3rin's View…

Over the past 5 years I’ve driven through the Cross Creek area multiple times. Alongside the highway are engaging signs, reminding passersby that the locale was the setting for Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ The Yearling, a coming-of-age novel (and subsequent movie of the same name).

Though I was intrigued, I’d always been in a hurry so I hadn’t stopped to explore. When I learned that the author’s namesake state park was throwing her a party in honor of her birthday, I made plans to attend.

The first step was to actually read the book. While I’m certain all elementary students in Florida have it assigned, growing up out West, I’d never read any of her work. While I was moved by the story of the pioneer family’s struggles I was completely in awe of her descriptions of the native flora and fauna. They were so detailed that I automatically presumed she was a native Floridian.

You can imagine my astonishment when I learned that she was raised in Washington D.C. and attended college in Wisconsin. Marjorie and her husband didn’t move to Cross Creek until 1928.

As aspiring authors, they had hoped that their newly purchased orange grove near a remote village would allow them plenty of time to write. After 5 years, Chuck decided it was too far removed and left. But Marjorie had fallen in love with the land and the characters that lived there so, they divorced and she stayed.

Learning from her neighbors, Marjorie survived off the land- both cultivated and wild. She tended her farm, hunted game, and gathered food from the forest. All the while typing out stories based on the copious notes she’d taken about the land and her neighbors. Her early writings met with moderate success until The Yearling (which won the Pulitizer Prize for fiction in 1939).

As my friend Alyssa and I wandered the grounds of Marjorie’s restored property it struck me how little the area had changed in the past 90 odd years. Some of the original citrus trees are still setting on fruit and Spanish moss still drapes down from massive live oaks. Traffic buzzes by on the recently widened, nearby highway, but we sure couldn’t hear it.

As we savored the homemade mango ice cream (from Marjorie’s favorite recipe), it occurred to me that though locals had viewed her writings as an invasion of privacy (she borrowed heavily from their lives) the park and surrounding area would not now be protected if it hadn’t been for her elevating the area to fame.

By midday, the sun was brutal so we headed over to The Yearling restaurant for refreshments. It opened in 1952, riding on the popularity of the movie, and still features menu items referred to as Cracker food: fried green tomatoes, fried gator tail, frog legs, venison, cheese grits, okra, and collard greens. The food and (literally) wild decor of the sprawling building are a slice of old Florida, where places once served as roadside attractions to draw in passing motorists.

It’s one of a few that have survived into our modern era, and it’s a treat when I get to visit one, like stepping back in time. I highly recommend stopping in, if you’re ever out that way…

Though some will lament that Florida lacks the colorful changing of seasons, there are still signs. In my mind, Summer doesn’t follow the calendar, it begins in early May with the onset of hot and humid weather and ends in mid-October when the heat finally subsides.

But long before there is a noticeable difference in temperature, the movements of several bird species hint at the seasonal changes ahead.

While many fly south to Florida for the winter, there is a good-sized soaring bird that wings its way from here to even warmer climes down in South America: the Magnificent Frigatebird.

During the summer months, small groups of Magnificent Frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens) can be found soaring over salty water near me. Their 7-8’ long, narrow wings are not only distinctive but they are incredibly powerful- Magnificents are some of the fastest birds in the world, often hitting 95 mph!

While paddling recently I noted that the Magnificents had amassed into a much larger group (I counted close to 100 of them). To me, that was a sign they were getting ready to migrate.

I realized that my time to capture decent photos of them was dwindling. So, on my next free morning, I grabbed my camera and headed to Fort De Soto Park. Just before the entrance, I found them swooping low over a small fresh water pond.

Most of them flew off when I approached but fortunately a few of them stayed and continued drinking under the watchful eye of a white-throated female. After about 30 minutes, they caught a nearby thermal and slowly ascended high into the sky. What a wonderful experience, I look forward to their return next March!

I read recently that Summer temperatures in Florida are averaging 5-10 degrees warmer than in decades prior. This past week the heat has been especially intense, with Tampa officially hitting 100° for the first time in recorded history.

Speaking of history, I spent one of those hot days wandering through the Tampa Bay History Center. Located near downtown Tampa, overlooking the Ybor Channel, this museum has the daunting task of covering 10,000 years of human occupation.

While I would have preferred more information (I always do), the various interactive, multimedia exhibits were well-done and quite engaging: I fought the encroaching white men under Seminole chief Coacoochee, briefly joined the ill-fated crew of a pirate ship, and rolled cigars with Tampeños who brought their tobacco skills with them from Cuba.

As you might imagine, I worked up quite an appetite so I left the museum and hopped aboard the nearby heritage streetcar. My destination? The Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City (the family actually operates a cafe at the museum, and the scents wafting from it were tempting, but I wanted to explore the original, historic location).

Even though the restaurant occupies a full city block and can seat 1,700 people, there was an hour wait for a table when I arrived on a weekday. Lucky for me, there was one open stool at the bar. I slid into a spot between two regulars who were happy to give me recommendations on the large menu. I ordered the Cuban sandwich and the famous 1905 salad and I was not disappointed.

Between the character of the sprawling building and the delicious food I can easily understand why it is the oldest, continuously operated restaurant in the state. Definitely an informative (and filling) way to spend a scorcher!

Wondering what to do on a record-breaking* hot day? Westley suggests reading a good book!

I’ll have to rely on his review of this particular book since he hasn’t allowed me to read it yet…

*Today, nearby Tampa hit 100°F for the first time ever. ☀️