Ravine Gardens State Park

Posted on by Thor

I had no obligations on Sunday, so I decided to drive north to Ravine Gardens State Park in Palatka Florida. It was a straight drive up 19. I went past the Umatilla Homestead. I loved that homestead but it felt larger than I needed. I had to follow my heart and let it slip away. After Umatilla, all signs of civilization disappeared as I drove through the Ocalla National Forest.

It was a glorious sunny day with the occasional white cumulus cloud. I was driving at 55 miles per hour and the clouds seemed to move at just about that speed moving north. When I drove into the shadow of a cloud it would ride along with me offering shade for the longest time. I raced many clouds on the drive north trying to stay in their shade for as long as possible.

Ravine Gardens was a WPA Project back in the 1930s. Hiking paths are meticulously maintained. Some roadside gullies are loosely covered in bricks which have lasted for close to 100 years.  There is an amphitheater which I didn’t recognize as such since the seating was composed of rocks on a hillside arranges in rows. The brilliant wildflowers made the theater a natural wonder.  There was a stage area at the base of the hillside. It would be amazing to see a theater production staged there. A sign showed photos of the amphitheater filled for a beauty pageant in the past. I think it would be amazing to see a Shakespeare in the Park production there.

I hiked the Azalea trail which was marked with red blazes on trees. When hiking in nature I often find it hard to decide when the time is right to take the sketchbook out and start creating. Every turn of the trail would reveal a more stunning view. Finding a concrete moment to draw takes a back seat to my desire to keep exploring. After walking the entirety of the azalea trail , I was sweaty and exhausted and finally plopped down next to this pond. The suspension bride I sketched is at the heart of the trail network. I managed to get turned around multiple times as I was trying to navigate out of the park. I crossed the suspension bridge like 5 times hoping to find the trail that lead back to the visitors center and parking. The heat must have gone to my head. I asked a woman for directions and she told me there was a second suspension bridge I had to look for. I didn’t believe her at the time, I had a pot of the trail maps on my phone and I only noticed one suspension bridge. Looking at the map again now, I can see she was right. The reason I was getting turned around is that I was at the wrong suspension bridge. I ultimately ended up hiking on a road to make my way back to the trailhead. I certainly got my exercise for the day.

One man had brought his German Shepherd to the park and the dog jumped into the pond and splashed around for a bit. Families and couples walked across he suspension bridge. The best view in the park, I decided, is on that bride looking down at the pond. The blue sky reflects off the water offering a fantastic play of light and color. Sketching offered me an excuse to slow down and catch my breath.

Portland Trail

Posted on by Thor

I am searching for a home. One, I called the Umatilla Homestead. I was making plans to turn an   pool into a greenhouse and I wanted to build a col retractable staircase up to the attic which is large enough to house a studio.

Anyway this place was just sold before I made an offer. So I am back to the search. There are several I saw that are habitable, but I want something that sings to me.

Last week Just Jeff started his cross country hike. He will start in Delaware where he will take a quick dip in the Atlantic. He will then hike across America and then jump in the Pacific ocean when he gets to California. The American Discovery Trail is 4,834 miles.  He tends to walk 25 miles a day, so he may be hiking 193 days or 6 to 7 months if he doesn’t stop in communities along the way.

Before he left, he showed me how he packs his bag. I paid close attention to the supplies needed and how to pack them. He used to pack neatly but realized over time that just shoving everything in the pack better utilized the space. I am starting to think that the open trail might be calling my name rather than buying a studio right now. I have camping equipment from my cross country trek way back in the 1980s. The studios I fall in love with seem to sell out from under me before I commit. Maybe it is a sign.

I found am amazing home in Ithica, New York but it is light years from NYC. The chimney if falling apart, but that could be fixed with staples and some ductape. Taxes on that property are over $10,000 a year. Yikes! But it is soooo pretty and built in 1912 so it has tons of character. Once again the place is much bigger than I need at this point in my life. Ithica is supposed to be a community that supports the arts. There are multiple theaters and visual art galleries. It could be a place to reestablish my sketch a day habit starting from scratch. I am searching in all directions for a place to call home.

Turek Lane Umatilla Florida

Posted on by Thor

Cheré Carr, my real estate agent arranged for us to see two properties on my list. This property on Turek Lane in Umatilla, Florida has a dock right on a lake. One thing I keep thinking is that it would be nice is a place to launch a kayak.

I had time to do this sketch since Chere was running late. Instead of getting upset, I seized the opportunity to block in a sketch. My pen ran out of ink so I used my brush pen. The brush pen ink bleeds when water color is added. I will replace the ink at some point.

As I was doing this sketch the next door neighbor rode over on his golf cart to see what I was doing. He let me know that the lake has some of the largest bass in central Florida. He tends to catch and release. He has a woodworking workshop and across the street from the place I was looking at he has two goats in a field. They were baaing the whole time I sketched. I thought I heard a shriek of a peacock but he said I must be mistaken.

The landscaping on the property I was looking at was rather barren. There was one lone tree next to the house up front and several small palm trees out back. The front lawn was burnt out. I would want to replace it with a native ground cover. In back I would want to start some raised bed planters to grow vegetables and herbs. I’m sure planters up front would look good as well if tastefully done. What the property needs is a whole lot of lush plants. If course all that would take time. I would also want to replace the shingle roof with a metal roof. The 4 other homes on the dirt road all have metal roofs which can last 70 years.

The dock is rather rickety. The first few boards are rotted through. As I walked out Chere shouted out, “You should leave your sketchbook behind!” I liked her thinking, which was save the sketchbook, and let the artist drown if he wants too. She didn’t dare walk on the rickety dock. Repairing the dock wold be another big project.

There is a small granny shack behind the property. It might be nice as a Air B&B for fishermen. I would seldom use the shack and it would need to be air conditioned to keep out mold. We opened the refrigerator and it was nasty, with tons of black mold. The refrigerator had clearly been unplugged for quite a while. That would have to go.

There is a large sun filled room in the main house that would work great as the studio. Every room smelled of cigarettes. A candle was lit to mask the smell but that didn’t work. Amazingly the place has a root cellar where I could store mason jars full of vegetables and jams.

Surrounding the property is farm land and orange groves. It is an absolute country escape, but my eye is still trained on a bigger homestead not far away.

Umatilla Homestead

Posted on by Thor

This last Sunday, Cheré Carr, my local real estate broker took me to see three homes. We returned to the Howie Mission Studio since I wanted to just find out if the road noise was an issue. I considered planting more bamboo to dampen the noise, but having 18 wheeler’s drive by all day would be an issue for my peace of mind.

The second place she took me to was this gem in Umatilla. This home was built in 1913 and every aspect of it is an antique gem. The place has 3 beds, 2 baths and 1,761 square feet. That is whole lot of space for a single guy like me who really just lives at the Disney Desk each day, writing articles and doing digital paintings. It also has a pool which is turning rather green since it has ducks who like to swim in it. When I was married, it was my job as the husband to take care of the pool chemicals and keep it clean. I got good at it but sometimes things could go out of wack. It it really a several hour job every weekend. I never swam in the pool but I always used the hot tub to wind down, and this Umatilla homestead had a hot tub as well. If I were to buy, I am thinking about converting the pool into a sunken garden, by adding steps, paths and a whole lot of soil and compost. That would take time.

The front porch has white columns which it turns out are palm trunks painted white. I love the texture look of them. The place I would most likely set up my art studio is on the left side of the house where there is a sun room that connects to the wrap around porch.  It might be a light filled space, but there were curtains and a large Recreational vehicle was parked right there in the driveway and it blocked the light in to the room. There is an empty lot to the right of the house and believe it or not that extra land comes with the home. There is tons of space to start a vegetable garden or leave it open to let the dogs run around, not that I have one yet. Combined with home property, there is almost an acre of land. I have to look at what taxes are like and what home insurance is like in Umatilla. The garden had well water for watering the pants and the house had city water. Raised beds for that area was my first thought, but all these plans require plenty of work. The other thought is that right now all that land is covered with grass which requires constant mowing. To me grass is a weed needing constant care. I prefer ground covers and native plants that thrive.

The garage has been converted into a workspace, which I love. The back roof of the garage needs some work, since a back porch area overhang is starting to sag. The wood is giving way. The back yard had a large storage shed and believe it or not, a stage. The stage isn’t opulent but since I sketch arts and culture all the time, I should be able to convince some performers to stage their work here. For one person it is all a bit much, but if I invite in artist residents, it could become a vibrant artist hub. To truly embrace this huge place I have to dream really big. Perhaps someday I will meet someone who wants to build a life together, but for now I am just pioneering my way towards a new hope on my own.

Cheré took me to see a third property which didn’t inspire me at all after seeing the Umatilla Homestead. There was a tiny gnome door in one of the ground floor closets and inside there were cigarette butts and other refuge on what was the original wood flooring now dirty and decayed. The neighborhood itself felt run down. It seemed black and white paint was thrown over every surface. A gorgeous stone fireplace was painted pitch black. That place depressed me. I drove back to Umatilla to sketch, lighten my mood, and dream.