11/22/08 (Saturday): We sure chose a fun place to volunteer this time! Wiley is enjoying getting to garden every day (in a REALLY big garden). I've enjoyed cleaning the historic Maclay House (that's it in the picture--it's hard to get a good shot because of all the foliage) and decorating the Visitor Center for Christmas.

Next week, I get to decorate the entrance station. Last year they turned it into a gingerbread house and they had some of the decorations left over, so I've been making some additional decorations. Some folks from a local seniors club are coming on Monday to help me finish up. I'll post some pictures.

Needless to say, the gardens are gorgeous. This yellow butterfly particularly likes these two pots, right outside my window at the Visitor Center.













The gardens are famous for their camellias, which are just starting to come into bloom. The bushes are just huge.













Mr. Maclay, who designed the gardens in the 1920's, drove around the area and collected specimens that he particularly liked from local yards. So many of these bushes are over 100 years old.












There are also lots of gardens within the garden, like this walled garden.















Of course, lots of people visit the gardens mostly for the lakes. The closest lake (Lake Hal) allows boating (no motors) and fishing and has a small swimming beach. The other lake can only be reached by hiking. It's pristine and no boats, swimming or fishing are allowed.










There are plenty of things to do on our days off. So far, we've been to St. Mark's a couple of times. It's located right on the Gulf of Mexico where a couple of rivers dump into it.












These black vultures were sitting on the edge of the boat ramp. I'm not sure what they were waiting for, but they sure weren't in any hurry to move out of the way of the boaters!












In my spare time, I decided to use up some leftover yarn and crochet ponchos for the granddaughters. I think they turned out really cute. I put jingle bells at the neck and edged them with fuzzy white yarn. Then, I found Santa tights at the dollar store. The girls loved them! Of course, I ran out of yarn about half way through the last one and the correct color only came in a huge roll, so now I have lots of leftover yarn again. anyone want a poncho?!

That's it for this blog--things to do and places to go. I'll finish catching everyone up in my next blog, where I'll have some pictures of a couple of kayaking trips we took and a historic mission we visited.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

11/15/08 (Saturday): Greetings from some happy campers in Tallahassee, FL! I've got some catching up to do, so let's get right to it. Before I talk about our new jobs and adventures in Tallahassee, I want to backtrack a bit and share some pictures of our last week in Boone, our visit with friends Julie and John, and our trip to Jekyll Island, GA.

We left the Boone KOA the last weekend before Halloween. The store was decorated so cute!














I really enjoyed holding some kids' activities, including making these cute black cat hats and ghost hands (plastic gloves filled with popcorn). Wiley and I also led a couple of flashlight hikes to the cemetery and did some scavenger hunts. Joan says next season I'm going to be the activity director, so I'd appreciate some ideas for fun, cheap things to do with campers (not just kids).






I can't remember whether I shared some of my autumn pictures with you or not. This barn was near West Jefferson. I made a print of it for Mag, who has a series of barn pictures taken in the Spring, Summer and Winter, but not one taken in the Autumn.









This farm stand was also near West Jefferson. I'm spoiled forever for any apples other than the ones in Joan's orchard and the campground!














I guess it's been too long since I've ready my own blog (or too long since I've posted a new one), because I also couldn't remember if I shared this picture with you. It's one of the most interesting of the quilt barns I saw and it was right in Boone next to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Julie and I stumbled upon it by accident when we were trying to find the right exit to get back to the campground. There were two of the fattest goats I've ever seen in the front yard.




Julie and John stayed with us in Boone for the last couple of days we were there. Then they helped us pack up. I teased them that they were going to have to give up their beds for the last night, because that's where the kayaks travel. But they convinced me that it was too cold for them to sleep in a tent, so we waited until the last day to load the kayaks on the bed.







We finally left all our friends at the Boone KOA and meandered (with Julie and John following) down to Jekyll Island, GA. It was cold and rainy, but we had a good time anyhow. John and Wiley found a fairly sheltered spot to fish. Wiley caught a huge redfish, but I had to help him bring it in because it got stuck under a rock. Later, we grilled it over the campfire. Everyone said it was delicious (I don't enjoy seafood, so I generously let them eat it all!).





While the guys fished, Julie and I drove around the island for a bit of sightseeing and shopping. We happened on this sea turtle rehabilitation center and had a great tour. Sea turtles are fascinating and endangered. They're doing some very innovative things to save these gorgeous creatures at the center.








Well, I've got some more catching up to do, but it's going to wait. I've got to get back home and start some supper. So I'll catch you up next time on our fun work at Maclay Gardens and a couple of short adventures we've had at an old mission, on a kayaking trip on the Wakulla River and a visit to the St. Marks River where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Stay tuned!

11/7/08 (Friday): Here we go again--off on another great adventure! We're already loving Maclay Gardens. We finished up our first three work days today. Wiley has cleared an area along the brick path to set out luminaries for Camellia Christmas on December 5 and I've "worked" in the Visitor center (which hasn't had very many visitors at all). The gardens are just beginning to come into bloom. They're famous for camellias, some of them more than 100 years old.

There are also lots of ancient live oaks draped with Spanish moss, two pristine lakes, acres of azalea, rhododendron and dogwood--all the beloved plants of the deep south.


Our campsite is a lovely little shaded glen with a couple of large live oaks and a swath of verdant green that draws deer like a magnet. We have a little shed with a (free) washer and dryer--it's so convenient! Our only neighbors are Donna and Dick, the other volunteer campers. They have a son who lives nearby and a new grandbaby.



We've enjoyed several walks through the gardens. There's a brick path (the bricks came from an old street in Tampa) beside the lake that's heart-breakingly beautiful. the reflecting pool is the site of many weddings.



There's also a little pond and a number of walled and "secret" gardens with statues and benches. It's just an enchanting place. I keep expecting to see a southern belle out walking under her parasol.



In fact, the area was granted to the Marquis de Lafayette after the Revolutionary War. He wanted to start a colony of French in the area, but the Napoleonic Wars depleted his funds. He sold it to some folks who had a 2000-acre plantation. The original plantation house no longer exists. It was apparently pretty much destroyed during the Civil War and the period of Reconstruction. It was bought in the early 1900's by some people who built a hunting lodge and outbuildings on it.


Mr. Maclay bought it in the 1920's, refurbished the house, and used it as his winter home. Maclay was from a wealthy banking family, but after his service in the Spanish American War and a tour of Europe and the Far East, he didn't want to work in the family business. His wife was from the Fleischmann Yeast family. He had built extensive gardens at his summer retreat in Upstate NY, and decided to built the extensive gardens we know today around his new winter home.


I'll be working on a couple of interesting projects while I'm here. I transcribed an interview with some old friends of the Maclays, and that led to another project involving purchasing a slide scanner and digitizing some historic photos. I'll also be giving them some of my photos to print for the photo albums in the visitor center. Some of the photos they have now are faded.


So far, our only problem has been finding a place with free WiFi so that we can check our e-mail and update the blog. Right now, I'm sitting in the back of the truck in a parking lot at a bagel shop. It's not ideal, but it's free!

So, I may not be as quick to answer e-mails and post new blogs as before, but it's only for two months. Stick with me!

11/3/08 (Monday): Greetings blogger fans! I apologize for the long delay in blogging. We left Boone on 10/26 (with our friends Julie and John in tow) and spent a couple of days at Jekyll Island, GA. We arrived at Maclay Gardens State Park in Tallahassee, FL on 10/30 and had our orientation 10/31. Yesterday we drove to Winter Park for a short visit with Wiley's family before we start our volunteer work with Maclay Gardens. There's no WiFi at the gardens, so I've been unable to get on the internet until now.

We absolutely love our new home! There are two campsites set up for volunteers in a lovely wooded glade with ancient live oaks draped with Spanish moss. We're just a short walk from a beautiful lake where we can kayak, fish or just sit on a bench and absorb the beauty of the gardens. There are about 1100 acres of woodlands and garden paths, a complex of historic buildings and all kinds of shopping and restaurants in the surrounding area. We've met our co-workers and the rangers and we're pretty sure we're going to love this job. We're almost sorry that it's only for two months!

I've got lots of pictures and will do a more thorough blog soon. I just wanted everyone to know that we haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Stay tuned!