Silver Springs State Park is not the first place that comes to mind when I think of Florida. And yet, when I visited last month, it felt like the real Florida, Florida as it was before Disney and Universal re-shaped thousands of acres into theme parks, hotels, and all things entertainment.
I must confess that I did spend a day at Disney's Animal Kingdom, and it was fun (as it should have been for $90 a pop), full of thrilling roller coasters and animal displays that are guaranteed to give you a good view.
The following day, when, for the first time, we visited Silver Springs, I found it a quiet and relatively unspoiled slice of Florida, and much more appealing than Disney. On the 90 minute boat tour of the springs and the Silver River our knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide filled us in on many facets of the area, including geology, history, and wildlife.
It is one of the largest artesian springs in the world, with over half a billion gallons of water flowing each day. Wow! Although the water is clear, nitrate pollution from cattle operations has promoted significant growths of algae on the spring's bottom and in the Silver River, which is fed by the springs. At the moment, one can only catch glimpses of the sparkling silver bottom which gave the springs and river their names. Florida State has recently taken back control of the springs from private interests and one can only hope that their plan to clean up the spring proves effective in protecting this National Natural Landmark.
In spite of the algae, the springs and river support a large population of alligators.
As well as turtles and birds.
Although Silver Springs may be best known as a location for filming movies - six Tarzan movies, Creature From the Black Lagoon, and Rebel Without a Cause are among the films made here - the area's history is long and rich. In the sixteenth century Spanish explorers found the springs inhabited by Timucuan indians, during the eighteenth century English raiders killed the Timucuan, and eventually Seminoles moved into the area.* According to displays in the small on-site museum, from the 1920s through the 1960s Seminoles produced crafts, including their distinctive patchwork pieces, to sell to visiting tourists.
Note that on this item the piecing and attaching of rick rack were done by machine, a quick and cost-effective approach to production. I too rely heavily on sewing machines as I can make things very quickly and am able to experiment on a lot of things in a small amount of time. Still, I really like the look of handmade pieces and I enjoy the process and quiet of stitching by hand. Over the course of the summer I finally completed all four pieced borders for my compass quilt.
I am now working on the corner stars.
The next step will be to assemble all the pieces.
*http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/silversprings.html
I must confess that I did spend a day at Disney's Animal Kingdom, and it was fun (as it should have been for $90 a pop), full of thrilling roller coasters and animal displays that are guaranteed to give you a good view.
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| Female gibbon |
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| Asian tiger |
The following day, when, for the first time, we visited Silver Springs, I found it a quiet and relatively unspoiled slice of Florida, and much more appealing than Disney. On the 90 minute boat tour of the springs and the Silver River our knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide filled us in on many facets of the area, including geology, history, and wildlife.
It is one of the largest artesian springs in the world, with over half a billion gallons of water flowing each day. Wow! Although the water is clear, nitrate pollution from cattle operations has promoted significant growths of algae on the spring's bottom and in the Silver River, which is fed by the springs. At the moment, one can only catch glimpses of the sparkling silver bottom which gave the springs and river their names. Florida State has recently taken back control of the springs from private interests and one can only hope that their plan to clean up the spring proves effective in protecting this National Natural Landmark.
In spite of the algae, the springs and river support a large population of alligators.
As well as turtles and birds.
 |
| Anhinga and turtle on the Silver River |
Although Silver Springs may be best known as a location for filming movies - six Tarzan movies, Creature From the Black Lagoon, and Rebel Without a Cause are among the films made here - the area's history is long and rich. In the sixteenth century Spanish explorers found the springs inhabited by Timucuan indians, during the eighteenth century English raiders killed the Timucuan, and eventually Seminoles moved into the area.* According to displays in the small on-site museum, from the 1920s through the 1960s Seminoles produced crafts, including their distinctive patchwork pieces, to sell to visiting tourists.
 |
| Seminole patchwork |
Note that on this item the piecing and attaching of rick rack were done by machine, a quick and cost-effective approach to production. I too rely heavily on sewing machines as I can make things very quickly and am able to experiment on a lot of things in a small amount of time. Still, I really like the look of handmade pieces and I enjoy the process and quiet of stitching by hand. Over the course of the summer I finally completed all four pieced borders for my compass quilt.
I am now working on the corner stars.
The next step will be to assemble all the pieces.
*http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/silversprings.html
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