We finally pulled out of IRCC just before noon on the 2nd. We stopped for the night in White Springs, FL at the Stephen Foster State Park. We have been very impressed with Florida's state parks, and this one was no exception. We had a lovely large campsite shaded by southern slash pines and gorgeous old live oaks, dripping with spanish moss.
We had stopped at this state park once before, several years ago, but hadn't had time to really explore it. This time we spent the morning of our departure checking out the on-site museum and gift shop before heading out to our next stop.
A gold star to anyone who can identify the man in this rather strange painting. You win if you said Stephen Foster. Foster was a civil war era songwriter who wrote such classics as Way Down Upon the Swannee (sic) River, I Dream of Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair, Camptown Races, Old Kentucky Home, Oh Susanna, and My Old Dog Trey. He sold the rights to Swannee River to a traveling minstrel who made it famous for $15. Neither Foster, who was from Pennsylvania, nor the minstrel had ever seen the Suwannee River, and, in fact, the original lyrics were "Way down upon the Peedee river," but he decided that the Suannee River was more melodic.
This strange painting, which is hanging in the museum, shows the composer at his desk.
The little museum contains a number of dioramas with moving parts depicting scenes from his most famous songs. This one is my favorite. The steamboat moves across the scene.
Another highlight of the park is the carillon bell tower. The bells play short concerts of Foster's songs several times each day, supposedly at 10am, noon, 2pm and 4pm. We had an impressive thunder storm the night that we arrived with extended downpours. I can only surmise that the electrical storm somehow reset the computer controlling the bells, because we were "treated" to bell concerts at midnight, 2am, and 4am.
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