Out and About

In February 1965, President Lyndon Johnson’s speech to Congress on “Conservation and Preservation of Natural Beauty” was more than about clean water and parks.  He also spoke about trails.

From Brooksville it is just an hour and a half drive to Gainesville and this is one place everyone should visit, the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Our August camping trip took us to Florida's panhandle and a state park called Topsail Hill Preserve, 10 miles east of Destin.  The park gets its name from the tall sand dunes that rise up to 25 feet--much like a ship's sail.   We had heard a lot about this park from other campers so we wanted to check it out.  The campground is different from the usual system of secluded loops and circles.  Topsail was previously an RV resort so it comes complete with swimming pool, shuffleboard, clubhouse and laundry.  Scattered about are some small lakes or ponds, many walking paths, and a fishing pier. 

An early morning surrounded by nature can truly be theraphic for those that love being outdoors and especially kayaking along the Chassahowitzka River.

Sabal palms, Cedar and Oaks trees line the banks of this 5 mile spring-fed river and kayaking is one sure way to not miss any sightings of wildlife that thrives in this amazing Florida habitat.

Words cannot express how beautiful this area is and even though the personal inspiration may be different from one to another, this is the Real Florida.

Each month, my husband and I visit one of the many great Florida State Parks. July took us to Lake Louisa State Park, 7 miles south of Clermont on Hwy 27.

It's a beautiful park and well worth the stop whether you are interested in camping or just a nature lover out for a day trip. The park’s rolling hills border the northeast edge of the Green Swamp and the parkland takes in some 4,500 acres. There are 6 lakes and over 23 miles of trails.

Spring Hill, FL – During the weekend of Friday, July 13th – Sunday, July 14th, United Way staff, school teachers, volunteers, and community members came together for Hernando’s 12th Annual Stuff the Bus. There were 807 hours logged by volunteers, this year- over 100 more hours than last year. The volunteers helped by collecting school supply donations at all Publix and Walmart locations in Hernando County. This education initiative brought in over 7,410 lbs of school supplies which stocked over 164 classrooms in 24 schools.

Donations included:

• 2,016 Notebooks

From professional tennis coach and European premier league football referee to local high school soccer coach and a successful poultry and pig breeder, Jonathan Stone leads a very busy and interesting life.

Jonathan, who hails from England, has a history of chicken breeding. He previously ran a show chicken company in the 90s in Kent, England so when he came to the US in 2011, he decided to make raising show birds his life’s calling and began breeding Silkies, originally in Tennessee.

A popular group activity has found its way to Hernando County. Escape Artist Spring Hill opened up their first three escape rooms for people to try to master.

Ability Tree of Florida paired up with BrawlUSA again for a fun night of charity pro wrestling on Sunday, Aug , 2018. Summer Showdown, held at The Locomo on County Line Road in Spring Hill, was a fun affair that helped raise money for Ability Tree while providing entertainment for the whole family.

A large crowd with many children were able to enjoy the five matches that were held on the card, including two championship matches and the first ever BrawlUSA women’s match.

Pennington – 30, July, 2018 – Children and young adults who have or have had family members battling ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), are invited, at no charge, to attend Camp HLC in September at Circle F Dude Ranch in Lake Wales, Florida.