Rob's Blog

Tag: Florida

July 1st, 2015 – My Inking of a Creature in the Woods.

by on Jul.01, 2015, under Cartooning

I’m grounded for a bit and getting as much artwork out as I can. Amongst the cartooning done tonight included the next few days of my daily Swampy’s Florida daily celebration cartoons. This one was fun! The fun of aliens is that you can make it up as you go along! grin emoticon

I’ll leave a shroud of mystery as to what this creature might be celebrating Thursday. Tomorrow you can see the color version over at Swampy’s Florida or I’ll later share it here.

I’ve been having fun creating a continuous story linking the celebratory daily cartoons into a story. The fun is trying to figure out how to link each day together!

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June 26th, 2015 – Drawing a hero!

by on Jun.26, 2015, under Caricatures, Cartooning

Drew a wonderful group of older folks today. Including Joan Kelly who, along with her dancing partner, were entertainers for the USO and performed for troops waiting to go overseas during WWII. She tap danced and sung at bases in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Hard to imagine all of the joy she brought to our brave soldiers. She’s one of my heroes!

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June 22nd, 2015 – Drawing and Inking!

by on Jun.22, 2015, under Cartooning

Hunkering again getting more and more and more cartooning done! This time at one of my new favorite’s, Angels in Tavares. Every meal has been tee-riffic!!!
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June 15th, 2015 – Trilby and a bunny!

by on Jun.16, 2015, under Cartooning

2015-0616-TrilbyBunny

Trilby and a bunny! You can see the color version over at Swampy’s Florida later this morning.

My rugged schedule of the past week and a half has finally caught up with me. Was in a meeting Monday night where I just kept feeling sicker and sicker and couldn’t slip out. Made my way home and crashed. This proves that I’m not in perpetual motion, despite what people say.

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May 30th, 2015 – Florida Agriculture Research!

by on May.31, 2015, under Books, Florida History!

2015-0530-Florida-AgricultureResearch

Hunkering down and wrapping up research for a talk of the history of Florida agriculture I’m giving Sunday to the Florida State Horticultural Society (FSHS) annual meeting. A mostly serious talk and a bit different for me. I’ve got more talks of Florida history to groups coming this Summer.

Been running on all cylinders this past month and will try to catch up with postings.

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May 19th, 2015 – Book: ‘Cross Creek’ by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

by on May.19, 2015, under Books

Cross CreekCross Creek by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rawlings collected writings of life in early 1900s Florida is what I deem a classic in writing. This set of essays is just extraordinary in more than writing. It’s also a view into the mind of one with a view of life that is nearly unacceptable in today’s narrow-minded, politically correct American life.

My friend B.K. recently brought to my attention, unknowingly, that I had not read Cross Creek. Considering how much I’ve read of my great state of Florida, I admit embarrassment that Cross Creek hadn’t been crossed yet.

Crossing the literary creek was an experience I’m glad I had today and not 30 years ago. Today I know the area and much about what went on in our state at the time of Rawling’s writing to better understand her adventures.

Rawlings literary renderings of Florida life are of the type that places the reader in the setting of a natural area, her home or a courtroom. She covers stories of all just mentioned and so much more of the rural living away from big cities. From hunting to farming to the personalities who lived around Cross Creek.

The writing of the natural areas she encounters is a work of beauty, whether she describes hanging spanish moss or the flowering plants she plants. Even better composed are her trips to Cross Creek and her trips along the waters in Florida.

For today’s America Rawling’s view of life would be considered a variety of popular terminology used by the over-sensitive-set. Yet, she is a she and tagging her sexist, racist or whatever is where the current name-callers get shutdown. The politically-correct crowd is precisely what Rawlings is pointing out she wants to get away from and live a real life with real people. Real people are not politically correct – which becomes abundantly clear as one reads Cross Creek.

This is an amazing work that should be a must-read for any lover of books and exceptional writing.

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

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April 19th, 2015 – My Swampy’s Florida at Dunnellon’s Boomtown Days event!

by on Apr.19, 2015, under Cartooning, Swampy's Florida

2015-0419-SwampysFlorida-FromSat-Boomtown

With my Swampy’s Florida at Dunnellon’s Boomtown yesterday. With me is City Commissioner Penny Fleeger, Jeff Smith and Tessa Noell helping out. Big crowds and lot’s of folks wanting to know about our great state of Florida!

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April 12th, 2015 – Book: ‘Flamingo Road’ by Robert Wilder

by on Apr.12, 2015, under Books

Flamingo RoadFlamingo Road by Robert Wilder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Robert Wilder’s ‘Flamingo Road’ is fictitious tale of a fictional town, Truro, with fictional characters. However, the political activity that is the foundation of this story was and is very real and happens all the time. The wondrous job Wilder does is plot the political actions taken throughout the book. As someone involved with politics, I can write Wilder does an excellent job.

Where I feel Wilder slips is over writing his narrative. It’s a problem that exists more today. There were many places where an editor should have pulled back Wilder’s reigns.

The characters are very well done. The sadistic depiction of each character is a highlight of Wilder’s work. The setting of Florida is well written. I wish he’d selected an actual location. Even an actual County. I understand the corruption that is involved, but he could have been a bit more specific. The town name of Truro is puzzling, too. The explanation is likely to be found in a Wilder interview of some such.

A bit about the film version. Too bad Shirley MacLaine wasn’t available yet for such a role. She would have been perfect as Lane Ballou. Wilder’s writing fits MacLaine so well, it’s surprising it’s impossinle for him to have known of MacLaine when he wrote the book around 1940, nearly 15 years before MacLaine started film work.

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

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April 7th, 2015 – Book: ‘Walk with Evil’ by Robert Wilder.

by on Apr.07, 2015, under Books

Walk With EvilWalk With Evil by Robert Wilder

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book. I like the plot, layout, characters, pace, writing, cover, type, size of paper, binding, whoever binded it, the planet it is on….oh, and, of course, the setting. That might be a bit extreme.

It’s been quite awhile since I poured through any book like this. Characters are usually what get me and the characters in this book are so diversely written and defined that you just have to know what happens to them next. Wilder is constantly raising questions as to who is what and where and why. I just had to get through the book to find out what on earth was going on.

I loved the answers peppered through the book that lead to more questions and more questions.

About Florida: the setting is very well done. It is a fictitious town with a name that chalks up the biggest minus to the book: Redemption City. More than a bit much.

To me, whatever might be a bit much is little to how well this book is constructed.

Here’s the BIG question: Why the heck is this, at this point, the ONLY review of this book in Goodreads. People, hunt this book down and take no prisoners. You’ll have no time for prisoners ’cause you’ll be reading this book!

Bottom line: Guess. 10 out of 10 points.

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April 1st, 2015 – Celebrating 5 Years of Swampy’s #Florida Books!

by on Apr.01, 2015, under Swampy's Florida

Celebrating 5 years of Swampy books in Lakeland with the person who first put the gears in action – Terisa Glover, or a reasonable facsimile thereof.

Also thanks to Tim Reynolds and The Knowledge Exchange for keeping the books going!

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