So goes one of Jimi Hendrix’s most famous lyrics, and kiss the sky he did, much too early by any standard. The Seattle-born rock musician, known for his overdriven guitar riffs and flamboyant attire, was only 26 when he died in a London hotel from vomit asphyxiation. September 18, 1970 marked the tragic end of…
When the United States took possession of Florida as a territory in 1821 a portion of the old St. Francis Barracks’ land was set aside for a small post cemetery. The first soldiers buried here were casualties of the Seminole Indian Wars. However, most casualties were first buried at different posts around the territory. The…
Visiting the Lees in Lakeview Two of Seattle’s Lakeview Cemetery most famous residents are Bruce Lee and his son, Brandon. Every year, thousands of people from all over the world visit them. Visitors are so common that when I recently went into the cemetery office to ask about another matter, the receptionist did not even…
It’s on the Dixie Highway in North Miami and at 800 years old it’s the oldest building in America. It’s called the “Old Spanish Monastery” but its real name is The Cloisters of the Ancient Spanish Monastery and St. Bernard de Clairvaux Episcopal Church. You may be wondering how it was built in Florida 300…
No book about Florida’s fabled places would be complete without mentioning Ponce de Leon’s quest for the Fountain of Youth. In my personal search for this fabled fountain I’ve been to the St. Augustine’s Fountain of Youth many times. You know the place, that tourist attraction where after paying admission they give you a paper…
If you thought the Garden of Eden was somewhere in the Middle East, forget it, it was in Bristol, Florida––or so the legend goes. I heard about this astonishing revelation a few years ago, and decided to check it out for myself. Bristol, located in Liberty County, looks like any other small town in northern…
In Hillsborough County on highway 41 just ten miles south of Tampa, sits Gibsonton, once known as the strangest town in America. Called “Gibtown” by its nearly 8000 residents, it has always been the retirement or wintering home of traveling show folks. During the Depression, carnival and circus folks wintered in this part of Florida,…
Bardin, a small community on County Road 209A, just northeast of Palatka, has managed to separate its skunk ape from all the rest by calling it the Bardin Booger. You can get the scoop at Bud’s Grocery, which writers and curious tourist use as the Booger information center. You can buy a Booger T-shirt there…
The Pentagon’s UFO chief will step down next month after saying that several reported sightings of objects flying through the sky over the US are either the work of foreign nations or aliens, warning that the latter would be the preferred scenario. Sean Kirkpatrick, head of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), announced his plans…
The Count of St. Germain or in French Comte de Saint Germain (French pronunciation: [kɔ̃t də sɛ̃ ʒɛʁmɛ̃]; c. 1691 or 1712 – 27 February 1784) was a European adventurer who achieved prominence in European high society of the mid-18th century due to his interest and achievements in science, alchemy, philosophy, and the arts. St. Germain…
