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Published: January 17th 2012
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Monday January 16, 2012
Webster Flea Market to Blue Springs State Park, Orange City, FL
Despite my problems earlier last evening, I slept like a rock. Since I had no electricity I had no electric heater to keep me warm. I didn’t want to leave my furnace on all night long, so I was really boondocking. Inside and outside temp this morning was 47. I decided to screw it and turned on the generator and turned on the heat and made coffee. No alarms. Once the sun comes up the rig warms up nicely. But, remember, I was near a flea market that OPENS at 5:30, so the vendors start arriving at 4:30. When they starting making the road hum I rolled over, pulled my head deeper into my night hat (yes, night hat for cold weather) and slept until 6:30. No shower as my fresh water tank is nearly empty and both holding tanks are nearly full.
I decided to give Winston a healthy dose of the natural/herbal PetEze calming liquid in hopes he would settle down while I was out.
I hit the dirt at 8:00 and one of the first vendors I found was
Lake Harris
There was a guy playing bagpipes in this parking lot a Fiestaware dealer, which I collect as do daughter Kristine and daughter in law Gretchen. They had two long open back trailers with cartons and crates of Fiesta dishes. I spent some time talking to them; they get there product from the factory in West Virginia and depending on the warmth of the part of the country, they set up at flea markets all over. They’ve been doing this for 25 years, and it is their only source of income. She told me they had 100 feet of space at the Mt. Dora FL flea market, and I should visit them there for a larger selection. I checked with Kristine and Gretchen, and bought Gretchen 2 Scarlet luncheon plates. There will be butter dishes at Mt Dora and other unusual pieces and colors, so I will try to plan a weekend in that area so I can check out that market.
My purchases, picture herein, included white bread, apple turnovers, a bamboo stem, blackberries, corn on the cob, tomatoes, strawberries, 10 yards of rope to use as clothesline, altogether spending less than $20. My feet gave out; I returned to the rig. Winston of course was barking, but there
Blue Springs Head water pool
The deep blue in the center is where the spring comes from the earth was no one around so I didn’t care. I took him for a walk thru a field of junky garage sale type vendors and he walked calmly; he didn’t bark at other dogs, he stayed at my side like a good obedient dog! That’s the way it’s supposed to be, right? I am assuming that was a result of the PetEze.
I said goodbye to Ginnie and Malcolm and headed northeast 80 miles. Ginnie is on her way to UF small animal hospital in Gainesville and Malcolm was going home to Melbourne. One thing I didn’t buy at the flea market was oranges – too heavy to carry, even though I have my super duper handy dandy go to flea market rolling bag Christmas present from Sandy & Keith. I have this new Walmart purchased orange squeezer thingy I only used once. The only oranges I saw were in very large bags, suitable for families of 8. I knew I would pass a fruit stand somewhere along the way. NOT! Here I am in orange country, staying in Orange City and I did not pass one fruit stand along the way. No Walmart oranges for this snowbird, so on my next relocate I will be more diligent and find a darn fruitstand!
I passed thru small towns and large towns with interesting names, Tavares, Howey in the Hills, Eustis, and pulled into many pocket parks with boat ramps, such as Lake Harris, picture herein, and gave a salute to HS classmates I visited last year, Gail & Mike, who I visited last year. Another stop at another Walmart in Mt. Dora. This was by far the oldest Walmart I have ever been in, low ceilings, dull lights, small. But, the workers were very friendly, and one walked me all around until we found Brita filters. Winston was barking when I returned, of course, so I doused a dog cookie with PetEze and he passed out for the remainder of the trip. Ahhhhhhhhh.
I arrived at Blue Springs State Park, got out of the car and dropped my phone on the ground. The cover went flying under the RV, and I must have been some sight crawling underneath to retrieve one piece. Phone works fine, though, but I did lose the little plastic cover thingy that protects the charging port. Time for a new phone anyway. Thank goodness it still works. God Bless the Palm Pre, as it dropped at least 5 feet onto pavement.
I cannot sing the praises of the FL State Park system loudly enough. I have not yet been to an ugly one. Blue Springs is in the middle of a highly developed area, I can hear the train go by, I can hear boat noises, planes go overhead regularly. Once inside the park entrance I was transported to a dense pine/oak forest. The interior roadways are all paved, the campsites are hard packed sand. First stop, a successful dump of holding tanks, then on to site 31. The campsites are staggered so there is no campsite directly across, and there is dense brush and trees between me and my left and right neighbors. Plug in, put out the rug, turn on the hot water and off for walk with Winston, who is still very calm.
Blue Springs is the winter home to more than 200 manatees. From their brochure: Tucked within 2,643 acres are 15 natural communities, a lagoon, a north flowing river and a first magnitude spring. Watch manatees swim, rest and play in the warm 72 degree waters. In the summer swim, tube, snorkel or scuba in the ‘crisp’ 72 degree spring.
More technical stuff. Below Florida’s surface soils is a thick layer of limestone. Over many centuries, acidic rainwater has slowly dissolved cracks and tunnels into the porous limestone forming a swiss cheese like appearance. As a result, the limestone is like an enormous rock sponge saturated with fresh water, the aquifer. Water within an aquifer is constantly replenished by rainfall (which has been so far below average for the last 10 years…..that’s why there are so many sinkholes in this area.) The pressure of the water in the aquifer forces water through the cracks in the limestone where it emerges from the ground in the form of a spring. Yup, the spring is 72 degrees year round, so in the winter it’s warm and in the summer it’s cool feeling. The spring is closed to swimmers in the winter due to the resident manatees that disappear when all waters warm up, then the tunnels and caves of the spring area are open to swimmers, divers, snorkelers. As the water comes up out of the spring it has limited oxygen resulting in no fish except gar which can air breathe at the surface. Such interesting ecology here, I am fascinated. The entire area except the boardwalk immediately overhanging the manatee lookout is open to pets, so I did not see any manatees on today’s walk, but it was worth it as Winston was charming! He didn’t bark at any other dog, he was friendly to a large family, and actually wanted to play with a basset hound we passed. The name of this miracle drug is PetEze. He ate when we got home and has been asleep ever since, going on 4 hours now.
While checking in I met the campers kind of across from me, Terri and Gary, who live in Mexico 8 months a year, but when they were passing thru Leesburg they liked it so much they bought a house and will move there and leave ‘dicey’ Mexico. I saw them later in the day and they asked me if I was going on the boat ride in the morning. Boat ride? I am so in. They gave me the web site and I reserved my seat on the 10:00 2 hour boat tour of the St. John’s River. All kinds of senior discounts, on line reservation discount, book before midnight discount, etc., will cost me about $15.
I heard from Ginnie, she landed safely in a campground 15 miles from the animal hospital appointment with water, electric, sewer, cable, but no manatees,laugh. It’s quiet without her and the boys next door.
I hate to rush my vacation, but I can’t wait until tomorrow.
Kat out
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