(New project: figuring out how to cultivate a magnificent spreading live oak in my front yard in Iowa. Sigh. You can take the girl out of Florida but not...etc., etc. Genetic engineering likely to be required. For the oak, not the girl.)
Never mind the gators, watch out for the Wampus Cat! It's a full moon, you know.
Posted by: Jonathan on June 03, 2004
Moira: I see you're from Tampa. I've got not much connection thereabouts but when I was quite a bit younger, my friends and I would hitch-hike (from suburban Philly) to Florida to fish and collect reptiles. Especially, we liked to camp in the palmetto "jungle" along the Silver River, the 4-mile clear outpouring of Silver Springs to the Oklawaha. There was a place we used to visit in Tarpon Springs called Tarpon Zoo--an animal dealer that got
regular planeloads from South and Central America. That was back in the '50s. Also used to go down to Clewiston. There was a guy in Tampa I remember named Ray Singleton who was also in that kind of business. Ain't the same anymore--but then, nothing is.
Posted by: gene berman on September 02, 2004