Tiny House – Replica of the Panton Leslie House, Pensacola, Florida

“Less is more”

Ludwig Miles van der Rohe 

 

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Driving downtown, we headed down Bayfront Parkway when we saw the tiny white house that looked like an oversized doll house. I saw many people stopping to get their pictures taken next to the house to show the true size. They looked like giants in comparison to it. The house stands 12 feet tall and is 19 feet long. We were so fascinated by this tiny home that I had to do some research on it. Why was it built? The miniature house was built in 1955 to disguise an ugly gas regulator, I learned. Escambia County owns and maintain the property with volunteers keeping up the maintenance on the property. The Guy Brothers even installed a new roof on it. My sister-in-law, Cathy states as a child, her mom always joked with her about the tiny people who lived in the house. Just imagine the little people looking out the windows.

The tiny house is a replica of the William Panton's residence that was built on the northern shoreline of Pensacola around 1785. William Panton was born in Scotland and moved to the states when he was twenty. He lived in Savannah, Georgia for a while and then moved to St. Augustine, Florida where the trading center called Panton, Forbes, and Company was formed. Their trading company bought guns, powder, rum, and flint from England to trade with the Indians in exchange for bear oil, furs, deer skins, honey, and food supplies. He stayed a loyalist for Britain which he needed to do to keep the trade going between Britain and the States. Forbes ended up running the East section of Florida while Panton took over the west coast of Florida for trading with the Indians. They traded with the Creek, Seminole, Chickasaws, Choctaws, and Cherokee Indians and when the Indians got too high in debt, the company would inherit their land. In 1783, William Alexander, Charles McLatchy, and John Leslie, also Scotsmen joined the firm and it was renamed Panton, Leslie, and Company. William Panton had the three story mansion built and he lived there for a while till it was used as the Panton, Leslie, and Company's Headquarters. This was the first million dollar business in Pensacola.

After the death of William Panton and John Lester, the company was bought by John Forbes and Company in 1804. His partners were William Simpson and John Innerarity. By 1812, the Indian trade was not their principal way of income. John Forbes reduced the Indian debt by getting their land and became the largest land owner in west Florida.

There was a large fire in Pensacola on September 24^th and 25^th, 1848 and burnt the house to the ground. This tiny house is a nice remembrance to the lovely mansion that once was.

National Naval Aviation Museum, Naval Air Station Pensacola

“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”

Leonardo da Vinci

Once again, we were riding our bikes on the Pensacola Naval Air Station and decided to see what the National Naval Aviation Museum was all about. As we rode past the traffic coming into the museum parking lot, we saw the large crowds lining up to go into the museum. As we entered the museum, our ID's were checked and our hands were stamped so we could get into the museum. The museum is free for the public to see. The first thing you notice after entering the museum is a full scale replica of the Wright brothers first successful aircraft that they flew in Kitty Hawk, NC. It is amazing that aircraft ever flew as it was so fragile looking. When you walk into the main room in this building and see all kinds of aircraft on display on the floor as well as hung from the ceiling. There was aircraft everywhere I looked. Astounding. They have over 150 beautifully restored aircraft to examine, touch, and some you are allowed to climb into.

This is the worlds largest Naval aviation museum and is the most visited museum in Florida. I can see why. The museum consists of two huge buildings that have aircraft, displays from all the wars we have been involved in, loads of historic pictures, military documents, military films, military uniforms, weapons, and medals. They even have the A-4 Skyhawks Blue Angels jets hung in a diamond formation overhead. Amazing displays to see everywhere you looked.  They also had a display that had POW bracelets that brought back memories from when I was in junior high school when I wore one.

 There are some pay attractions you can check out while you are there. If you choose the Flight Simulators they give you a choice to fly with the Blue Angels or fly off an aircraft carrier and battle in the Iraq desert. The is another pay attraction where you can go and watch an aviation movie at the state of the art theater with 4 K resolution. There is also the Blue Angel 4D movie with 3D images along with surprising effects. Everyone I saw or heard from thought these special features were great and came out happy.

I enjoyed the exhibit that was set up like a general store and set up as if WW II times. It was fun to look at all the different items and what the prices were. It was during this time my parents were courting and I could just imagine my dad going into a store like this in his Navy uniform with my mom on his arm. I also loved what the kitchen looked like.  They put so much detail into this display.

The mission of this museum is to educate people about aviation and show them a deeper appreciation of their heritage. The museum first opened its doors on June 8, 1963 with only 8,500 square feet to its name. Throughout the years, there were many phases adding new additions. The latest addition was added in 2006 and now the museum has total of 350,000 square feet of wonder. History buff or not, this is a great place to spend a day for adults or children.

After you go through the museum, if you are there on a Tuesday or Wednesday, you can walk over to the airfield to see the Blue Angels perform. There are bleachers to sit in or rent a chair for viewing. Watch them soar over you and do acrobatics in the sky. It will take your breath away and make you proud of our country and our military. God bless the men and women who serve or served for our country. After the show on Wednesday, the Blue Angels will sign autographs. This made a perfect day. Till next time.

Dutch House Restaurant, Wrens, Georgia

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”

Virginia Woolf

Joe and I went out to lunch on Saturday. We were out doing some running around and enjoying our morning on another hot, steamy day. Since we were near Wrens, Georgia, we decided to go to the Dutch House Restaurant. Wrens is 31 miles from Augusta and is a pretty drive with lots of farms to see on the way. It is amazing how much farm land there still is so close to Augusta. We have been there a few times and have always enjoyed it so we took the drive to Wrens.

This restaurant has been in business since 1991 and originally opened as a Mennonite restaurant with great home cooked meals. It was designed to be a friendly family restaurant. It has gone through a couple owners and is now owned by Michael and Janet Decker. He was a cook in Texas and was asked if he would be interested in coming here to work as a fry cook at the restaurant. He said he would give it a whirl and moved to Wrens the next week. He had the opportunity to own the restaurant 14 months later. He has kept with the tradition of cooking excellent home cooked meals.

The restaurant serves good home cooked meals with vegetables, bread or cornbread, drink, and desserts. It is cafeteria style and the workers are lovely and helpful. You choose how much meat you want and what vegetables you want. I got the fried chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, cornbread, salad and drink. Joe got their hamburger steak (like a thick Salisbury steak with rice) greens, green beans, salad, roll, and ice tea. Everything we ate was very tasty. The restaurant has plenty of seating and has a room you can rent for events. The waitress comes around to see if you need anything else and writes up your ticket to pay. After your done eating, you take your ticket to the cashier to pay.

The room you pay for your meal is where you can buy homemade desserts and pastries to take with you as well as some lovely meals already made up and ready to go. You can buy chicken enchiladas, chicken pot pies, and other homemade casseroles that are ready to heat. They look fabulous.

This is a great place to go and have a good southern meal. While sitting there looking out the window at the restaurant, you can see the gourd farm across the street. Hope to see you there sometime. Eat up and enjoy.

Eatonton, Georgia, and Uncle Remus Museum

“I'm kinder lopsided an' pidgin-toad, but watch me keepin de middle er de road.”

Joel Chandler Harris

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, zip-a-Dee-ay, Wonderful feeling, wonderful day! (a quote from the movie, Song of the South). We are are our way to go to the land of 'Brer Rabbit'. A few of our friends had recommended we go to Eatonton saying it was a quaint town and to definitely go see the Uncle Remus Museum in town. We took their advise and couldn't be happier. The Uncle Remus museum has some very interesting artifacts of the author, Joel Chandler Harris and inventor of this great character. He was born in the town of Eatonton on December 9, 1848 and died on July 3, 1908. The museum is divided into two main sections. One side is all about the author and the other side is all about his mentor, Joseph Addison Turner who taught him the printing trade and provided him with knowledge of how to write and how to be a journalist. Joseph was owner of Turnwold Plantation and for a while Joel stayed at the plantation and worked for room and board while reading everything he could from Joseph's library. The cabin is made of two old slave cabins. It was interesting how it was built and had the red clay to fill the gap between the logs. Joel C. Harris spent hundreds of hours in the slave quarters and learned all he could about the slaves, their language, and how they lived. His animal stories in Uncle Remus tales was said to be based on his time spent here.

We walked around and looked at his collection of books and pictures. Joe pointed out there are two original Walt Disney pictures at the museum. How special. As we were walking around, a nice older man came into the room we were in and said, “Come on, Georgia is going to tell a story.” We obediently followed him. Georgia was a lovely and passionate black lady probably in her 70's who wanted to tell us about one of the authors books, “Little Black Sambo” and talked to everyone in the room. This was a banned book as it was thought to be racist. She was asked by a little boy, “Have you ever felt discriminated against. How was it being a

slave?”

 Georgia laughed and stated to him she was never a slave nor had she ever been discriminated against as she wouldn't allow it. She said as a little girl, her parent divorced and she has to take a bus by herself to see her mother. She walked into the bus and the bus driver said, “You sit right behind me.” She did as she was told and after that she always felt that was her seat. She said anytime she got on a bus, she always just sat there. No one every said anything to her as they knew it was her seat. She stated the is one word in our country that needs to be eliminated and that word is “Offend”. She went on to say none of us had anything to do with the slaves and she would like to have people talk and look beyond color and be able to say what each other thinks. She had such a great spirit. I could have listened to her all day. She recommended the movie, “Song of the South” stating it was a masterpiece. It has been years since seeing it but we will surely go watch it again. Georgia, you made the museum fascinating. 

The grounds were lovely with trees shading the area and an iron working shop. There also was a well shelter dating back to 1839 that was once in the town square but was moved to this location. This shelter is in great shape. I love the carved animal characters on the lot as well. What a fun place to visit.

After leaving there, we wanted to see the town square. The courthouse is a beautiful brick building with parts dating back to 1824 and was renovated in 1994. Brer Rabbit graces the front of the building holding his pipe with style.

 In the middle of the town square is a Confederate Statue to honor the soldiers who served in Putnam County. It states - “Those who fought and lived, and those who fought and died.”

We walked around the little town and got to see the site of Barnes Tavern where the author was born. We also saw the two room house that he, his mother, and grand-mother lived in the back yard of the Andrew Reid Mansion in 1853.. The Mansion is now offices and needs restoration but is a beautiful large white home with columns.

   

By then we were feeling a little weak from the heat and needed some nourishment. We went to The Frisk Pub for some wings, fries, and a cold drink. That was a nice place with a fun atmosphere and has live music at night on the weekends. It felt great to sit and relax. Our waitress was very nice and took good care of us.

We headed out of town and went to see our next site, the Rock Hawk Effigy. It is not known why this was here but they know this was on Native American soil before the early settlers arrived. The rocks are quartz rocks in the shape of a hawk. Some of the rocks were quite large and must have been dragged to the site. Not much information is known about this site. One estimate states it could be 2,000 years old but there are many variations in the dates. This was an interesting stop. We walked down the path reading all the signs about the history of his area, the wildlife here, things to see locally, and maps. When we got to the end of the trail, there was a large platform where you walk up three flights to get a great view of the Hawk. You can see the Hawk but there is another effigy in the area that is more defined. There is also a little outside museum with signs that you can read about the history of Georgia and Putnam County. Very interesting information.

Driving towards our last stop we drove by a most scenic mill called Millmore Mill established around 1800 on the Shouderbone Creek on Hwy 77. This has gone by many different names including Baxter's Mill, Sparta Mil, and the current name, Millmore Mill. We stopped to look at this beautiful red mill in such a picturesque setting. Georgia does have some beautiful places to see.

Our last stop was to stop back at Courson's Winery to pick up a few bottles of their fruit wines. When we pulled up, the girl who was running the store was outside with a baby goat. What a cute little goat. We walked inside with the girl, Heather and Billy, the goat. I feel instantly in love with that little goat. Billy was only about three weeks old and was still bottle fed. We had an instant connection. Billy was the owners goat and Heather was watching for him. We once again recommend this wine to anyone who is a wine lover. They let you taste any wine you are interested in buying and they have a lot of choices. Heather was a terrific host and very nice to talk to. The bee guy was there also and was showing us a queen bee and explained the process. He was also very nice. As we were leaving, Heather picked up Billy and brought him to the door so we could see he was crying at our departure. Aw. What a cutie. I will miss you sweet Billy. Wwwcoursonswinery.com.

Blue Angels, Pensacola, Florida

“The sky is the limit, or “seize the sky”

Blue Angel pilot – LCDR Tom Winkler USN

  While we were visiting Pensacola last April, we were lucky enough to be spectators of two of the Blue Angels practices. They practice every Tuesday and Wednesday at the Naval Air Station so if you are ever there, you need to go see them. After their show on Wednesdays, they will sign autographs which is so awesome for the children and adults to see them up close and be able to speak to them. What a fantastic show they put on even though it is just a practice for them to get ready for the real thing. They bring in large crowds and all are excited about seeing their high performance phenomenal show.

On Tuesday, we went out on a boat with my brother, Harlan and his beautiful bride, Cathy to see them perform from on the Bayou Grande. Watching them soar overhead and do their crazy spins and outrageously maneuvers was such a treat. They went right over our heads from all directions and then straight up towards heaven. We had a great vantage point watching them come from a long distance off. They were so close at times that you could see the pilots. Since it was a beautifully clear day, they were able to do the high show. Wow. What a show.

On Wednesday, my other brother Howard and his beautiful bride arrived and wanted to see the show from the airfield where the Blues take off. Right after it rained we headed out to the airfield where we rented some chairs so we could be comfortable. Even with the large crowds, we got great seats. We were praying the show would go on and not be canceled. They delayed the show and sure enough some of the clouds dispersed just in time. They were able to preform and do their low show. We were thrilled. What a great experience to be at the airfield, listen to the announcements, hear their history, see them take off and

smell the jet fuel. It was a totally different experience than we had yesterday. Both were amazing. They did a flyover that was from behind and low where everyone jumped from the roar of the jet engines. They also did the maneuver where two jets are heading right towards each other and turn sideways as they passed each other. That was a nail biting experience. What an amazing group of pilots who are navigators from the Navy and Marines. If you can go to see them, go early and spend time in the Naval Air Museum which is a huge museum with all kinds of airplanes to see that are inside and a wonderful film of the Blues flying. You need a lot of time to see whole museum. You can see the Blues jets up close. What an incredible aircraft. I will post more on the museum later.

The pilots are currently flying the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The Blue Angels have flown eight different aircraft since when it was formed in 1946. They fly at 70 shows throughout the country at 34 locations and preform for over 11 million spectators. The Blues also visit more than 50,000 people in schools and hospitals during March through November each year. They were formed to inspire excellence and service to country through their flight skills and outreach missions. They fly as fast as 700 miles per hour and as slow as 120 mph andduring the show you get to see both. Their high show they go up as high as 8,000 foot and the low show they go up to 3,500 feet. The pilots do not wear G-suits because the air bladders inside repeatedly deflate and inflate interfering with that stability. The pilots use their own method by tensing their muscle to keep their blood flow from staying in their lower extremities which could make them become unconscious. These men are very skilled and brave as there is quite the risk factor by them flying. 27 Blue Angel pilots have been killed in air shows or training out of the 261 pilots in their history. That is about a 10% fatality rate. That is frightening to think about. Please keep all those pilots in your prayers.

The Blue Angels are very special and talented and it is a rare treat if you ever get to see them. If you see a show coming to your area, go or if you are in Pensacola on a Tuesday or Wednesday, go see their practice show. You will not be disappointed.

Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum

“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.”

Anita Desai

While planning our Pensacola trip last April, Joe found a great military campground on the Pensacola Naval Air Station and lucky me, it is close to the lighthouse. He said, “How does this sound?” I said an enthusiastic, “Yes. Let's go.” He knows how much I love lighthouses and he knew how thrilled I'd be to be able to camp close to one. So he made the reservations and off we went.

When we pulled onto the Air Station and saw the campground and were thrilled. We were tent camping and the tent sites here are quite large and shaded. There was a nice path to the white sandy beach on the bay close to our site. As we set up our site, we met some very nice folks walking around. Later that night, we were invited to a camp fire at a nearby camp site and we enjoyed our new friends with the glow fire and the light from the lighthouse cutting through the night sky. It just couldn't have been more perfect.

Early the next day, we got on our bikes and headed to the lighthouse. It was a very short ride from the campground down a peaceful tree lined street. There she was, in all her majesty. The light house is painted white on the bottom and the top is painted black so it will be visible from the sky and not blend in with the clouds. The grounds are kept very nice and it was fun walking around and taking pictures. We paid to go into the lighthouses keepers home. The day we were there we couldn't go to the top as they were working on the stairs. The guide in the home was very interesting and told me the history of this lighthouse.

He said this is the second light house built on this air station. When the shorter one was being built there was a floating vessel Aurora Borealis that was used temporarily. When complaints came in saying the Pensacola light was too dim and not so visible through the trees, they decided to build another one on this site about a half a mile from the original lighthouse.

The new light was built in 1858 and stands 159 feet. This light has had some bad times in the past. During the Civil War, the Confederates took control of the lighthouse and took out the light. On November 22, 1861 a two day battle occurred where the tower got hit by about half a dozen rounds was taken by the Union troops. The light was again lite on December 20, 1862 with a fourth-order lens. The original Fresnel lens was later recovered and re-installed in1869, after the war. The light house was hit by lightning in 1874 and then struck a second time the following year. I guess lightning can strike twice on the same spot. The towers lightning rods were defective. Then on August 31, 1886 a rare earthquake shook the tower for three or four minutes. Fortunately, the old girl survived.

It is rumored the ghost of a lighthouse keeper of the past may be haunting the lighthouse. They do ghost tours and you can buy special tickets to the balcony at the top of the lighthouse to watch the Blue Angels practice on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. What an amazing place to witness the air show. I loved the lighthouse and homestead here. As a child, I wanted to live in a lighthouse. This one would have been perfect. Maybe in my next life. May God's light guide you, as a lighthouse guides a ship in a storm.