Thornby

Thornby is a beautiful piece of property on the St. Johns River. It is the remains of an old estate. It is the last undeveloped river front property in Deltona and it has been the subject of controversy for as long as I have lived here. Deltona has many places for kids to be competitive, but no real place for kids to be contemplative. And no real place for us older folks who just like to walk in the woods. Sure there are parks, but no real place for a quiet walk in the woods to get away from it all. And there are no woods like Thornby that I have seen here. Centuries old Oak trees and Magnolias and pieces of old Florida history. I had only heard about it and driven by it until today. Numerous “No Trespassing” signs kept me from exploring although I’ve always believed in saving green spaces. Today the Friends of Thornby - http://www.savethornby.com/ - arranged a tour for anyone interested. The photographs on the blog today are from that tour. I went out with the first tour and they allowed me to stay behind to photograph and experience Thornby. I saw eagles and flowers and majestic trees, too large to adequately photograph. I couldn’t help but look at the overgrown landscaping and know that this place was once loved and cared for by its owners.

Some things are worth tightening the belt for and I believe this is one of them. Deltona stands at a turning point here. I hope we make the right choice.

A day off

What a beautiful day yesterday! I was sending an email out mentioning that it was my last day off until November and I realized – hey, this is my last day off until November, I’d better do something besides sit in front of the computer.

First I went for a motorcycle ride. The morning wasn’t as windy as the afternoon and as far as good days to ride a motorcycle on a scale of 1 -10 this one rated an 11. The air was not too cool and not too hot and clear from the rain the day before. I rode down Lakeshore Drive, a piece of old Florida with overhanging oaks and Spanish moss. Just curvy enough to get a nice rhythm going.

From there I went to 415. I really shouldn’t like to ride on 415. It’s a dangerous road, only two lanes with a lot of people who want to go considerably over the speed limit but apparently don’t like to pass so they try to push you down the road. But 415 and I have history. The first time Clif and I came down for Bike Week the only road we knew of to get from Deltona to Daytona was 415 or Tomoka Farms Road as I knew it. We came down from Virginia expecting (and getting) nice warm weather. But we hadn’t counted on the nights. I remember many evenings huddled behind Clif ( I didn’t ride my own then) , thinking this is one long dark road. I remember the night we missed the turn for Deltona and ended up in Sanford and the night we couldn’t go any further and stopped at one of the stands at the Cabbage Patch and bought winter gear. The following year Clif found I4 and it just wasn’t the same.

415 was also the first place where I went 60 mph on my own bike after weeks of riding through the neighborhood mumbling slow, look, press, roll. More on that in another blog.

I rode up 415 to 44 and back towards home. After the ride, I came home and relaxed in the pool and then watched the football game with Clif. All in all, a restful day in preparation for the weeks ahead.