Bits and Pieces – Page 26

Old Homosassa in July……

July 21, 2017 by KTgreen

and August….. and even September…..

Okay, if you follow me on Naturecoaster.com, you’ve already read something about this.

But, I cleaned it up for Naturecoaster. None of my pithy comments or wry personal observations.

There are a couple of big draws back here for visitors to Old Homosassa. (besides the Freezer, of course.)

The first is manatee season. No, you can’t catch and eat a manatee. But we do get a lot of tourists back here in the winter that want to swim with the manatees. Or kayak with them. Or touch them. Or ride them. (both of those last two are illegal)

And the other big event is scallop season.

Such a fun time in Old Homosassa for all those that get out into the Gulf and scoop those future delicious morsels out of the sea grass.

Also a boon for our local businesses which is a very good thing for Old Homosassa because they are owned by our friends and neighbors who in turn employ people from our community. No chain restaurants or stores in Old Homosassa!

But everything isn’t sunshine and roses for the local residents.

This pic is from a traffic back up last year. All the way back to the Homosassa Elementary School. This year at 7:30 in the morning on opening day, traffic was backed up all the way to Kevin Jenkins art studio. And vehicles were driving in the wrong lane to get around the jam while other vehicles were heading out of Homosassa. Very scary.

Several years ago Citrus County started having employees from the Parks and Recreation department direct traffic at the county boat ramp in Old Homosassa on the weekends. This alleviated a lot of the congestion and some of the arguing at the boat ramp as visitors attempted to put their boats into the river or pull them out. Kind of made it boring for Terry and I because we used to bike down there on Saturday mornings just to watch the launch battles!

But there were still too many trucks and trailers to park in the county parking lot. A few businesses and several home owners with large yards allow trucks and trailers to park for a fee.

But still, not enough parking on any Saturday during scallop season.

This is supposed to be a two-lane road. Not during scallop season! Wondering how a fire truck would maneuver around these obstacles plus dealing with oncoming traffic if there was an emergency.

And if the fire truck got through? The fire hydrant is blocked! Along with the gates into the elementary school. And they are parked on our SIDEWALK! We don’t have many and they aren’t supposed to be used as a parking lot!

Here’s another one on the sidewalk.

Note the “No Parking Here to Corner”. The corner is where that stop sign is. Two boats and trailers!

The board of directors of the Homosassa Civic Club decided that it was time to come up with a solution for this ongoing problem. After talking with owners of some of the local businesses and a meeting with Sheriff Prendergast, the board decided that part of the civic club property could be used for parking.

Our first youth group benefiting from helping out with the parking is the “Unstoppable Student Ministries” from the First Baptist Church of Homosassa. This Saturday will be their third time–they are raising funds to go to camp next year! They should already be pretty close to their goal!

Terry and I worked the parking lot on one Sunday. One guy, in his $40,000 truck and $30,000 boat objected very loudly to paying $10 to park so went and parked at the school in front of the fire hydrant. Really.

Streets clear, local youth groups earning money for their causes, and the smart scallopers won’t be getting tickets!

Win-Win-Win!

Friday Meanderings

July 14, 2017 by KTgreen

It’s Friday! Yippee!

I know, I’ve said this many times, but even though I haven’t actually had a real job at a real desk since 1999, Friday is still the BEST!

(Oh, wait, Sunday is the BEST! Same concept, though. When I worked and actually made money, Sunday was our downtime. Read that big paper. Have a Bloody Mary with brunch. Take a nap. Maybe play 9 holes of golf.)

So Friday is second best. (And I’m still stuck on that whole job agenda. I get up every morning at the crack of dawn and am at my computer by 8 am!)

No matter how long it has been since I had a job, Friday is still HAPPY HOUR! And back when I made a paycheck, the very best Friday was when we could get the boss to go to lunch with us and it turned into early happy hour. Seriously. How lucky was I to have a boss like that. Right?

But now I’m my own boss and I can have happy hour any old time.

But I don’t because I volunteer and people would call me a barfly. (ok, that’s an inside joke)

And I love it. I truly believe that Terry and I are making a difference in our community. Along with a whole lot of other people that I can not even list here. OMG. So many have stepped forward.

And with all that hoo-haw, gotta say all that volunteering and trying to change things around is now my priority. (This little blog definitely is low on the list although I continue…..)

Sorry, those few people that still read. (Donna and Jessica)

I love to write and I love to make statements but I’ve been “re-prioritized”. I didn’t even post for the NatureCoaster.com the last few weeks. (Sorry Diane) And I really have a LOT TO SAY!

And I think I’ll start saying it right here.

There is a person out there that has issues. And this person has done a lot to cause problems in our little community. This person dwells in mendacity. This person has made fake FB pages and purported them as real. Some of the local residents do not know that these are fake pages and false words. But. We don’t bother responding. Because good and truth and real always wins.

And always will.

The civic club started yoga classes last week. Every Saturday and Wednesday at 10 am. $5.00. Tiffany West is our yogi and she is amazing. Gotta say that I believe the Universe sent us Tiffany. My friend and cohort Laurel and I didn’t even check out one of her classes. Just talked to her and knew she was the real thing. Thank you Universe. She is so amazing that she has offered to teach on Tuesday evenings. (Just gotta get 4 people that don’t need to start drinking before 5:30)

Our sewing workshop continues and has really turned into a fun place to hang out and just talk. I love this time. There’s some sewing going on. Maybe some knitting and crocheting. But it’s just fun to talk. We have an awesome group. Took two of my granddaughters last week–Addison and Kendall–and they made pillows from the donated fabric and supplies. (They also went with me to yoga and did all the poses–such cool kids!)

The Universe has blessed me. I have made so many great friends. I have a wonderful home, a great husband, and a sweet really old dog. Our children inspire me. My grandchildren amaze me.

Have a great weekend!

Kathy

Friday Meanderings

June 30, 2017 by KTgreen

Here in Old Homosassa, we celebrate our country’s independence a week early.

Gotta say, it’s a good marketing tool. Inverness and Crystal River share the fireworks over the real holiday. Old Homosassa and all of the waterfront bars are ready with a party the weekend before.

The day starts out with a poker run and there are events at just about every waterfront bar and restaurant. Like a tug of war at the Freezer, pie eating and a beer belly contest at MacRae’s, cornhole at Seagrass and a ping-pong twerking contest at Riverside Resort. There’s even a shuttle boat that takes poker run participants to the various places.

Now, I have to say I only witnessed the kids’ pie eating contest. (really wondering how that ping-pong twerking worked out!) But it was freaking hot which required a lot of beer to keep cool. And we had to pace ourselves because my favorite event is the Fireworks Show and there were a lot of hours before that took place.

And it was super. For the first time, we watched the show from a boat on the Homosassa River. Way too much fun.

This weekend the real festivities begin. Saturday is the first day of scalloping season. A lot of fun for those that do the scalloping. And it’s a boon to all of our local businesses.

But the river and our community take a beating.

There’s only a small county lot that offers free parking. That fills up very quickly and then the boaters park their trucks and trailers along the streets, on the sidewalks, even in the retention ditches. Riverside Resort offers a ramp and parking for a price. There are also several neighbors that provide parking for a fee. Some even give a golf cart ride back to the ramp.

But still. Illegal parking. Blocked streets. Trash thrown any old place. Public urination.

The Homosassa Civic Club has innovative ideas to help relieve some of the issues and yesterday met with Sheriff Prendergast, Citrus County’s new sheriff. More work needs to be done but the Civic Club is working with the community, the sheriff, and the area businesses to offer solutions without alienating the tourists.

It will take a while to get everything in place. But…..it will be worth it!

And speaking of our River.

Once again.

Don’t throw your scallop shells in the Homosassa or Crystal Rivers. It’s okay to throw them in the Gulf. But putting them anywhere in the Rivers. They just stay. And they don’t belong there.

Here’s the county sign….

Our local river community groups decided that was too vague and there were not enough signs. So created this version.

This one is in front of Old Homosassa Learning Center. We can only put them on private property. The county supports our ideas but do not support the idea of putting the signs on county land.

And what’s going on with the Learning Center????

A mural by Cindy Ersch, a local artist and lover of our community!

It’s not done.

But.

How about how great this community is!

Right?

The civic club has also invited Tiffany Beck to hold yoga lessons at their facility. $5.00 a session and veterans get a 50% discount. Starting July 8, every Saturday and Wednesday at 10 am. Limited to 30 people.

Have a great weekend and holiday!

Kathy