Cross Creek Festival

Except being two-laned and paved, the road to Cross Creek hasn't changed much since the 1940's when writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings came this way to buy an orange grove and stayed to write her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Yearling.

The Festival was held in the County Park next to her old farmhouse.

It was a small festival with typical vendors, food, and live entertainment.

This lady was a storyteller.

There were plenty of homemade preserves for sale.

With yummy-sounding names like:

And:

Some of my red-hat lady friends:

Corn Boil

This red balloon escaped its owner...reminds me of a film by the same name.

Four-legged friends were welcome too.

This canal leads out to Orange Lake...hmmm

Oh, it's duck hunting season. I asked this hunter if he thought it would be safe to kayak out there today. He said, "Sure, just don't go near the duck blinds." LOL I could hear occasional shooting.

The band is playing.

Makes me want to tap my toes...

Between Silver Springs and now here, I'm getting used to kayaking to music.

The canal to the lake is shallow; my paddles dip in the mud on either side.

Cattails

Redneck channel marker.

Coming out on Orange Lake

Lots of Coots...they don't seem disturbed by all the shooting going on.

Another redneck channel marker

Colorful lily

More birdlife, peacefully swimming around.

Peace shattered, birds scattered...

Redneck duck hunters coming in

Maybe it's not such a good day to kayak here...

By the way, this narrow muddy channel is not such a good place to meet an airboat. Don't ask me how I know.

Ooh, what's this? I don't know! Didn't get a good picture of him, either. The closest I could come with my bird book is maybe an American Bittern? Way out on that limb...

Well, maybe that shooting wasn't the duck hunters after all!
After kayaking, I was hungry, so bought a BBQ chicken dinner and enjoyed the music awhile.

Then took a stroll around the grounds.

Found this old gate to the MKR property next door.

It's hard to come to Cross Creek without thinking about the author and her love for this place.

Leaving Cross Creek