nature coast – Page 26

19th Annual Blues ‘n Bar-b-que in Old Homosassa

November 3, 2014November 3, 2014 by KTgreen

Sooooo, on Saturday

two cold fronts came down from Canada. (Sounds like a joke, doesn’t it?)

Terry called them a Canadian Clipper.

But the weatherguys just called it two cold fronts that came down from Canada.

We called it freaking cold while we were sitting outside in 50 degree weather under huge live oaks with about 50 mph wind knocking limbs and debris out of the sky. Watching the Blues. As our hands turned blue.

Okay. It wasn’t that bad. I had my winter jacket on, gloves, and a quilt. Which was great until I spilled beer on my chair and we used the quilt to mop it up. Dumb move.

Anyhow…..

The festival was GREAT! I seriously look forward to this all year and was not disappointed. Suzanne Smith was the first band and that petite woman can wail. And her band was fantastic.

Suzanne Smith Suzanne Smith Band

Jim Davis, a local music enthusiast, did the announcing between sets.

Next up was Blue Dice from Tampa. They played almost all original music–the one exception was a cover of a Bruce Springsteen classic. A mix of blues, jazz and funk with a lot of horns. They looked like they were having a great time putting on the show.

Blue Dice The festival closed with Damon Fowler. This guy had a unique voice and his music was a mix of blues and hard driving rock.

Damon Fowler

19th Annual Blues 'n Bar-b-que in Old Homosassa — Some young dancers entertained us during Damon Fowler’s set.

According to the hand-out at the festival “Proceeds from this year’s Blues ‘n Bar-B-Que will go toward an underclassmen scholarship for a local Citrus County High School student to take music lessons.”

Oh yeah, there was delicious bar-b-que being made right on the grounds, some homemade baked goods plus the Museum Café was open with Cuban food.

Next year is the 20th annual festival and Bo Anderson promised us an even bigger show. First Saturday of November. Mark your calendar.

National Wildlife Refuge Day at Three Sisters Springs

October 28, 2014 by KTgreen

Saturday we attended the National Wildlife Refuge Day at Three Sisters Springs. Here’s the day in photos!

Numerous booths set up by various local organizations.

National Wildlife Refuge Day at Three Sisters Springs — Jim Green, a volunteer from the Friends of the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge Complex

Bob Boccum, a volunteer with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. He was very informative and told us the names of the Three Sisters — Big Sister, Little Sister, and Pretty Sister. Hey, I have a big sister and a little sister, does that make me the pretty sister?

Ice Cream Boat on the canal outside of the springs!

Kayaking Three Sisters Springs

October 21, 2014 by KTgreen

My friend Connie asked me if I wanted to join her on a kayaking adventure to Three Sisters Springs on Sunday along with her BFF Susie from Colorado and Susie’s daughter Mary Scott from California.

YES!

There’s not a lot better then a day in Florida in October. The only way to make it better is to spend that day on the water!

YES!

I lost my waterproof camera over a year ago while kayaking the Weeki Wachee. I was very sad. I’ve been planning on getting another one and did a bunch of research and picked up a Fujifilm XP70 on Saturday at Target. I didn’t have much time to read the manual–I had it just long enough to charge up the battery and stick the SD card in.

And here’s some pics! Very happy with my new little camera!

This is Mary Scott. Second time kayaking, first time on the Crystal River and has never seen a manatee! So you know what she’s looking for!

The manatees come to the numerous springs for the warm water in the winter. Most of them are still out in the Gulf but will headed back as soon as the weather starts cooling down. But there are usually a few hanging out in the local waterways.

Bridge — Here’s the bridge that we go under to get to the Springs.

Kayaking Three Sisters Springs — Connie’s our fearless leader and guides us through the barriers that keep the big boats out of the Springs.

There were several boats any many kayaks in the area but not too bad for a Sunday afternoon. But as soon as someone spots a manatee—-

And one last pic just for grins….

I want to remind everyone that Saturday is open house at the Three Sisters Springs. You can catch a shuttle at Kings Bay Plaza on US 19 in Crystal River. Paula Bateman, my friend from the acoustic meetup group, is performing plus there will be mermaids! And Saturday will be another beautiful October day in Florida.