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Published: January 6th 2020
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The one about settling in
My overnight at The Oaks was wet. Rain, Rain, Rain. Did I say Rain? I was so happy I did not have a dog to take out. I like sleeping in the RV in the rain. But, waking up, realizing I am on an island surrounded by puddles, and having to break camp was not pleasant. Unplugging electricity while feet in the water was not fun. (Yes, I did it properly.) I thought I waited until a break and set out to stow the steps and retract electric and water land lines, but I got drenched. Thank goodness I was in my house. I just dried myself off and lit out like a bat out of hell back to I95 S and the first rest area I came to. There I had breakfast, made coffee, (generator) and cleaned up wet things.
A slow 55-60 mph ride to the greater Jacksonville, FL area with rain most of the way. Thank goodness for those $76 new wiper blades. I found a Walmart, got a few items, most needed was Halls cough drops for the nasty sore throat. The head cold portion has mostly gone away, the
but sore throat is awful. No temperature, cough disappearing, but the throat really hurts. Need to keep it coated and I could not find the Halls I know I had packed somewhere.
I checked into Kathryn Abby Hanna City of Jacksonville Campground. It had stopped raining. Looks like a great campground. Deep pine, oak, palm canopy, sandy sites with picnic table. My site #25 has a curve to the right, and a hill from bottom to top and is very narrow. I pride myself on being able to park anywhere. This site daunted me; I called my friends who had been here for a week already and they helped me get in the site, and I jiggled and jiggled to find the most level spot. When I put down my levelers my front wheels came off the ground; not a good way to park for 2 weeks. They put boards under the levelers and I manually touched them down and was about 2 inches off front to back. Not good, but I was tired so left it.
Mary and Diane and I met previously at SouthEast Loner on Wheels campouts. Diane stays here pretty much all winter. Mary
is here for 3 weeks, me 2 weeks. We spent some time catching up and called it an early night.
Heavy rain again overnight. With strong wind. I parked under a large magnolia tree whose lowest limb dragged across the roof. All night long, scratch scratch scratch scratch. You know those big seed pods Magnolias produce, well they dropped on the roof like bombs. At one point a large branch came down and rolled across the top, sounded like bowlers above my head. At that minute I knew I was going to have to move in the morning.
Diane drove us to Catholic Mass at 11 on Sunday, then continued to her Lutheran service. We were early and were able to partake of the coffee and donuts from the last mass just ending. A tiny parish in a tiny church of people who love God and their pastor. The Filipino priest gave a wonderful sermon that tied in with the weekly readings, that the kids and adults could relate to. Upon looking around, the congregation was split Filipino and Americans, with lots of kids. He announced at our mass that the bishop was coming February 28 to install
him as permanent pastor. The entire congregation gave him a standing ovation which almost brought him to tears. It was wonderful feeling the love.
What else do you do on Sunday after mass? Go to the Irish Pub! We scoped one out on google maps, got there, and it was closed until 4:30. On to #2 where they had a brunch menu. Diane had a mimosa, Mary got her Guinness, and I had my water no ice. Mary and I ordered Reuben egg rolls, just like they sound served with Thousand Island dressing and were yummy. Diane had Scotch eggs, hard boiled eggs wrapped in sausage, coated with breadcrumbs and deep fried, served with mustard sauce.
Then on to a local Flea Market. Probably the first time I have ever left a flea market without buying anything. I was looking for knock off designer sunglasses and couldn’t find any. We tried to find the Costco gas station. When we found Costco, they didn’t have a gas station. Then on to Aldi where I got a bottle of 2 buck chuck. But it was $4 and Aldi labeled Pinot Noir. Might help coat the sore throat.
I watched the Golden Globes. What was up with Joaquin Phoenix? High on life or something else? Did what he say make any sense? I thought Charlize looked great. Tom Hanks was awesome, so was Ellen.
Surprise on me. Camping friend Joanne will be here tonight for 2 nights a she starts her winter RVing trip as well. Yay! More on that next time.
History Lesson for the day. Feel free to skip if desired, but it’s actually kind of interesting. Next time more about Mayport.
From Wikipedia: Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park is a 1.5-mile public beach and city park in Jacksonville, Florida. It is located at Mayport in the Jacksonville Beaches area. It consists of 447 acres of mature coastal hammock, which is increasingly rare along Florida's heavily developed Atlantic coast.
Dr. Kathryn Abbey Hanna is the namesake of the city park, yet many people who visit the park do not realize it is named after a Florida historian. Over the course of her forty-year career, Dr. Hanna created and assigned cultural and social value to nature through her historical scholarship, her work as a public figure, and as a member of the Florida Parks Board. A study of her career demonstrates that her ideas about the environment were ahead of their time. Moreover, that the contributions of female scholars to the betterment of society, are often overlooked.
Through her historical scholarship, Dr. Hanna articulated a progressive view of the environment, one that encouraged the preservation and conservation of Florida’s landscapes and natural resources. Scholars argue that environmental sentiments emerged when ecology entered the vernacular. However, Dr. Hanna’s work conveyed an understanding of ecological concepts as early as 1941. In other words, she understood the relationship between humans and their environment, earlier than her contemporaries.
As a historian in the public sphere, Dr. Hanna used public engagements in woman’s clubs, garden clubs, and historical societies to perpetuate her advanced views about the natural world. Her historical scholarship established an understanding of the relationships between humans and nature, but in her public work, she ascribed cultural and social value to nature. Within her social and professional networks, she and like-minded individuals from various professions, altered how we understand our relationship with the land in Florida.
As a member and chairwoman of the Board of State Parks from 1953 to 1963, Dr. Hanna lobbied for the protection of Florida’s natural spaces in the state park system. She used the term historical preservation to protect public land from further development, at the start of Florida largest and longest developmental boom — arguably, the boom that never ended. As a historian, her most significant contribution was the intrinsic historical value she applied to the physical characteristics of the land.
Kathryn Abbey Hanna was one of many Florida women whose mark remains with us in the present. Her stamp on Florida exists in the progressive historical scholarship she left behind, her ideas about historical preservation that included: natural areas, trees, shrubs, coastlines, and waterways, and in a vibrant and thriving state park system. For a woman who did not picket, she left a lasting impression on her adopted state, one which has been neglected and deserves to be told. She is Florida’s forgotten environmental historian and environmentalist.
Kat out
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