Two weeks ago, I traveled from my home in north Florida to visit my parents who live in the center part of the state. For the northern portion of my trip (the Tallahassee to Ocala leg), I have two main routes to choose from. The southern portion of my trip from Ocala to my parents' home near Lake Wales is the same no matter which northern route I choose.
However, for the northern portion, my choices are either to go east on Interstate 10 and then pick up Interstate 75 near Lake City to go south, or to take U.S. 27 to Chiefland and then pick up Alternate 27 to Ocala. The Interstate route is slightly faster for this part of my journey. But if I go that route, I find the Interstate 10 portion of the trip is terminally boring and the Interstate 75 leg between Gainesville and Ocala is extremely congested and downright frightening.
So normally I choose to drive the U.S. 27/Alt. 27 route. The last 50 miles along Alt. 27 portion of this route runs between Chiefland and Ocala and is very picturesque. Ocala is a major center for horse farms of all kinds, but particularly for thoroughbreds. Until recently, that portion of the drive was a two lane road and often very slow if you were stuck behind a horse trailer. But recently, it was widened to a four lane divided highway which surprisingly has not diminished its scenic quality.
What has changed vastly is the section of my route from Ocala south. This portion is about a 90 mile trip, and has been under a major development boom. Ocala and the surrounding area have grown tremendously in recent years with retiree oriented developments, such as the Villages.
Twenty six miles south of Ocala, I hop onto the Florida turnpike for about 14 miles and get off just north of Minneola. Minneola and Clermont, just to the south, were once the heart of the citrus industry two decades ago. This portion of Florida is along the spine of the state and is very hilly with numerous lakes in between the hills. There is a high hill in Clermont where the Florida Citrus Tower was built for tourists to take an elevator to the top and view the miles and miles of groves that once were in all directions. I used to look forward to this portion of my drive.
No more. The groves are now all gone. What once was a beautiful sea of deep dark green groves is now being rapidly replaced with generic subdivisions. I can remember when I would forward to seeing the shearing of the trees in the fall and watch for the budding out the next spring. Now I see uninspired housing developments.
Each time I make this drive, the push for development has moved further and further south. And because of this, as I drive south on U.S. 27, the trip becomes more and more arduous. Concrete trucks are everywhere. Landmarks that I once knew to help me identify my location along my way are no longer there. Suddenly the entire corridor has become non-descript and I have no way of identifying where I am along it. The traffic has become unbearable and the roads are torn up from the construction equipment.
The lush dark green citrus groves of central Florida have disappeared and have been replaced with anywhere USA. It is the future of all of Florida. It is progress and it is sad.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Sunday, January 14, 2007
A love story
Today is my father's 84th birthday. My mother turned 84 last fall. For my Daddy's birthday, I went to visit them this weekend.
My father has become very fragile in the last two years or so and I worry how much longer I will have with both of them. Thank goodness my mother is in excellent health. She takes care of Daddy with his failing health and they are very devoted to each other.
My parents grew up together in the same town during the depression. They never dated even in high school, but were always close. When my father went into the Marine Corps during World War II, they corresponded. My father was severely wounded in combat in Okinawa and during his long recuperation, they stayed in touch regularly. During that time my mother worked to earn money to attend college because her family could not afford to help her. After my father recovered from his war wounds and my mother graduated from college, they got married.
In their older years, my parents have loved to travel. Over the Christmas holidays they booked a trip and my mother said it would probably be their last major trip because the travel was getting to be too much for both of them and for my father especially.
As the were flying on a late night flight to their destination, the captain of the plane suddenly came on the radio. Most of the passengers were asleep, but my parents were still awake. The captain asked that all passengers and crew fasten their seatbelts and not get up for any reason. Then he said he had some serious thinking to do.
My mother said that neither she nor my father felt any panic or fear, but they both commented that the plane must be in terrible trouble and they might be going down. Then my mother turned to my father and said, "If we crash, what a better way to go than together. I am so lucky. Our life together has been one great ride."
My parents are so fortunate. I have never seen them argue or say anything negative about each other. They laugh a lot and share good times together. Their relationship always the most important thing to them, even more important than us kids. Theirs is a true love story.
My father has become very fragile in the last two years or so and I worry how much longer I will have with both of them. Thank goodness my mother is in excellent health. She takes care of Daddy with his failing health and they are very devoted to each other.
My parents grew up together in the same town during the depression. They never dated even in high school, but were always close. When my father went into the Marine Corps during World War II, they corresponded. My father was severely wounded in combat in Okinawa and during his long recuperation, they stayed in touch regularly. During that time my mother worked to earn money to attend college because her family could not afford to help her. After my father recovered from his war wounds and my mother graduated from college, they got married.
In their older years, my parents have loved to travel. Over the Christmas holidays they booked a trip and my mother said it would probably be their last major trip because the travel was getting to be too much for both of them and for my father especially.
As the were flying on a late night flight to their destination, the captain of the plane suddenly came on the radio. Most of the passengers were asleep, but my parents were still awake. The captain asked that all passengers and crew fasten their seatbelts and not get up for any reason. Then he said he had some serious thinking to do.
My mother said that neither she nor my father felt any panic or fear, but they both commented that the plane must be in terrible trouble and they might be going down. Then my mother turned to my father and said, "If we crash, what a better way to go than together. I am so lucky. Our life together has been one great ride."
My parents are so fortunate. I have never seen them argue or say anything negative about each other. They laugh a lot and share good times together. Their relationship always the most important thing to them, even more important than us kids. Theirs is a true love story.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Too close for comfort
Sometimes the harsh reality of life comes way too close for comfort. So it was in the case of murder on two separate occasions for my husband's family.
Until the Ted Bundy/Chi Omega murders in 1978, the most famous murder case in Tallahassee was the Sims murders which happened in 1966. The Sims family lived down the street from my husband's family. Before the Sims family was murdered, Tallahassee was small town, USA. But that night, everything changed. It was the first sensational crime to ever hit this town. Like many of her neighbors, my mother in law still lives in the same house forty years later.
Recently a story about the Sims murders appeared in our newspaper. One evening shortly after the newspaper story, we were over at my mother in law's house and the subject of the Sims murders came up. It was the first time that I can remember us talking about them.
The big rumor around town at that time was that the minister of then largest church in town was somehow involved. But my mother in law that was definitely not the truth. Then she said something that completely surprised all of us. She said that she and everyone else in the neighborhood knew who did it, but no one had proof.
Apparently, the neighbors all suspected the same suspects as the sheriff. They were a teenage boy and girl who lived in the neighborhood at the time. That would explain why there was no sign of forced entry into the Sims home. Sad that after 40 years, the suspects are still alive and free because there was never enough evidence to arrest them.
The second murder case that touched my in laws family was much more famous than the Sims murders. It was the Ted Bundy/Chi Omega murders in 1978. My sister in law was a member of the Chi Omega sorority and lived in the house at that time. Late on Saturday night, Ted Bundy broke in and murdered two of the girls as they slept in their beds. Two other girls were savagely beaten, but managed to survive. One of the girls who was murdered had spent Thanksgiving with my in laws family the prior November.
My sister in law was also asleep in her room when the murders occurred but never heard anything. She was awakened by her roommate who came in late and was the only person to see Bundy as he was leaving the house. As a result, both my sister in law and her roommate were put under a 24 hour guard by the local police department for a couple of weeks after the murders.
My sister in law has never talked in detail about the case to anyone outside the immediate family since I have known her. For her, it was a case of there but for the grace of God, since it could have easily been her instead of one of the others who was murdered. Sometimes reality gets too close for comfort. On January 16, 1978, it was for Lisa Levy and Margaret Bowman whom Ted Bundy savagely murdered.
Until the Ted Bundy/Chi Omega murders in 1978, the most famous murder case in Tallahassee was the Sims murders which happened in 1966. The Sims family lived down the street from my husband's family. Before the Sims family was murdered, Tallahassee was small town, USA. But that night, everything changed. It was the first sensational crime to ever hit this town. Like many of her neighbors, my mother in law still lives in the same house forty years later.
Recently a story about the Sims murders appeared in our newspaper. One evening shortly after the newspaper story, we were over at my mother in law's house and the subject of the Sims murders came up. It was the first time that I can remember us talking about them.
The big rumor around town at that time was that the minister of then largest church in town was somehow involved. But my mother in law that was definitely not the truth. Then she said something that completely surprised all of us. She said that she and everyone else in the neighborhood knew who did it, but no one had proof.
Apparently, the neighbors all suspected the same suspects as the sheriff. They were a teenage boy and girl who lived in the neighborhood at the time. That would explain why there was no sign of forced entry into the Sims home. Sad that after 40 years, the suspects are still alive and free because there was never enough evidence to arrest them.
The second murder case that touched my in laws family was much more famous than the Sims murders. It was the Ted Bundy/Chi Omega murders in 1978. My sister in law was a member of the Chi Omega sorority and lived in the house at that time. Late on Saturday night, Ted Bundy broke in and murdered two of the girls as they slept in their beds. Two other girls were savagely beaten, but managed to survive. One of the girls who was murdered had spent Thanksgiving with my in laws family the prior November.
My sister in law was also asleep in her room when the murders occurred but never heard anything. She was awakened by her roommate who came in late and was the only person to see Bundy as he was leaving the house. As a result, both my sister in law and her roommate were put under a 24 hour guard by the local police department for a couple of weeks after the murders.
My sister in law has never talked in detail about the case to anyone outside the immediate family since I have known her. For her, it was a case of there but for the grace of God, since it could have easily been her instead of one of the others who was murdered. Sometimes reality gets too close for comfort. On January 16, 1978, it was for Lisa Levy and Margaret Bowman whom Ted Bundy savagely murdered.
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