We Have Visitors!

Monday February 9, 2015
Koreshan State Historic Site
Estero, Florida

 

 

 

For those of you who know Mike and Terri Young and haven’t seen or heard from then in a LONG time, we can report that they are in fact alive and well.

We spent today with them visiting our respective campgrounds.  They met us at Koreshan where we took a rather mediocre tour I thought.   The guide is a local resident who only does Mondays so my advice is avoid Monday.  The other guide Mary, whose tour we only heard part of,  was much better.   Other information about and pictures of the park were in yesterday’s post if you missed it.

Along the tour, I catch a pair Peeping Toms looking in a Koreshan Member’s cabin. 

 

I also manage to get a shot of new potential members climbing the entrance steps to the community from the bamboo landing on the river. 

 

 

We cross the bridge to the sunken gardens which aren’t sunken anymore but have very interesting trees and a few exotic plants.

 

 

 

 

We are greeted by the oldest living resident of the community.   She says her right side is her best profile.

 

 

 

 

Because we are on a tour, we are able to go into the Planetary Court Home.  The Planetary Court House clearly the most elegant building on the grounds and was the home to the 7 women (the planetary court) who did the business of the Koreshan community and pretty much ran the Koreshan Unity as Dr. Teed traveled a great deal. They were called the Planetary Court by Dr. Teed for the 7 known planets at that time. He was the sun and his chosen right hand woman Victoria was the moon. You really do have to come and hear this story, it’s pretty amazing.   The good doctor’s portrait is hanging in the entry hall.

 

Dr. Cyrus Reed Teed (aka Koresh)

 

These seven Victorian Planetary sisters lived in the house with one man who was the brother of one of the women. He lived in the cupola. His job was to take care of repairs, firewood etc for the house and to act as the “business man” if people from the nearby community came to do business with the Koreshans. Local officials would not deal with women as decision makers. The Koreshan Unity was way ahead of their time in terms of equal rights for women.

 

 

 

I particularly enjoy the Victorian Bedrooms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Off of the porch which wraps around the entire house, wooden barrels for sisterns provide drinking water.

 

 

At the rear of the Planetary Court House is a large “sausage tree” (kigelia africana). Supposedly Edison’s garden is a source for these trees even to this day. Mike said he would love to have one of those in his yard until he got a closer look at the “sausage”.

 

 

The tour ended at the 5 building machine and tool area where the guys enjoyed seeing the generator which provided electricity to this community beginning in 1905 and the belt driven saws and drills still in use today.  

 

 

The pulleys are large but the generator is enormous.   They fire it up for the Ghost Walk and every Wednesday morning.  David is anxious to see this.  Too bad Mike won’t be here.

 

 

 

On our way back to the trail to the campground we stop at what David calls the picture frame tree.  Mike does a better job of taking one of us than I do of theirs.  Darn!

 

 

 

 

On the walk back to Winnona the river, they get a look at the bamboo.  

 

 

 

We have our picnic  lunch and then take the other trail back to the parking lot.

 

 

 

Terri mentioned earlier in the day that she had never seen a Zebra Swallowtail butterfly, Florida’s state butterfly.  On this section of the trail, there are several and after the first one we point out to her, she’s seeing them and pointing them out to us.

David finds some tangerines and gives everyone a taste.  They are the “little bit on the sour side ones” unfortunately.

It has been spitting rain all morning long but we manage to be inside, under palm frons or under Winnona’s awning for most of it.  The afternoon is looking clear so we drive up to W.P. Franklin where they treat us to a tour of the very nice volunteer campsites which come complete with their own banana tree. Koreshan is remiss in not having one of these.  Isn’t this flower just the most interesting thing ever?   Wish I were going to be around when those bananas ripen up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The visitor center is a small two room building packed with extremely educational exhibits.  Some environmental educator/museum curator did a terrific job with this small space.

We get to see and compare animal scat from mammals that share the Okeechobee habitat.   There is also an exhibit on larger birds eggs.  Isn’t this osprey egg one of the most artistic things you’ve ever seen.   It looks like it was painted.

 

 

 

 

There is great  information on the invasive species in the area.  It too is well done.  They have pictures of plants, animals, snakes, spiders and under each picture it tells you whether this is a friend or a foe of this ecosystem.

We watch the informative film about the history and creation of the canals and locks.

 

 

 

We walk up and look at the lock.  There are no boats coming along so we don’t get watch the lock in action.   We can see the campground on the other side but we can’t walk across.  So Mike and Terri drive us over to see first hand this campground where reservations are impossible to get.  Thanks to them, we now know what we are missing.  There aren’t many trees or any foliage buffers but every site is on the water.  Now that’s sweet especially the site you were in Rick and Gail.  I neglected to get a picture of the lock or the campground and I had the camera on my shoulder.  SIGH!

We ended our day together at Steak N’ Shake were we had, of course, burgers and fries and milk shakes.  David skipped the milk shake and Mike had onion rings.  Wish I’d done that.  I’ll remember next time.   Most of you know David and I don’t eat out much and eat primarily a vegan diet but at least once a month we splurge on something that we really enjoy but know is not good for us.   This is our February treat.  And who better to share it with than Mike and Terri.   We’ll see how much it affects David’s lipid levels which will be tested on Wednesday morning.  HA!

 

 

It was great seeing you two and spending the day together.  It seemed to just fly by.  Hope it will be sooner next time that we can again attest that you are alive and living a wonderful life.