Where The Wind Takes Us... One Doggie Field After Another

McIntosh Florida
We were so tired when we found the little RV sign that pointed into the town of McIntosh. With our fifth wheel in tow, we braved the low branches and made our way slowly to the water. I really couldn't absorb the city at first, I noticed a few old mansions, but I was so focused on my destination that I had no idea what a gem we had found.
This morning, I woke up at 6:30 AM, and the reason I was so eager to awaken, was because of the light show that happens at this time every single day. I rushed to open the curtains and right out the bedroom window, the clouds had started to turn a slight illuminated pink. The water of Orange Lake was calm with a few coots treading through, and making tiny wakes wherever they go. The pink spread throughout the clouds and finally the sun started to rise, a brilliant reddish orange peeked over the horizon.




Of course we had to go outside and take a peek. Outside you can hear the distant calls of the Sand Cranes, which are the most magnificent birds here. They are so tall when they are on the ground and when they are in flight, the light catches their light underbellies and make them shine. They are so big that they do not need to flap their wings very often and when they fly right over head, you hear this loud and powerful, "FLAP, FLAP." They also have a distinct beautiful call that remind me of doves, "cooo, cooo, cooo."
They migrate over the RV park every dawn and dusk and it is quite an event for me. Later in the day, I love to take the dogs for a walk through the town.



McIntosh is a historic town, with houses built, I believe in the 1800's and with trees that are much older than that. The one thing that I will forever think about when I remember McIntosh are the grand old oak trees that stretch up beyond any building that is here. They provide a covering to the entire town, like a canopy that stretches with incredibly thick branches up towards the sky with the occasional palm tree twisting up and rivaling the old trees for height. Spanish moss hangs down providing the fringe for the continuous canopy.



Walking under one of these majestic trees, is akin to entering an old town hall in a mining town. You just have to wonder how much history these old giants have silently witnessed.
The town of McIntosh has an old preserved train depot that sits in the middle of the town. This has a big grass field that is the favorite of our dogs. We let them run through the grass and in the evenings this is a prime spot to watch the flight of the Sand Cranes.



This is a very sleepy town. When we have the radio on, when we enter it just feels wrong to have music playing. Almost everyone has a bike or a golf cart to get around in. It is so small you can make a trip to the grocery store and post office in one fell swoop.


Last night, I got to watch the rising of the moon on the horizon. It looked an awful lot like the sun, being a brilliant orange, and it rose only a few feet away from where the sun was 12 hours earlier! We are pretty sure that they have not gotten mixed up but we are a bit concerned about this.