This part of Florida is sparsely populated. Our Subaru sticks out like a sore thumb among the pickups.
Of course, we gave into the urge to vary the route and took a sharp left hand turn toward the town of Suwannee just because we liked the name and it was right on the gulf. The road was straight as an arrow and flat so Harry thought it was a good time to see what the car felt like when it was travelling at 100+ miles per hour. After he had his fun we settled down to something closer to the speed limit. The passing landscape was flat with tall skinny pine trees. Suwannee turned out to be more of a large fishing camp than a town per se. The dwellings -- some of which would qualify as shacks and others as quite nice -- stood on stilts lining canals and streams. All with a variety of watercraft standing ready.
We spotted a restaurant up on stilts with a lot of trucks around it and decided to experience what the locals ate. It did not turn out to be very interesting and after we saw a ho hum menu with nothing out of the ordinary, we decided not to eat there. There is a song by Robbie Robertson of the Band titled (click) Somewhere Down the Lazy River. It wasn't Nick's Cafe, the Lazy River, nor did we see Madam X's Voodoo Place.
Somewhere Down the Lazy River Yea, I can see it now The distant red neon shivered in the heat I was feeling like a stranger in a strange land You know where people play games with the night God, it was too hot to sleep I followed the sound of a jukebox coming from a levee All of a sudden I could hear somebody whistling Fromright behind me I turned around and she said "Why do you always end up down at Nick's Cafe?" I said "I don't know, the wind just kind of pushed me this way." She said "Hang the rich." Catch the blue train To places never been before Look for me Somewhere down the crazy river Somewhere down the crazy river Catch the blue train All the way to Kokomo You can find me Somewhere down the crazy river Somewhere down the crazy river Take a picture of this The fields are empty, abandoned '59 Chevy Laying in the back seat listening to Little Willie John Yea, that's when time stood still You know, I think I'm gonna go down to Madam X And let her read my mind She said "That Voodoo stuff don't do nothing for me." I'm a man with a clear destination I'm a man with a broad imagination You fog the mind, you stir the soul I can't find, ... no control Catch the blue train To places never been before Look for me Somewhere down the crazy river Somewhere down the crazy river Catch the blue train All the way to Kokomo You can find me Somewhere down the crazy river Somewhere down the crazy river Wait, did you hear that Oh this is sure stirring up some ghosts for me She said "There's one thing you've got to learn Is not to be afraid of it." I said "No, I like it, I like it, it's good." She said "You like it now But you'll learn to love is later." I been spellbound - falling in trances I been spellbound - falling in trances You give me shivers - chills and fever I been spellbound - somewhere down the crazy river |
A year and a half ago we attended our niece Sarah’s wedding at a State Park Lodge in the Georgia mountains and so we when read about the Wakulla Springs Lodge we decided to give it a try and are very glad we did. Seventy-five years old this year, the Wakulla Springs Lodge is still a grand lady. This was the scene of many early movies that needed a just such a locale. The creature from the black lagoon, and many a Tarzan epic films were filmed here. The high ceilinged, large windowed rooms look out on the springs and wide lawns with flowering shrubs. And the Fried Chicken is really good.
Working on photographs...