Duckpond Round-up

I’ve been getting out and about more since I bought my bike - look at me dropping in that big news!! I have a bike, yay, my first since I was a teenager - it’s a used Schwinn with very wide handlebars and a big roomy seat. I received sage Gainesville cycling advice from a nice man called Journey (there is a noticeable alternative scene here) at the Schwinn shop - the headline being that you can cycle on the pavements. I also bought a basket so I can cruise around, shoulders free of my rucksack, and now I’m SCHWINNING AT LIFE! (Batter batter batter, SCHWINN, batter! Schwinn beneath my wings? Etc)

So I've done a bit of cycling in my area, Duckpond, and I've been taking photos of the local houses. This is the oldest part of town, and is the highest by elevation (although it's all pretty flat around here). It's full of Colonial houses, all very different from each other, and it's extremely green and leafy. (Please submit more words for green and leafy for me to use - those just aren't going to cover it!)





It's mostly eerily quiet around here. The one drawback of the house I'm in is the darkness inside, and looking around, this seems to be a feature of all the houses in Gainesville - even the modern ones. I know it's to keep the houses cool in this fearsome heat, but I can't help finding it a bit oppressive, both outside and in - there's something sinister about all these quiet-looking houses with their dark windows. It's been reminding me a bit of one of my favourite Dr Seuss stories:

And there's seldom ANY signs of life about. People don't walk or cycle much here, they're mostly in cars. So the streets are quiet, and so are the houses - mostly the only clues that people live in them are cars parked outside or decoration or litter on the front lawns. But, when you do encounter other people on the streets, they are really friendly! We always say hello.



Tom Petty, Gainesville's most famous (I assume) alumnus, grew up in Duckpond, and the Florida Historical Marker Council (I guess like our blue plaques) is going to unveil one honouring him here on the 20th October, what would have been his 69th birthday! So that's an event for my diary. (That's not a joke, I'll definitely go!)

Gainesville, I’d been told and now have seen with my own eyes, is a small town which is massively swelled by the influx of university students during term times. The difference between last week and this, when the students returned, is remarkable. Suddenly the roads are jammed with their pick-up trucks and 4x4s (what a heart-sinking sight it will keep being to see a 4x4 pull up and a teenager get out of the driving seat), there’s music everywhere and university students handing out leaflets for groups and events. I went into the CVS (chemist here, like Boots I guess except they also have a beer aisle?!) and there are two rows selling Gators merchandise. Gators being the local football team - the colours are blue and orange, and obviously I want a vest to show my support (though those really aren't my colours :( - inconsiderate of the Gators design team.)

I started classes yesterday - I'll write more about the school soon!

***QUESTION CORNER***

Q: WHY does the moss hang from the trees?

A: Well, Spanish Moss (not to be confused with Spanish Fly - get out of that tree, you pervert!) which this is, is an air plant, my botanical friends! And in fact it's not moss at all, it's a flowering plant which grows hanging from tree branches - in this area of the south, from the bald cypress and southern oak. In French Polynesia it is known as "grandpa's beard", which I will not be calling it, as I consider that disrespectful to grandpas and beards. More from Wikipedia: Spanish Moss is an epiphyte which absorbs nutrients and water through its leaves from the air and rainfall. While it rarely kills the tree upon which it grows, it can occasionally become so thick that it shades the tree's leaves and lowers its growth rate.

So there you have it! Lots of pics and more information about Spanish Moss than you can shake a lichen-covered stick at!