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| ROSEATE SPOONBILLS-BLACK POINT DRIVE TITUSVILLE,FL |
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| AND OUR FLAG WAS STILL THERE-BIRDING FESTIVAL-TITUSVILLE,FL |
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| JONATHAN WOOD EXHIBIT -BIRDS OF PREY |
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| RESTORED PRITCHARD HOUSE-TITUSVILLE,FL |
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| BLOWING ROCKS DIAGRAM-JUPITER,FL |
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| ST. GABRIEL'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH-TITUSVILLE,FL |
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| NEWEST FLORIDA CONGRESSWOMAN |
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| BLOWING ROCKS AT NATURE CONSERVANCY-JUPITER,FL |
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| JUPITER LIGHTHOUSE WITH 150 STEPS |
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| RESIDENT BLACK POINT DRIVE ALLIGATOR |
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| BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF KSC LAUNCHES FROM TITUSVILLE |
IT WAS A BLAST CLIMBING JACOB,S LADDER AT THE JUPITER LIGHTHOUSE IN FLORIDA ON A CLEAR 75 DEGREE DAY. EACH STOP ALONG THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE WAS A BENCHMARK OF THE CLIMB AND A VIEWPOINT TO DECIDE WHETHER TO FORGE ON OR RETREAT BACK DOWN. FORGE ON WE DID. ALL 17 OF US FROM THE BIRDING FESTIVAL IN TITUSVILLE,FLORIDA 2 HOURS BY BUS AWAY. WE HAD TRAVELED BY BUS FROM ONE END OF THE INDIAN RIVER LAGOON TO THE OTHER.
WE HAD A BOXED LUNCH AT THE NATURE CONSERVANCY'S HAWLEY CENTER BACK PORCH IN JUPITER NEAR THE OCEANSIDE HOMES OF SOME OF THE WEALTHIEST PEOPLE IN AMERICA INCLUDING THE NOUVEAU RICHE ALAN JACKSON, TIGER WOODS AND THAT FORMER PENNSYLVANIA BARBER PERRY COMO. THE NATURE CONSERVANCY DIRECTOR GAVE US A TOUR OF THE PROPERTY ALONG THE INDIAN RIVER AS GIGANTIC FISHING YACHTS ZOOMED BY. A MANATEE AND CALF COULD BE SEEN IN THE CHANNEL. THE NEWLY PLANTED MANGROVES MAY NOT SURVIVE BECAUSE THE BOAT WAKES HAVE CREATED SAND DUNES ALONG THE RIVER.. THE LOW DUNES ALSO PREVENT WATER FROM REACHING THE INLAND PLANTS SO CULVERTS HAVE BEEN BUILT UNDER THE DUNES.
NEXT WE WENT TO THE OCEAN SIDE OF THE CONSERVANCY TO SEE THE BLOWING ROCKS. THEY ARE A LOW SHELF OF ANASTASIA LIMESTONE ALONG THE SHORELINE WITH BLOW HOLES FOR THE SURF AT HIGH TIDE ON STORMY DAYS TO EXPEL WATER LIKE A GEYSER. THE MOST FAMOUS BLOW HOLE LOST SOME OF ITS ROCK DURING THE 2004 HURRICANES THAT HIT THIS PART OF FLORIDA. FOR A WEEK OR TWO THE WHOLE ROCK FORMATION INCLUDING CISTERN LIKE ROCKS DOWN BELOW THE SURFACE WERE EXPOSED. ITS DISPLAY AT HIGH TIDE IS NOT AS POWERFUL. BUT THERE ARE BLOWING ROCKS DOWN FURTHER ON THE BEACH THAT LET IT RIP AT HIGH TIDE. SO WE SANG DINAH WON'T YOU BLOW BUT IT WAS LOW TIDE AND VERY CALM SO WE JUST SAW THE ROCK FORMATIONS.
MR. MCKNIGHT CHEERFULLY TOOK US UP THE LIGHTHOUSE STAIRS AND POINTED OUT PERRY COMO'S HOUSE WHEN WE REACHED THE TOP. HE TOLD US THAT GENERAL MEADE WHO DEFEATED THE CONFEDERATE ARMY AT GETTYSBURG DESIGNED THE LIGHTHOUSE AND MANY OTHER. BUT THE SOUTHERN SYMPATHIZERS IN THE SUPPOSEDLY NEUTRAL STATE OF FLORIDA DID NOT ALLOW THE LIGHT TO SHINE DURING THE WAR.
WE LEARNED THAT ALL ORIGINAL FLORIDA NATIVE AMERICANS WERE ELIMINATED BY DISEASE AND MISTREATMENT BEFORE THE 18TH CENTURY. BUT THE LIGHTHOUSE HAS EXAMPLES OF THEIR PALM FROND THATCHED ROOF SHELTERS ON THE PROPERTY. THERE'S ALSO A SHOT GUN STYLE HOME USED UNTIL 2004 BY A FAMILY THAT GREW FERNS. THEY WERE ONE OF THE BIGGEST FERN SUPPLIERS TO FLOWER SHOPS IN THE UNITED STATES AT ONE TIME. A SHOTGUN HOME IS TWO OR THREE BUILDINGS ATTACHED TO EACH OTHER SO THAT A SHOTGUN BULLET INTO THE FRONT DOOR WOULD GO RIGHT OUT THE KITCHEN BACK DOOR. THE BUS TO JUPITER HAD LEFT TITUSVILLE AT 7:15am AND RETURNED TO TITUSVILLE,FLORIDA IN NORTH BREVRD COUNTY BY 4:30 pm AS THE BIRD FESTIVAL AT BREVARD COMMUNITY COLLEGE WAS CLOSING DOWN FOR THE YEAR. OUR TOUR BY MS. ANN BIRCH OF THE NATURE CONSERVANCY WAS WELL PLANNED,ENJOYABLE, INFORMATIVE AND HAD GOOD FOOD AND A FRIENDLY DRIVER WHO WAS FROM A FAMILY NATIVE TO FLORIDA SINCE 1834. HE'D FORMERLY WORKED FOR THE STATE PARKS AND WAS A TITUSVILLE RESIDENT.
THE 14TH ANNUAL BIRDING FESTIVAL AT BCC IN TITUSVILLE,FLORIDA TOOK PLACE FROM JANUARY 26-JANUARY 30,2011. THE TITUSVILLE ART LEAGUE HAD A SUPERB ART SHOW WITH PHOTOGRAPHY.PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURES WITH A BIRDING THEME. EACH DAY WAS FULL OF EXHIBITS AND LECTURES ABOUT BIRDS AND FLORIDA IN THE COLLEGE BUILDINGS. NUMEROUS FIELD TRIPS MANY BEGINNING AT THE CRACK OF DAWN OR BEFORE WERE GIVEN BY EXPERTS TO THE NORTH BREVARD HOTSPOTS, DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, NEW SMYRNA BEACH, SALT LAKE CONSERVATION AREA,APOPKA WETLANDS, MERRIT ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, THE BLACK POINT WILDLIFE DRIVE, AND CANVERAL NATIONAL SEASHORE ADJOINING THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER LAUNCH FACILITIES IN TITUSVILLE, FLORIDA AND DOZENS OF MORE PLACES. THE VIERA WETLANDS NEXT TO THE SANITATION FACILITIES IS VERY POPULAR FOR BIRDING.
ROZ FOSTER,THE TITUSVILLE HISTORIAN CONDUCTED A TOUR OF A CRACKER FARM ON ROUTE 46 IN TITUSVILLE/MIMS AREA IN THE MORNING AND AN AFTERNOON TOUR IN DOWNTOWN TITUSVILLE OF THE NEWLY RESTORED PRITCHARD HOUSE,ST.GABRIEL'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH,THE CASSONE DECORATORS STUDIO AND JEWELRY SHOP,THE NOW DEFUNCT TITUSVILLE TRAIN STATION AND THE TITUSVILLE PLAYHOUSE WHICH ALL DATE FROM THE LATE 19TH OR EARLY 20TH CENTURY. ROZ INFORMED US THAT AMTRAK IS PLANNING TO RESTORE PASSENGER SERVICE TRAINS FROM JACKSONVILLE THROUGH TITUSVILLE AND OTHER BREVARD TOWNS TO MIAMI IF THEY RECEIVE SUFFICIENT FEDERAL.STATE AND COUNTY FUNDING. TITUSVILLE HAS ONE OF THE FEW REMAINING ORIGINAL STATTIONS FROM THE 1920'S.
OUR NEW CONGRESSWOMAN ATTENDED THE TITUSVILLE MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR THE ASTRONAUTS WHO DIED IN THE APOLLO 1,CHALLENGER AND COLUMBIA ACCIDENTS. HER PARENTS LIVE IN TITUSVILLE. A KENNEDY SPACE CENTER RETIRED LAUNCH MANAGER MR. SIECK GAVE A SPEECH ABOUT SPACE TRAVEL LAUNCHES FROM KSC. THE TITUSVILLE RESIDENT ENDED WITH A QUOTE FROM AN ASTRONAUT WILLIE MCCOOL THE PILOT OF COLUMBIA WHO PERISHED AT RENTRY INTO THE ATMOSHPHERE 8 YEARS A GO ABOARD THE SHUTTLE.
MCCOOL JUST LIKE THE BROTHER-IN-LAW OF CONGRESSWOMAN GABRIELLE GIFFORDS WHO IS AT THE INTERNATION AL SPACE STATION RIGHT NOW WATCHING A VIOLENT WORLD ROLL BY HAD GIVEN AN IMPASSIONED PLEA FOR WORLD PEACE AND BROTHERHOOD.
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| ROCKETS RED GLARE |
FLORIDA HAS MUCH TO OFFER BESIDES GIRLS GONE WILD, WHERE THE BOYS ARE AND BEACH BLANKET BINGO. NOT ALL SENIORS ARE PLAYING SHUFFLEBOARD OR GOLF. COME TO TITUSVILLE WHERE THE BIRDS ARE PLUS ROCKETS AND 25 MILES OF UNSPOILED SHORELINE.
