Sight seeing

March 1 , 2023

Yesterday we rented a golf cart. We wanted to drive up and down the beach. See the sights… hurricane damage, Floridians….etc… Of course, anything we ever rent has issues. The first cart we drove didn’t want to stay running, was very loud and jerked at low speeds. Guess what the speed limit is on the beach?… 10 mph. So back we go. Ha, sign on the door “be back soon”. We waited around for about 45 minutes. Right about that time we began discussing whether we wanted our money back or get a different cart, he returned. We did choose a different cart and ended up having a fabulous time. Strange…how do you run a rental business on the beach and leave in the middle of the day?

We did stop to take pictures of the “Smith family bus”. My maiden name is Smith. Fabulous to have a name no one asks you to spell. We met the inhabitants of the bus. They were here setting up a stall for bike week. They had a cute puppy with them who frolicked a bit with Coconut. They were very concerned about following the rules of no dogs on the beach but when they saw Coconut they brought her out. We had a nice chat! Y’all notice the Smith bus is a short bus — right?

We have learned about a few legends here in our neighborhood. The first is Brownie, the town dog. Brownie’s grave is located in historic downtown Daytona Beach’s Riverfront Park, near the Halifax River. There is a statue of him but the entire riverfront is being revamped into a great green space so Brownies tribute is behind a fence.

Brownie was born sometime around 1939, and entered the front door of the Daytona Cab Company soon after. Owner Ed Budgen and his drivers took a shine to the friendly dog, and built him a dog house out front. Brownie quickly became known up and down Beach Street and along the riverfront, belonging to no one, but to everyone.

Locals, Beach Street merchants and tourists all donated funds to keep Brownie well fed and well cared for, and Ed at the cab company even established a Florida Bank and Trust account in his name to make sure there was always enough to buy dog food and pay any vet bills.

Brownie’s sweet disposition and diplomatic demeanor made him a must-see for shoppers and tourists, who all stopped to greet him, take a picture with him, or just sit with him while waiting for a bus or cab. Each year, the townspeople bought Brownie a dog license, his tag always #1 signifying that he was the official goodwill ambassador for the town.

As his popularity grew, Brownie was written about not only in the local Daytona Beach press, but in national magazines and newspapers, and every year he received Christmas cards and presents from all over. 

He died on Halloween in 1954 at the age of 15. The entire city mourned the good dog’s passing, and 75 people attended his funeral in Riverfront Park. Mayor Jack Tamm gave the eulogy.

Another thing I learned is that this Parkway is part of the “Sweetheart Trail”. The trail is part of Daytona Beach’s section of the East Coast Greenway, a 2,900-mile-long shared-use trail between Calais, Maine, and Key West, Florida. We did not know this.

Our day usually begins with “what do you want to do today?” Joe was thrilled to be going to Gnome Hill. It’s located on the river in Holly Hill. At least it’s close!

Gnomes have been quite popular lately in case you haven’t noticed 😉. My SIL Donna has made two for me, a Fall door decoration and a nautical one living on Pursuit. They seem to be especially popular at Christmas. I painted one on a barn board at a paint night at our friends winery. It is stunning.

Gnomes are thought to have been started in Germany , a country steeped in the folklore. They are thought to be cheery, if not slightly mischievous, creatures who offered late night assistance in gardens and the protection of property. They wear pointed hats, have rounded bellies, long beards and dress in bright colors.

Gnomes have populated a large tree along the Halifax River since 2003. The first ones arrived courtesy of Virginia and Dewey Morris, and the population has grown ever since, only shrinking when they’re taken inside by the Morrises if a hurricane approaches. They bought the first three gnomes (Hall, Lee and Hill) and took them to the tree spot and got permission from the city to add more. The gnome population exploded over time and expanded to include a notepad at the site where people could leave notes for dreams, memorials, any thoughts the wide variety of gnomes inspired.

Notes and letters delivered to the gnomes are taken to the Holly Hill History Museum, where they are logged and stored. I must have missed the notes.

It was very whimsical. Joe stayed in the car….

Well, I bet your all thinking we must be bored, elderly or a bit nuts but when you wonder around a town for 5 weeks you notice things. There’s things we’ve seen and heard and people we’ve met that we cannot write about so as to protect the innocent but we will say the smell of pot wafts through this marina when certain people are on board…

So, on Tuesday we move to St. Augustine. We are ready to move but hopefully will be back in Halifax Marina next year. So many things we didn’t get around to doing here.