Heading home from the Tampa area I junped off the highway as I found myself tangled in the Spring Snowbird flight on 75. My bailing point was at Bushnell. Before I hurried my way through to take backroads around backups on the highway, I made a very brief pitstop at the Dade Battlefield. Click here to learn of this battlefield of the second Seminole War in Florida.

This is a sketch of one of the place marks of one of the fallen from the ambush.

At the ‘Boomtown Block Party’ in Downtown Tampa, I drew caricatures in support of ‘Reclaiming Our Heritage’ and Florida’s ‘Heritage Celebration’. The party was on a blocked off portion of Franklin Avenue. Instead of drawing something there, I drew one of the old street cars you would have found on Franklin Avenue in the 1920s.

I was in Tampa to see ‘Cigar City Chronicles’ at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. This is a humdinger of a musical of the history of Tampa. It is only on until the 29th of April. It is well worth the trip and time to enjoy a musical salute to a place of such great history as Tampa Bay has. Click here for more information. If anyone reading this wants to go, we’re putting together a group to meet there and see the play. E-mail me and let me know. We’re looking at the dates April 26th or 29th.

The quick sketches are of Reclaiming Our Heritage’s Devin Marks and Tampa Bay Chapter of The American Institute of Architects Board member and Tampa native, Gus Paras, who spoke to the audience before the showing of the play. Many thanks to Devin for arranging the gathering with the AIA.

We stayed at the Kenilworth Lodge built in 1916. There are some great displays of the historic significance of the Lodge. The drawing is of a small part of the architectural significance. For more information click here. 

Our next stop was the Montgomery Botanical Center just down the road from Pinecrest Gardens and Fairchild Gardens. This is a private venture that’s been going on since the 1920s. Click here to find out more!

The drawing is of limestone formed by quite a few centrues of water swirling around it. These protude from the now level ground. They’re in a sinkhole and there are quite a few more. Fascinating what lies beneath our feet here in our state of Florida!

After we were through with the Gifford Arboretum at the University of Miami we headed over to the Lowe Art Museum. It was my first time there, that I recall. I should have gone before, but have been so rarely in the area. The museum is named after my grandmother’s uncle, Orton Lowe, who founded the literature department and was involved with other activities at the University some 80 years ago. A further story of Orton Lowe I will relate in my posting of Fairchild Gardens.

The drawing is of the entrance of the museum.

We visited one of the last remnants of the original natural area land of the Dade County area and one of the oldest houses left. Learn more about the house and the area by clicking here!

This is a drawing of a corner of ‘The Barncle’.

The next stop was near Coral Gables in an area known as Pinecrest. The stop was at the original Parrot Jungle, now named Pinecrest Gardens. Strolling through the park you can still find the giant bird cages. The park has been very well kept and well worth taking a walk through and enjoying the plants and flowers.

The drawing is of the area that folks would come through after coming through the original entrance to Parrot Jungle in the 1930s. It still stands though part of the roof has caved in and it appears to be otherwise used as a storage room.

Our first stop was to the infamous Vizcaya! Most of anyone reading this has heard of or been there. For more about this model for the grand home of Orson Wells in ‘Citizen Kane’ click here!

The drawing is of part of the ornate grottos on the property. Time does limit more complete drawings. This was a busy day with lots to visit! Sandra took the photo of me drawing.

We headed to South Florida to continue research for Sandra’s next book, ‘Florida’s Botanical Wonders’ and met with Sandra’s cousin, Ruth, at the ‘Bagel Bar East’ in South Miami.

Ruth’s been living in Dade County for 47 years. She and her husband headed the public relations for many places in the area including ‘The Fontainbleu’ on South Miami Beach. She’s finally decided to move on and is leaving her home next to the Ivan Tors Studios where ‘Flipper’ was filmed.

The drawing is of a patron at the ‘Bagel Bar East’.

For Sandra’s birthday we headed over to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings homestead which still exists in a state park. There you can see her home, barn, car and many items which the fames author of ‘The Yearling’ had about her during her years in Marion County.

This is a drawing of a separate building behind her house. It’s a new building. Sandra believes this may be part of an author’s retreat planned for the park.