We had to leave Apalachicola early so I could get back and work further on a project I have. Sandra was driving and it was rough. This a view out of the front window of the car as we crossed the five mile bridge connecting Apalachicola. Also scaring us was that water spouts had been spotted and if one decided to cross the bridge we would have been in BIG trouble.

My artisitic connection is to notice the lack of color. No sun. No color. I waited for a car to come by just to get some idea of light and space.

We made a trip to White Springs so that Sandra could drop off a ton of materials for the upcoming hiking festival and to test a hike she will be leading a “V.I.P.” group on Saturday. The test was to see how much of the trail was passable due to recent high water levels of the adjacent Suwannee River. We tried getting through a number of ways but kept running into the Suwannee running over the trail or thick clusters of saw palmetto being impossible to find a way around the water. The hope is that the water recedes and the trail will be passable Saturday. Otherwise, Sandra will have to take them down boring dirt roadways used by government vehicles to do whatever they do. It was a lot of walking for me, but much needed. Above is a sketch of a native azalea. Click here to see a photo of the azalea flowers at Genuine Florida. 

Here is a sketch of the former Adams Dry Goods Store that has clocked a hundred years and still stands proudly at the main crossroads of White Springs.

It was Sandra’s birthday and that evening headed to Alachua and had dinner at a great and very popular spot, Conestoga’s. Friend Phyliss Walinsky joined us. We had a terrific meal of steaks and, courtesy of the restaurant, birthday cake ice cream. Below are a few drawings of  a few sitting near us. The middle lady was a bit odd and ended up creating a bit of a spectacle in the restaurant. The end guy looked a bit Burt Lahr-ish.

I was out in southwest Florida. While there I roamed Punta Gorda. See a couple photos by clicking here. Then I was in Englewood where I saw a bobcat in the Rotunda development. See the bobcat photos by clicking here. 

Then I found the Cape Haze Trail. To the right is a sketch I made of the Placida Bunk House. To learn more of it, click here.

I then made my way south on US41 and took lots of photos of Florida historic sites and cool signs. I was actually retaking most of them involving the switch of the Swampy doll and the Stuckey’s monkey doll used before. I’ll slowly sprinkle the trips photos on the Genuine Florida site. Click here to see one I just put there.

Here’s an inked and colored version of the pencil art shown here a few weeks ago. The art is for Clyde Butcher’s annual Muck-A-Bout near the Big Cypress Swamp in South Florida. Click here for more information .

Our first stop this day was to the Florida Caverns State Park. You can see a photo of the caverns here. 

Here is a sketch I drew while taking the tour.

From there we toured Marianna. Making stops at the Chamber of Commerce and the wonderful building it’s in.

	We made many, many, many stops afterward. We went through ten counties and ten times as many stops. Not that we mind. What an outstanding way to experiencing our great State of Florida and all it has to offer!Our final stop was at Staff’s Restaurant, the oldest seafood restaurant in Florida. Here’s a sketch of a part of the fascinating interior.

Not getting around so I thought I’d post something from a project I’m working on. Here’s the inked art for next year’s Clyde Bitcher Muck-A-Bout! Come join us next Labor Day weekend to tromp in the swamp! Click here for more information!