Lake Placid

Today I took a field trip up to Lake Placid, Florida for work.  

We were meeting with a Tribal Member who recently bought about 60 acres up there.  She knew there were sites on the property and contacted our office to help her start planning a camp where the youth and community could come and learn about their culture.

When we arrived at her house she had provided a big lunch for us and welcomed us into her home.  Her walls were covered in Guy LaBree paintings, a famous Florida artist who paints beautiful paintings of the Seminoles. There were photographs of her relatives from the 1930's and 1940's and cabinets full of over a hundred handmade dolls with intricate patchwork skirts.  I just stood and stared at the her family's amazing collection.  She talked with us over sandwiches about her ideas for the property and I honestly got chills listening to her talk about her beliefs, culture, and why it needs to be preserved.  These are the days I really love my job!

Her and three of her five sons took us around the property.  Our feet sank into the white sugar sand and I could spot artifacts just laying on the ground.  We trucked through high vegetation, crossed over a creek on a rickety, waterlogged bridge and came out into a huge clearing that dipped down into a green drenched valley.  I felt like we had just entered the Great Valley in the Land Before Time.  We all stood there and took in the view, silently swatting away the giant, prehistoric mosquitoes.  

I came away feeling inspired and refreshed.  Well, until I found a tick crawling on my arm and almost ran straight into a banana spider web.  

Overall it was a good day, especially since my sister is currently in labor at her midwife center and I know it won't be long until baby Everdeen arrives!

 :)