Translate

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Trip around Florida, Day #1

We got a late start out the door today...not wanting to hurry, and especially ME NOT WANTING TO LEAVE DOOZEY!!! My Mom is watching her for us, or I swear, I could not leave her!! It was rough...a lot of blubbering on my part. I suppose it is just because she is so small, and CUTE, and just my little sweetheart...but the fact is that she has turned me into a blubbering idiot!!! I miss her already! LOL!

I swear I do not know what the name of this town was (well, it wasn't really a town)...just a restaurant on a road in the middle of the sticks somewhere in mid Florida...HA!


This was the cutest little place one could ever see, complete with the smokehouse just pouring out a delicious smell! It came right out to the street and entered our nostrils and man, we HAD to turn around and get some of that!!!

It was the biggest rip off ever! The restaurant at some point had boiled down to just a few little tables inside, and the rest was a huge movie rental and arcade! We laughed, but still stayed for a BBQ pork sandwich...it was very mediocre...I did not eat the bun...not worth eating in my estimation. Fun building to take pictures of though!

Then we visited the Dade Battlefield State Park, in Bushnell, Florida. This was a wish of my hubby's to get to see. It was very interesting and beautiful with all of the old oak trees with loads of spanish moss hanging down! Very romantic! There was a visitors center with a lot of information and two very knowledgeable rangers. We watched a 12 minute video about the battle and it was so well made...bringing emotions into the whole thing...and being able to actually feel the emotions on both sides...between the Seminole Indians and the U.S. Army...again, I blubbered. One of the park rangers divulged to me that he too is overcome with emotion (to the point of tears) each year when they do the reinactment of the battle! They actually had a cannonball that had been found in a neighboring yard where someone was out gardening and discovered it there under the dirt...it weighed 6 pounds and was approx. 3 inches in diameter...quite heavy!

-------------------------
According to Wikipedia:
Dade Battlefield Historic State Park is a Florida State Park located on County Road 603 between I-75 (Exit 314) and U.S. 301. The 80-acre (320,000 m2) park includes 40 acres (160,000 m2) of pine flatwoods and a live oak hammock. Also called the Dade Massacre site, It preserves the Second Seminole War battlefield where Seminole Indian warriors fought soldiers under the command of Major Francis L. Dade on December 28, 1835. Each year, on the weekend after Christmas (as close to the original date as possible), the Dade Battlefield Society sponsors a reenactment of the battle that started the Second Seminole War.

Dade Battlefield Historic Memorial, it is also a U.S. National Historic Landmark.
-------------------------
As per usual, hubby and daughter are taking a little nap before we go out for dinner...and I am up doing SOMETHING!!! LOL! I might fall asleep sometime before 2am! Se you all tomorrow!
Julie

8 comments:

yoon see said...

I love your new header Julie.
thanks for sharing the trip and the photos are eye catching and inspiring!
You get some good rest Julie!

Lisa at Greenbow said...

It sounds like you are having a good time despite missing Doozey and the mediocre barbq.

Judi said...

Hi Julie
Oh happy vacationing!! I know it must be hard to leave your furry little boy but I know your mom will take good care of her...or you wouldn't leave her...

It sounds like you are having a good time...too bad about that bbq place though. Enjoy yourself..take great pictures so you can share them with us.
The information on park is very interesting...

have a great time!!
Judi

Teri said...

It certainly sounds interesting. Even tho the Smokey Joes was a rip off. What a disappointment after such a cute building.

Glad you stayed up to let us in your trip.

Claude said...

UGH... I hate them side of the road places that look so good and just aren't worth bothering with... I always suspect that they save the good food for the locals and serve the trimmings to tourists.

But the state park looks like something I'd like to see...

Brent said...

Hey mom, what great post! I got so excited about the BBQ place when I saw the pictures. I was all like "this is where I want to go when I get home...I can't wait to goto some nasty backwoods BBQ places!!" Too bad it didn't turn out good; I was dissapointed.

That state park looks pretty cool as well, really pretty without all the blood and gore that they must have cleaned up.

And in closing I would like to point out that it is rediculous for you to get so worked up over your dog. Really.

With love,

B

soulbrush said...

i 'get' the whole dog thing completely. when i am on the train coming home after school, i start pining to see snuffs, yes i do!!!!what's the difference between this place and a diner? we don't have diners here and our restaurants don't look like this either, wish they did.

Julie said...

Souly-B- a diner has different kinds of foods, but one of these places is a typical southern BBQ joint with just BBQ meats, baked beans, cole slaw and potato salad type stuff. I guess you would have to be here to see what it is like!!! LOL!