A Stay in Live Oak, Florida

We left Palm Coast Saturday morning on Jan. 31 and headed northwest to visit Kenny Butler and his wife Lee Ray in Live Oak, Florida. Earl went to high school with Kenny so they always have so many stories to swap. Kenny lives out in the country on 25 acres that belonged to his father when he was living. When I say country, I mean COUNTRY! We saw miles and miles of farm land, pine tree groves harvested to make pulp, dilapidated houses with junk strewn all over the yard, and a variety of mobile homes in all sizes. Kenny lives in a double-wide, pre-fab home with a huge screened-in porch along the back. The temperature was in the 60s so we spent a lot of time on the porch.

Late Saturday afternoon we drove up to an old bridge that crosses the famous Suwannee River. The bridge is no longer being used, so the kids use it as a hang out and a place to display their graffiti.

Sunday, before watching the Super Bowl, we walked all around Kenny's property. His "street" is made out of sand. Only some of the streets in the country are blacktopped. I drove Lee Ray in a golf cart down the sand road. Everything was going well until I put the cart into reverse to turn around and stepped on the gas rather than the brake! We had a good laugh over that and decided not to tell the men about it.

All over the property are "Gopher" holes. We northerners think gophers are like prairie dogs. However, a "gopher", according to Kenny, is really a land tortoise that digs a hole in the sand for his home. The holes can be about 1 foot in diameter. We saw many holes, but never a gopher. I was not about to stick my hand down there!

Tuesday was cloudy and cold, but that didn't stop us from going to a retirement community along the Suwannee River called Advent Christian Village. It was a small village out in the country complete with a restaurant, shops, grocery store, drug store, clinic and more. Retirees lived in purchased homes, condos, apartments, an assisted living complex, a rehabilitation center and, of course, a nursing home. It is a quaint little area with everyone riding golf carts.

We walked through the woods on a path along the Suwannee River. Even though it was overcast, we enjoyed the walk. I always wonder what it was like for the indians and explorers who occupied the area. After our visit to this community, we did what we do best - go out to eat! We ate out every night and met Kenny and Lee Ray for breakfast Wednesday morning before leaving. If anyone has any money, feel free to send it! Enjoy these pictures of our walk: