Tons O' Knees, No Manatees

It's a little late in the year to see the eponymous critters at Manatee Springs State Park--they head out to the gulf as soon as the water warms up. 

But their absence didn't bother us as there are a boatload (so to speak) of healthy cypress trees and their attendant knees on hand to appreciate. The setting is quite reminiscent of the defunct "classic" Florida attraction, The Tom Gaskins Cypress Knee Museum.

 

 

PS: park management has thoughtfully provided a manatee mock-up of sorts to keep visitors from going home empty-handed in the (frankly pretty darn boring) aquatic mammal sighting department. 

 

Looks Like We're In For Nasty Weather

 Just another Friday evening in Perry, FL

We missed the best thunder and lightning part, but this clip shows it was coming down pretty good.

Roadside Attraction Drive-By

Driving through Hernando County today, we came across Boyett's Grove and Citrus Attraction, the venerable central Florida tourist trap. Tempting(?) as it appears from the outside--in a shabby/rustic/funky kinda-way--we've seen video tours of the place.  Let's just say it is shabby, rustic, funky...and honestly, a bit sad. So we took a pass on this one and you'll have to be content with our photo offerings of the facade.

If for some reason you're interested in a deeper dive, we recommend the video blog entry by youtuber Tampa Jay.