Growing up in a place like Florida, adventure is never far away. Just within the confines of my little neighborhood, I could spend entire summer afternoons lost in exciting explorations; catching tadpoles in the creek and riding bikes with friends.  But no adventure compared to [Read more…]

Life now is not what it was a month ago. As we continue to trudge our way through the uncharted waters of COVID-19, I feel helpless. I’m not a nurse or essential employee, I can’t make ventilators or PPE, and I certainly have no power [Read more…]

In 1994, I was ten years old and had lived my entire life in this sleepy little fishing village on the Northeast Florida coast called St Augustine. In my very narrow worldview, I was under the impression that every town contained bits of historic lore [Read more…]

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…]