When Florida seceded in February 1861, it was a sparsely populated backwater with little military significance. Traded several times between Spain and England and purchased by the United States in 1821, it had only become a state less than 20 years ago, in 1845. During the war, it supplied a few regiments to the Confederate … More Olustee Battlefield

Although I am a legal resident of Pennsylvania, I lived in Florida for 20 years before I started vandwelling, and I still consider myself a Floridian in exile. So it’s nice to be back “home”.  🙂 Alas, when I got to Jacksonville I found that the Walmart i had planned to stay in is no … More Greetings From Florida

The Audubon Bird Sanctuary, on Dauphin Island near Mobile AL, contains a wide variety of habitats ranging from wetlands to pine flatlands to oak uplands to dunes and beachfront. Some photos from a visit. ​Inside the Sanctuary ​Red-Eared Sliders. “Boy” has met “Girl”. ​Great Blue Heron fishes for his lunch ​Kestrel ​The first wild Alligator … More Audubon Bird Sanctuary

[NOTE: I’ve blogged all these “how-to” posts before, but am gonna re-run them on occasion, since folks may have missed them, and many of them have been updated or expanded since they were first posted.] For most van-travelers, finding a place to temporarily camp is not a problem: they stay out in the countryside (known … More The Logistics of Living at Walmart

As some of you might recall, my poor old Panasonic Lumix camera died a little while ago after a long time of faithful service, and I replaced it with a Nikon point and shoot with a 40x zoom.  Although it’s not a bad camera, I missed the 50x zoom I had on the old Lumix, so … More Some Critters at Bellingrath

Bellingrath made his fortune as a Coca Cola bottler in the 1930s. His house and gardens are now a museum. Some photos from a visit. The garden grounds One of several fountains One of several ponds A grotto Greenhouse Orchids Inside the house  

After the Battle of Mobile Bay, the Union occupied Forts Morgan and Gaines to control the flow of shipping in and out of the harbor, but did not move on the city of Mobile itself. But both sides knew that an eventual assault on the city was inevitable. The Confederates poured what resources they could … More Fort Blakely

Temps here in Bama supposed to get into the 40s at night for the next week or so. Time for the cold-weather sleeping bag. I’ll be here another ten days or so, then heading to Florida for the winter.  

A collection of critters seen at various places near Mobile, Alabama. Cormorants near the USS “Alabama” Coots Ya know, I love our native plants and all, but if Sandspurs were to go extinct, I don’t think I’d mind very much. Jeebus, it was like walking on broken glass……. I’m not “up” on my little bitty … More Some Alabama Critters

What could be better for a “reptile” guy like me than a day at an alligator farm?  😉 Some photos: Alligator Alley Feeding the younglings Awwww, they’re so cute at this age….  😉 A pen full of four-year-olds A school tour Great Blue Heron hunting in the canal Domestic pig Longhorn Cattle Orb-Weaver Spider. What … More Alligator Alley Gator Farm