Get em while they're hot...

You can only guess how many college kids in town
have this place on speed dial....
The original 'fried doughnut'
A sugar rush waiting to happen.


Nothing like a hot Krispy Kreme.
The reason to keep the number on speed dial.

The decor in this shop hasn't changed in over 40 years.
How many ways can you display a doughnut.

Afterall it is the end product that counts.

Going Green ...

Doing their part to conserve by sharing

the bath water...

Early Morning Trek ...

A foggy start to the morning.

Not as much chatter and movement from the

wildlife as is the normal routine.

A feather floating downstream and no sign of
the Great Blue Herons and Snowy Egrets that usually
stand guard at the platforms near the canal.

More Swallowtail Butterflies than usual.

A Green Heron seems to have found a favorite
spot... he has been seen on this railing the past
three trips to the trail. Normally the Green Heron stays
in the marshy areas and is difficult to photograph in the
surrounding vegetation.

Of course a walk on the boardwalk and trail would
not be complete without a gator sighting....

Saturday ...

Weather watching this morning.

Usually I enjoy staying home while it rains.

But not on the weekends when I want to

get out and about with the cameras.

Ooooh... the birds are SPICE FINCH.

Manatee Springs ...

A short drive .. less than an hour from Gainesville

to Chiefland and Manatee Springs State Park.
I'm lovin that annual State Park Pass.

An extensive boardwalk from the perimeter of
the springs to the Suwannee River...
yes .. I did see a gator in the river.
The Gator Nation is everywhere !!
The view from the end of the boardwalk...
looking from the Suwannee River into the Springs.

Springs are classified by the volume of water discharged.
Manatee Springs is a first magnitude spring that produces
over 80,000 gallons of water per minute.
Flowing into the Suwannee River and then into the
Gulf of Mexico about 25 miles away.

Manatees inhabit the springs from November to April.
Enjoying the comfort of the springs 72° temperature.
So I'll be baaack to snap a few pics .

On Campus ..

Century Tower and the University Auditorium.
In the center of the campus historic district.
The Gothic Bell Tower was completed in 1956.
University Auditorium in 1922.

The carillon tower is 157 feet tall.
Built to commemorate the 100th anniversary
of UF's parent institution in Ocala Florida
and to serve as a memorial for the students
and alumni that perished in World Wars I and II

The Carillon is one of four in Florida.
the bells chime on the quarter hour from 8 am
to 8 pm. The clock melody is heard progressively
with more and more of the tune until the entire
song is played at the top of the hour.

51 bells are housed in the tower.
To play the bells, the musician sits in a small room below
the bell chamber and uses the 61 batons for the
hands and 25 pedals for the feet.
The smallest bell weighs 26 pounds while the largest bell
( Bourbon Bell ) is 5 feet tall and weighs 7,000 pounds.
Students can take a carillon course where they are required
to climb 194 steps in the Tower to play the bells for a grade.

Wordless....

Trailing ...

The first deer I have seen on La Chua Trail.

Of course there are plenty of deer on the prairie.

And even grazing in my yard.

But this was a nice surprise while photographing

gators off to the left .

...the rest of the story...

Haven't been in too many diners,

but this one is probably typical.

Limited seating due to the size.

10 bar stools and 6 tables .

Not exactly 5 star quality but it is clean.

And just for that I would definitely give

it a 2 gator rating.

A popular stop for tourists

Not the first time I have had a camera duel.
Always good for a laugh .
....and I did try the food ...

It would have been wrong to just take

photos and leave... wouldn't it ??

Anyhow... the grilled cheese was delish

and I passed on the house favorite sweet tea

and had my usual coke..

Angel's Diner...

Within sight of the big bridge linking east to west Palatka,

a short two blocks to the St. Johns River is the oldest

Diner in Florida.

Built in 1932 from a converted railway car.

The food is classic diner fare .
Curb service is still available.
all you have to do is 'honk
your horn for service".

chillin on a Sunday ...

The water is too high and the sun too hot
at Lake Alice ... so a familiar gator has found

a new spot to chill ......
This is old STUMPY ... the three legged gator that
I have photographed so often at the sand bar
near the viewing platform .

Sunday ..

....a little calm before the return to the routine.

Staying cool ..

Another hot humid day in Gator Country.

Cooling off the best way before the rain.

Gator mural ...

In the parking lot of Gator Beverage,
just off University Avenue in Gainesville.
More of a homage to the Grateful Dead than
the laid back gator.. but it does manage to
conceal an otherwise drab concrete wall.

Free Friday....

Free music tonight at the downtown plaza.

It's a summer thing in Gainesville.

Working for peanuts...

One of the tour guides at La Chua Trail.

Lunchtime ...

Blue Heron at La Chua Trail enjoying a snack.

On the Trail ...

I have been exploring a trail of a different kind.
Not the usual LaChua Trail searching for gators,
lately I have been tracking murals on building facades.

Palatka Florida on the banks of the St. Johns River
has approximately 30 murals throughout the city.

Putnam Hotel circa 1891
2nd Street at St. Johns Avenue

Bygone Days circa 1890
5th Street at St. Johns Avenue


Night Passage circa 1884
4th Street at St. Johns Avenue

Putnam Treasures
depicting wildlife common to the area
S. 7th Street at St. Johns Avenue

To God Be the Glory 1937-1938
depicting Billy Graham's connection to Palatka.
( baptized in Palatka and the site of his first sermon )
S. 4th Street at St. Johns Avenue

Wordless...

Tuesday ...

Riding out the storm.

A mixture of tropical depressions

and bad juju for the month of August.

Or maybe too much Jimmy Buffet and

not enough salt in the shaker.

Either way we keep drifting.

Comfort ...

Some Mondays require an extra bit of comfort.

Not sure if it is the muffin or the nuts that help

take the edge off of the day.

A little intense flavoring doesn't hurt.....