Mardi Gras on the Beach in Pensacola Florida

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It’s Mardi Gras and while New Orleans may get the glory, Pensacola, Florida knows how to party. Even the rain didn’t slow the parade in the town of Pensacola when we visited, and when the sun came out on parade day in Pensacola Beach, the party just got better. Continue reading

Pastoral Paradise – Koreshan Unity State Park

Victorian bridge 2s;pThe peaceful landscape of Koreshan Unity State Park in Florida leaves me with a sense of loss. This must once have been a pastoral paradise, yet its founder and history have been largely forgotten. Continue reading

Hunting Alligators in the Dark in the Florida Everglades

Paddling into dusksIn the Florida Everglades, the sun slowly sinks below the tall trees and gnarled mangroves. Birds are returning to their nests for the night; a graceful egret flaps past, way up high, and a hawk effortlessly lands on a nearby stump. The lazy anhingas which sat a little while ago with wings spread to catch the sun, have disappeared from sight. Is it because their black feathers make excellent camouflage or have they too, gone home elsewhere?

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What have definitely gone home are the airboats which roar around the channels, taking visitors to see alligators. Blessed peace – punctuated by the sounds of water and nocturnal animals – descends upon the Everglades. It’s time to hunt alligators – in the dark. Continue reading