MICANOPY MIRAGES Began posting on Monday, March 2, 2015; 1st update, Mar. 21, 2015
NOTE: When I first put the photos on this web page, I had enlarged them quite a bit. But just last night, February the 17th, 2016, I noticed that it was impossible to see the previously enlarged sections of the photos outside the normal text-photo column. Sorry about that. So now, I am working on reducing all the photos back down to the standard text-photo column size, so that the complete photos may be seen. This might take a while. Sorry about that too. So for the photos I have downsized to their original format, and for the ones I have yet to do so, follow these instructions-- To enlarge the photos & text, hold down "Ctrl" & press "+" one or more times as desired. To reduce the photos & text, hold down "Ctrl "& press "-" (to left of "+" key). Then, click on scroll bar at bottom of screen & drag it all the way to the right to see complete photos. I can enlarge 5 times on my widescreen laptop & still be able to see entire photo & text. It may be different for your computer screen.—
D flies from Baltimore-Washington (BWI) Airport to Orlando, Dec. 28, 2012 with Mom & Dad Kellermann (who live in Lake Wales, Florida)--
12-28-12 001. I think I took this one at BWI while we were waiting for our flight to NC--
12-28-12 002. We're either on our plane at BWI ready to take off for NC, or we have arrived at Charlotte, NC; or we're at NC on our connector flight to Orlando-- 
12-28-12 003. Up, up, & away-- 
12-28-12 004. Somewhere out there, in the air-- 
12-28-12 005. 
12-28-12 006. Trying to get above the clouds-- 
12-28-12 007. I think we are now taxiing in at Charlotte, NC-- 
12-28-12 008. Ditto-- 
12-28-12 010. Orlando-bound in the dark-- 
12-28-12 011. Above the cloud-cover the sky is lighter--
12-28-12 012. Darker now; lights on the wing-tip-- 
12-28-12 015. Looks like full moon, or close to it-- 
12-28-12 017. After we landed in Orlando, Mom & Dad helped me figure out where we were so that Roy could know where to drive to pick me up & chauffeur me to Micanopy; here I am in the SW bedroom (I don't remember who took this photo)-- 
* * *
Dec. 30, 2012 in Micanopy
12-30-12 001. Mailboxes at the intersection of County Road 234 & SE 21st Street, near Micanopy I-75 exit. Almost every morning, I would walk the 9-10ths-of-a- mile dirt road from Mother & Jane's house to the "hard road" to get the Gainesville Sun newspaper-- 
12-30-12 002. Now, take a walk with me back home on the old dirt road-- 
12-30-12 003. The Carrs put up this sign post back in the 60s, I guess it was; don't remember if it was before or after the Weldons moved out here (I think it was before, but I could be wrong). If it was before, there would have been 3 engraved sign boards attached: Carr, Tillman, & Hannah (top-to-bottom in "house-location order"); then, after the Weldons moved here, the sign with their name on it, as seen the the photo, was added to the top, as theirs was the first house you passed. The 3 signs you see on the post are, I guess, the original signs: "Weldon" & "Carr," but I can't make out the bottom one-- 
12-30-12 004. I'm not sure who lived on this old road first: Dr. Archie Carr, or my Uncle Joe & Aunt Aggie Hannah-- 
12-30-12 005. I think I remember hearing that Uncle Joe bought some 150 acres of land at the end of the road from Mr. J.E. Thrasher, built a house, farmed & raised cattle there. (It was probably back in the early '60s when an incident occurred somewhere out in the woods to the left in this photo, or maybe a little farther back toward the mailboxes. Dr. Carr was walking out there one day when he happened upon one or more 5-gallon glass jars of moonshine whiskey. He called the Beverage Agents who I think probably set up a covert surveillance of the area, & I guess they later caught the moonshiners. I don't think there was a still there-- only a distribution point, either for further transport by runner, or sold on site, to individual customers)--
12-30-12 006. Oops! I got my hand over part of the lens in this one; sorry about that. I think that before Uncle Joe bought the land, Mr. Thrasher may have farmed it himself (or hired someone to do it for him), but I'm not sure.-- 
12-30-12 007. At the time the Tillmans moved from Jacksonville to live on a portion of the Hannah's property in Jan. 1954, Uncle Joe farmed the land & also worked in Mr. Thrashers' General Store in Micanopy. I forgot to take pictures of 2 "driveways" leading off to the left somewhere between this photo & the next: the first one would be to the Weldon's house which sits way back & hidden amongst the trees; the 2nd one, running close to the nursery property (I'll tell you about the nursery 2 shots from now), leads back to another house, which isn't visible from the road, & which may be a rental house--
12-30-12 008. Here, I turn around & look back the way I came from; on the right you can see the clear cut running along the power line poles which goes all the way back to the mailboxes; that bright spot is a low-lying open grassy area, or marsh, which has standing water in rainy seasons. At some point, Uncle Joe ceased working for Mr. Thrasher, leased the Standard Oil service station at the corner of 441 & the main street going into Micanopy, delivered kerosene, & sold his produce at the service station, while still farming & raising cattle-- 
12-30-12 009. Now, we continue on our walk home. The sunny area up ahead is due to a clearing on the left where the Carrs have a commercial plant nursery, with a green house & field (I don't know if the nursery is still in business). Somewhere on this stretch of the road is where a man was walking from the hard road, early one morning in about 1954 or '55. Wil & I were walking toward the hard road to catch the school bus, driven by Mrs. Mack, to Micanopy Jr. High, & were way down there just this side of where you can see the road disappearing as it makes "S"-curve to the right--
12-30-12 010. On the left off-screen is the some 4 or 5 acres of land comprising the nursery. There is an entrance thru the fence via a gate just this side of the utility pole. I think there is another gate (or used to be) further back this way which was also used to gain access to the nursery. This is how far Wil & I had gotten on our walk to the mailboxes to catch the school bus, when we saw in the far distance ahead of us a man walking toward us, at which time we panicked, turned around & ran as fast as we could back home. I don't know how we got to school that day. I guess the man was walking in to help Uncle Joe in the fields, or maybe he was taking a shortcut to the Shiloh area, which could be reached by walking thru Uncle Joe's "Simmons Field" (the farthest field on the W end of the farm) & then getting on a dim, ancient, overgrown road which puts you out on N Hwy 329 near the Old Feaster Homeplace. Right here is also where I was in a dream one night, walking toward the mailboxes in the middle of the night, when I spied the Frankenstein Monster (whom Jane, Judy & I nicknamed "Frankincense Monster," & "Frankie") limping toward me at a pretty good rate. I turned around in terror & tried as hard as I could to run at a high rate of speed, but could only move in slow motion. A real incident happened here too that I remember. Some of us were driving in to home one afternoon, & Mrs. Marjorie Carr, also heading home I believe, had stopped her car at the exact location of this photo. We stopped & got out & walked over to her. She began explaining in her easy-going, congenial, highly educated way what she was doing, which I can't remember anymore. Maybe she saw a baby bird on the ground (off in the right shoulder of the road) which had fallen from its nest or something. Anyway, what I do remember is that she had taken her shoes off (high heels) & was "wading" thru the sand & low vegetation to reach the bird or whatever animal she was aiming to assist; & we walked out there with her. I also remember being concerned that she might step on a sand spur or briar or something & get hurt. Another memory, one of my first memories I guess, of Mrs. Carr, was this: One day, we Micanopy Jr. High School students took a field trip to the Florida State Museum, which in those ancient days was on W University Ave. in the Seagle Bldg., Gainesville's only "skyscraper" (I think it was at least 10 stories tall). As we walked around looking at the exhibits, all of a sudden, there was Mrs. Carr who lectured us on at least one (maybe several) of the museum displays. I remember being surprised to see her there. It was not till years later, that I found out just how well-educated she was. I just looked her up on line (Marjorie Harris Carr, Mar. 26, 1915-Oct. 10, 1997) & found this info on Wikipedia : Born in Boston, Mass. & grew up under the tutelage of naturalist parents in Bonita Springs, Fla.; received her B.S. in zoology at the Fla. State College for Women (now FSU) in 1936; completed her masters in zoology at the U of Fla in 1942. I tho't I had heard that she also had a PhD, but I don't see that information in the Wiki article. 
12-30-12 011. On the left is the gate mentioned in the last photo, & at least a glimpse of the nusery acreage. See the pile of sand in the lower right? Dr. Carr used to call it "Hannah sand," as every time it rained, more sand would wash down the road from the direction of Uncle Joe's & Aunt Aggie's. From here, & stretching for 75 feet or so, lies the sandiest part of the old dirt road. The Carrs regularly bring out their tractor & blade to push excess sand over toward the fence, as you can see in this photo. (The next photo is shot nearer the huge oak tree on the right, near to which a house used to stand)--
12-30-12 012. I pause here, face right, & shoot this side-road which goes back into the woods to a house. At one time, Tommy Carr lived there. Later, it was rented out to someone. To the right, where the sun is shining thru, is the Carrs' property & house. In the old days, the 50s & early 60s maybe, there stood a house near that huge oak, & was the residence of Mr. Johvenola (I'm sure this isn't the correct spelling, but sounds right), who the Carr boys called "Uncle Joe." I think he may have been a professor at U of Florida. During the 70s, I guess it was, the house wasn't there anymore. I always assumed it was torn down, but I just had another idea--maybe it was moved down that lane & is the same house in which Tommy Carr used to live, & which is now rented out as far as I know. (But also in the old days, there was another house a little ways off-screen to the right; we'll talk about it a couple of pictures down the road)-- 
Note: The next section of text & photos are being added on Mother's 103rd birthday, March 21, 2015.
12-30-12 013. Turning the camera toward home again: In the near left of the screen is the beginning of the driveway shown in the photo before this one; just beyond the right curve in the road ahead, on the left, is the driveway which leads to the Carr's house; closer this way, off-screen to the right is a very old road, now faint, which leads to the northern-most of the 2 ancient sawdust mountains (or "sawdust piles" as we used to call them) left over from sawmill operations in these woods, perhaps in the 1800s or early 1900s); later on in this project, I'll take you on that dim trail past the northern-most one (which I could find no trace of) & then head S to the southern pile, which is still there; on the left of the photo, well before the sandy road to home curves right, you see the large oak tree with the tall palmetto fronds (or a young Sable Palm?) in front of it ; to the left of these, off-screen, is another huge oak (live oak I guess), & that's where the house is I'm going to tell you about with the next photo-- 
12-30-12 014. Live oak & sable palm: Just this side of that huge tree was where a small house once stood, in which a kindly & elderly gentleman, known only to me as Mr. Johnson, lived; the house was very old, even in Jan. 1954 when we first moved to Micanopy; on occassion, as we walked to & from the hard road, he would be outside his house, & we would exchange greetings; the only other remembrance of him I recall is that he was present at someone's funeral at the Micanopy Cemetery; he was standing close beside me during the grave-side service (of who, I don't remember), and at one point, he reached out & held my hand for a considerable length of time; at the time, I didn't know why he was doing that, but I let him do it; thinking back after all these years, I now think I understand why; he was probably thinking that it wouldn't be too long before the event of his own funeral-- 
12-30-12 015. Here is basically the same shot as before, but in wide-angle; behind this wooded scene is the field in front of the Carr's house-- 
12-30-12 016. Now we continue on our walk; the Carr's driveway is just around the curve; the early morning sun from the left paints a patch of light thru the trees onto the right bank of the road as we walk S-- 
12-30-12 017. The driveway just ahead, heads E to the Carr's house; the patch of sunlight on the right bank is now joined by a strip of light on the tree from the sun shining across the field in front of the Carrs' house-- 
12-30-12 018. The Carrs' driveway & gate & the really bright area, which is their front yard: I have walked on a little past where the driveway meets the old dirt road, in order to give you a better view towards the Carrs' front yard, even tho' you still can't really see their "front yard," as the sun is so bright; the house is about 1/8th of a mile farther on, thru a gate in the fence; to the left of this is a fenced-off field running parallel to the driveway as it approaches the house (this field is the one I mentioned in an earlier picture) & this field runs along the woods seen also in earlier photos. I have 3 memories that originated here at this scene--the first & third of them being from events that happened about where I'm standing to take this picture; the 2nd memory originated in that little grassy area to the right of the curve in the driveway; let's begin with the 1st memory: I think I was walking home after riding the bus (Mrs. Inez Mack was our bus driver, who let us off at the mailboxes; we had to walk the rest of the way, of course) & here is where I first made the acquaintance of Tommy Carr; he was very friendly & talkative; I was 6, and Tommy must have been 5 years old, as he was at least a year younger than me; Tommy was probably the first member of the Carr family I met; I don't remember my 1st meeting of any other individual in the family. 2nd memory: On day in the late 50s I guess, I was walking by here & saw smoke an flames low on the ground in that area I mentioned above, just to the right of the curve in the driveway this side of the gate. I paused in alarm, ran over to the fire, which was burning on the grass & some of the bushes there. I tho't, I've got to run to the Carrs house & tell them there's a fire here. Then I tho't well maybe the Carrs themselves started the fire to burn off the underbrush; but if so, why weren't they there watching it so it wouldn't get out of control into the trees? Then I tho't No, they don't know anything about this fire; I've got to go tell them, and quick! So I ran as fast as I could, knocked on their door and said, "Do y'all know there is a fire out at the beginning of your driveway?" They immediately went into action, grabbing at least one of those old-fashioned huge vinegar & baking soda fire extinguishers--the kind you saw in public bldgs everywhere back in those days (which I think was passed to me for to carry) & probably some rakes & shovels, etc. We all ran back down the driveway & started beating out the fire (except for me--they let me use the fire extinguisher; only a thin stream of liquid came out of it, but with a great force, when I turned it upside down; and it was very effective in killing the flames; it was the only time I have ever used one of those, or any other fire extinguisher). We put the fire out in short order. Then they gave me many thanks for alerting them, which made me feel real good. 3rd memory: I guess it was one afternoon in the early 60s. I happened to see Tommy Carr again along about here. He invited me to go duck hunting with him at Smokey Hollow Pond the next morning. He said to meet him back here at sunrise the next morning. I said ok. The next morning, I got up a little after sunrise, unfortunately, but grabbed the shotgun & walked fast, or ran, to the driveway. Tommy wasn't there. I waited for at least a half hour, then walked back home. A day or so later, I saw Tommy again, and he asked me where I was that morning we had agreed to meet. I said I got up late, but that I did go & wait for him. He said that after I didn't show up, that he had walked on to Smokey Hollow. I felt bad about that. I didn't even think that he had gone on to the pond without me, so therefore, didn't think of going there by myself. Oh well-- 
To be continued...