Fort Gadsden, ‘Negro Fort’ history buried in Apalachicola National Forest

Happy Birthday Sam Heughan! Celebrate the Hot Scot With a Look at His Best TV and Movie Roles 

Tour of Beautiful Marco Island, Florida

Marco Island.  Florida’s tropical paradise.  Color splashed sunsets mirrored on sparkling Gulf waters.  An intimate setting surrounded by sun washed white beaches.  This tiny island suspended of the southernmost tip of Florida awaits your arrival.

Marco Island

Out of the Closet

A resale Shop and free Aid testing—shop help finance the testing –Got a great blouse there for $5.00 and I have gotten so many wow comments on it…..

An visit some of the many stores listed below below

The Best 10 Thrift Stores near Audubon Park, Orlando, FL 32803

And check here for additional stuff to do in this part of Orlando, Fl.

THINGS TO DO – APGD – Audubon Park Garden District

Shipwreck reveals ivory trade impact.  A huge haul of elephant tusks found among the wreckage of a 16th century trading vessel offers new clues about the destructive legacy of the African ivory trade says scientists.  The cargo, which sank along with the Portuguese ship Bom Iessus  in 1533, was discovered off the coast of Namibia in 2008, along with 40 tonnes of gold and silver coins.  Following recent DNA analysis, researchers have now discovered that the tusks came from 17 distinct herds of West African forest elephants.  In contrast, modern genetic data shows that the descendants of just four of those herds still survive today.

Things We Learned this Month

BBC

6 Ways to Help Elephants

Frost Proof

It’s not a theme park but hey that’s the idea

This is an example of something that I keep talking about—a town in an area that sees so many tourists—-but no (or almost no) body ever heard of it.

Frost Proof is a town in central Florida of about 3,000 people.

Founded in 1880’s and named Keystone City—but that was too like Keystone Heights so it was changed to Lakemont.  I know you’re thinking so why isn’t it still Lakemont—well when the Great  Freeze that destroyed 90% of Florida’s citrus’ groves it was named Frost Proof as because of it’s location among some lakes it suffered little damage and was able to maintain it’s citrus crop while most of the rest of Florida did not.

One of its claims to fame is that it is the only town in the US named Frost Proof.    

Also for years Polk County with the help of Frost Proof led Florida in the production of citrus fruit until 2018-19 when it dropped from its top spot but it did produce the most tangerines and tangelos.

Today it is a home for retirees, has a library, a community college,  and 2 large lakes

Our 11 Things To Do in Frost Proof

Virtual Tour Of Bath City Centre – Baths, Abbey, Shops & Restaurants – February 2020

Bath:  The mineral waters of this celebrated spa town are still used in treatment of rheumatic disease.  The many places of interest include the Roman Baths (1st century AD) where hot springs rise at a temperature of 51 C and yield a daily flow of half a million gallons of mineral water; the Pump Room–famous 18th c assembly room.; the Museum of Costume  established in the Assembly Rooms in 1963 with an internationally famous collection that includes shirts and doublets worn when Shakespeare was alive; Royal Crescent and Lansdown Crescent with fine Georgian houses and Pulteney Bridge designed by Robert Adams in 1771 as a carriage way over the Avon with shops on either side.

Through Britain on Country Roads

Visit Bath:  Things to Do

Article from Orlando Sentinel 1990’s I believe

New Orleans Vampire Walking Tour

Assyria–the ancient Mesopotamia empire that is believed by some to be the birthplace (Along with Babylon) of the original vampire tradition (other site Egypt or India as a possible source).  The Assyrian tradition was considerable stemming in part from the complex system that was in place concerning their hierarchy of spirits, particularly evil ones.  There were several classes including the feared seven spirits, the ekimmu and the utakku..  The later two er intertwined to some degree, their characteristics overlapping.  It was in Assyria that the earliest writings on the undead were uncovered including incantations and exorcisms.

The Vampire Encyclopedia

Matthew Bunson.

Travel in Style: These 10 Vampire Vacations are Terror-ific Temptations

Touring Ma Barker’s historic house

More evidence that You might not know much about Florida

Did you know that Ma Baker and one of her sons was involved in a battle with FBI men in a 2-story, cracker house on the shores of Lake Weir.  It is said to have been the longest shoot out the FBI ever were a part of.

Ma was the wife of a share cropper who originally came from the same town as Frank and Jessie James.  She live in poverty in tar paper shanties much of her life.  During this time she produced 4 sons:  Herman, Lloyd, Arthur and Fred.

Ma’s son eventually turned to crime mostly bank robberies and while Ma never directly participated she assisted by doing such things as mapping out the boy’s escape routes from the scenes of the robbery.

Eventually Herman killed a cop and was himself killed, Ma ended going on the run with her son.  Eventually the Feds caught up with her in this house she was residing at in Florida.  She was there with her youngest son Fred.  When it was all over Fred’s body contained 14 bullets and Ma one—her’s was self inflicted.

The house has been bought and sold and lived in since this incidence and there are reports of the bullet holes still existing in the building.  Most recently the land went up for sale and the house was acquired and floated across the lane and most recently opened as a museum–

Ma Barker’s House

13279 SE 115th Ave,

Ocklawaha, FL 3217

Ma Barker House Floats Across Lake Weir To Its New Home

SIR WALTER SCOTT’S
PALACE OF THE IMAGINATION

Near Melrose (Scotland) you can visit Abbotsford House, the dream house that Scott (Sir Walter) built for himself during the early 1800’s.   His great-great-great granddaughters, Jean and Patricia, live there today and preserve some of the rooms just as they were when he died in 1832.  His vast collection of rare books and historical relics are still there to be seen.

Discovering Britain and Ireland

National Geographic Society

VIDEOS: Take a look inside ‘Abbotsford House’…in Scotland

Just wanted to remind you

in 1347 (or 8) the Black Death Arrived in England-–thought is that it started in Mongolia and this by various methods including the bodies of an invading Muslim army who were infected being catapulted over the walls of Caffa infecting the inhabitants and leaving both sides destroyed by the infection.

The Reputed Plague Pits of London

Like our current infection it went thru China early and also badly damaged the population of Indian—-it was brought to Europe by merchant ships and other sailing vessels

The Black Death in Venice and the Dawn of Quarantine

The symptoms of bubonic plague (the most common variant) included painful swellings (buboes) which were very painful, as well as high fever and headaches with suffers who usually died within a few days.  All this probably spread by the bite of fleas, which were carried by rats.

Cleveland Museum of Art collection shows how humanity coped with pandemics from Black Death to AIDS

The death toll—in a day when there were fewer people and s no really dependable resource for counting the victims–was estimated as many as 50 million in Europe and this infection continued to reappear for many years—for instance in 1666 the plague had returned to London and continued on until the Great Fire in September—which though it destroyed much of the city seems to have killed off the flea bearing rats and stopping the disease spread and while the plague that year is estimated to have killed 100,000 Londoners, while the great fire was much less fatal with sources stating a loss of 17 persons.

The cause of the disease forged from Foul-air, Witches curses, to Jews residing in the city poisoning the well.  Scientists weren’t much help—in France they blamed poisonous air from bad conjunction of the planets.

Answer B

Ocala

Home to more than 900 horse farms., Ocala a little more than an hour northeast of Tampa off I-75, claims plenty of world famous equine champions.  Farm tours are popular here along with horseback riding, but so are birding, hiking, snorkeling and even cave diving.  With more than 43,000 acres of national forests and 800 spring-fed lakes and rivers, the area is a visual delight.

Great Get Away;  Insider Tips

The Guest House Ocala Virtual Tour