Lake Swan Camp

This is our home for the month of February.

It was an interesting start. We had been notified that we would not be allowed to arrive at camp on the normal day (Friday or Saturday) because of some unusual conditions, so Sunday arrival was proposed. After arriving, we discovered that an error had been made, the email confirming that six couples would be serving in February, was never received or was missed. The RV sites were filled by a different group of volunteers, leaving only two sites. Also, the sites we actually are staying on, in the picture, only had electric and water... No sewer.  Which meant, we would have had to pick up and move to dump our tanks, which means disconnecting everything, putting things  away to be in "travel mode". So, the first job on Monday morning was to put the sewer lines in! Digging a trench and piecing the pvc pipe together and adhering it.  We are very thankful to now have full hookups.


The guys also built outdoor benches and put new shelving up in the kitchen. Chainsaw work and power washing tennis courts was also accomplished.

The ladies did a lot of painting and cleaning, with a little kitchen work mixed in.

Mark and I had some relaxation Saturday at Flagler Beach. Allie was happy that dogs were allowed.

 The lake is so pretty at camp, especially at sunset.

I thought you may enjoy some antedotal information about this neck of the woods. We thought it quite interesting. We've been seeing signs that talk about Florida cracker cooking. We were a bit surprised by this and curious. Mark googled it and here are the results:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=25&ved=2ahUKEwj3zL3PnMLnAhVQ1lkKHchnD2kQFjAYegQIBxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.myrecipes.com%2Fextracrispy%2Fhow-to-eat-breakfast-like-a-florida-cracker&usg=AOvVaw21LhriMgDhsfvKOtU3Hdl1

  To many people, the term “Cracker” is a racial slur, but down here in Florida, where things are often a bit, um, different, “Cracker” can be a badge of honor. Self-described “Florida Crackers” are people who were born and raised in the Sunshine State. The nickname is a nod to the state’s early settlers, called Crackersbecause they kept cattle in line with a crack of their whip. Back in their day, Florida was the frontier. Though most people associate cowboys with Texas, according to James M. Denham, a history professor and the director of the Lawton M. Chiles Jr. Center for Florida History at Florida Southern College, in the 1800s, Florida was just as bountiful with bovines.

There were fast herds of wild cattle roaming everywhere,” Denham says. “All you had to do was round them up.”

Sounds straightforward, but it was hard work. The Florida Crackers rose before dawn and spent the day hunting for livestock in alligator- and mosquito-infested swamps and scrub forests. It was a dangerous gig. Even the scrawniest of cows weighed hundreds of pounds. Some also had horns. You had to be careful as it was often a few days’ trek to the nearest village with a doctor. In addition to herding cattle, most Crackers had farms to maintain, families to raise, and crops to harvest.

So now my friends, you know about the true meaning of "cracker".