After working at home today, wandered to a dinner party a bit down the road.

Got to see Sally and Randal White and their two children, who I haven’t seen in three years since the last dinner I attended. Great to see them again! Randal is a celebrity in these parts with his cooking wizardry. They prepared the feast tonight and it blows away the slew of places I’ve recently stopped to review across the state.

Also got to talk to a person important to so many charities and public policy issues in Central Florida, B.J. West. We spoke of mutual and sorely missed friends like Bill Coleman, Andy Serros and Duke Crittenden. Hope to do an oral history of her sometime soon. She’s a 5th generation Floridian who grew up in a one time significant farming community in Lake County.

Putting it all together was Donna Dollar Wilson and Ed Wilson, who did another tremendous job assembling the event!

(My ‘Meow’ cap is to remind folks I’ll be at KittyCon Tampa Bay 2019 November 30th and December 1st.  )

Tomorrow: A trip to Sanford for another meeting! Hope to get a bit of hiking in along the way.

Attended a grand opening event this morning with a bunch of friends. That’s Donna Wilson and her husband and school board candidate Ed Wilson, Marion County historian Judy Delk, me and Morrey Deen, who’s done more for our military veterans than can be counted!

After meeting with Tom and John I headed to Gainesville and the Wintry clouds, above, led the way

Got home and, withing 20 minutes, frost had formed on the roof of the car in the freezing temperatures.atures.

This is me and, my art teacher from Robert E. Lee Junior High School, Mr. Seaman ( as I still only think of him as). He’s known more today as Del Seaman.

Mr. Seaman has an art gallery in Oviedo, Florida, The Artistic Hand Gallery & Studio. We had a great chat and heard a small bit of his Florida experiences since 1953.

As with Gina Taylor yesterday, I leaned Mr. Seaman’s mother skied at Cypress Gardens but, instead of using the Dick Pope skis, used hand crafted skis by a relative. I plans to interview Mr. Seaman in January, too! 🙂

Save

I’m temporarily grounded as my brakes in the car have decided not to operate as they should. This meant on Tuesday I needed a ride to a memorial service for a friend. Maxine Thomas was kind to give me that ride out to Dunnellon to say goodbye to our mutual friend Penny Fleeger. The service was held at a favorite spot of Penny’s, Rainbow Springs State Park (Photo above).

Penny was born and raised in the same city my mother and aunt were born and raised, Coral Gables, Florida. It was one evening Penny and I were talking about Coral Gables and high school. Suddenly we found that Penny went to elementary, junior high, high school AND the same college with my Aunt, though they didn’t really know each other.

Penny moved on from Coral Gables to other places, married and ended up in Dunnellon, Florida. Widowed and wanting to help the community, she was voted in as a Dunnellon City Council member. She also got involved with the local historical museum, the Chamber of Commerce and helping preserve the Rainbow River, which she lived along.

I met her several years ago and we were very good friends until the her health took her. Penny loved everything that drove my Swampy’s Florida efforts. It was Penny’s efforts that produced the ‘Swampy’s Florida: Dunnellon’ book.

Penny’s gone now. In a place she can rest from the maddening crowd – One of her favorite places – the Rainbow River.

Save

Started the day with an early morning run to the monthly Orlando Remembered meeting at the Orange County Regional History Center.

From there I slipped over to Beefy King and got together with a crew of friends. I was showing friend and Apopka native Melanie King my Apopka illustration I had done. Her friend Joe was there and took the photograph.

I hadn’t seen most of this lot in a few years. Standing is Pam Treadwell. Seated are Charles Treadwell, Marvin Bennett and Kim Cullars, who was celebrating his birthday.

Marvin has just published an ace of a book, ‘Trutles, Tortoises and People’, full of information, art and Marvin’s scientifically accurate paintings of slews of turtles. This book is not widely available. Let me know if you’d like one and I’ll help you get one.

After Beefy King I had a rather long business meeting about a project and then just had to stop. I was pooped!!! I guess my age slowing me down.

I got back on my horse and rode out to the Winter Park Library to sit and hear my friend Susan Trewick and her group pick guitars. While heading in, I noticed the library book store sign still out and went in to see if they would like me to bring it in. Oops! I spotted a Florida history book I needed. Then found another and another! I got back to Susan’s group half hour later stayed too short a time and ran on to meet with pals Robert Bauerle and Ken Culotta, below, to write a set of political cartoons.

Save

Jim & Nicole Collins, me, Don Nottingham and David Moore.

A successful night Friday night during Champions for Champions Fun, Dine, Wine and Giving Night. Much was raised through the dinner, silent auction and other fund raising activities, including some raised by my doing some drawing.

Champions for Champions mission “is to enrich family lives and values through providing and facilitating educational, sports, music, and life skill programs for people with special needs.”

Save

Save