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| Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) |
All of these images were created along the Sanford Riverwalk Trail which follows the shoreline of Lake Monroe in Sanford, Florida, north of Orlando. The trail has become one of my favorite walking locations for weekend afternoons. It is largely unspoiled, uncrowded and has not yet been trashed unlike most public spaces in Florida.
The recently expanded riverwalk now extends all the way north to Central Florida Regional Hospital and continues through the historic downtown of Sanford. The trail is one of the most scenic paved trails in the area featuring expansive views of Lake Monroe.
The Riverwalk Trail connects Lake Monroe with Wayside Park, Log Cabin Memorial Park, Veterans Memorial Park, Fort Mellon Park, Sanford City Hall, the Seminole County Courthouse, Sanford Museum, a public boat ramp, the River Ship Romance and the restaurants and shops of downtown Sanford.
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| Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) with Sailboats and the City of Deltona in the background. |
There has been record warmth all through our fall so it has been nice the last couple of weekends with a strong easterly flow blowing across the lake providing at least some cool wind. The double-crested cormorants stake out positions on the ancient piers in the lake and appear ready to take flight in the winds while sailboats pass in the background.
Double-crested cormorants are normally found near rivers and lakes and along coastlines. They mainly eat fish and hunt by swimming and diving. Its feathers, like those of all cormorants, are not waterproof and must spend time drying after being in the water (thus the hint of impending flight in these images).
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| Sanford Veterans Memorial Park along the Sanford Riverwalk Trail |
There have been few breaks in the warm weather this fall mainly due to the overall lack of strong cold front passages. That is to say the cold fronts that have impacted Florida have been very weak. The lack of any cold fronts led to a record-setting warm November for most of East Central Florida.
Meanwhile rainfall over most of the area has been much less than normal. The average temperature departures have been 2 - 4° F above normal through fall with Daytona Beach, Melbourne, and Vero Beach all recording their highest average seasonal fall temperatures ever recorded at 76.2°, 78.4°, and 79.4°respectively.
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| Winds whip up waves along the Sanford Riverwalk Trail recently completed north to Central Florida Regional Hospital. |
How Sanford Got its Name
Henry Shelton Sanford was born in Woodbury, Connecticut, in 1823. Henry was 18 when his father died and left him a considerable inheritance. Henry used his wealth to fund a series of journeys abroad. His travels eventually led him to a career in the diplomatic service.
In 1861 President Lincoln appointed Henry Sanford as the U.S. representative to Belgium. From Belgium, Sanford supervised the U.S. secret service in Europe during the Civil War. He thwarted efforts by the Confederacy to purchase supplies in England and France. In 1862 he was granted a commission as Major General in the Minnesota Militia after presenting a battery of cannons to the state.
In 1864 Henry Sanford married Gertrude Dupuy of Philadelphia. They raised 8 children during their lifetime. In 1869, Mr. and Mrs. Sanford traveled to Florida on vacation. General Sanford found that land was cheap and the potential of the state great. He purchased the "Belair" citrus grove just outside the City of Sanford's original city limits.
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| Belair Lodge Home of Henry Sanford 1888-1925 near present-day Sanford, Florida |
At Belair Sanford built a botanical experiment station where he tested the viability of 140+ varieties of citrus. Sanford also grew exotic plants acquired from Central and South America, many of which survived the devastating 1886 freeze.
More historic photos from Belair at this link:
In the 1880s Sanford became involved with the creation of the Belgian Congo through his connection to King Leopold II of Belgium. He invested in the Sanford Exploring Expedition, hoping to make a fortune from the ivory and rubber trade. He purchased a riverboat, named it "Florida," and shipped it to Africa. The expedition was one of a series of financial failures toward the end of Sanford's life.
The Sanford family maintained residences in Brussels, Belgium, and Derby, Connecticut, and only visited Florida in the winter. Sanford's land holdings and contribution to the area's 19th century horticultural industry around what became the City of Sanford gave the city his name.
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| Seminole County Courthouse with giant American Flag at half mast. The flag has been at half mast for nearly a month due to terrorist shootings in Europe and the United States. |
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| Lake Monroe on a warm December afternoon. Sailboats are congregated near Deltona which has calmer waters on the lee side of the windswept lake. |
STEAMBOATS
Near this spot on the trail is the site of the first of Central Florida's established expressways, albeit not very fast transportation by today's standards. Steamboat navigation on the St. Johns River provided the entry to Central Florida during the 19th century. While this spot along the river doesn't look much like a river, doesn't flow very fast, and carries the name "Lake Monroe," it is indeed part of the St. Johns River flowing north toward Jacksonville.
During the Second Seminole Indian War (1835-42) the U.S. Army established Fort Mellon on the then wilderness shores of Lake Monroe, supplying nine steamboats and thirty chartered ships. Afterward steamboat trafic served to provide contact and trade to the sparsely settled region.
During the 1870s and '80s steamer travel reached its peak, filling the economic needs of the settlers and tourists who were rapidly moving into the area. Railroads were build south and west from Sanford beginning in 1880. The dovetailing of railroads and river traffic was accomplished by moving trains on the long piers built into the lake to attend waiting steamboats.
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| Sanford Marina along the Sanford Riverwalk Trail |
Steamship lines with side wheelers running ships from Jacksonville to Sanford were the Brock Line (1853-77); Debary Line Merchant Line (1876-1883); Debary-Baya Merchant Line (1883-1888); Clyde St. John River Line (1888-1933). Daily service between Jacksonville and Sanford was provided by these lines. Among the more well known ships were the Starlight, Fanny Dougan, Magnolia, Welaka, City of Jacksonville, and the Osceola, the only sternwheeler.
For more on steamboats go to:
and
The railroad connection to Jacksonville in 1886 started a losing battle for the steamboats. The boats continued to operate until 1933 when both railroading and steamers had to bow to their common nemesis, the motor vehicle. Today, pleasure boats of all types ply the St. Johns River providing the same ambience enjoyed by the pioneer settlers.
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| Swings, along the Sanford Riverwalk Trail |
The giant rocking swings are my favorite part of the trail. I can sit enjoying the breezes and checking out the wildlife for hours at these special spots which remain relatively unused by the general public.
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| Sabal palmettos (Cabbage Palms) along the Sanford Riverwalk Trail |
Along the new sections of trail stretching north toward Debary and I-4, they have replaced the Sabal palmettos (cabbage palms) that were once iconic along the St. Johns River but largely destroyed in the rapid development of the 1980s-2000s. We are very happy to see the return of the native palms.
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| More Sabal palmettos (Cabbage Palms) along Lake Monroe |
Above and below: More double-crested cormorants resting on ancient pilings in Lake Monroe.
Lake Monroe
Lake Monroe is technically one of the lakes that make up the St. Johns River system. The port city of Sanford is located on the southern shore of the lake while DeBary and Deltona are located along the northern shore. The oval shaped lake is a little over 15 square miles in area.
Below: A Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) soars over the Sanford Marina and Veteran's Memorial Park
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| A large sailboat hugging the lee side of the lake near Deltona while double-crested cormorants look on |
Below: A Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) ignores a sign warning that fishing must yield to boating.
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| Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) |
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| Night falling on a favored fishing spot along the Sanford Riverwalk Trail The City of Deltona and Stone Island are in the background |
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| Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) swarm the lake near sunset, fishing. |
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| Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) returning east toward the Atlantic Ocean at sunset from Lake Monroe, St. Johns River |
We've Read and Watched:
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| Tyra Banks and Nyle DiMarco |
And so it has come to an end. After 289 episodes, 22 seasons and 12 years; after airing in 100 countries, and inspiring 20 foreign spinoffs from Brazil to Finland to Taiwan; after acquiring 7,903,827 likes for their Facebook page and 254,000 Instagram followers; after providing the Urban Dictionary with assorted new verbs and adjectives, including “smize” (smile with your eyes) and “flawsome” (awesome because of the flaws), after last Friday night, “America’s Next Top Model” will be done. It only took 22 seasons for Tyra to finally choose a top model we can hope to see more of, Nyle DiMarco.
What happens is the bottle enters an elaborate global system within which its plastic is sold, shipped, melted, resold, and shipped again—sometimes zigzagging the globe before becoming a carpet, clothing, or repeating life as a bottle. This process is possible because plastic is a stubborn substance, which resists decomposition. With a presumed life span of over 500 years, it’s safe to say that every plastic bottle you have used exists somewhere on this planet, in some form or another.
Pepperidge Farm has sued Trader Joe’s, accusing the grocery chain of trademark infringement for selling a cookie that looks too much like Pepperidge Farm’s popular Milano cookie.
We need to seriously discuss the effects of technologies designed to remove carbon from the Earth’s atmosphere — technologies whose large-scale use is now being assumed as a means for achieving ambitious climate goals — and to have this discussion not only among scientists, but on a political level as well.
Quinn is not out of the woods yet. But he will be soon, I’m pretty sure. After all, he still has to deliver the line that we’ve heard so many times before in the opening credits: “Carrie, you’ll never be free.” Dying words? Let’s hope not. It would just be too cruel, after all he’s been through, and too horrible for us, after all we’ve been through — including, this week, watching the very delightful development of a real, solid, powerful and productive friendship between Astrid and Carrie.
Is Kevin Garvey dead? It's amazing that this question comes up again during the Season 2 finale of "The Leftovers," since it seemingly gets resolved at the beginning of the episode. What?