Floridiana Gloriana

Cypress Trees & Knees on the Suwannee | Fanning Springs

This photograph was taken by my father-in-law during  during our day trip to Fanning Springs and the Suwanee River.

The first one illustrates that even in the deeps of our winter (or "winter"), you can always find brilliant greens. I am sorry that I cannot identify the ferns growing at the base of the cypress knees. I think the green among the trees might be our ubiquitous liveoak, which remains green year-round, but I don't know.

This photograph how weirdly beautiful are the cypress trees (and their knees). I really love the way the light and shadow give depth to the photograph. John (Nick's father) did a wonderful job composing these scenes and he did it with a pretty basic camera (I think probably a Kodak Easyshare).

Fisherman on the Suwannee River | Fanning Springs

This is another beautiful and evocative late afternoon scene from the Suwannee River in December 2005. In this photograph, my father-in-law perfectly caught that particular tint--periwinkle verging toward indigo---of a Florida winter sky in the late afternoon right before the sun starts to set. While we were standing on the ramp near the riverbank, this boat came puttering down the river. Fishing boats and fishermen are two things that really have NOT changed in my by now surprisingly long lifetime. This man is wearing a blue plaid shirt and a fishing hat, just like all fishermen in all the photos I've ever taken.

I love that line of trees along the bank. It reminds me of the writings of Flannery O'Connor; in her stories, a line of trees always represents God. Although she was talking about a middle Georgia pine barren and this is a Florida riverbank, the effect seems the same to me. There is something remote yet familiar about the look of them along this river.

The pointy thing in (and on!) the water is a cypress 'knee' and its reflection. It's rather menacing in its pointiness, obtruding into the soft blue of the water. Interestingly, no one really knows the function of the cyrpresses knee. According to the previously linked article, "The knees are part of the tree's root system, but the exact function of the knees is not known. Some scientists have thought they may help in providing oxygen to the tree and assist in anchoring the tree in the soft, muddy soil." The next two photographs show more of these knees.

On the Suwannee River

My father-in-law, visiting from England last Christmas, took this beautiful shot of the Suwannee River. After a week of (unusual for Florida) mainly grey rainy weather, we finally had what I'd call 'typical December weather': balmy but with cool currents flowing through it and with very clear sparkling skies and sunshine. It was a perfect day for exploring along the river.

We took Nick's parents for a ride along US 19. Right about sunset we ended up in Fanning Springs, a town which is located in BOTH Gilchrist County and Levy County. We stopped at the state park and campground (where there happened to be a festival going on of religious music with a blue-grassy feel to it, a very appropriate background somehow to scenes of this river). The park is located right on the Suwannee River. We went down the ramp to the riverbanks to look at the river. Since it was almost---though not quite---sunset, the light was that rich golden light I love for the way it brings out such dense, saturated colors. You can see the water reflecting the typical North Florida late afternoon winter sky. I love the photographs that my father-in-law took because they had almost a 3D effect.
It's probably going to get pretty tedious, my going on how much I 'love' this or that part of this beautiful and wondrous state, but it's true: and one of the places I do love is Fanning Springs. When my late husband Don was alive and the children were small we used to drive them to the park there. There is a wonderful old-fashioned 'swimming hole' where people can swim and you can also rent a canoes or kayaks. There are actually lots of opportunities for canoeing and kayaking in this part of the state. In addition, there are always event going on at the park. You can easily keep track of upcoming festivals and so on by checking out Florida's State park guide. Nick and I also visited there. We left early one morning and arrived at around breakfast time. I remember we ate breakfast in Fanning Springs and I wish I could remember the name of the place (and whether it was still there) because it was great. Like a lot of the places along this stretch of US 19, it was a family owned place. I would recommend a trip to Fanning Springs to ANYONE who wants to enjoy the authentic not-fashioned-for-tourists Florida. Inland Florida has many beautiful and unspoiled natural springs but Fanning Springs has the additional advantage of being near the coast, so that you can swim in a spring and then in the Gulf (or vice-versa!) if you wish.

Travelling Back to Old Florida | Suwannee

"Winter Canal" by Damozel

A winter's day on a canal not too far from the mouth of the Suwannee circa 1997: a beautiful view along a canal. I chose this because of the view up the canal, the lacy look of the trees, and the beautiful blend of browns, greens, and greys. Most winter days are sunny and on such a day this scene would be totally transformed (beautiful still, but not the same). This sort of light is (or was then) fairly rare. I find the starkness and simplicity of color very lovely; it reminds me of Japanese paintings. In the summer it would be a mass of green and the reflections and shadows would make it hard to see straight through to the end.