Between The Beaches Podcast

One of the recent exhibitions at the A.E. Backus Museum and Gallery focused on the connection between Bean and one of his collectors, journalist W.M. Kiplinger. Not only did the exhibit feature splendid paintings, but it also featured numerous letters of correspondence from Kiplinger to Backus as well as other artists under his tutelage including Alfred Hair and other members of the Highwaymen. The exhibit in its entirety provided a unique glimpse into the Indian River region of Florida just as the state experienced rapid change. Though many people experienced the exhibit firsthand, I felt it was worthy of being shared with an even broader audience even if it was auditory rather than visual. It's an entertaining and uplifting look at simpler times in Florida.

From his time working on the ranch in Pasco County to leading the Florida Cattlemen's Association and beyond, Larry Barthle has made significant contributions to Florida and our cattle heritage. Join us this week for a conversation reflecting on the early history of Pasco on to the rapid growth and change agriculture in the county is experiencing now.

In the first part of our interview with Sean Sexton, we covered his family's cattle history and many other ancillary contributions to Indian River County. This week in Part 2 we get an intimate look into his daily life as he shares excerpts from his personal journals, we share our thoughts on poetry and painting and how those pursuits are intertwined with our ranching lifestyle. It's an earnest exchange that ranges from simple reminiscences of events we've shared together like the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering to deeper reflections on the importance of using our skills and talents to share the story of Florida ranching.

The Sexton family has an incredible legacy in Indian River County and have made lasting agricultural contributions that have carried over into so many other aspects of the community that it would be hard to list them all. The positive impacts they've made extend from the fence lines of their Treasure Hammock Ranch east to the coastline of the Atlantic and in this episode we cover the historical timeline of how that came to pass. We had hoped to get in the history along with some cowboy poetry and art discussion in one sitting but it was simply too much material so this is part one of our conversation that you'll not want to miss.

On this week's episode we delve into some origin stories of some major Florida landmarks and also cover a couple of odd tidbits that are part off our state's intriguing history. From the Seminole story of how Lake Okeechobee came to exist to how the U.S. Army resorted to using Cuban bloodhounds in the Second Seminole War, you're in for an entertaining trip into Florida's past.

Travel in the early days of Florida was tough at best. Much of the state was underwater for a majority of the year which meant travel by waterways or horseback was most efficient. Roadways and transportation infrastructure blew the state wide open leading it to be the mega-state powerhouse that it is today. This week we take a look at some of those historic roads from territorial Florida on up to the modern systems inlace today.

Ardis Hammock is an integral part of Frierson Family Farm and the Florida agricultural community. Located immediately adjacent to the southern boundary of Lake Okeechobee for well over 100 years, her family shares a deep legacy in South Florida and has a history of service to not only agriculture, but to their surrounding communities as well. Join us for a conversation that elaborates on that rich heritage including how they survived the devastation of the 1926 and 1928 hurricanes, rebuilt, and continue thriving today. Additionally, we discuss how Lake Okeechobee and the surrounding agricultural operations are constantly and wrongfully targeted for water quality problems when they're truly part of the solutions, and then we close out by looking at the importance of food production as a matter of national security.

It may come as quite a surprise to many while being common knowledge to others, Tallahassee owns a very interesting and rather sordid past. It has flirted with famed Americans and infamous Floridians throughout the years and this week's episode highlights two such examples filled with overlapping themes and commonly shared circumstances. Tune in and learn something you may not have known or rekindle a long forgotten nugget of knowledge that has long slipped your mind.

Dusty Holley is a man with many talents and a diverse knowledge base that allows him to be equally at home in a board room or sitting on a board in a set of cow pens. Aside from being the Director of Field Services for the Florida Cattlemen's Association, he's a great storyteller with extensive family roots in our state's cow culture. Dusty set aside some time from his busy schedule to share that family history, part of which relates directly to the infamous Barber-Mizell Feud, and a good deal of general Florida history gleaned through various family accounts. Trust me when I say you don't want to miss the historical accounts captured in this conversation.