The Big Snub

Two birds meet on a dock. One is a sea gull, the other is a black bird. They eye each other and this is the initial result. A short time later, after each bird found out what the other was really like, they became good friends. This happened on our dock at Bream Lake. I think we all can learn a lesson from our fine feathered friends.

On the Deck

Looking more like passengers in deck chairs on the Titanic than Floridians, my wife and daughter are bundled up for a brisk February afternoon on Bream Lake. Although they were feeling a bit chilly, my grandchildren were running around barefoot, cavorting with their Scottish father and absolutely enjoying the break in the temperature.

Reflections

Since, at Bream Lake, we exist on the water's edge or, when recreating in the lake, literally on top of it, we see a myriad of images mirrored in the water, constantly coming back to us , showing us who we are and how we live. The reflections are every where and vary according to the light, angle, and relative calmness of the water. Depending on the amount of light hitting the surface, the lake can appear dark, almost black, blue, green or even brown. If the surface is mirror smooth the reflected images are crystal clear and ultra-realistic. If the water is choppy it offers an impressionistic rendering of our world. It is always fascinating, and yet we tend to ignore these wonderful images, being so familiar and everyday. I was on our dock, sipping a late afternoon libation, my camera at my side, when I looked back at our house on the water's edge and saw this. The version of the image you see here is inverted, adding mystery to the already enchanting act of nature. Click on the image to get a better view.

Hitchcocks

This is a tee-shirt we purchased at Hitchcock's in Hawthorne. In Gainesville we shop at Mother Publix. In Hawthorne it's Hitchcock's. The moment we enter the store we are greeted by a female voice (via the P.A. system) saying "Welcome to Hitchcocks's. We are proud to say we have spareribs on sale for...." All in a wonderfully mellifluous southern twang that could only have been comitted to tape by a Hawthorne woman. We visit Hitchcock's at least two or three times during our usual four day visits to Bream Lake and we are never dissapointed. I think you can find the cheapest meat on the planet there: stomachs at $2.50 per pound. The only problem is we haven't had the stomach to try them.

Bess

One of the three ducks that regularly inhabit our little section of Bream Lake. It's name is Bess (I'm using "it" because it could be a male). Bess is named for Harry Truman's wife. The three ducks are named Harry, Bess and Margaret (Margaret, of course, for Harry's singer/novelist daughter). If you've been to Key West you will recognize the name from the Magaret Truman Laundrette (because it's located at the intersection of Margaret and Truman streets). The ducks are fed a ration of whole kernel corn each day we are at the lake and they seem to expect it to be there at the right time.

At Last!

This may not look very interesting to you, but the sight is heavenly for those citizens of the Four Lakes Community of which Bream Lake is a constituent. They have finally begun work on that tortuously bumpy strip of road extending from the Alachua County line into Putnam County, winding through the lakes area, and eventually emerging onto Gordon Chapel Road. This is something that has long been anticipated by most of the community and will certainly be appreciated by our poor automobiles and trucks, which have previously been lead to early retirements by the damage inflicted by this washtub thoughfare.