Okefenokee swamp. GA; Gainesville to Sarasota Fl. Feb 20 – Mar 1st

Valdosta to Fargo is about 45 miles through forests of pulp pine on a road, drawn by snapping a chalk line. Speed limit posted was 45; I was late, did 75 and never saw a sole. At Fargo, I stopped and asked a local if he knew where I could rent a canoe.” Take the next left, go 17 miles and you’ll reach the main office of the State Park.” I left a phone message with Jeff saying I was going on. Again, I was on a road like an arrow where 30’ long stake trucks stood on either side, each loaded with 10” diameter poles like so much spaghetti and close to clear cut land. Monday morning, tractor-trailers will take them away to be chipped for pulp.

I took a picture to the entrance of the park and chortled.

As I was deciding whether a canoe or a kayak, Jeff came in and gave me a bear hug. Kristina brought a picnic; we grabbed paddles, life jackets and went to the boat jetty. My kayak was #1, their canoe the first on the rack. No others were rented by 11:30. By a sign warning of alligators, slept 6 footer.

The water is black, opaque and as reflective as any mirror. I couldn’t believe the clarity of the reflection, almost as though it was sharper focused than the object being reflected (which by comparison, seemed blurred.) Everywhere I looked the mirror image was fascinating. Turn the following photograph upside down, the light blue above, that’s the way it was photographed. I flipped it as I think it looks better with the blue of the sky in the water.

We saw quite a few very large alligators. Jeff saw the first because he moved off the bank, slipped into the water and floated. The reflection made him look like a rippled, thin log, just the snout, nose and eyes, doubled, and then a space and following, a repeating image of spiky scales. You couldn’t imagine the actual shape or how long he was until the tail broke the surface 8 feet behind the eyes.

There were almost no other living creatures. One woodpecker, one snakebird, just silence and droplets as our paddles sliced the black water. It was magical and peaceful; took my shirt off and, alligator-like, soaked up the sunshine.

We returned our boats around 4:30.

Driving to Gainesville was fast; a constant flow of high-speed vehicles. The dogs, Coda and Ethyl barked welcome. Jeff made a delicious fish dinner; we talked until 2 with a model of the shovel sculpture sitting on the dining room table.

Sculptor working on model of twisted shovel pipe

Ostensibly, this was the reason I visited; to help Jeff weld 50 shovel heads to a 12’ high, black pipe, inverted cone. Florence, his elderly neighbour’s husband had been a metal worker. His shop, a spacious barn, was complete with a forge, electric hammer, anvils and marvelous collection of ancient tools. Outside was a pipe bender with a patent date of “ 1872 “ stamped into it’s throat. However, there was no welding equipment. We purchased 40 feet of 1” mild steel black pipe and necessary fittings and started to reproduce the model. If the pipe is held at a constant flat angle, with the immense leverage of 10’, it’s fairly easy to bend a 4-foot diameter circle. The conical shape meant that it also had to climb so one has to crimp and bend with a slight inward twist as the pipe is fed into the bender. We completed the top and most difficult bend first. Jeff kept the upward motion consistent, I pulled and grunted. It took a few hours and then it was dark.

The next day, I joined Jeff in his lab where he was trying to prove/disprove the existence of specific neurons in a very exact area of a rat’s brain. The preparation took 2 hours; mixing very exact solutions of chemicals, laying out the surgery, adjusting the microscope and pipette making equipment. After lunch, a rat was procured, decapitated, the brain removed and then sliced into wafer thin sections and placed into an oxygen-enriched fluid. The first rat didn’t work out so the process was repeated with another.

Jeff’s skill was remarkable. Infinitesimal small slices were put under the microscope and enlarged to fill a 20-inch computer screen. He could find one cell, place probes on either side of it, connect one inside and use the other to spray the cell with a known chemical. The electrical reaction produced by the cell created a specific graphic, signature pattern, which identified its type. In the next 4 hours Jeff was able to test 4 cells; astonishing, detailed, exacting work. I tried my hand at manipulating the probes. Like playing an electronic game in a 3D environment; needs a lot of practice to be as expert as Jeff.

On Saturday we returned to finishing the sculpture. Instead of 3 lengths of pipe, Jeff determined that two lengths more closely matched his intent. It’s possible the threaded joints will need to be welded to stop them twisting under the weight of the shovel heads which Jeff had collected from local flea markets. I drilled and pinned the elbow holding the most weight. He has both arrow and flat-headed shovels. By taping them , with points along the pipe Jeff created a convincing, organic, petal-like, simulation of a sort of cactus. Florence suggested three arrow shovels bunched together at the top.

Every evening, Jeff provided delicious suppers. Friday, we had a BBQ party with friends and neighbors and, one night we went out for Pizza. It compared in quality to those Travis and the boys make Tuesday nights or ones we ate at the Moose’s Tooth in Anchorage.

Sunday Kristina purchased a large and heavy set of drawers near Cellon park, which contained a “ champion live oak”, 344 inches in circumference, 79’ high, a canopy spread of 154’. Note: Jeff, the tiny insect standing on the left, opposite the branch touching the ground. A phenominal tree; largest I've ever seen. Unfortunately, no one has cored it to determine it's age but I would guess 6 or 7oo. You can walk up the branch touching the ground on the right, fairly hairy but , if you don't fall off, you'll be 20 feet up when you reach the trunk.

We picked up the drawer and later we watched the Canada/USA Olympic hockey game with Larry, Jeff’s neighbor. He uses a 4-foot wide, metal, freestanding fire pit to burn fallen pine branches and keep his yard tidy. We enjoyed its warmth, the company, the wine and, of course, the game won in overtime 3 to 2 by Canada!

Following morning I shared a shower with Grasshopper who was inside because the temperatures had been hovering in the 40ies. He liked the overspray.

I left Gainesville passing through Ocala and heading south on 75. While with Jeff, I searched on line for Harry & Carol Tokay, friends from U Mass, Amherst 1968. Because I had unearthed and was using a 25-year-old road map, his name was unexpectedly written beside Port Charlotte, FL. Damned if I didn’t find an address and a phone number. I’ve been unsuccessful for the past 15 years.

I left a message to which Carol responded a few hours later as I was on the road to Sarasota. What a hoot! We arraigned to meet on Saturday after my visit with Stan & Joyce Winton, who I hadn’t seen since, probably 1967. Serendipity; my old friends living almost in the same neighborhood.

Stan is almost exactly as I imagined, older, but recognizable as his younger self. They married 49 years ago and the mutual admiration and respect they hold for each other explains the longevity.

Their condo overlooks a ½ mile bay on the intercostal with an uninterrupted view of mangroves, birds and sailboats , an ever-changing panorama as daylight and weather conditionsvary. It’s their 2^nd home away from the Montreal home but I suspect it will become their first. They love the culture of Sarasota, the weather , how convenient their needs are met and the friends and activities they have in Condo-Dom.

Looking south , out of the screened porch

Yesterday we called Bob Mason one of our friends from teen days living on a frozen lake north of Lachute. ( It thaws in the Spring.) Our conversations brought memories that haven’t surfaced for many years. Great to have such friends from so long ago !