HAUNTED BY A FIELD OF DREAMS

     Francesca and I watched "Field of Dreams" this week.  We

had not seen it since it came out in '89. Most of you know it as a movie about baseball, fantasies, and regret. The main character, played by Kevin Costner, wishes he had reconciled with his father before he died.

     Burt Lancaster is "Archie "Moonlight" Graham", who -as a minor league baseball player- came "this close" to playing in a major league game.

He dreams of going back in time to do that and like several of the movie's characters, he is finally able to experience his fantasy in an Iowa corn field.

     Burt's character got to me. In the 60's I was  a skinny, average athlete with a football dream. I joined my high school's team hoping to make me and my family proud. 

   It didn't happen.

   I "rode the bench" for three miserable years. The coach refused to put me in games even when we were thirty points ahead. I recall standing next to him in the last minutes of the last game. I looked at him and thought, "Please coach, put me in. It's my last chance!".

 

The Mighty T-Breds of yore. The four tackling dummies (right) wear blank practice jerseys

      

     For ten years afterwards I had a re-occurring dream, going back to a Hialeah High School game as a grown man. Coach Powell is excited to see me as he says, "Glenn, we need you. Put on a uniform so you can help us tonight". In reality, the coach never spoke to me. He didn't even know my name.

      As the dream continues I suit-up, have some moments of virtual glory then awaken from the damn thing, upset.  That warped, midnight scenario went on for years. By my late twenties I 'd had enough, I began to write about my creepy dream and all that had led to it.

       It started in middle school when my older brother and I worshiped high school football. We'd go to games and watch hefty teenage gladiators duke it out. I believed that to be successful in high school I had to become one of them.

 Ted (88) played in four Super Bowls. Me (below him), umm...none.

     On the first day of football practice Coach Powell introduced us to the sport by saying, "This is the game that separates the men from the boys. You are here today and if you are a man, you will still be here three years from now".

      I believed him and submitted to being one of his tackling dummies for the the next 1000 days. I persevered to a foolish extreme. I don't recall anyone suggesting an alternative. If they did, I didn't listen. 

I'd put up with anything to prove my manhood.

    

    As my reflections continued I wrote about lessons I could learn and came up with,  

A) Always question authority                                                      B) Don't let others set your goals                                               C) If you like team sports, choose one where you actually get to participate (for me it was high school tennis, college intramural sports, and now old guys' softball.                                                                                       D)To hell with telepathy, let people know what you want, and  

E)  Be yourself, you can do many things that most jocks can not.                                                                                        

Yes, ol' Coach Powell could have been up front with me but that was more his problem than mine.

    After thinking about this things for a week the dreams ended.

    At the time I was a lawyer in a dark suit. After intense self-examination Attorney Terry shut down his office, moved to California and tried his hand in the film business. No, I didn't score any touchdowns there either but I wrote sample scripts, had a tiny TV show, and played a zombie in "Demonoid". In short, I started to become who I was meant to be, an artist, a father, a teacher, and a flying pig parade producer.

    Costner's movie ends when he tearfully reconciles with his long-dead dad.

They share some words and a heart-warming game of catch.

    I don't need time travel to make peace with my bench warming days. I know how I got there and figured out how to move on.

  This morning I'll be playing center field in a senior league softball game. The cherry on top? My occasional meet-ups with my two beautiful sons. They often end with a game of catch. 

                              _______________________

   

GT's September Newsletter

THEY'RE COMING TO EAT OUR DOGS

    Thank God for Kamala Harris. She was outstanding as she tore the Orange Menace into kitchen scraps in last night's presidential debate. 

Now the Harris/Walz team has an even better chance of defeating Trump and his dark vision of America in November's election.

    Our dog, Rocky, watched televised debate with us. Trump got his attention when he said in Springfield, Ohio, immigrants were, "eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”

    Our pooch felt better when moderator, David Muir, pointed out that none of it was true, Trump was "talkin' crazy" again. Francesca and I felt better as Ms. Harris repeatedly revealed. for ninety minutes, Trump to be the fool that he is.

   

In the eight weeks ahead, as they say, "do something".  Harris clearly won last night's debate. Now let's help her win in November. All of us need to do our part to to keep the Lyin' King from returning to Washington.

 

 

 JAMES GADDIS, ENVIRONMENTAL HERO

      We got more good news three weeks ago when Governor DeSantis was forced to cancel his plans to put golf courses, hotels, and pickleball courts in nine of our state parks.

       It happened because a state employee, James Gaddis,

revealed the Governor's secret plan to the public.  Gaddis, 41, was promptly fired for doing the right thing.  A GoFundMe account, set up to compensate him for his loss of income, has raised over $215,000 so far. Said he, "I have no regrets.  I had to do something to stop the madness". 

      I hope he accepts our offer to be "Florida's Hero for 2024" in December's Flying Pig Parade.  We can't thank people like him enough.

 

PIG PARADE JUST THREE MONTHS AWAY

      Gainesville's Flying Pig Parade is now seeking groups to march in December 28th's grand procession, and,

for volunteers to help out on parade day.  You can apply for both by going to our website, www.flyingpigparade.org. 

 

HALLOWEEN GETS SCARRIER

I'm old enough to remember Halloween on the cheap, when it was a simple holiday for kids.  Does anyone remember when you could dress up as a hobo, princess, or cowboy for nothing?  Now Americans spend over $12 billion a year for costumes, candy, and freaky yard decorations.

Check out what's for sale at Lowes on NW 13th this week.

 

The fifteen-footers are $699.00

Dozens of skeletons to choose from, both kids and adult sizes

As you approach he screams, bounces, and laughs

And across the street at Rural King they're selling fresh pumpkins next to the stacks of long rifle bullets. You can get twenty rounds for just $9.99 ( fifty cents per bullet). 

The pumpkins? You can use them for target practice.

 

STRUTTIN' OUR STUFF

We'll be having our fifth annual FLORIDA PARK HALLOWEEN PARADE on Thursday, Oct. 31.  As usual, we will line up on NW 12 road at 17 St. at 5:30.  We march east at six.

 

 

 

 

 

 

LT. CALLEY WAS HERE

If you're old enough to experience Halloween on the cheap you'll remember the true horror story, the My Lai Massacre. It was led by U.S. Army Lt. William Calley.  He died in a Gainesville nursing home last April.  His death went unnoticed for three months until someone recognized his name on an Alachua County death certificate. It was in the Washington Post the next day.

On March 16, 1968, Lt. Calley led 100 soldiers into a Viet Nam village, "My Lai". Although they faced no resistance, they murdered hundreds of un-armed South Vietnamese civilians.

Lt. Calley and My Lai serve to remind us of the horrors of the Viet Nam war, and, every war.  Calley was the only soldier court-martialed and convicted. He was sentenced to three years of house arrest.  Calley kept a low profile in Columbus, Georgia, an army town, in the years that followed. Having in-laws in Gainesville, he landed here for his final days.

Note: As a teen he attended my church in Hialeah, Florida, for a while. Back then he was a kid, older than me, called "Rusty".

SWAYIN' IN THE BREEZE

Moving on to more pleasant subjects, my wife and I love the gentle sway of the long grey beards that hang down from our oak trees. Known as "Spanish Moss", it's actually not a moss (it's a type of bromiliad) and it is not even Spanish.

It's enchanting and beautiful to most everyone. 

I recently met a new neighbor who hates Spanish moss. She told me,  "It was all over my last place, like it was always reaching down to grab me. My new house is great. No oak trees and no moss!".   

 

ENJOY THE FLORIDA MUSEUM WHILE YOU CAN

      Visits to the Florida Museum on the UF campus is one of our

This will be the new silver snake skin look

favorite things. Unfortunately, it's going to shut down for renovations in January. They expect to open with a new silver skin a year later. 

      Another favorite local museum, the Theater of Memory on NW 6th St. will remain open in 2025.

(Then) WE'RE NUMBER ONE!  (Now) WE'RE...34

The University of Florida officials have spent a lot of time bragging about their high rankings.  Last year the Wall Street Journal thought of us as #1, the best public university in the country.  Now, in the 2024's rankings, our state's top university has dropped back to #34.  

It's no surprise as DeSantis & Co. work to dumb down state's public universities, making them less challenging and more conservative. Look what he's done to Sarasota's New College. That's only the beginning.

 

BOB HAS A BOT!

Last December Sante Fe film student, Holden Martin, made a great little video of the world's first Flying Pig Parade.  He just graduated and is premiering his latest epic, "Bob's Bot"  on Sunday, the 15th, at the United Church of Gainesville. 

There will be two free showings of the short comedy at 5 and 7 p.m.  Refreshments will be served.

 The church is located at 1624 NW 5 Ave., five blocks north of the 34th best public university in the country.

        __________

 

         

 

 

AUGUST NEWSLETTER- "Up The Creek"

                                                                 UP THE CREEK

             -Glenn's End of Summer Newsletter-  August 28, 2024

For everyone living on or near the confluence of Hogtown and Rattlesnake Creek in beautiful Northwest Gainesville and, on the planet, Earth

 

HURRICANE DEBBIE

What was predicted as one of the busiest hurricane seasons ever has barely bothered G'ville.

Hurricane Debbie knocked down a tree blocking NW 11 Ave. For a day our creeks look like rushing torrents of cafe con leche but so far we've been fortunate. Knock on wood.

UPNA

Our University Park Neighborhood Association continues to do good things for our 'hood.  Save Sunday, Oct. 27th, for UPNA's Fall Picnic.  If you're not a member, sign up to support their good work for a paltry $20 a year... UPNAgnv.org. 

NEW NEIGHBORS

Max, Kaitlyn, and their baby are enjoying their

new home ar 2061 NW 20 Drive. He's a philosophy professor at the UF. They moved here from Philadelphia.

 

Last night we met Stephen, a pediatric surgeon at Shands. He's very busy moving into his new home two houses north of Max's, on NW 14 Ave.

 

THE SEASON IS HERE!

     This town is waking up from summer doldrums as the Gator Gladiators take on the Miami Flood Zone in The Swamp on Saturday. As a realtor told us when we first looked for houses here, "Live south of 8th Ave and you can make big money turning your front yard into a parking lot". 

    Mark your calendars for 5 p.m. on Thursday,

October 31.  That's when we'll have our sixth Florida Park Halloween Parade.

    

 Two months later (Saturday, December 28th)  The Flying Pig Parade will take wing in

downtown G'ville.   The first one last December was a huge success and much of that is due to to the residents of Florida Park. No other neighborhood produced as many volunteers and parade participants.  They were, for instance,  the heart of "The Run Away Ballot Box" and "Keep Your Stinkin' Hands Off My Body" pro-choice marching groups.

 

Melrose's "Dancin' Dinosaurs"

We're busy now raising the $ to make it happen again. We'll start our fun-filled meetings in early October. Now is a good time to start planning your group for G'ville's coolest event. All the information you need is on our website, www.flyingpigparade.org.

 

IAN'S BURNING THIS WEEK

Some of you know my youngest son, Ian. He is camping at Burning Man this week. I look forward to hearing his tales and hope to join him there in '25.

KIM'S NEW GALLERY

Kim Tanzer had an open house at her new studio/gallery on NW 16 Ave a few weeks ago.

The former dean of the University of Virginia's
School of Architecture is putting paint to canvas

Francesca and Kim

in impressive ways.  This fall she plans to host a variety of creative gatherings there to bring more joy to Gainesville.

 

AND SPEAKING OF JOY

How 'bout the new candidate running for President?   We join Gainesville Women For Harris on Saturdays as they share smiles and wave signs next to busy streets. They'll be doing it again this Saturday to get our football visitors honking. You can join on the south side of Archer Road at 35th Blvd between 10 and 11 AM.   That's the short road leading to Kohl's.

And don;t forget your "I'm With Kamala" and "Don't Make It Weird" signs.

Women For are also registering voters, go door-to-door, and teaching volunteers to help people make sure they are still eligible to vote.

It's surprising how many people we find who think they are eligible but are not. We show them how to fix the problems prior to November.

Last Saturday's rally in Downtown Gainesville

It's a terrific, energized group on FBook @"Gainesville Women For Harris". 

One more thing, I was told that men are welcome to join their efforts.

 

VOTE YES ON 4

A majority of Floridians support abortion which DeSantis & Co. have outlawed. If 60% of the voters approve Amendment 4 on election day Floridawomen will regain reproductive freedom.

Our local "Yes4Florida" group is canvassing neighborhoods every Saturday to ask residents to help end our abortion ban.  I joined them last week and was thrilled to see so many young people stepping up to the plate.

Mariah and Me Ready To Canvas for "Four"

You can learn more at FloridiansProtectingFreedom.com and can register for  their "Super Saturday" events at www.mobilize.us/yes4florida/ .  

Here's another way to

MAKE SOME NOISE!

Last May I met with two UF music instructors to

discuss forming a community percussion salsa band. Kevin and Cody took the ball and ran all the way to the rehearsal studio.

Their new group is "BlocoGNV" ("bloco" is Brazilian for a local drum band) and anyone can join, no experience necessary. I go to their weekly sessions and have a great time.  It's all at www.blocognv.com.

HEAR SOME NOISE

I went to my first meditative session at Gaineville's Gong Chamber two weeks ago. Twenty of us sat in chairs, or laid down, while Gong Master Dan played for an hour. 

It was trippy! More at Gongspot.crrd.com or contact Dan at gongforme@gmail.com.

HEAR SOME GREAT MUSIC

We love performances at Heartwood Soundstage. There are several every week in their acoustically perfect "listening room". Three weeks ago we heard Austrailian guitarist Kyran Danial and he blew us away.

Kyran Danial

Opening for him was Dr. Mark Staples, the well-known Gainesville cardiologist who can play a terrific guitar and transplant a heart on the same day.

There we were in our $25 seats just twelve feet away from these exciting musicians... amazing. HeartwoodSoundstage.com.

DO GATORS EVEN PLAY PICKLEBALL?

As you've probably heard Gov. Ron announced plans last week to build resorts, golf courses, and pickle ball courts in ten Florida state parks.

What's next, sea cow rides at Manatee Springs?

 

We've got to stop this madness. Here's a place to start:

The Florida Springs Council and Sea Turtle Conservancy are sponsoring a Letter Writing Party and Rally for the Parks Sunday, September 1st from 3 to 6PM at First Magnitude Brewing Company (south of Depot Park).  Bring a pen.

The Gov held a press conference today to say he was going to "slow his plans". DeSantis has received 250,000 complaints since he announced his ridiculous, ill-thought parks initiative last week. 

Let's send him 250,000 more.

 

HELP KIDS

The local Education Foundation runs a program to pairs mentors with teens in Alachua County.  You meet with them twice a month at their schools to help instill a love of learning.  All of the "mentees" come from low-income families and must maintain (at least) a 2.5 grade average. Upon completion of the program they receive a 2-year scholarship to any state university.

I met with Jovany for the first time this week.

He wants to become a dentist. If that happens I can give him a lot of business!

 More mentors are needed for the county-wide program. If you're interested call Kate Clement at 352-955-7250 ext. 6434. 

HELP AN ADULT

The Gainesville Library's literacy program needs tutors. They help a variety of people to learn speaking or English grammar skills in all of our county's branch libraries.  I signed up last month and am waiting to be paired up with my first "learners". We will meet twice a month for an hour.

If you'd like more information call the library at 352-334-3920. Ask for "Adult Services" and they will connect you with the literacy program. 

So much is happening this fall.  I'm a bit more concerned about our country's future than our football team.

Let's hope a few months from now we can consider them both "winners".

-G

___________________________________________

 

BUILDING A COMMUNITY

 Hurricanes build community. Ripped roofs and downed power lines get people out of the house and  talking to each other. 

There are also less stressful ways to do this. We're visiting a small town in coastal California this week.

They put together a day full of Fourth of July activities that made everyone have fun whether they liked it or not. 

There was the Third's ice cream social followed by the Fourth's early morning run. After that there was the horse-shoe competition, a pet show, egg toss, tug-o-war, and seeing who could eat watermelon the fastest. We walked down to the beach and entered the sandcastle building contest. 

The judges failed to see the brilliance of our six-inch edifice protected by a 40-foot pentagonal moat.  We explained, "Our castle is the safest. It could never be hit by cannonball". 

The parade here, ten minutes of decorated kids, is always a hit. It's pedestrian-powered and there are no politicians waving from convertibles.

 

What did you do on the Fourth? I liked being in a place where everyone pitched in to have a day-long party. 

People love community. They want to live in a place where they feel safe, nurtured by friends and family. Public events, be they parades, art shows, or barbecue cook-offs, help make this happen.

Happy Seventh of July,

GT

Sam and Sarah leading the parade in La Selva Beach, California

                                ____________

Summer '24 Newsletter

                                    UP THE CREEK

    SUMMER NEWSLETTER FOR FLORIDA PARK, G'VILLE'S GROOVIEST NEIGHBORHOOD 

Happy Summer Everyone. Aren't you happy it's hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk?  If concrete cooking isn't your thing maybe you should go for a swim.

I recently visited the new Westside Park pool to submerge myself.

 

For just $4.50 (half that if you're old) you can swim there or at of our many public pools. They're open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

 

 

 

And of course, there are our amazing springs, several just forty minutes away. There once was a

GAINESVILLE  SPRING

   If you were hot in Hogtown you could dip into Glen Springs -where 18th St meets NW 23 Ave-  until 1970.  That's when the water's flow had been reduced to a trickle. The suburbs around it sucked up most of the water and fertilizer run-off polluted the rest.

A pool was built around Glen Springs in 1924. It was shut down in 1970. Green scum covers it now.

   The Elks Club bought it and for $25 you can join them.  Your membership will allow you to drink beer while watching the slimy green pond that, for thousands of years, was our pristine, natural, swimmin' hole.

     Twelve years ago a group was formed, the "Friends of Glen Springs" to bring it back to life and  into the public domain. Unfortunately the Elks put too high a price on their beer bar to allow this to happen.

MILWAUKEE SPRINGS

In our segregated past African-Americans were not allowed to use Glen Springs. In 1940 they could go four miles north to Milwaukee Springs (It's just off 441 north of the Turkey Creek subdivision).  It seems to have faded away after the war.

I am told that water still flows there on what is now private property  Our county commission, together with the City of Alachua, is now discussing acquiring the spring so the public can enjoy it again.

One can not say enough about the cooling effects of

 

WATERMELON

Ward's has the best deal, a chunk enough for three for two bucks. And, they have the rare ones with seeds you can spit!

Nearby Newberry had its 78th annual Watermelon Festival last month.  That town is so '57 they still have beauty contests.  Several young women stood on a stage seriously vying to see who would be 2024's "Miss Watermelon". A Barbie-like "Savannah" claimed the prize.  Remarkable seed spitting skills were apparently not required. Look for Savannah in the next UF homecomng parade.

 

The festival's parade featured nothing but cars and trucks rolling  by.  Some had people waving at anyone who would wave back. 

 December 28th's Flying Pig Parade will be  nothing like that. 

If there is a queen, she (or he) will be the one who can best spit seeds.

'23's Clown Marching Band

 

It's a good time to start planning your group. Information and entry forms are on our website, www.flyingpigparade.org. 

 

 

Last Tuesday we had a parade board meeting. To keep from being bored we chose a Devo-inspired bucket head look.  There's no way anyone can take you seriously when you're wearing one of these.

BATHING IN SOUND

If cool water isn't your thing try immersing yourself in sound.  You can do that at Gainesville's Gong Chamber. 

 

It's  meditation sessions are incredible. You lie on the floor surrounded by thirty hanging melodic metal discs.

Dan Randall, the gong master, plays them with dramatic verve. The experience can be be exhilarating, and, rejuvenating. One fan comes regularly as it eases her chronic pain. 

I go to be amazed.

 

The Chamber shares space with "Sweetwater Picture Framing".

Most days the gong master is there as his alter ego, Dan, the frame master.

For more information on gongs: gongspot.carrd.com

picture framing: sweetwaterpictureframing.com

 

BANG A DRUM!

We're forming "Bloco GNV", a samba percussion group.  Classes start in early August.  If you're interested in being a part of it let me know.

Last month's Goombay Parade in Coconut Grove had no shortage of drums.

 

 

IT'S WILD!

We spotted a deer and two foxes in Rattlesnake Woods last month, just beyond Rainbow Bridge.

Just seeing it makes you smile

Spotted sunfish had swished 4-foot circular nests in Hogtown Creek bed. The males sculpt the sand and stand guard.

All the females have to do is lay 15,000 eggs every spring. The wonders never end in North Central Florida.

 

 

It's time to sign off.  I'll close with a cool morning that we enjoyed in Vermont last week. 

                                     ________

Your neighbor,

Glenn