Beautiful Pictures

[TJC]

I really enjoyed the time I spent in Florida. when it was peaceful, it really was peaceful. . .

The below picture was taken on Loop Rd, in Everglades national park. I do not recommend doing this in a regular sedan. it is doable, I saw sports cars do it, but the potholes are crazy and get deep out there. It is a slow but beautiful drive. A great place to spot wildlife - birds and fishes. not many mammals that I ever spotted out there. The history of the area is pretty rich too, they say that the mobsters from Miami would come out there and gamble and just raise hell during prohibition. And that doesn't even begin to talk about the cocaine era.

I was raised in Homestead from the late 50's to 1975. Lived on South Biscayne Bay on weekends fishing and water skiing. I know the Everglades and Keys very well. Spent time at Card Sound before the bridge was built. Alabama Jacks was a beer joint dump on a barge back then!

Would fish Bear Lake(inland) and Lake Ingram (Cape Sable) out from Flamingo.

I saw plenty of mammals back then in the Everglades. Deer, bear, Panther (called a cougar everywhere else). The panther jumped a shallow narrow (Mud Lake canal) canal that was all but over grown back then...we were in a 10' jon boat, and still had trouble getting to Bear Lake. A cotton mouth peeked over the boat side on that trip. A spash with the oar changed his mind about crawling in the boat.

I worked at a Bait and Tackle shop while in high school, and the boss had a pet Bobcat. The mother had been hit and she nursed the kitten to adulthood. That cat would make ribbons out of a Chlorox bottle in no time. I watched him jump a chain link fence to chase a German Shepherd. He was up on the counter at the shop, and I stopped to pet him. He purred like a house cat, then started to pat my head with his front paws. Claws came out as he padded my head....purring loudly. Painful, but I took it until he was ready to move on.

I remember seeing a black leopard chained outside a storefront resting on the sidewalk. He purred when I scratched his head. People back then had all manner of pets down there. Monkeys, parrots, etc. It was a small rural farming town back then. An urban nightmare now.

Thanks for bringing back a few memories from long ago!

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[Jhbryaniv]

I was raised in Homestead from the late 50's to 1975. Lived on South Biscayne Bay on weekends fishing and water skiing. I know the Everglades and Keys very well. Spent time at Card Sound before the bridge was built. Alabama Jacks was a beer joint dump on a barge back then!

Would fish Bear Lake(inland) and Lake Ingram (Cape Sable) out from Flamingo.

I saw plenty of mammals back then in the Everglades. Deer, bear, Panther (called a cougar everywhere else). The panther jumped a shallow narrow (Mud Lake canal) canal that was all but over grown back then...we were in a 10' jon boat, and still had trouble getting to Bear Lake. A cotton mouth peeked over the boat side on that trip. A spash with the oar changed his mind about crawling in the boat.

I worked at a Bait and Tackle shop while in high school, and the boss had a pet Bobcat. The mother had been hit and she nursed the kitten to adulthood. That car would make ribbons out of a Chlorox bottle in no time. I watched him jump a chain link fence to chase a German Shepherd. He was up on the counter the shop, and I stopped to pet him. He purred like a house cat, then started to pat my head with his front paws. Claws came out as he padded my head....purring loudly. Painful, but I took it until he was ready to move on.

I remember seeing a black leopard chained outside a storefront resting on the sidewalk. He purred when I scratched his head. People back then had all manner of pets down there. Monkeys, parrots, etc. It was a small rural farming town back then. An urban nightmare now.

Thanks for bringing back a few memories from long ago!

I tried to paddle that mud lake canal a few years ago. I put in at the trail head for bear lake trail and went up into coot Bay through that canal, crossed mud lake to bear lake. I had planned to bring bear lake canal back to the trail head, I got about 200 yards down the canal and couldn't go any further. Couldn't even turn the boat around, ended up paddling backwards to bear lake.

I really enjoyed myself out there. That was a fun day, I came across a gator that blocked the trail. He wouldn't let me past, so I had to wait probably 20 minutes for it to sink so I could paddle by. Than I came across a tree that had fallen since I had gone by earlier in the day. Had to slide the kayak under while I climbed over the tree... That was sketch.

In mud lake I saw tons of birds. And dolphins swimming by manatees. So fabulous.

Sadly, I think the amount of buildup all around the everglades has done irreversible harm to them. I say, the best thing that could happen to Florida that would be fit the everglades is a giant cat 5 storm to wipe out the levees at lake O and flood everything south of there making it uninhabitable...

 

[Doc]

I was raised in Homestead from the late 50's to 1975. Lived on South Biscayne Bay on weekends fishing and water skiing. I know the Everglades and Keys very well. Spent time at Card Sound before the bridge was built. Alabama Jacks was a beer joint dump on a barge back then!

Would fish Bear Lake(inland) and Lake Ingram (Cape Sable) out from Flamingo.

I saw plenty of mammals back then in the Everglades. Deer, bear, Panther (called a cougar everywhere else). The panther jumped a shallow narrow (Mud Lake canal) canal that was all but over grown back then...we were in a 10' jon boat, and still had trouble getting to Bear Lake. A cotton mouth peeked over the boat side on that trip. A spash with the oar changed his mind about crawling in the boat.

I worked at a Bait and Tackle shop while in high school, and the boss had a pet Bobcat. The mother had been hit and she nursed the kitten to adulthood. That car would make ribbons out of a Chlorox bottle in no time. I watched him jump a chain link fence to chase a German Shepherd. He was up on the counter the shop, and I stopped to pet him. He purred like a house cat, then started to pat my head with his front paws. Claws came out as he padded my head....purring loudly. Painful, but I took it until he was ready to move on.

I remember seeing a black leopard chained outside a storefront resting on the sidewalk. He purred when I scratched his head. People back then had all manner of pets down there. Monkeys, parrots, etc. It was a small rural farming town back then. An urban nightmare now.

Thanks for bringing back a few memories from long ago!

Good write, I grew up in north Miami. I am familiar with all that you said. I had an airboat that was kept at “The Road” house on loop road and a 2 story camp 13 miles in called scorpion head. I fished flamingo, and mostly the turner river area canals. Pine Crest Bar, Gator Hook bar etc. What bait and tackle shop Did you work at ? I worked at the house of snook in north Miami.
Regards ..

 

[TJC]

You fella's bring back a boatload of memories. I attend South Dade High School. We played most all the high schools in Dade County and the Conchs in Key West. Back then I-95 didn't exist, US-1 and Hwy 27 (Krome Ave) were the only way north. 27 went to Flamingo back then. Going north on Krome would get you to Tamiami Trail, the up to Lake Okeechobee and Clewiston. I-75 didn't exist.

Back then Krome Ave was the business heart of Homestead. US-1 has taken Krome Ave place now. No one lived east of US-1. Everyone feared the area due to a tsunami years before that flooded Card Sound Road all the way north and west to US-1. Card Sound had caution signs saying "Elephant Steps" as the road was so uneven. The same storm took out the original wood bridge that had crossed the sound to Key Largo. They didn't rebuild it until I had after I left in 1975.

I worked at Bevis Bait and Tackle right at the boundary of Homestead and Florida City on the east side of Krome Ave and just north of Palm Drive at the intersection of Lucy St and Krome Ave. Mrs Bevis's husband had died and she kept on running the place, hiring high school kids to watch the counter and wait on customers, and to also haul in 200 lb blocks of ice that could be sectioned off into 50lb or 25lb blocks.

I fished the Arsenickers Keys near Turkey Point - There were 4 of them, basically mosquito invested Mangrove swamps in the bay. But the red snapper loved feeding along the edge of them. Had to check the wind and stay upwind or those salt marsh mosquitos would eat you up!

I'd put in at Bayfront Park (now the HQ of Biscayne Nat'l Park - The public access boat ramp is gone and the jetty and cove now house the Nat'l Park boats) and would head over to Elliot Key, cross through Ceasar's Creek to go out to the reefs about a mile or 2 east. On calm days the ocean had barely a ripple but if the wind rose up it could get a bit rough as the seabed quickly shallowed from the Gulf Stream west to the reefs. It could get scary very quick in an 17'-19' boat.

We'd go south towards Card Sound if we wanted to fish for salt water trout. For grouper we'd fish the north side of Jewfish Creek on the north end of Key Largo.

A few years after Turkey Point Nuke power plant went live we started seeing crocodiles in the southern end of the Bay all the way down to Key Largo. They liked the hot water coming out of the cooling canals and started breeding in large numbers. We knew they were around but they were rare. Not so rare 10 years after the power plant went live. They are much more aggressive than alligators.

 

[TJC]

Good write, I grew up in north Miami. I am familiar with all that you said. I had an airboat that was kept at “The Road” house on loop road and a 2 story camp 13 miles in called scorpion head. I fished flamingo, and mostly the turner river area canals. Pine Crest Bar, Gator Hook bar etc. What bait and tackle shop Did you work at ? I worked at the house of snook in north Miami.
Regards ..

My next door neighbor built both airboats and swamp buggies. Lots of fun going out on them. At any given time he had 2 or 3 of each in his backyard.

 

[Doc]

My next door neighbor built both airboats and swamp buggies. Lots of fun going out on them. At any given time he had 2 or 3 of each in his backyard.

Thanks for the Memories !

 

[Jhbryaniv]

Paint Mines interprative park.

 

[Jhbryaniv]

Snow is pretty.

Shoveling it is not fun.

 

[ylwjacket]

Sunset in Tampa

My daughter and I decided to carve scary jack o lanterns. Mine is on the left, hers on the right. She said it was the scariest thing she could imagine.

Sunrise from the front porch.

 

[KNI]

Snow is pretty.

Shoveling it is not fun.

Burn coal & oil, we need global warming to get rid of this shit.

 

[HeatXfer]

Profile Lake, Franconia Notch, NH

County Kerry, Ireland

Black Rock, NV

Austin, TX

Pepperdine Lake, Cedarville, CA

Easter Sunrise from Mt. Tamalpais, CA

Sunset from Anthony Peak, Ca

Hwy 80, West of Skull Valley, UT

 

[underwhelmed]

Spring is here. The Tom’s started strutting for the ladies in the backyard.

pic from this morning.

 

[Colo_Ranger]

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, but I caught an adorable little smile today.

 

[TJC]

Beautiful. Reminds me of this song. I'm 68 and still being taught this lesson.

Old Dogs, and Children, and Watermelon Wine - Tom T Hall

 

[Tracy Bowman]

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, but I caught an adorable little smile today.

So sweet!

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