My daddy loved the State of Florida, as do I. He felt we should learn all we could about our "Sunshine State;" its history, rich culture and beauty. To those ends, he and Mama worked hard to see we were exposed to many great Florida experiences.
After tobacco season each year, we would embark on what my brother and I often referred to as "The Great Florida Tour." We saw St. Augustine, the State Capitol in Tallahassee, Daytona Beach, the beaches of the east and west coasts, Miami Beach, Tampa, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Lakeland, Ocala and Gainesville, as well as many trips to Jacksonville and Cape Canaveral. We were at Disney World on opening day.
From the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee to shade tobacco farms in Quincy; from Florida Caverns in Marianna to Miami Beach, we combed our native state over a period of a couple of decades. I can still think about wonderful seafood at Steinhatchee or Cuban deviled crabs in Ybor City, and taste the sweetness of those trips and the great times we shared. We never made long, extended trips, but we made long, extended memories.
My interest in Florida was partly the direct result of being blessed to be brought up in White Springs, home of the Florida Folk Festival and the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park.
So many of us in North Central Florida may not have possessed the financial means to travel extensively, but, because of the foresight of several wonderful and interested citizens, so much of the world came to the banks of the Suwannee at the annual Florida Folk Festival. Greek dancers, Seminole Indians, Czechoslovakian singers, Cuban cigar makers, African American gospel sacred steel players, and Florida Crackers popping homemade cow whips from, which the name "Cracker" was derived, all showcased their culture at the Florida Folk Festival.
So, now that you have received a little history lesson and some idea about my love for the state, I am going to recommend five books and five songs (my favorites) written by writers and musicians from our Sunshine State that I heartily recommend. Pour yourself a glass of orange juice or eat a piece of Key Lime pie and enjoy.
Books:
1. "Florida: A Land Remembered” by Patrick Smith.
2. "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston
3. "The Yearling" by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
4. "Everglades: River of Grass" by Marjory Stoneman Douglas
5. "A Death in Live Oak" by James Grippando
Songs
1."American Girl" by Tom Petty
2. "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynrd
3. "Orange Blossom Special" by Ervin T. Rouse
4. "Old Cracker Cowboy" by Frank Thomas
5. “Lift Every Voice and Sing" by James Weldon Johnson
Despite our hurricanes, heat, humidity, mosquitoes and every poisonous snake and insect one can imagine, I still love Florida, my home sweet home. From the Eight Mile Still on the Woodpecker Route north of White Springs, wishing you a good week.