By Marcia Abramson
In Key West, the setting sun is marked with the pageantry of cats jumping through hoops, performances by escape artists ala Houdini, magicians and folk singers. In Palm Beach, I watched this spectacle with fellow Five Towners Carol and Jerry Berman from the seventh-floor windows of travel writer Edith Hall Freidheim's apartment on Worth Avenue and South Ocean Drive. However, it wasn't until I took a four-hour sunset cruise with my family off St. George Island, that I had the opportunity to see the spectacular reddish orange ball of fire fade into the sea from an open six-person catamaran. This was just one part of a delightful late afternoon/early evening cruise that we took with Jeanni's Journeys on St. George Island. Jeanni is actually a retired school teacher, who along with her son Justin McMillan, offers many family fun adventures, including kayak rentals, guided tours, fishing charters and environmental camps in the summer. Justin expertly guided us from the docks of St. George through Apalachicola Bay to the surrounding barrier islands, St. Vincent, Cape St. George, Dog Island and Indian Pass, where we had the opportunity to collect seashells of every shape, color and size along the beach. Justin knew every shell there and where to find them. We did find one with a live crab in it but we threw that one back into the water. During the journey, we did stop to watch the dolphins swim right in front of us and to allow my grandson, Bradley, and granddaughter, Maris, to fish. Preceding our journey, we spent a lovely afternoon in historic Apalachicola. Apalachicola was in its glory in the mid-1800s when cotton was king. The town exported some $12 million worth of cotton bales from over 100 warehouses lining the waterfront. But the boon was short lived. The coming of the railroad stole Apalachicola's cotton trade and the town dozed into a 100-year sleep. However, with the resourceful souls of the fisherman, oyster shuckers and boat builders, the town has come back to life. While the oyster and shrimp industry is still alive, the influx of boats in the marinas, especially in neighboring Carrabelle, is posing a threat to the livelihood. One of the interesting sites in town is the Gorrie Museum, the home of Dr. John Gorrie, who invented the ice machine, which was said to be the beginning of modern day air-conditioning.We had a lovely lunch with Olivier Monod, president of Anchor Realty, and Sheila Hauser, director of marketing and public relations at the Owl Café in the heart of historic Apalachicola. Again, I still couldn't bring myself to slurp down Apalachicola's world famous oysters but we did dine on other local favorites such as, grouper, soft-shell crab, and Mediterranean vegetables and Gulf shrimp. Bradley did give up his usual cheeseburger for the jambalaya with sausage, chicken and shrimp. Maris did keep to her classic Caesar salad and pasta. We topped our wonderful meal off with the café's signature deserts, chocolate fudge squares with vanilla ice cream, gingerbread cakes and crème Brule. Our tour then took us to Cape San Blas, Port St. Joe and Mexico Beach. We stopped at Cape San Blas State Park, known for its swimming, picnicking, fishing and boating. Then we visited Wind Mark Beach, an ultra-exclusive beachfront community planned for development. This enclave, along St. Joe Bay, is being designed with country club amenities such as beach, pool, golf courses and tennis courts, boating and sailing and conveniences of shopping, markets, boutiques and restaurants. On route back to Tallahassee, we had the opportunity to enjoy another one of Florida's natural wonders, Wakulla Springs State Park and Lodge. The name "Wakulla" means "river of crying bird" or "strange and mysterious waters." Archaeological evidence shows inhabitation first from Paleo-Indians and then European contact in 1513. This was followed by Spanish Mission, Creek and Seminole Indians. Noted Florida preservationist Edward Ball purchased the property in 1934 and developed it as an attraction that focused on the preservation of wildlife and conservation of natural features. The highlight of our visit was a riverboat tour on Wakulla Springs. It is a 40-minute cruise, where we viewed the alligators in the marsh, turtles lying along the logs in the water, osprey flying in front of us and mallard ducks swimming alongside our boat. To arrange for your visit to this pristine coast, contact your travel professional, Anchor Properties at (800) 824-0416, or visit www.Florida-beach.com or www.FloridaStateParks.org/wakllaspring.
Copyright Marcia AbramsonE-mail: mascribe@aol.com
