Contemporary Fiction Author, Infrequent Blogger & Retired Clown

Florida

The Gator Man: A True St. Augustine Legend

The Gator Man: A True St. Augustine Legend

Ninety year-old Rufus “Bubba” Stratton, a Carl Hiaasen character come to life, sits at his kitchen table, describing the day he lost two-thirds of his left thumb.  “I was up at Guana River by the dam, there was a nine-foot alligator up there stealing people’s [Read more…]

Kelley-O’Brien Mansion: St. Augustine’s Hidden Treasure

Kelley-O’Brien Mansion: St. Augustine’s Hidden Treasure

Lewis Ogden O’Brien had just turned 12 in the spring of 1885, when he scribbled out a short note, jammed it inside a bottle, and hid it inside an air vent at his family’s new winter estate in Florida. The oldest of three, Lewis would [Read more…]

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings: A Literary Legacy in the Dunes

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings: A Literary Legacy in the Dunes

History is written in the architecture all over St. Augustine. From coquina walkways to gilded arches, each structure carries with it not only a unique design, but a unique story. High on the dunes of Crescent Beach, just a few hundred yards north of State [Read more…]