find that city, and the journals of those first explorers describe the place and its approximate location.

I’ve discovered that many of the mounds and previous Indian inhabitations are overgrown with mangroves now (check out Ten Thousand Islands), making many of them inaccessible. But what if they aren’t TRULY inaccessible? What if someone found a way through the thick mangroves to the white shell mound footprint in the middle of the island?

Here’s a Google Earth view of Ten Thousand Islands:

I intend to try. Maybe I’ll create a YouTube documenting my attempts. Lol.

If any of you are interested in the history of your area, you can find old books that tell the real history of your state, and you’ll most likely find it’s nothing like you were taught in school.

I think it so interesting, and I have a new appreciation of what it meant to be an explorer in those times.

In other news, I did my first pour painting since we put the house up for sale (too big now that the kids have flown the nest). It didn’t turn out very good, but it’s growing on me:

Anyway, time to get ready for work. I have a five day break starting Wednesday!

Healthier and Getting Stronger

This was Day 8 of my new, healthier diet (cut out all junk food). I’m happy and am feeling pretty dang good!

The song of the day is by Enya. Give it a listen. Enya always makes me happy!

Happy Freya’s Day!

St. Augustine’s Secret

Hey everyone! I know it’s been a while, but I think things are finally settling down so I can swing back into the habit of writing every day. 

This past weekend, we visited St Augustine to recon and possibly retrieve the treasure hidden by Byron Preiss in the 1980’s. 

Yes, I know the treasure itself isn’t worth much, but it is a lot of fun trying to match the clues to the paintings, and since I live close-ish to St. Augustine, it’s double the fun. 

So we packed up the car with our tiny shovel and probing rod and hit the road, stopping by Aidan’s new place in New Smyrna Beach. It was really nice. Aidan was walking Kodins and he started barking happily when he saw us pull up. When I got out of the car, he was wagging his tail so hard his whole rear end was swinging like a chaotic pendulum. 

I love that dog! 

After our visit, we continued on to the Olde City. 

We arrived right around 4:30 pm, later than we planned, but still in time to walk to the spot we solidly believe the casque to be hidden (not on FOY property), and were really dismayed to see the area we attempted to get to was closed for renovation. It reminded me of the recent Boston discovery of the casque, but at this time of the day, there were no construction workers present to ask to keep a lookout for plexiglass or ceramic, and I wasn’t sure they’d be digging in the right spot anyway, so we decided it was best to wait. A guy I talked to there said it would be open again in about three months. 

We checked into our hotel room, then found out the St. Augustine Lighthouse was conducting a limited time “paranormal investigation” every Saturday and Sunday this month. We signed up and arrived around 9:00 pm. 

The Lighthouse is reputed to be one of the most haunted places in FL, and the TAPS ghost hunters claim to have found the most compelling proof of the supernatural when they caught a figure on film running up the lighthouse steps, just as the old keepers would have to run up the stairs with hot lard so that the lard would still be the required temperature when they reached the top. 

The first part of the experience was the tour, and although the tour guide was over dramatic and a little cheesy, the stories she told were interesting. She took us to the spots where the most activity occurred. 

At one point, she asked for a male and female volunteer. I immediately raised my hand, and some other guy across the room raised his hand, so we were chosen to sit in two chairs alone in the dark in one of the most active locations on the property. 

We sat in the chairs and I set my phone to record and placed it in the ground between the two chairs. We then pretended to be real ghost hunters and asked the “spirit” questions. 

Suddenly, the other guys phone turned off by itself. I looked at the EMF meter in my hand—nothing. 

I really didn’t know what to say to a ghost, so I fumbled for the right words. Then the guy asked the ghost, “Did you just make my phone turn off?” 

Then the guide in the other room told the rest of the group they were going to come in and check on us. 

We didn’t want them to come in, because nothing had happened yet. Or so we thought! 

After the tour, we were set loose to conduct our own investigations anywhere we wanted on the property...in complete darkness under a full moon. 

Some places were definitely weird feeling, where the hairs of your arm would stand on end, but I didn’t experience that unsettling feeling in any of the rooms that were reputed to have the most activity. The main room I felt creeped out in was a room in the Keeper’s home that had a ticking clock on a fireplace mantel. 

We toured the grounds on our own, and the EMF meter was calm. 

Even as we walked up seemingly a forever amount of winding stairs, there were no ominous feelings or EMF readings. The experience at the top, with the twinkling lights  of the nighttime city, a strong, cool breeze, and the underlying roar of the nearby ocean was amazing! 

Then we  explored the front lawn of the keeper’s house that boasted huge oaks with delightfully climb-able branches, and I thought it must have been a favorite place for the keeper’s children to play. Three of these children, who drowned tragically, are reported to haunt the property. 

But I didn’t feel anything but an unusual peace while walking the near pitch black yard. 

When we got back to the hotel late that night, I listened to the videos I took, not really expecting anything out of the ordinary. But, to my surprise, SOMETHING answered that guy’s question about turning off his phone when we were sitting in the chairs! 

After a long pause, you can clearly hear someone say “Yessss,” in whispered response to his question. 

Then whatever it is continues to whisper as the group comes into the room to join us. At one point, I think it whispers, “Watch me,” and at another point, as of trying to get our attention, it whispers a louder “Hey!”

We hadn’t heard anything at the time, so it was really spooky to hear the voice on my phone. I’ll post the video, and if anyone can clean up the audio to isolate the voice, feel free to do so! 

Just make sure to turn the audio up and place your phone to your ear, because it is a whisper. 

The next morning, we got up early, ate a hotel waffle, then headed to the Fountain of Youth Park with the hopes of further ruling it out as the place where the casque was buried. 

We did a quick tour, and I dug a little in their “archeology box,” which are a few wooden boxes filled with sand you can sift through for gold and silver coins, Timicuan arrowheads, and shark teeth. 

I found an insane amount of shark teeth and a “Timucuan” arrowhead. As we ate lunch, we examined the “finds” and determined the arrowhead to be too pristine to be Timucuan, and the shark teeth too plentiful to have naturally occurred in the wheelbarrow amount of sand in the boxes, especially since we knew people had been sifting through the boxes all morning. So, most likely, they were planted there. I confirmed this when I went into the gift shop and found similar arrowheads for sale for ninety-four cents. 

But that doesn’t surprise me, because the whole park is basically a hoax. The Fountain of Youth is not a spring at all, but a well dug by an early property owner in the 1800’s. It has never been proven that Ponce de Leon ever visited that area at all!

Here’s a letter from when the owners were striving to get it listed on the Historic Register:

I think Byron Preiss knew this when he wrote “The Secret,” and I believe the story about the “Pre-Revolutionary Warlock,” is the story that matches the St. Augustine treasure location, as it mentions grade-school field trips, antique stores, and scouring the shallow sea for rusty relics to resell. 

It also adds, “The fact that almost every artifact surviving from early America is now under armed guard does not deter the Pre-Revolutionary Warlock from inspiring us to collect historically significant stuff. After all, says he, "History is happening all around us, right now!" as well as, "This could be worth a lot of money some day!"

Was he referring to the Fountain of Youth Park? Could it actually be hidden on park grounds, in a spot not easily seen by park employees? I don’t know, but may warrant further research. It hasn’t detracted from my current solve, though, which remains pretty solid. 

Even though the park was founded on a hoax, it was still pretty fun, and the artifacts they do have are pretty impressive, and served to rekindle my interest in archeology. It made me realize there IS history all around us, and that the professional archeologists shouldn’t be the only ones who get to study the history that came before us. 

Anyone with the curiosity, reverence, and interest should be able to explore and discover the past. It’s a personal thing, and I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s my history as much as anyone else’s, and I wish America would adopt the ways of Scotland, who promote a “freedom to roam” attitude toward archeology and the discovery of the tools, toys, and knickknacks of the past. 

The Sorta Empty Nest

Well, we're back from New Hampshire and Vermont, and Joe is settled in his dorm and ready to start classes today. He's still got some decorating to do, but we did get his things put away, his computer set up and his bed made. He ordered some posters to hang on his walls, so I'll get a pic when he gets them up.

And wow...just getting my pictures saved from my phone to the computer took almost all my time this morning. I think I'll start waking up earlier so I can do my posts right. I'll try to update this tonight. I want to get into the habit of writing every day again!

World Changers

Two of my three world changers on the road to Dartmouth!!!!