Paynes Prairie and Cross Creek
Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2008 4:44 pmIt was a chilly November night when Liz took me camping at Paynes Prairie State Park near Gainesville. Here we are getting a fire started.
We saw a lot of deer both evening and morning. This one was in a rush to cross the road…no time to pose.
In the morning we hiked to the prairie overlook.
This is what William Bartram saw.
Here’s what we saw. There’s a herd of bison and some wild horses out there somewhere, hiding I guess.
Eagle soaring overhead
After our morning hike we went to the Cross Creek Fall Festival. Cross Creek was made famous by the Pulitzer Prize winning author of “The Yearling” who lived and wrote here. She did a lot of her writing on the front porch seen here.
Her home in Cross Creek is preserved as a working farm/orange grove, although on a smaller scale than when she was here. Chickens still roam the grounds.
Her garden still thrives.
Here’s the back of the house and her outhouse. She installed a bathroom in the house after she sold her first book.
The tenant house has been restored to the way it looked when Idella Parker, her maid for ten years, worked for her. Idella is still alive and has written two books about her life with MKR. My husband and I helped her write the 2nd book, “From Reddick to Cross Creek” which is a biography of her life, growing up black in rural FL. She collaborated on the reconstruction of the tenant house.
Here’s a peek inside the window of the tenant house.
Another hike across the road…
The festival had a lot of vendors with wares of every sort…including blessings for Sparkle.
Ever wonder what to do with that old skate?
How about a cart and pony ride?
Lots of dreams being caught here.
Some cute gourds…
This was Roe’s favorite booth. Liz bought him an assortment of 10 for $1 treats.
I liked this booth the best…made me think Karen would too. The flamingoes bobbed their heads.
Here I am looking over the canal that leads to Orange Lake behind the MKR house.
My friend wishes he could be pink like me. He warned me to look out for alligators.
We enjoyed a BBQ lunch
And listened to some music
We saw a lot of deer both evening and morning. This one was in a rush to cross the road…no time to pose.
In the morning we hiked to the prairie overlook.
This is what William Bartram saw.
Here’s what we saw. There’s a herd of bison and some wild horses out there somewhere, hiding I guess.
Eagle soaring overhead
After our morning hike we went to the Cross Creek Fall Festival. Cross Creek was made famous by the Pulitzer Prize winning author of “The Yearling” who lived and wrote here. She did a lot of her writing on the front porch seen here.
Her home in Cross Creek is preserved as a working farm/orange grove, although on a smaller scale than when she was here. Chickens still roam the grounds.
Her garden still thrives.
Here’s the back of the house and her outhouse. She installed a bathroom in the house after she sold her first book.
The tenant house has been restored to the way it looked when Idella Parker, her maid for ten years, worked for her. Idella is still alive and has written two books about her life with MKR. My husband and I helped her write the 2nd book, “From Reddick to Cross Creek” which is a biography of her life, growing up black in rural FL. She collaborated on the reconstruction of the tenant house.
Here’s a peek inside the window of the tenant house.
Another hike across the road…
The festival had a lot of vendors with wares of every sort…including blessings for Sparkle.
Ever wonder what to do with that old skate?
How about a cart and pony ride?
Lots of dreams being caught here.
Some cute gourds…
This was Roe’s favorite booth. Liz bought him an assortment of 10 for $1 treats.
I liked this booth the best…made me think Karen would too. The flamingoes bobbed their heads.
Here I am looking over the canal that leads to Orange Lake behind the MKR house.
My friend wishes he could be pink like me. He warned me to look out for alligators.
We enjoyed a BBQ lunch
And listened to some music
