Citra – Home of the Pineapple Orange by Faye Perry Melton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Considering there is likely never to be a specific book about the history of the little community of Citra, this book is a Godsend. It has a ton of information for a shorter book. Lots of photos and documents copied in it.

Due to the rarity of Citra history, I really can’t complain about the mish mash approach to laying this book out. There are also hard to see reproductions and various typography used.

The history is well written and I like how each chapter-type covers specific points of Citra history.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 7 out of 10 points.

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Today would have been Groucho’s 125th birthday and I am a fan! Have been since I was a wee child. I’ve seen all the films, listened to or watched most all of the radio and television programs. Got most all of the books (including different editions). Even Groucho toys! A photo of a small part of my Groucho collection below.

I’ve gotten away again from posting here! Was caricature performing Monday and here are a few drawings:

Monique tells of her family’s trip along the Silver River this past weekend. Including being terrified when she found monkeys along the way! I explained of how monkeys got loose during filming of Tarzan films in the 1930s and that their descendants live along the river today.

Dotty enjoys oil painting landscapes of her native Pennsylvania these days.

Jaime rescues squirrels, loves horses and hates spiders!

Eternal Spring- Man’s 10,000 Years of History at Florida’s Silver Springs by Richard A. Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the third or fourth book I’ve read of Richard Martin’s. It’s been years since I’ve read his work, but this is clearly head and shoulders above the other books.

This book is superior to so many histories in it’s layout, writing, organization and even images. Martin clearly lays out the early the vast history of the area that includes Silver Springs State Park. At the time of the books publication, 1966, the park area was still privately owned and not part of the state park system as occurred October 1st, 2013.

There is a lenthy list of fish & plants to be found. Much about indians and development of a multi-level attraction.

I will quibble with the amount of writing that is outside the purview of the subject. Martin leaves the tracks at times as he chronicles indians all over Florida, seemingly just because he’s listing indians. Instead fleshing out more in the lives of the indians in the area would have been more germane.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 8 out of 10 points.

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Just finished a little less than 2 hour Cartoon Hunker Down session and knocked out cartoons for Swampy’s Florida, editorial cartoons and a pencil drawing for a children’s book. More to come this weekend.

It’s Robin’s 30th anniversary with the organization! Here’s her card. Pencils first!

All prepped for watercolor! Time to add paint!

Gave another Florida History Heroes talk at the Fort McCoy Library in Marion County this time. I spoke about Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and her writings that help depict and preserve the area around Fort McCoy. There’s Henry Plant whose steamboats traveled the nearby Ocklawaha River. There’s also President Richard Nixon who acted on the efforts of others to stop something that would have transformed the entire area….but you’ll have to come to a talk to find out what that was. smile emoticon

Here’s the color version of the drawing I posted last night!

Trilby is strolling through the woods to a picnic and is bothered by an intruding alien & his transportation device. The lone extraterrestrial inquires as to the nearest burger joint. Trilby points the way to the The Burger Inn, though, in truth, he’s not quite sure where he is at the moment.