I’m working on this one right now, with a due date of end of March. Lots of reorganization of content this time, including bringing the Tampa Bay area into its rightful place at the end of the I-4 corridor! Great news recently that Weeki Wachee will become a Florida State Park and the mermaid show will continue as a historic artifact. I’m looking forward to the potential of hiking trails linking the spring with the Weeki Wachee Preserve in Hernando Beach: now here’s enough land for some serious backpacking loops!

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…training writers to use Wordpress! How cool is that?

I’ve always been a fan of turtles. I grew up surrounded by dozens of little mud and musk turtles, painted turtles, map turtles, box turtles, and, of course, the turtle that every pet shop had by the dozens: red-eared sliders. I learned rather recently that they, like the insidious Cuban tree frogs and iguanas, are non-native species to Florida, wreaking havoc on natural systems.

Now, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission has set new rules regarding these once-popular pets: they can be pets no more. According to their website:

People who possess red-eared sliders acquired before July 1, 2007, may keep those specimens without a permit until they are legally transferred or disposed of. After July 1, 2008, however, no one may have a red-eared slider as a pet that is less than 4 inches in size. Those owning the turtles legally may not allow them to reproduce, and all eggs must be destroyed.

Given the numbers of red-eared sliders I’ve seen throughout the state, in waterways and in parks, under human control and not … I do wonder how a person “may not allow them to reproduce”?

Yesterday we paid homage to a dear long-time friend of Rob’s, Lucile Fair. An Orlando native, she was born in this fair city in the year 1908, at a time when the streets were made of dirt, the sidewalks wooden, the cattle driven down through downtown, and there was a pen full of alligators on Orange Avenue that she had to walk past on a regular basis. During breakfast at Orlando Remembered, a special proclamation came from the mayor’s office to honor Lucile this Saturday, Jan 26, as “Lucile Fair Day.” Hooray and big hugs to Lucile, the world traveler, whose memories of this city are deep, interesting, and funny.

It’s that time again, the turn of a page and a fresh start for all. I’m swamped with projects and prep work for a while, so I won’t be blogging as much, but expect big changes come March … a retooling of this site and a launch of another. Meanwhile, settle in with a good book and enjoy the wintry chill: here in Florida, we sure savor it, especially knowing it means the bugs are kaput for a few months. Happy New Year, y’all!