Unexpected Hurricane Impact - Hummers!

[cracker39]

You certainly could if you didn't know how to navigate it. I fished it with my Dad when in my early teens (early 1950s). He built a small narrow boat that we paddled in the creeks and sloughs off the Ocklawaha. We went to places so dense that where we had to get out on logs to haul the boat over them and get back in. I don't ever remember us getting lost..or at least Dad didn't. I couldn't have found my way back out by myself. I can remember seeing two baby gators on a log close beside the boat. I wanted to pick them up, but, luckily, Dad being wise to nature, warned me that their mom was undoubtably nearby and to leave them be. He told me that one squawk from them and Mom would come to investigate. I hadn't yet learned about the Ivory Bills, or I would have been looking for them then. We sure saw plenty of water birds though.

[TonyCooper]

I visited Juniper Springs as a child and loved the place. It is in the Ocala Nat'l Forest. Is this the same area? Or is this the river that is fed by Silver Springs? Thats were all the monkeys were if I recall.

[cracker39]

Silver Springs River (water from the spring) travels about 6 miles then empties into the Ocklawaha River. Juniper Springs is one of 4 major springs in Marion County. All but Silver Springs are in the Ocala National Forest. The other three, Juniper, Silver Glen, and Alexandria Springs are toward the East side of the forest. All of these empty into Lake George. Both the Ocklawaha and Lake George empty into the St. Johns River that runs North to the Atlantic at Jacksonville. The St. Johns is one of the few rivers in the US to flow northward. I loved all of the springs, and think Juniper was the most picturesque with it's water wheel, but Alexandria has the best water for all around swimming, diving, and canoeing. It is, or used to be anyway, the one with the most natural setting.

I worked at Silver Springs from 1957 to 1963. Back then, there was a colony of Rhesus monkeys that lived wild and free in the trees a couple of miles down the Silver River. The big, gasoline powered jungle cruise boats, now gone, went 4-5 miles down river and back, and made a stop to let people through food to the monkeys. They were a real trip to watch. I guess they are still there, but no boat ride goes down that far now.

My wife and I visited the Springs last year as she had never been there, and I was very disappointed. The attraction has really gone down hill in the past 40 years. The jungle cruise is now an electric boat that goes through a man-made "jungle" which is really nothing more than a zoo ride. Now, on the glass bottom boat ride, you are lucky to see a hundred fish, where there used to be thousands. I an not exagerating here either....I have pictures of them from the 50s. I've seen the "before and after"...40 years ago and now. I put part of the blame for the decline in fish population on the damming of the Ocklawaha which polluted the water down river near the locks. It also cut off normal fish migration. I could go on and on about the effects of messing with nature in the name of progress, but everyone knows what I am talking about.

[cracker39]

I couldn't stop with the last post.

We used to be able to load up a tent or camper and go into remote areas of the Ocala National Forest, and camp on small lakes with no amenities at all. You even had to take your own water to most areas. Some places might have a hand pump and an outhouse. It was safe to stay in the woods then, and we really enjoyed it. Now, it isn't so safe. There are what are called the "rainbow people" who make the forest their migrant homes. They claim to be supporters of world peace, but my daughter-in-law and her family who have camped in the forest in the past year, say that they are mostly drop-outs, druggies, and old hippies. They say it isn't safe to be there at night now. The rainbow people have gotten a very bad reputation with the locals.

I guess it is just the times. Today, in most areas, we wouldn't dream of letting our kids out to run and play unsupervised at night. Yet, in the 40s and 50s, we did just that and our parents didn't have to worry about us. We would play outside after dark, catching fireflies or playing hide and seek in the big park across the street from our homes. We thought nothing of going off for the day, on our bikes or clamp-on steel wheeled roller skates, going all around the city (well, town. It's wasn't big enough then to be called a city).

Kids today for the most part, find life boring without their walkman, playstation, computers, video games, DVDs, etc. Back then, we were never bored, and didn't have any of those things, because none of them had been invented yet. What we had to keep us busy was an imagination. We could stay busy, turning pieces of wood and cardboard boxes into cars, houses, or whatever. We made "telephones" out of tin cans and copper wire from an auto ignition solenoid that would keep us occupied for quite a while. We made wooden guns (HEAVEN FORBID) that shot rubber bands cut from tire tubes. We didn't depend on "things" bought for us, other than our bikes...we made most of our "toys" from whatever materials we found and that rarety these days...our imaginations.

Sorry to get off on such a tangent, and I know I showing my age, but I just resent some of what has been done in the name of progress.

[TonyCooper]

As I said, I grew up in Homestead, Florida but I have not been back since I left it as a young man in 1975.

I always thought that Ocala was the most beautiful part of the state. It's too bad things have turned the way they have. Guess I'll have to find a back woods place somewhere else to retire.

I'll end up outside a very small town on a road that dead-ends with me on it in a very rural setting. Some place far enough out of the main stream that no one really wants to live there.... except me.

"Away from the things of man...."

I may even throw away my computer! Many years ago I had the opportunity to meet an IBM Fellow... These are folks who due to their accomplishments, IBM awards them a staff and 5 years time to do whatever research they wished... anyway, I attended the artificial intelligence symposium where he was speaking. He was from eastern Europe and was brilliant. After the session was over, I had lunch with him. I asked him what his goals were and what drove him.

His reply somewhat surprised me. He had purchased a 250 acre farm in NY (of which 1/2 was sustainable, the rest wetlands... He had chickens, goats, a few cows, etc and simply wanted to work his farm. He loved his farm and worked at IBM to support and pay it off. I could envision him sitting on a two wheeled cart drawn by a oxen and being perfectly content.

I like his vision... maybe because I am an old country boy and just want to go home and can't seem to find my way back to a better time.

The older I become the more I lose faith in man.

The good news is that everything we screw up is temporal and will eventually fix itself... The earth is self correcting.

[TonyCooper]

BTW, I took that boat ride back in the 60's and threw food to the Rhesus monkeys! They explained that years ago they shot Tarzan Movies in that area and a few of the monkeys escaped. And that they were limited to the River there. Don't know if it is true but that is what they were pitching at the time.

[IraRat]

Kids today for the most part, find life boring without their walkman, playstation, computers, video games, DVDs, etc. Back then, we were never bored, and didn't have any of those things, because none of them had been invented yet. What we had to keep us busy was an imagination. We could stay busy, turning pieces of wood and cardboard boxes into cars, houses, or whatever. We made "telephones" out of tin cans and copper wire from an auto ignition solenoid that would keep us occupied for quite a while. We made wooden guns (HEAVEN FORBID) that shot rubber bands cut from tire tubes. We didn't depend on "things" bought for us, other than our bikes...we made most of our "toys" from whatever materials we found and that rarety these days...our imaginations.

Sorry to get off on such a tangent, and I know I showing my age, but I just resent some of what has been done in the name of progress.

Dale, I hear where you're coming from, but here's my spin on this:

My boys are 14 and 9, and when I start thinking in this kind of direction, I really have to correct myself:

There is nothing inherently different with today's kids, their playthings, imaginations and attitudes than those of generations before. The "Well, when WE were kids..." kind of waxing nostalgic isn't just inaccurate, it's kind of egocentric.

Every generation since the beginning of time has said the same about the generation that comes after.

Kids are kids, and if there is any hope for this world, it's thinking that they're going to be a hell of a lot BETTER than us, and for us to let them know we feel this way about them.

Just look at the world today, because they sure can't do any worse than we did.

[cracker39]

Ira, you're probably right....I'm just being nostalgic. But, my grandson is typical of what I was talking about. If he is away from his electronic toys, all I hear from him is "Grandad, I'm so bored". When he visited my home for any time, there was "nothing to do" unless I got him to help with the tools and go some woodworking, which he liked.

Tony, the theory of the monkeys escaping from a Tarzan movie set has been around for 60 years or more, and is probably correct. I've heard other theories, but I go with the Tarzan escapee theory. I took many boat rides as they were free to employees, and watched those monkeys on different occasions. It was facinating to watch them and observe their "culture". I remember clearly one occasion when a tiny monkey caught a piece of food. An adolescent Rhesus took it away from the baby. When that happened, almost faster than you could see, the "old man" of the tribe came down from his perch on a limb, cuffed the adolescent on the head really hard and gave the food back to the baby monkey. I swear...that's the truth.

[Bobgorilla]

:I may not see certain animals, with a dog, cat, parrot, and conure anything that is the least bit shy probably doesnt get within 100 yards!

What kind of parrot, Bob? I have an African Grey (Congo), Cockatiel, and 6 lovebirds in the backyard who FINALLY stopped having babies!

We're pretty lucky in Florida when it comes to the wild birds—I love 'em. My favorite "sightings" are of purple galinules (really colorful glades bird), and once, I saw a flock of wood storks feasting on bugs (I guess) on some freshly landscaped ground. (They're either endangered or threatened.)

Tons of woodpeckers, hawks, cardinals, bluejays, herons, ibises, and there are a lot of eagles, mostly Golden, I think, down in the Keys.

Sorry Ira missed this til now, my roommate has a sun conure Spanky (he's 4) and is a bartender. One of her customers inherited a blue fronted amazon and didn't like birds so he gave her the bird. Paco is about 16 and still adjusting to us (we've had him about 3 months). Him and the cat who is also 16 don't get along but the dog Sidney ( she is 11) gets along with all.

[Bobgorilla]

Ira, read further. Paco and Spanky both seem to like Captain Morgan and vodka, Spanky will even say "vodka" if prompted.