More mooch-docking and Cedar Key

The last week in February, we went to "mooch-dock" with our friends June and Dave again.   We had such a fun time with them when we visited with them earlier this year.  We (err, I mean Dan) helped out with some car repairs and a few other odds and ends.  June and I supervised! 

One of their cows recently had a calf and I could not miss out taking a few photos of her.

Too cute!!

I love the way the mama cow looks in this picture!

June and Dave had said that if another calf was born while we were there and it was a female, they would "name" it after me.  But, luck was not on my side and none were born.    
After a week, we bid June and Dave farewell but know that we will see them again "down the road" (sooner rather than later as Dan accidentally left his sunglasses there!).

Back in January, Dan and I rode out to Cedar Key to check out a RV park and the area.  We wanted to see if it would be a good place to hunker down for a month.  Well - it was definitely something that we thought we would enjoy so here we are!

Cedar Key RV Resort is on the mainland about 6 miles from the island.   There are 82 sites here and they all have concrete pads.  They are spaced a good distance from each other and some have trees.  We chose site 81 has it backs to the woods and is in the back of the campground.  We arrived on Thursday and quickly got settled in.  We have already met quite a few people and know that we will enjoy our time here.  It has a really good "community" feel and there have already been some organized activities.  The husband of one of the couples that we have met is a chef and interned at the Biltmore in Asheville, NC.  We had brunch at the clubhouse on Saturday and he made a chorizo sausage gravy.  Yum yum yum!  Wednesday is a covered dish supper and I can't wait to taste what he is making for that!  He has also promised to make us shrimp jambalya!

The one downside to this campground is that there is no TV reception for those without satellite (including us!). It looks like they were in the process of putting in cable here but the campground is now bank-owned and they are concentrating on other amenities.  No worries though, we just walk up to the clubhouse where they have a TV with satellite and get comfy on the couch or chairs there!  We're not big TV people anyway!  Connie and Cliff (pics to follow in later blogs!) are managing the property and are absolutely delightful!  They are really good people and go out of there way to make you feel welcome.    If you are in the area, we would highly recommend Cedar Key RV Resort as a place to call "home".

The first night we were here, Connie had told us about a movie that was in the park's lending library that was a "must-see".  We took her up on her offer and watched it recently.  The name of the movie is "Rosewood" and it is based on the massacre that took place here, in Levy County, in 1923.  (You will see the historical markers on 24 as you make your way to the RV park.) This was a violent, racially motivated conflict that stemmed from accusations (which many claim were false) that a white woman had been beaten and possibly raped by a black drifter.  White men from nearby towns lynched a Rosewood resident and when the black citizens defended themselves against further attack, the white citizens "hunted" them and burned almost every building in Rosewood down.

We were told that this is the old schoolhouse for the black children.  It is right across the street from the RV park.  

The black people fled to the swamps to escape the massacre and some were eventually evacuated by train to Gainesville.  There are conflicting numbers of the lives lost during this massacre.  According to some sources, although the rioting was widely reported around the country, few official records documented the event. Survivors, their descendants, and the perpetrators remained silent about Rosewood for decades. However, in 1993, Florida became the first state to compensate survivors and their descendants for damages incurred because of racial violence.   I am glad that we watched the movie and learned some of the history surrounding the area we are in but believe it is just awful to make judgement based on one's race. 

On Friday, there was a health fair in Cedar Key that was sponsored by the Lions Club.  We saw a posting for this in the clubhouse and saw that you could get various blood tests for just a few dollars.  Without twisting his arm, off Dan and I went Friday morning.  We both had Lipid panels, CBCs, and comprehensive metabolic panels performed.  All of this for just $25!  The hospital in Chiefland will process the results (for free!) and we should get these within the week.  You could also get your blood pressure checked, glucose screening, smoking cessation info (didn't need that!), balance testing, free simple wills (but you had to be a FL resident for this!) and a few other odds and ends.   Breakfast was also served for a donation.  All in all - a very nice community event!   

I have a few other things on my list of things I would like to do while we're in Cedar Key including a day trip to kayak the Crystal River, watching some gorgeous sunsets and getting some much needed beach time.  One of the campers we met here has also invited us to go out on his boat to fish in the Gulf!  Should be a fun month!

Life is good!