Virginia Key: Grassroots Festival Culture Camp

What fun, we learned the real method of pizza making.  Actually learning to cook was part of Culture Camp which comprised the first four days of pre-fest.  And Alexa and I had front row seats for this adventure.  There were also workshops on dance, movement, yoga, fiddle, banjo, guitar, and more.

The antique train that carried folks
around the island when it was
Virginia Key Negro Beach

Now, the kick-off for culture camp was a presentation by Ben Cohen, Founder of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream.  Ben spoke of his involvement in Stamp Stampede, the origins and his vision for the movement.  Including our participation in demonstrating Pete Seeger’s “Giant Seesaw Parable” .

Yes, we did purchase a stamp
Bill stamped our money!

Summarizing the movement which is in response to the Citizens United vs FEC Supreme Court decision which allows unfettered cash legally flowing into the election system and pushing the ordinary citizen out. "The Stampede is tens of thousands of Americans legally stamping messages on our Nation’s currency to #GetMoneyOut of Politics. As more and more stamped money spreads, so will the movement to amend the Constitution."

OK, back to the workshops...
Culture Camp was not well advertised and the schedule was not available until a few days before the camp.  This all worked to my benefit as there were few students and I obtained several hours of one-on-one instruction.  

Cormorant and gulls on the beach
at Virginia Key

My first workshop was with Claire Byrne, a dynamic musician who plays in several bands most notably Driftwood.  At 10 AM we sat down to discuss my budding fiddle skills... well it seems you can teach an old gal new tricks.  She had several suggestions actually after three days she left me with a long list of items that will take several months to master.  In the end I had over 4 hours of individual instruction time with Claire.

Marg with fiddle teacher
Claire Byrne of Driftwood

The next hour was more fiddle, this time with Jeb Puryear of Donna and the Buffalo.  After 1.5 hours of intense study with Claire my mind and body were reeling so I asked Jeb to discuss technique.  Of course he had opinions and left me to consider bow holds and pressure on the strings.  

After lunch I could not handle another fiddle lesson and sat in on a guitar workshop with Bobbie Hennie.  His plan was old-time backup, luckily the other student and I were at the same level so we rocked.   Bobbie is an amazing flat-picker which made the class great!  To end the day I spent some time discussing banjo styles and technique with Joe Kollar of Driftwood who has an interesting perspective on the banjo.  When you consider he performs on a 10 year old Deering Goodtime, Deering's entry level banjo, you know he has an interesting perspective.

The following day after another session with Claire and some free time I finally managed to wrap my head around a lesson with Tara Nevins of  Donna and the Buffalo.  Tara is an amazing old-time fiddler even though her stage performances no longer reflect this style.  She left me with solid suggestions and a few exercises to improve my style and fiddling.

Not all my time was spent learning music... there were dance workshops where I learned Salsa.  And as mentioned earlier, in the cooking workshop I learned the correct method for pizza.  

The setting for Culture Camp

So glad I could attend the Culture Camp

Virginia Key: Grassroots Festival - Getting ready for the show

On the recommendation of Chuck, a friend and state park volunteer, we opted to volunteer for the Virginia Key Grassroots Festival 2015.   Virginia Key is just east of Miami Florida and a short 2 miles to Key Biscayne.  The festival is held at the Historic Virginia Key Park.

As you may know, over the years we have volunteered for many festivals in all aspects from setup to performance to organizers so we had an idea as to the work.  And, it was as expected...

Kitchen loading in the equipment

fun

View from the festival area
 Miami across the bay

exhausting

Tents up
getting organized

organized at times

Three cabins were built for both
the festival and the park

 and disorganized at others

Hmmm, are we making progress?

We arrived to help with setup around 3 PM on February 8th and by 5 PM we were in the kitchen to help the chef with dinner.  So, Chef Jesse, Bill, and myself prepared dinner, set-up service, and cleaned up afterwards.  This was our introduction to the Grassroots family.

Camp Ranger
Team leader Ed
Kitchen almost ready for service

The next day we were scheduled to work lunch and dinner as Chef Jesse had been working by himself the first few days.  Early in the morning Bill headed out to help with the grounds while I finished organizing our camp space.  Shortly thereafter he arranged to swap jobs with Alexa and for the next six days Alexa and I worked the kitchen with Jesse.  Then the Italians, actually Sicilians, took over as chefs for the next two days.  Alexa and I stayed on to help them... including a move to the festival kitchen.

Rambling through Jonathan Dickinson State Park

In early February we managed to book several days at Jonathan Dickinson State Park which is highly unusual to find an opening at the last minute. 

Loxahatchee River

All southern Florida parks fill 6-11 months in advance of the winter season; however, sometimes you luck out and find a cancellation.  The north Florida parks tend to fill slower so you may find an open campsite as late as December for the January-April season.

Spring flowers abound along the trails

This was "old-home" week for us as we spent 15 years in Palm Beach County and were able to visit friends in northern Palm Beach County and southern Martin County.  Being located in Hobe Sound, Jonathan Dickinson State Park makes a good base camp.  Sorry but I simply forgot to take photos of our 'reunion' activities with friends.

Mangroves on the Loxahatchee

Now we had  hoped to canoe the Loxatachee River but it was simply too windy for a nice paddle so we opted to hike and bicycle.  There are a few nature trails, miles of multi-use trails, miles of paved trails, and miles of hard-core off-road trails.  

Tall pines on the multi-use trails

 Several mornings I went exploring on foot, often hiking the multi-use trails before joining friends later in the day for social time, music, and conversation.

Bachelor buttons amid the grass

This park is always a delightful experience with the varied terrain, Trapper Nelson's historic site, Camp Murphy historic site, easy access to both beach and shops.  We certainly enjoyed our stay.

Flowers on the Kissimmee Dry Prairie

Just couldn't resist sharing some of the subtle prairie color at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park.  These jewels are usually less than knee high and often less than ankle high.   

Blackeyed Susies

A berry in the heather family

Alas, it is a purple flower

Type of ground heather

Delicate white violet
quite small!

Bachelor buttons
with a young oak in the foreground

Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park where you can see for miles and miles

Florida Dry Prairie where you can see for miles and miles. Kissimmiee Prairie Preserve State Park, all 54,000 acres, allows you to experience the dry prairie.  And is the perfect opportunity to study the amazing night sky views due to the absence of city lights.

Turkey Vulture on a lone dead tree
with a long view of the prairie

The Florida Dry Prairie is vanishing due to encroachment of housing, cities, and farming.  Yes, people do need a place to live; however, if we destroy the supporting natural environment Florida will become a vast wasteland unable to maintain the 'tropical paradise'.

Vines, Strangler Figs, and Palms
in a hammock

The park has many faces from dry brush to hammocks which support an amazing variety of wild life.  Each day we encountered different species... an 8 point buck, otter, alligator, turkey, caracara, bald eagle, blue racer, and more.

Baby Alligators
Mom Gator watching from the canal

Caracara atop the dumpster
The vulture's vulture!

This park does not let you forget that most of Florida was covered by the ocean so at some point with a healthy sprinkling of seashells.  Yes, the shoreline is constantly changing and most of the state can claim it was once seashore.  Hopefully climate change will not return the ocean to the Kissimmee Prairie.  

A reminder that Florida was all seashore
One of the many ancient shells in the park
Florida Horse Conch

Starting in the early 1800s the area was settled by farmers who quickly became ranchers.  The popular 'crop' is cattle and there are still huge cattle ranches in the area.  During World War II the park area was acquired by the US military to conduct training missions and was later returned to the locals.  Park literature warns of potential unexploded ordinances on the property.

Spanish moss is happy on this oak

 We explored the park by foot and bicycle.  There are over 100 miles of suggested trails and service roads from which to choose.  From the campground there is a lovely nature trail where you often find turkey early morning and late evening.  Other foot paths are in close proximity to the camping loops. 

Oaks in a hammock
which makes a lovely hike

Now, the map warns of service roads that should not be taken and often there are reminders at 'road' intersections.   After several shorter trips we opted for a longer exploration of the prairie by bicycle... or so we thought. 

Graceful grasses beneath the oaks

Following the trail map is easy but you should pay special attention to the 'grey' markings.  We all know it is best to inquire about trail conditions; however, this time we neglected to ask... not a good idea.  What we learned is the east (wet side) and west (drier side) areas of the park are quite different.  And we learned that Everglades muck underlies much of the park which makes a bicycle trip nearly impossible. 

Typical Dry Prairie

This started out as a bicycle ride
which became a 'hike'

The wet side of the park
Everglades Muck lies beneath this grass

All in all, that day's trip was a fantastic adventure and one we will long remember.  Our bicycles may always remind us of the trip as it seems prairie grass and muck is permanently attached to crevices and crannies!

Ibis on the prairie

 I highly recommend a trip to Kissimmiee Prairie Preserve State Park where you can see for miles and miles.

Wekiwa Springs State Park

What an amazing park... guess I say that about most (all?) state parks. What can I say, I simply love nature and Florida... and the Florida State Parks are usually nature at it's best.

Wekiwa Springs

Weikwa Springs State Park is 7900 acres of amazement ranging from the head waters of the Wekiva River, Wekiwa Springs, to scrub and forests. It is an environmentally diverse park with hills, flat-lands, swamps, creeks, lakes, rivers, forests and more.

Fern in the damper areas

Hiking trails crisscross the park allowing foot trail access to most areas. There are over 20 miles of trails which skirt the river, cross swamps and boardwalks, and follow the rise and fall of small hills.

Boardwalk across a swampy area

How wonderful is this? You can walk from your campsite to the head springs for a swim, rent a canoe, grab a snack, or simply enjoy the view. The springs were originally known as Clay Springs and flow at a rate of 42 million gallons per day.  Even though the springs keep the water around 72 degrees a swim was out of the question for us in January; however, several guests were taking advantage of the wonderful spring and swimming area.

A lovely hilly trail

 On our first day we bicycled the main roads and found the youth camp which was gorgeous in the late January afternoon with winter foliage. There are two youth camps, one is a primitive campground and the other an improved youth camp. The improved camp was built in 1994 with camping cabins, an assembly/dining hall, bath houses, and a few other structures. You can reach both camps on foot, by bicycle or car which makes the camp perfect for active youth.

Horse lovers are not forgotten with a corral, horse loading/unloading docks, an equestrian camp, and eight miles of horse trails.

Youth camp
Cabin down the hill behind the pines

Being winter, I could manage only two days at the park without reserving months in advance but we made the most of those two days. While there we bicycled the paved roads, hiked several trails, and canoed.

Backwoods trail

Our canoe trip was out the Wekiwa Springs Run and then up Rock Springs Run several miles before returning. The current in Rock Springs Run is rather brisk as Rock Springs is a second magnitude spring discharging 49 cubic feet per second. Rock Springs Run is narrow in many places with twists and turns that challenged even experienced canoeist. Other areas are broader with sandbars and thick with water plants. The scenery and changing river bottom makes for a beautiful trip. After a few miles we pass a couple of primitive river camps and decided to stop at Indian Mound Camp. This was a good break where we could stretch our legs with the opportunity to explore the surrounding trails and service roads. The trip was amazing but I did not take my camera so you will need to use your imagination or check canoe sites such as http://www.canoewekiva.com and http://www.clubkayak.com/cfkt/trips/wekiva_river.html.

On our departure day I hiked a 5 mile loop through the scrub, swampy areas, pine woods, and hardwood forests. It is amazing how quickly the terrain changes. It is also amazing how quickly the time passes at Wekiwa Springs State Park.

Early morning on the trail

Schedule a trip to Wekiwa Springs State Park.

Wekiwa Springs- bubbling
Marg's shadow on the water
Why the difference in spellings?

Wekiwa Springs and Wekiva River: What's in a name?

Wekiwa Springs and Wekiva River.  Yes, this is confusing how can we have two spellings and pronunciations for the same body of water? 

Wekiva Springs
Headwaters of the Wekiva River

For many years known as Clay Springs, the name was reverted to Wekiwa in 1906.  Earlier it was called Wekiwa, named by the Seminole Indians and interpreted as “spring of water”. Now the river also carries a Seminole name, Wekiva, which means “flowing water”. Although Wekiwa and Wekiva are sufficient identifiers, we non-Seminole need additional terms thus the labels Springs and River. 

Wekiwa Springs

In 2000 the Wekiva River, WekiwaSprings Run, Rock Springs Run, and Black Water Creek were designated as National Wild and Scenic Rivers by the United States Congress.