It's been a year since I was here at Sportsman's Cove, but most things haven't changed. The sunrises are still beautiful.
My friend Red, the Red-shouldered hawk, still greets me every morning.
There are some important and encouraging changes going on, however. New owners have taken over the park, and though there is much to do that will take time and money, they have been hard at work cleaning it up and starting to make repairs and improvements. They are young and eager to make Sportsman's Cove the Resort it's named for. And they have already become Gator Fans!
Thistle and I have been enjoying our walks around town as folks have been decorating their yards for fall.
Manna for the tree faeries?
We've been visiting friends too. This is MaryAnn's beautiful home on the hill above McIntosh.
And this is MaryAnn with one of her adorable fur babies.
My friend Donna, from womenrv.com/forum came to visit for the weekend of McIntosh 1890 Festival. (Notice the new level sites)
I gave Donna the walking tour of this historic town.
Some of these old buildings are still lost in the 1890's...This is the Depot and the old Carriage House.
An old barn...
Then there are things lost in other decades...
I took Donna to see some other historic places in the area too. We had lunch in Micanopy.
Colorful shops in Micanopy.
The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings State Historic Site. Rawlings, of course, was the Pulitzer Prize Winning author of The Yearling, who did much of her writing here in Cross Creek.
Artists were having a Paintout in Evinston at the Wood Swink Store and Post Office....oldest operating Post Office in Florida.
Donna inside the old Post Office.
We saw some Sand Hill Cranes in an Evinston field.
View of Sportsman's Cove before it filled up for the Festival weekend.
Good news for fishermen...there is plenty of water in the canal for boats to dock at the marina.
Good news for birders...the birds are coming back closer to the campground. These are juvenile Ibises.
A pretty place to sit and watch the birds.
Snowy Egrets and Pie-billed Grebes.
Judging by the crowds, the Festival was a huge success!
Donna and I helped out with Bible Face Painting at the Christian Church for an hour in the afternoon. We had a steady stream of happy little faces.
Thistle stayed home, but there were plenty of pets enjoying the Festival.
Quadruplets!
And then it was over. We enjoyed another spectacular sunrise...
The crowds and the vendors all cleared out, leaving the town quiet and peaceful again. All the little creatures felt safe to come out.
Tufted Titmouse
I'll be here another couple weeks for doctor appointments, but unless I find something really interesting to do, this will be my blog post from McIntosh for this year.
