Tree Chair

This guy was enjoying a recent sunny day in one of the downtown Tallahassee parks by sitting on one of the branches of the old live oak tree that touch the ground. You can see him better if you enlarge the picture. My grandson likes to play on this tree when I take him to this park.

As a side note, I decided to change the colors on my blog. I like to change things around every so often. It keeps me from getting in a rut. What do you think?

SkyWatch Friday

This is my first SkyWatch post! A cold front was moving into Tallahassee just as the sun was setting as I was getting out of my car to go into the store.

To see more beautiful skies from around the world, please visit SkyWatch Friday.

Storage Shed

The mystery has been solved for me by a local citizen through a comment on this blog, so I didn't have to open the door to this spooky little building! He has seen it when the door is open and it is a storage shed. It is located in Old City Cemetery. I don't know how old it is, but I really like the stones used to construct it. Thanks downtown guy!

Yellow Fever

Tallahassee was hit by a yellow fever epidemic in 1841 which lasted from May through October. Estimates of deaths ranged from 230 to 400, although the exact number is not known. Mrs. Rebecca Scott was one of the victims and her grave in Old City Cemetery is located in a walled plot which contains the graves of at least two other victims from her family.

CSA

This is a Confederate Soldiers Grave Marker. The marker was patterned after the design on the Southern Cross Of Honor medal. CSA stands for the Confederate States of America. The old Confederate flag is in the center. It is located near a grave in Old City Cemetery near downtown Tallahassee.

Leaning

These old headstones in Old City Cemetery looked interesting to me. The one on the right is slowly being lifted by the roots of the tree growing next to it. If you click on the picture and enlarge it, you can read the names and dates on the markers.

Sunbeam

My cat Gracie likes to sit in the sunbeam that comes through my backdoor in the morning and take a sun bath. She had just finished bathing herself and was keeping a eye on the goldfinches at my birdfeeder when I took this picture.

The Shelter

I was sitting in traffic on my way to work one morning when I took this picture as the sun was coming up behind The Shelter, a place that serves hot meals and provides a place to sleep for people who are homeless in Tallahassee. Click on the image for a better view. I had to take this picture in a hurry because the traffic started moving, so it's not as clear as I would like it to be.

Another View

The other side of the Challenger Learning Center and IMAX Theatre in downtown Tallahassee.

Kreativ Blogger

I am honored to have received a Kreativ Blogger award from Florida Fotos. Thanks Jacob and Lois Anne! I would like to present the award to seven other blogs:

1. an artic life

2. Codzienny Paryz
3. WDW Daily Photo
4. Southern Journeys
5. Leeds Daily Photo
6. Tacloban Daily Photo
7. NOSTALGIA: Today and Yesterday

Challenger Learning Center and IMAX Theatre

The Challenger Learning Center and IMAX Theatre on College Avenue in downtown Tallahassee. The First Baptist Church is in the background on the left side of the picture.

Soul Vegetarian

I've never tried the food from this vendor, but a friend of mine has and she says it's very tasty. This place is located in downtown Tallahassee.

Stormsong

A view of the Florida Heritage Fountain which sits on the west front of the Florida Capitol facing the Florida Supreme Court. The dolphin sculpture within the fountain is called Stormsong. My favorites in this sculpture are the baby jumping under its mother on the right and the dolphin doing the backflip towards the center.

Literacy

Also sitting in front of the Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science downtown is this sculpture by local artist W. Stanley Proctor. It was donated to the people and city of Tallahassee to celebrate 100 years of continuous publishing by the local newspaper, the Tallahassee Democrat. It suggests the importance of literacy in building a strong community and supporting democracy.

Miami Beach Ball

The plaque under this piece of art reads "MIAMI BEACH BALL by Romero Britto, A gift to The City of Tallahasse by Miami-Dade County Days April 7, 2005". It sits in front of the Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science in downtown Tallahassee.

Downtown

A view of downtown Tallahassee along Monroe Street which is the main street running north and south through the city. Click to enlarge and at the far left, you can see the old Capitol Building dome with it's flags on top. Peeking over the buildings just left of the center of the picture you can see the new Capitol Building, which stands directly behind the old Capitol. When I first moved here back in 1971 to attend FSU, these buildings along Monroe Street were stores where you could go shopping. Now they are office buildings and all of the stores have moved to the malls. The taller more colorful building to the right in the picture I think is an office building.

Van Dog

This little homeless dog has lived in the parking lot across the street from where I work for about the last 5 years. Over the years people have tried to gain the dog's trust, but no one has been successful. There is a person in our building who gives the dog fresh food and water every day even on the weekends. There is a sorority house next to our parking lot and they give the dog their leftovers. Several people would love to take this dog home for a pet, but no one can catch it. In the past, animal control officers have come and tried to capture the dog, but it manages to escape every time! We all love this animal and have nicknamed it "Van Dog" because it sleeps under our service van in the parking lot. I have been trying to get a picture for awhile and yesterday I finally was able to. Look at those sweet eyes!

Ponce de Leon Park

Ponce de Leon Park was named for Juan Ponce de Leon, the Spanish conquistador who made the first known voyage to Florida. He was supposedly searching for the legendary Fountain of Youth. When he landed on what he thought was another island in 1513, he named it La Florida. Juan Ponce de Leon was also the first governor of Puerto Rico. Tallahassee is located in Leon county which was also named for Juan Ponce de Leon. This park is one of the chain of parks that run through downtown along Park Avenue. It is directly across the street from the U.S. Bankruptcy Courthouse I showed you yesterday.

Bankruptcy Courthouse

With the state of the economy these days, this place is probably very busy. This is the United States Bankruptcy Courthouse for the northern district of Florida. I couldn't find much history for this building except that it was originally built in 1935 and was used as a federal courthouse and back when I was in college, the first floor was used as a post office. It was recently renovated. I really like the cupola on the top of the building.

More Moss

I know this tree looks like it's been taken over and killed by the moss, but in reality it has just lost it's leaves for the winter. When spring comes, it will sprout it's leaves and look normal again. The building in the background is an old hotel which is referred to locally as the "round Holiday Inn". Currently it is being considered for some kind of housing project.

Spanish Moss

A closeup picture of some Spanish moss hanging low from a tree next to the fence around St. John's Episcopal Cemetery. When I was a child, my grandmother used to warn me not to play with moss because she said it contained red bugs, which is another name for chiggers, nasty little bugs that burrow under your skin and bite, causing unbearable itching. We took our chances and played with it anyway, and yes, she was right! Click on the picture to see it up close. It's really quite pretty.

St. John's Cemetery

The St. Johns Episcopal Cemetery was established in 1840. This cemetery is located a few blocks west of the church I showed you yesterday. The grave sites of Prince Achille Murat, nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, and his wife, Princess Catherine Willis Murat, who was the great grandniece of George Washington, are located here. This cemetery sits across the street from the Old City Cemetery, which contains the graves of both Confederate and Union soldiers along with many other graves from the 19th century, so this area can be kind of spooky at night!

St. John's Episcopal Church

St. John's Episcopal Church is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was founded in 1829, and the church's first building was erected in 1837. The original church burned down in 1879, and a new church was built on the same site and consecrated in 1888. This church was difficult for me to get a good picture of because of the huge live oak trees growing in front of it and the fact that it sits so close to the busiest street downtown.

First Presbyterian Church

The First Presbyterian Church sanctuary is the oldest public building in Tallahassee. Construction was started in 1835 and completed in 1838. This church contains original slave galleries. Unusual for the times, slaves were admitted to membership. The roof woodwork was mortised and pinned, no nails were used in the original building. The steeple houses the original bell. During the Civil War, the bell was offered to the Confederacy to be melted down to make cannons, but the offer was not accepted. In early days, the sanctuary was used when needed as a place of refuge for women and children when the men went out to guard the town against Indian uprisings. Though not visible from the exterior, rifle slots are built into the foundation walls. This church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Columns

The oldest private residence that was built along Park Avenue is the "Columns". It was built around 1830 and is now the home of the Tallahassee Area Chamber of Commerce. This brick Greek Revival structure was built by William "Money" Williams, a prominent banker. Threatened with demolition in 1971, the Columns was relocated across Park Avenue and restored by the Tallahassee Chamber.

Library

The David S. Walker Library was named for the founder of Tallahassee's first library and Governor of Florida from 1865-1868. It was a functioning library until 1976, when it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is now the home of Springtime Tallahassee, a civic organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Tallahassee history and is headed by the Springtime Board of Directors who meet and operate from this library. Springtime Tallahassee is an annual event celebrating the arrival of spring with a huge parade through downtown and many other fun activities. Springtime members raised the funds necessary to restore the building. The library remains open for the public to see Monday through Friday.

Clock

There are several of these clocks in the historic district downtown. You can see some of the old moss draped live oaks which line the streets in the background. There are so many trees in this area that it is sometimes hard to get a good picture of the buildings.

The Lively House

The Lively House sits on the next block over from the three previous houses I have shown you. Lewis M. Lively was a prominent civic leader and local businessman who operated the Middle Florida Ice Company and also established Lively Technical Center in 1937 with the hope that the vocational school would provide individuals with the education and training needed to obtain gainful employment and earn a living. This house was built in 1901.