A Visit to Old Florida

Awhile back we returned to Gainesville which before we met was Alex’s point of entry into Florida. Once we began to date, every other weekend involved a drive to the little town he lived in just outside of Gainesville. Since then I have always had a soft spot for the area and a park in Worthington Springs because it gave a glimpse of old Florida and the rural way of life.

As always, feel free to click the photos for a larger view.

It is near the section of the State featured by Marjorie Rawlings in her novels "The Yearling", and "Cross Creek". To go there is like stepping back in time and pictures like the one below make you almost expect to see Rawlings step out of the mist.

This one too brings up images of warm Summer days and laughter around the swimming hole that is the creek that runs through the area.

I became a little fixated on this bridge that was designed to allow you to walk through the swamp. It had become warped by rain and weather.

To get this shot I laid down on the bridge to get a view no more than a foot above the boards on the bridge. It gives the feeling of literally going down into the swamp and in my mind back to the time of Rawlings.

Back in time to a sense of simple beauty when life too was a lot more simple...