March 11 and 12

March 11

It looked like it would be cloudy with a bit of rain today. We drove through more of the horse ranch country to the small town of Micanopy, the oldest inland town. Today its old buildings are charming and filled with antiques, a couple of cafes and B and B’s. Cross Creek was our next stop with a visit to the 1930’s homestead of Marjorie Kinnen Rawlings, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of “The Yearling.” We stepped right into the past on a docent led tour. None of us had read either “Cross Creek” or “The Yearling” but went straight to Barnes and Noble after the tour. What a fascinating woman and the life she chose to lead. She was raised in New York City but her favorite childhood times were spent on the family farm. She was a writer since she could put pencil to paper, became a journalist and eventually a romance novelist. She wasn’t satisfied with her writing and her publisher encouraged her to write about what she knew. Her husband’s brothers were trying to get in on the development boom in Florida and were encouraging them to move down to this area in Cross Creek to find a quiet place to be able to become serious writers. It worked for Marjorie. She immediately fell in love with the area and felt at home. Their little “cracker” house was in the middle of an orange grove and in need of repair. They were hoping the oranges would pay the bills but with the depression, it didn’t pan out. Her husband ended up leaving to write sea stories on the coast but never found success. Marjorie sold a novella for $500.00 just as she was eating her last box of crackers. She was able to make improvements to her house and continue writing. She had fallen in love with her neighbors and they, along with her surroundings, became the focus of her writing. She earned the Pulitzer Prize with “The Yearling.” She was described as being the “bell of the ball” and loved entertaining. She was in the inner circle of the writers of the day with the likes of Hemmingway, Fitzgerald, Margret Mitchell and loved entertaining them at her home. She had even made a little bar out of her firewood closet next to the fireplace. Our docent said he would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when Frost was sitting in the dining room with her and they were discussing their writings. When she finally added an indoor bathroom, she had a party to celebrate. She filled the tub with ice and drinks, the potty with roses and the sink held the glasses! She must have been a kick! She remarried and continued to call Cross Creek her home. Her husband was in the hotel business and they spent some of their time at the coast along with visits to New York. She encouraged the neighborhood children to go to school, even making them dresses and shirts, but it didn’t take. Her wonderful stories were about her treasured friends and lovely setting but they could never read them. She left her home to the University of Florida upon her death at just 57. She envisioned her home becoming a retreat for young writers. Before it changed hands, her husband removed everything thinking it would soon be worn with people in and out. When the state finally took over the home, he and her maid helped put the house back together to be enjoyed for years to come with visitors like us.

Margorie Kennan Rawlings Home
Author of  "The yearling"

She did most of her writing on this table on the porch.

So many well known writers of the day stayed in this guest room.
Gregory Peck slept here when he was filming "The Yearling."

March 12
More beautiful weather today for our trip to Rainbow Springs. Norm’s friend, Dick Kilburg, had told us not to miss this area. We hadn’t read about it at all and would have missed it altogether. The 72 degree springs are the head waters for Rainbow River. What a gorgeous setting. The azaleas are in full bloom and the trees have all their spring leaves. The water is crystal clear and when against the white sandy bottom, it is absolutely turquoise. We rented a canoe and had a leisurely paddle down the river. Lucky me sat in the middle and took pictures while Norm and Chris did all the paddling, so I quess it was leisurely for me anyway. We lucked out and saw a river otter, the tail of a huge alligator and about 50 turtles sunning and swimming. Their little noses were poking up all over. One side of the river is natural and the other side is lined with homes, docks and rolling lawns. Fish were providing lunch for water birds. It is now a state park but got its start back in the 1920’s as a favorite spot for tourists. It became an amusement park with a river boat, zoo, rodeo, and even overhead gondolas. The swimming hole is still a favorite. It lost its appeal as theme parks started hitting the scene and closed in the 70’s. The state took it over in the mid 90’s. The Visitor Center was closed because of fire damage. A snake had pushed its heat lamp up against the wood side of its cage and it caught on fire! Poor snake, I doubt that he made it.

Christy Paddling a Canoe on Rainbow River

Gorgeous Rainbow Spings and Rainbow River

Turtles Basking in the Sun

Rainbow Springs

From here we drove over toward the coast for a couple of quick visits to the Crystal River Archaeologist State Park and the Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins State Park. We had seen the mounds left by Native Americans in various areas in florida. This area goes back to 200 BC. The mounds were ceremonial, burial and trash sites filled with oyster shells. One of the ceremonial sites was a long stair climb high and overlooked Crystal River to the gulf. The sugar mill was one of many that were on plantations in the area in the 1850’s. Most of the homes were burned during the Civil War and the mills were not used again. There was a good explanation as to how the sugar was processed. This particular plantation had about 150 slaves.

Sugar Mill From 1880's