The Idea of New Urbanism

Our route today took us along the Gulf of Mexico, from the Forgotten Coast of Florida to the Emerald Coast.  The water was visible for quite a bit of the way, and it was a beautiful drive. Not that I’m a beach person, but the beaches along the Gulf are known for their powdery white sand.  They really are quite lovely.

We passed funky beach towns along the way, and stopped in Apalachicola, where we talked with a man who was walking his cat near the waterfront.  Tim happened to see him and couldn’t resist stopping and letting Kitty out for a visit.  Too bad she wasn’t a bit more friendly.

After leaving Panama City Beach, we turned onto County Road 30A, which is home to several beach communities that are distinctly different from other towns along the coast. Rosemary Beach was the first town we happened upon, but it was Seaside that I really wanted Tim to see.

The Natural Dunes Are Preserved Along the Beach at Seaside

Seaside was the first town developed on the principles of New Urbanism, an urban design movement that promotes walkable communities with a town center and a variety of housing types.  It’s hard for me to believe that Seaside is celebrating its thirtieth birthday this year.  Although Seaside certainly has its critics, I have always loved the town and its pedestrian-friendly design.  I remember the town when only a few of the blocks had been built out. Today, there is hardly a vacant lot, and the natural vegetation has fully developed.

Seaside Town Center

Pedestrian-Friendly Community

A Variety of Housing Types

I love the quality of the architecture in Seaside and enjoy seeing how creative architects have been in interpreting the town’s urban code.  Architectural style is not dictated here, only form-based elements like height, setback, parking, porches, etc.  My favorite elements in town are the towers on the rooftops of many of the houses; the picket fences, no two of which are alike; the welcoming front porches; the soothing pastel colors; and the fanciful pavilions at the end of each street that create gateways to the beach.

Rooftop Towers Dot the Skyline

Towers From Which to See the Sea

Porches and Towers











Picket Fences Enclose Front Yards

Front Porches Are Friendly

Coleman Pavilion Marks an Entrance to the Beach

Tim was unfamiliar with the concept of New Urbanism before today, but he has pointed out that the ideas espoused here are just what we may be looking for in a place to settle in after he retires.  That’s one of the themes of this trip – to take a look at communities that may be the perfect fit for us down the road.  No, the town won’t be Seaside, but it was good to visit a community where traditional neighborhood principles have been applied.  

The Seaside Post Office, Everyone's Favorite Building

After a leisurely stroll through Seaside, we drove a few miles down the road and settled into a campground at another of Florida’s lovely state parks.  This time it’s Grayton Beach State Park, a beautiful beach with coastal dunes that lead to the emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Take a Hike

We had a major storm last night, the first real rain we’ve had in weeks.  Even Kitty was scared by the lightning and thunder, something that’s never happened before.  It was still rainy and gloomy this morning, so we decided to hang out here for another day.  By noon, the skies had mostly cleared, and we had the rest of the day to enjoy the park.

Ochlockonee River State Park was not intended to be a destination for us.  It just happened to be in the right place at the end of the day when we needed a campground.  However, it is really a lovely park.  We decided to get some much-needed exercise this afternoon and explored some of the trails along the river.

The Sky Is Starting to Clean Over the Ochlockonee River

It Turned Out to be a Beautiful Day

Calm, Blue Waters

I'm Not Sure I Want to Get My Feet Wet

A few of the park’s white squirrels took up residence at our campsite, and Tim managed to get a few photos.  They certainly are odd little creatures, but they are what everyone who is here wants to see.

Let Me Get Away from That Cat

We also took the opportunity to look ahead for the next week or two of the trip.  Although we typically shy away from long-term plans, we looked at options for a northern loop into Kentucky through Alabama and Tennessee.  We acknowledge that the weather may not be too RV-friendly up there, so it may need to be a quick trip up and back.  We may need to be a bit more prepared than usual.

Why Kentucky, you may ask?  There are several reasons.  I want to visit Mammoth Cave National Park, the only national park in the East that I’ve never been to.  Tim is also in search of ancestors on his mother’s side who settled near Springfield, Kentucky.  We’ve picked out a few stops on the way north and south that look intriguing.  So far, the long-range weather forecast looks promising, but we’ll just have to see.

We Love Florida State Parks

Tim and I finally dragged ourselves away from our home for the last three days and did a little touring in Crystal River before driving north.  We searched for manatees in Kings Bay, one of the best places in the world to observe these amazing animals, but we struck out. They must have been hiding today. 

We had much better luck at the Crystal River Archaeological State Park.  No, we didn’t see manatees, but we were able to explore a pre-Columbian ceremonial Indian-mound complex. Native Americans who lived in this area until about 500 years ago built the mounds along Crystal River.  Both temple mounds and burial mounds are found here, representing hierarchical, social and religious activities by the inhabitants.  Three cultural periods are represented, and there is evidence of trade relationships from all over eastern North America.

One of the Burial Mounds

First Temple Mound

View of Crystal River from First Temple Mound

A Vertical Limestone Slab, or Stele, A.D. 440

Can You Find the Face
In the Stele?

Sketch of the Face
In the Stele

Tim was intirgued with the Crystal River site and how the State of Florida has interpreted and developed educational opportunities there.  It was interesting for me to view the site through Tim’s eyes.

Can I Dig?

Sifting for Technology

We drove north through a forgotten part of Florida and turned westward into the Florida panhandle.  We’re spending the night at Ochlockonee River State Park, just south of Sopchoppy, Florida (what a great name!).  Tim and I are loving Florida’s state park system, particularly the campgrounds.  We stayed at Hillsborough River State Park near Tampa last week and were surprised to find many of the amenities of a private campground (electric and water hookups) with the lovely natural setting of a park.

The campground at Ochlockonee River State Park, which is situated among the beautiful pine flatwoods of north Florida, is even nicer than Hillsborough River, since it’s much smaller.  The facilities at both parks are amazingly clean.  Kitty loves the parks since there are so many squirrels to chase.  Here, there are even white squirrels, which we managed to catch a glimpse of.

Pine Flatwoods
at Ochlockonee Stae Park

Light Through the Pines







.

Kitty Likes the Park

A Day, or Two, of Rest

I could be melodramatic and say that we have stayed put in our campground in Crystal River so that Tim could mourn the Broncos’ loss to the Patriots.  I could, but it just wouldn’t be true.  Surprisingly, he doesn’t seem to be too bothered by his team’s defeat.

We simply decided yesterday morning, and again this morning, that we didn’t want to go anywhere or do much of anything.  Yesterday, we really did veg out.  I don’t think I accomplished one thing of note.  Unless, of course, a nap could be considered an accomplishment!  It was divine.

Today was a bit more productive.  We did a little cleaning and organizing, we cut the new floor mats to fit their spaces and we spent some time looking at maps to see how we might make a jog northward to Kentucky.

The weather was perfect and we were able to sit outside and enjoy ourselves.  After all, today is a holiday.  Tomorrow, we’ll leave our temporary home and see what this part of Florida has to offer.

Any Day Is a Good Day for a Nap

A Change of Plans

When Tim and I left the RV show yesterday afternoon, our “check engine” light was on. Never a good sign.  Luckily it was before 5:00 pm, and I was able to locate a Mercedes-Benz dealer in Tampa that services Sprinters.  A quick call and a chat with John confirmed that the RV was safe to drive.  We were also lucky enough to get an appointment for this morning to get the issue checked out.  

We arrived at the dealer this morning, and Dustin took good care of us.  He escorted us to a nice lounge with a café, and we enjoyed cappuccinos while the technicians determined the problem (you really can’t beat Mercedes waiting areas!).  Tim had done some research last night, and his diagnosis was confirmed.  The issue was a clogged diesel particulate filter.  It was a relatively simple fix that was covered under our warranty.  Dustin then advised us to drive the RV at highway speeds for at least one-half hour to blow out the rest of the ash buildup.

We left the dealer around noon and headed for the interstate.  We had originally planned to head toward the west coast and follow back roads northward through old Florida. Unfortunately, we had to scrap those plans.  High speeds and back roads just don’t go together.

I can’t tell you how lucky we were that this happened while we were in Tampa.  Finding Sprinter service locations is not always easy, as they are typically few and far between. Being able to get an appointment in less than twenty-four hours was also amazing to me.  The Mercedes dealer could not have been more accommodating, and we were in and out in just over two hours.  Having to revise our plans was a small price to pay for a quick resolution to our problem.

We drove northward for about an hour and then decided to detour toward the west coast and Crystal River.  We found a nice, old Florida campground on Lake Rousseau and decided to stop for the day.  It seems to be a great place to just chill out for a bit.

Lake Rousseau

This Reminds Me of Old Florida

Kitty and Tim Enjoying the Lake

It's Been a Long Day

I Want That Squirrel

You're Not Going to Get Me

A Big Scratching Post



Is It Spring?

Tim is now watching the Denver Broncos being beaten by the New England Patriots. Everyone in Florida seems to be rooting for the Broncos since Tim Tebow was such a star player at the University of Florida.  Hopefully, he can perform a miracle and eke out a win for Denver.

RV SuperShow

Today, Tim and I attended the 2012 Florida RV SuperShow in Tampa, Florida.  Oh boy, shopping!  This event  is billed as the largest RV show in the country and features thousands of new RVs, as well as products from various vendors.  The show takes place yearly at the Florida State Fairgrounds and is so large that a tram is available to take you from venue to venue.

Lined Up to Look at RVs

We are certainly not in the market for a new RV, but we thought it would be fun to look at the 2012 models on the market.  This seems to one of the few shows that includes Class B RVs from all the different manufacturers.  The maker of our RV, Leisure Travel Vans, was there, as were Roadtrek, Pleasureway and Airstream.  Even Great West Vans was represented.  We had never seen those in person, only online, and had once thought that might be the RV for us.

We walked through all of the models and noted the new features.  Some were very cool improvements, while others were really not to our liking.  We though the older versions were actually better in some cases.  Although all of the Class Bs were really nice, it turns out that none were better suited to our needs than the one we own.  Even the models that are slightly larger than ours would not be as convenient for traveling with the cat.  Yes, they have certain advantages, but where would the litter box go?  We actually have the ideal solution with our “basement.”

New Leisure Travel Vans

The 2012 Free Spirit

We Really Are Partial to Leisure Travel Vans

We also wandered through the booths and picked up a few little items we just couldn’t live without – exciting things like holding tank treatments, door mats and a quick-connect for the water hose!  We only have room for useful things or new items to replace old ones, like the mats.

It was a fun day, but the best part was reconfirming that we had selected the best RV for us.  We had always been confident that we had made the right decision, but now we know that for sure.

A Great Education Temple in Florida

One of the little-known treasures of Central Florida is Florida Southern College, which boasts the largest concentration of buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright in the world.  Despite my appreciation of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture, I had never visited the campus in Lakeland. Tim and I drove through mile after mile of citrus groves to visit Florida Southern this afternoon.  It was absolutely amazing!

Frank Lloyd Wright was approached by college president Dr. Ludd Spivey in 1938 about designing “a great education temple in Florida.”  Such an opportunity to design a campus from scratch appealed to Wright, who was critical of the lack of architectural value in most college campuses. 

Frank Lloyd Wright’s design for Florida Southern College does not dominate the land, but works in harmony with it.  His organic architecture melds the buildings with the environment, and the buildings work together as a whole.  Twelve buildings were constructed between 1939 and 1958.

 
The college maintains a visitor center in the original library and provides a walking tour guide. Tim and I walked through the campus and wandered into the buildings that are open. The buildings are constructed of sand-cast blocks that feature geometric designs and pierced openings, which are often filled with pieces of colored glass.  The interiors of the two chapels, which are two of the hallmark buildings on campus, were breathtaking.  

The Original E.T. Roux Library

The Original Library Reading Room Is Now the Visitor Center

Annie Pfeiffer Chapel

Light Floods the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel

Pieces of Colored Glass Add Interest

William H. Danforth Chapel

Inside the William H. Danforth Chapel

I was particularly fascinated with the network of esplanades.  These are one-and-one-half miles of cantilevered, covered walkways that connect the individual buildings and create an organic whole.

Esplanades Connect the Buildings

Geometric Motifs Characterize the Esplanades

A Water Dome Was Completed in 1948
(Unfortunately, We Didn't See the Fountain While It Was "On")

I’m so glad that we were able to see such incredible architecture and would encourage anyone with an interest in Frank Lloyd Wright to make a detour to Lakeland, Florida.  It’s well worth it.

Sand-Cast Blocks

Copper-Trimmed Cantilevers