Living on the edge

Today marks one week of adventure for me. I decided to step it up a notch and add a few more discoveries to my list. I've been enjoying fresh strawberries and hearing all about the strawberry festival that happened last week in Barrett's hometown of Plant City, FL. I've also been enjoying fresh oranges and today I got to see another fabulous fruit production. Although it is not blueberry season just yet, I did get the opportunity to checkout a nice sized blueberry farm. The plants had just flowered and there were many bees to be seen in the area.









My drop off point today for Barrett just happened to be right beside this beauty! I couldn't help but feel the need to do my own forest fire check. I mean somebody should really check for those things on a regular basis and by the looks of this place it hasn't been thoroughly monitored in quite some time. I simply cannot imagine why this modern tower is not used more often? It would just be tragic if I had the opportunity to monitor a forest fire and failed to do my civic duty.









Beauty from above! Thank God, no fire but a lovely church steeple in site.

We made it to Jasper, FL today and traveled through this unique little town. They had two dollar stores in this small town and a Chevy dealer with 15 of the same truck priced at $35,701. I wanted to get my hair cut at Mane Street Beaty Salon but decided to jog/walk six miles instead. B is speaking to some 4-Hers tonight here in Live Oak and then has an appointment at another high school tomorrow. We'll have to see how time goes but Georgia is definitely in the near future! I'm excited to see what rural GA has to offer!

- Grace and peace to you

Sunday goodness

Today was such a blessing to experience. I feel like I'm literally following along in a fairly tale of blessing. God is so good! We visited a beautiful little country church this morning where my brother Barrett brought the word of the Lord. This particular Methodist church was on the oldest road in Florida and the church was built over 150 years ago. The old wooden pews were hand built by slaves and still in their original form plus some added cushion. It was a beautiful place to spend our Sunday worship and fabulous people to worship with.

Following church another amazing southern meal was enjoyed by all. Granny sure knows how to cook! I had the most amazing creamed corn ever in my life! This epic meal was followed by a trip though the pasture to take in all the sites and sounds. These sights and sounds included the greatest giant trees, natural spring ponds and rolling Florida pasture land. Simply breathtaking to see the beauty of creation on such a day. The Sunday field trip was even made complete by a nice snack of a Florida orange fresh fallen off the tree. What I would give for my own orange tree!

Of course I was without camera to document these experiences today so I'll instead leave you with a few from our host homestead. So blessed!










- Grace and peace to you

Sweet South

Friends, I have been eating GOOD down here in the South! Last night, Barrett and I stayed with some friends in the great town of Live Oak, Florida. We had a great dinner of baked chicken, peas (small beans that they call peas), and homemade mac & cheese. It was so good and this adorable family showed us some amazing hospitality. I enjoyed observing the methods that parents in the south teach their children respect, by driving in over and over the response, "Yes ma'am." Just really great. I'm working on making it a normal part of my interactions. I've also learned that when you don't hear what somebody says you are to ask, "Ma'am or Sir?" Using the terms "What or Huh" is simply not acceptable. Write that down folks.

I've quickly learned that most every table in the south has a jar of this delectable concoction. They take hot peppers and basically pickle them by covering them with vinegar and allowing the vinegar to absorb the spice. This is used as a hot sauce.

Today we made it to the Suwannee River. This river is basically black and literally looks like sweet tea. This is due to the foliage that accumulates on the bottom of the river and oxidizes cause the water to turn very dark. Pretty fascinating. We walked today from Lake City to White Springs, FL, covering 12.8 miles. It was a beautiful day with a nice little overcast sky and breeze making it a very nice little jaunt. 

I've been participating in the 350,000 mile challenge joining Barrett in this crazy walk across the country. This challenge is a way for others all across the globe to participate and log exercise toward the cause. Consider logging your own miles you complete walking, biking, or running on legacy champ here. 

I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty pumped about taking a day off tomorrow to observe the Sabbath and rest the legs. I've only been completing a fraction of the miles that Mr. Go Walk America has been completing but after five days of walking I'm ready for a break. Praise the Lord!

Southern Greens!

I've eaten greens the past two meals. After reading a fabulous older Florida seasonal cooking book I have been inspired to get to eating some good southern greens. I've also learned that not every southern person likes greens. Gasp! But last night I purchased a giant bag of collard greens already sliced into nice 1/2 inch strips. Quite convenient.

Just a quick list of some of this brassica vegetable benefits:

• Anticancer properties
• Detoxification support
• Antioxidant support: Vitamin C & E, beta-carotine, manganese
• Anti-inflamatory support: Vitamin K & omega 3 fatty acids
• Cardiovascular support: cholesterol lowering ability due to their nature to bind bile
• Digestive support: hello fiber!
• Nondairy source of calcium

Greens can be cooked a number of methods. The nutrients are more easily absorbed when they are steamed yet not over cooked. My method has been to saute a bit of onion and garlic in some butter and then add the greens. Cover and let steam until just softened a bit. Then I added a bit of leftover sausage or bacon to give them some great flavor. Also adding some cayenne or paprika would be excellent if you wanted to go without the meat addition. But eat them up folks! Power your body with greens!

Maybe I'll get some of this before I leave Florida?!

Gator Country

I have officially sported the Gator gear. Got my first bright orange Florida Gators shirt and proudly sported it as I wandered down the road. These people are serious about their Gators around here.

I've been sleeping in a fabulous orange and blue room.

Love me some gators! Even a gator chopping block!

 It was a fabulous day to walk and the sun was sure shining. I got my first sunburn yesterday nice and farmers tan style. The azaleas are in full bloom and have been gorgeous to see. It's always so fun to visit different parts of the country and see landscapes. I've been impressed with the pine tree forests around here and the perfectly spaced pulp trees. I guess I didn't realize there were so many farmed forests here. Another interesting observation has been the Spanish moss that grows on almost every tree. It's crazy! I thought that it was a form of dead foliage but it's alive and growing and is everywhere. The trees look ready for Halloween in my opinion. Funny.

A typical cracker style house with gorgeous flowering bushes
and Spanish moss on the trees. 

Gorgeous bottle brush tree!