NEIGHBORHOOD NEWSLETTER

UP THE CREEK, Florida Park's Summer Newsletter

                                                                      -Glenn Terry

 

 
     Welcome to another perfect summer in Florida Park, one of G-ville's coolest communities. A few weeks ago we greeted new neighbors with a watermelon party. All of them live on our block.

 

    Terri and Tom bought the house behind us three months ago and are busy fixing it up. They are serious sailors who spend half of the year aboard their Shannon 38 breezing around the Caribbean. This winter though, they'll probably still be creating the GNV abode. 

 

     David and Ha bought two houses west of us. They have been in Gainesville 20 years but wanted something closer to town.

     Lisa bought the charming 2-1 on the corner next to them nine months ago. Extensive renovations seem non-stop there.  Amazingly, she grew up in Coconut Grove next to the grandparents of her new neighbor, Ward.

     A home designer, "Mila", purchased the distinctive Nicholson House on the NW corner of 11th Ave and 20 Dr. over a year ago.  The re-building seems to never stop. It could go on for another year.

 

 

TOM ROCKED HERE

Our former neighbor on 11th, Barbara Arnold, has

purchased the classic, mid-century Tench House on NW 24th St.  She had us over for a tour. It was designed by Coconut Grove architect, Alfred Browning Parker, in 1967.  Benmont Tench, the keyboardist for Tom Petty's band grew up

there and it is said they recorded their first album in the living room.

 

Our home-town rock legend is now, "Dr. Tom".  Mr. Petty was awarded an honorary doctorate of music by the UF posthumously last spring.

 

BIG BOY LIVES!

 

    Our neighbor on NW 17th, Gaurav Lohiya is a  talented architect. He is employed at Walker

Architects at the site of the former Bob's Big Boy Burger Restaurant on NW 13th St. When I asked him recently, "What happened to Bob and his cheeseburger, the statue that used to be out front?", he let me know Bob was still smiling, re-located out back. Thank you, Gaurav!

???

What's with the ice cream shop on 13th and 16th Ave.?  "Sweet Dreams" moved there 15 months ago and it still doesn't have a sign out front. It's gotta be the only store that lacks one.

Maybe its really a speak easy and their ice cream flavors include moonshine and absinthe!

Our neighbors on 14 Ave., Dan and Brenda, returned from their 9-month sabbatical in Denmark. Dan confirmed that they had a terrific time. Perhaps we can make Gainesville more like Copenhagen. We can put a Little Mermaid statue by Lake Alice and turn Rattlesnake Woods into a Tivoli Gardens.

11th Avenue artist, Ward Shelley, took off for Taiwan two days ago. He will the spending a month there creating an architectural performance piece. He has promised to tell us all about it on stage at the Limestone Theater this fall. It is conveniently located in my front yard.

 

CREEK CLEAN-UP

     A couple of months ago we rallied the neighbors to

clean Rattlesnake Creek (photo below). Walking in the cool, shallow water with tall trees all around amazes. Walking a creek is one of the most wondrous things you can do in Florida Park.  

     I met with the county subcommittee that helps protect our creek green-ways two weeks ago. They have been working for years to acquire more land adjacent to our creeks.  I reminded them that some of it is for sale in Florida Park.

 

 

 

BIKE ACCIDENT

How often do you get a phone call saying, "I need some help. I got run over by a truck". I got such a call from a neighbor, two months ago.  

My friend was riding his bike on a sidewalk when an oil truck emerged from a driveway. It dragged him (underneath) down the street and fractured a few bones. He also lost a lot of skin but he's healing, recovering to the point where he's riding a bike once more. The lesson, he says, is "drivers should look both ways when entering a roadway".

UPNA

Our University Park Neighborhood Association keeps doing all kinds of good things. We are trying to have noise ordinances enforced, new parks created, and

meeting with city commissioners to come up with new ideas to resolve our city's housing problems.

 

Would you be interested in serving on our board?  I have been on it for three years now and it is a pretty interesting bunch. Contact me if you're interested, bettermiami1@yahoo.com .

 

DUMP TOUR

   

Fourteen of us had a transcendental experience at our county's dump/recycling center last April. We had a rollicking good time rolling along in the dump's "trash trolley". We went as a group but anyone can sign up for the weekly rides.

ON THE WINGS OF PIGS

We're busy trying to raise $10,000 so we can put The Flying Pig Parade on the streets of Gainesville December 30th.  We have monthly meetings and are busy applying for a number of grants. The City usually helps pay for parades but they're low on funds this year.

Our neighborhood Halloween parade is coming up on Tuesday, October 31. That costs next to nothin'! 

 

       (Below, the wonderful people who are creating our new parade).

 

LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE DADS

Here's hoping you dads have a Happy Father's Day tomorrow. We are going to the Father's Day concert at Heartwood, 5-8 p.m. Mike Boulware will be introducing his new surf band, "The Green Room" and "Zee-R" a Brazilian band that plays American rock'n roll will perform as well. Free admission and free beer (well, the first one) for those who have experienced fatherhood. 

 

Happily, I qualify,

Glenn

THE LIFE OF PI

  

     

  

     I never had an old dog before. When I grew up we had hounds like Willy, Waldo, Tippy, Peppy, Putney, and Zack. The list was long and their lives were short.

      Back then dogs ran free. Usually they'd either run away or run into cars. I've had mutts to whippets but one dog I never had was an old one... until now.

         "Pi" came to us as a surprise birthday gift. We

had a small pond in our yard. The only thing I wanted was a fish. We went to a pet shop to get one and came home with a dog.  

    We had no choice, the little brown terrier was caged in a temporary adoption center.  Her deep, doleful eyes said, "take me home".

     

    When I started writing this last month she was fourteen and spiraling down, the result of a brain tumor. 

        She left us last week -softly lapping ice cream on the back porch- as a compassionate vet led her through the gates of Heaven.

 

       Most everyone thinks their dog is "the best" and we were no different. Pi was so clever she named herself by imprinting the pi sign on her chest. She knew an incredible number of tricks (4) including "sit" and "shake". 

    

   She loved to travel. Pi got to lick glaciers, admire buffalo and watch balooga whales frolicking in the St. Lawrence Seaway.

 

    She even went to jail, impounded by the Canadian border police so our van could be thoroughly searched for

Summering in southern Utah

contraband (they found illegal fire wood).

 

Dylan with his favorite

      

    As she was the one that stuck around, Pi was the dog our kids knew best. Her gentle, outgoing personality allowed her to make friends easily.

      

     Over the years much of her short chocolate fur turned grey much like the "fur" on my head. She and

I seemed to mirror each each other as the years rolled on.

     Francesca and I loved each step Pi took from puppy hood to the struggles in her declining years.

      

    She sleeps under our grapefruit tree now. We sit with her often. 

     Left with our memories an added treat surprised us. As we packed her things Francesca picked up a throw rug, the one Pi slept on. She sniffed it and smiled. It was still strong with the scent of our little doggy.  

We may never wash it.

    It's one more memory of Pi, the best dog ever.

 

        

DOWN IN THE DUMP

 Ever wonder where your garbage goes?  Twenty-two of us  went on a tour of our local dump today  (hint:  It doesn't get flushed down a giant toilet).

To solve the mystery we boarded The Trash Trolley,a  Disney-esque ride that gave us front row seats to Where it Goes.

Most of it is dumped into the arena-like garbage barn.  After our trash hits the floor bulldozers shoved into the maws of mega-trucks waiting below.

They transfer our refuse to a dump in nearby Union County because,

1) We don't want a mountain of stink,                  

2) They are willing accept our 120 tons of our daily throw-out for a price and, 

3) the 1100 people living next to the dump are state prison inmates. They're used to getting dumped on. 

For the reasons above the place we visited does not consider itself a dump but rather a "temporary holding facility".   Whatever.  At the "Leveda Brown Transfer Station and Recycling Center" people do a great job of sorting our refuse into,

a) The tons of trash that go to Union County.

b) Tires that get ground up into rubbery mulch that will outlive you and your grandchildren.

 

 

 

c) Hazardous waste materials that get re-cycled (you can get free paint there)

Julie scores free water sealer

or incinerated and,

 

d) Recyclable materials that we put into our roadside bins.

 

The hazardous waste manager was truly dedicated and knowledgeable.

 

Our guide points out the recycling barn. The ceilings insulation is ripped up because the raccoons who live there keep trying to eat their rodent roomates.

 

These popular cups, made from compressed styrofoam, can't be recycled

  

 

 

 

  The last facility we passed by was the most interesting as we saw county workers making an honest effort to make much of the crap we toss available for re-use.

Our recyclables are sorted by hand. Everything in this huge pile below gets tossed onto a conveyor belt. The person you see at the top spends her day quickly tossing glass this way,

 

 

plastic that way, paper goes up and and metal, down. There's a fifth troublesome category, the things we put in the bins that can't be recycled.  These include clam-shell containers, plastic bottle tops, and most plastic cups. They're sent back to the garbage barn. 

    Want to work there?  Drivers make $35 p.h. The sorters start at $12 per plus benefits.  To make the sorter's job easier we were reminded to stop putting the "wrong things" in our recycling bins. "If in doubt, throw it out", they say.

The glass gets ground up and put into asphalt. That's why new roadways sparkle.

Buzzards love this place

Yard waste is ground into mulch (free, stop by for a car full!).

 

 

 

 

The plastic, cans, and paper are smashed into these bundles which are available for purchase.

 

  

   We came away with new knowledge about one of the many things we don't want to think about. We can certainly ease the problem by using less plastic, composting un-eaten food, and a myriad of other solutions. 

Ready to organize your own tour?  Alana Carino, county tour coordinator, is waiting to take you call (352-338-3233). It might be a great way to celebrate your next wedding anniversary with friends.

RIDIN' THE WHIRLYBIRD

    WHIRLYBIRD

 

What's with the big grin, Glenn?

Does everyone do that when they take their first helicopter ride?

"Yep", I answer, " It's totally AWESOME!"

 

   Yesterday was "Aviation Day" at the G'ville airport.  I have a passion all things flying so I sauntered over to check it out. 

The airplane greeting me was this simple Cessna 150.  It's what I learned to fly back in '66.

 

I noticed a group of kids marching past me with guns.  I think they were there to protect us from the crazies who thing aviation enthusiasts are "woke".

 

Moving on I toured a big'un that can drop buoy bombs on submarines

Boeing 737 converted for anti-submarine welfare

 

and this natty Benson Gyrocopter.

I bought a broken one once. I tried to fix and fly it, and nearly killed myself. Young men do dumb things.

 

I spotted a sign saying for $60 I could take to the sky in this sleek blue helicopter.  Yippee!

 

The first six seconds was worth sixty bucks.We were up and away!

My flight was more than exhilarating. Chris the pilot gave me headphones that made the chopper's engine as quiet than a prayer.

As he twisted the control stick we rose like smoke to head towards the UF campus. As we flew over Satchel's I could see the university's original orange-roofed buildings in the distance.

Just before them were the conglomeration of ugly mega-apartments that clog up NW 13th St. at University Ave.  Ky-rist, there are more on the way.

 

   I felt free as a bird -retaining my goofy smile- as we drifted over the UF's secret zillion-dollar football training complex. There was the air-conditioned indoor field house I'd read about plus, a couple more playing fields outside.

There's even a rec area with a b-ball court, a pool shaped like a jig-saw puzzle piece, and a putting green. The masseuses and manicurists must be just inside.

 

On the green field I could see gator gladiators, uniformed white specks working on secret plays that only I could see (Chris the pilot was too busy keeping us from crashing). 

The Swamp

The Church of All Things Gator soon drifted into view.  Isn't it weird that this big baby hold services just six days a year?

 

Ever busy with my camera I shot the University Auditorium. 

A long time ago I saw Andy Warhol step up to the podium there and not say anything. He was terrific. Andy at his best. We applauded his silence.

I looked to my left to see our house just a mile north of The Swamp (our football stadium). 

It was reassuring to see that it, and almost every other residence, is hidden by trees. We're a "tree city" y'know.

Chris then pointed our chopper back to the airport. As Lake Pithlachocco glistened in the distance he brought us home for a gentle landing.

That's why you saw a helicopter touring our university all day. Woke or not, it was Aviation day in G-Town.

 

TWO FOR TEA

I recently learned that Gainesville has two businesses catering to lovers of tea. Both are hidden in plain sight.

A Thousand Leaves Herb Shop is in an industrial area at 22 SE 5th. Ave.  The herbalist on duty will assist you with any teas,

tinctures, or spices you may need.  It reminded me of a tea shop I once visited in NYC's Chinatown.  You tell them what ails you and they mix of a batch of secret something.

 

The other tea emporium I discovered is "HOWL" a converted residence at 109 SE 4th Avenue.

That's my son, Ian, saying "hello" at HOWL

The folks that run the place, Bluejay and Caleb, could not have been nicer.  They offered my son and I a vast array of prepared teas, coffees, and muchables.

      Bluejay spotted King Mango on my t-shirt and exclaimed, "The King's in d' house!". Turns out she's from Coconut Grove. Her family has enjoyed the zany King Mango Strut parade there for years.

We enjoyed sipping tea at HOWL (the "House of Waking Life") and know you will too. Stop by and tell Bluejay King Mango sent 'cha.

Bluejay and Caleb tending the bar

HONORING OUR CONSERVATIONISTS

        Five hundred of us gathered in a lush meadow yesterday, the home of the Alachua Conservation

ACT's headquarters, Prairie Creek Lodge

Trust ("ACT").  The non-profit is Florida's leader in land conservation. They own -or manage-  56,000 acres in North Central Florida.

        At last night's annual affair we honored Randi Cameon, Richard Hamann and Vivian Filer for promoting ACT's goals through education.

       It was a wonderful evening to support a terrific organization.

      

As the Sooza Band played Art Crummer did the "Locomotion"

   

Another spectacular event on the prairie

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