Hard week at work?

Trust me, I know the feeling.

That’s where the campfire comes in. Join the campfire to listen to Bobby Angel’s story telling in this four-song set at scenic Muscovy Lake. Songs include: Ballad of a Florida Panther, Ugliest Forest, Preserved, and Higher Moral Ground. The thing about Bobby Angel: He probably talks about the songs more than he sings them. Some nights he gets so lost in his thoughts he forgets to sing the songs altogether. Songs or no songs, there’s just something special about the campfire. It’s where we go to kick back and relax and reconnect with what’s really important in life. So, if you have a half an hour, go grab a couple marshmallows and enjoy the show.

Find out more about Bobby Angel at https://bobbyangel.org

Watch video of concert: https://bobbyangel.org/campfire-at-muscovy-lake/

The darkest hour ...

Is just before the campfire.

At least that was the case for this stranger who thought he hit the end of the road only to realize that all roads start anew at the campfire.  Assuming he wakes up.  Moral of the story: Hang in there and better days await.

Find out more at the Campfire Park website: https://campfirepark.org

How do you know ...

When it's time to retire?

Answer: When Bobby Angel shows up at your door with a song you can't refuse.  This podcast commemorates the life and times of Tony Pernas, a botanist and ecologist who worked (and still plays) in the Big Cypress Swamp.  

When a place is smack dab in the middle ...

You often wonder where it fits in.

Such is the peculiar case with the Big Cypress _________.  And yes, I left that blank for the reason that it has contributed to the plight and mystery of the region's ambiguity.  Often times people capitalize the "t" from "the" to add a prestigious flair: The Big Cypress.  But The Big Cypress What?  The blank is alternatively filled in with Basin, Swamp, Watershed, Ecosystem, Physiographic Region or National Preserve.  As for its relation to the adjacent Everglades and its restoration? That changes, too, depending on who you talk to, and on what day.  In sum, the Big Cypress ________ is a unique place that defies normal definitions and most definitely poorly and incorrectly understood by modern-day lines.  If you want to get the ecosystem right, you have to think the whole ecosystem -- and that most definitely includes the Big Cypress half.

Trees have a reputation ...

For being kind of boring.

The reason?  For one they are rooted down.  Two, there is no two.  But three we can also say they don't talk.  Or do they?  We plants to help them grow (probably a wise tale).  Even wiser is listening to what they have to say.  This tree at least has quite a story to tell.

Nothing against the number 29 ...

And I'm not saying we subtract it away.

But I do feel a road (and region) is sometimes underserved non-descript numeric naming conventions aren't complemented with a more meaningful (and proper) title.  Case in point is State Road 29.  People drive it everyday thinking its "just another road" not realizing that the road was original built to the destination of Deep Lake and in modern times completely severs flow to the crown jewel of the Big Cypress Swamp, Fakahatchee Strand.  Could a name change (i.e. rebranding) to the road be the first step to getting it fixed?

When does one rain drop ...

Count as two?

Maybe the better question to ask is when a rain drop only counts as half.  The talking guitar welcomes Bob from Go Hydrology into the house (and by "into the house" we me "at the campfire") to discuss how hydrologists count rain drops when they fall in between to seasons.  

Find out more at Go Hydrology (https://www.gohydrology.org)

Have you ever driven by something ...

When suddenly an epiphany strikes.

That's what happened to me at the curve in the road named SR29.  Out of nowhere and all at once, everything made sense.

Is it every too late ...

To say hello?

This Bobby Angel farewell song dates back to 1999. So yes, over 20 years have passed. But in many ways everything has stayed the same.  Almost like the recipient of this farewell song never left.  

Well it took a while, 

And it's still a work in progress ...

But finally I've turned the corner on a "new and improved" version of Go Hydrology.  Or maybe it's the same old blog?  In fact, fully embracing the "blog" element of my work was a major breakthrough event.  I'd previously short of shunned the term, and in that spirit tried to turn it into more of a static website.  Then came the meteor strike of the Nature Folk Movement (NFM).  It not only expanded my repertoire of topics, it made me think very hard (and allowed me to experiment) on the structure of Go Hydrology.  The result?  The blog is now front and center with the caveat that behind it working in the background is a powerful and easy to navigate database, also known as a Table of Contents (TOC).  

What exactly is the NFM?  It's a return to nature and the simplicity of its cycles, and most of all rethinking and recapturing the old traditions and values we used to adhere to prior to getting consumed in our smart phones.  And thus the humble goal of Go Hydrology and the Nature Folk Movement (NFM): To connect people with the water cycle and the way we did things in that mysterious geologic epoch called Before Phones.  Oh, and BTW: Beware of the Boogie Phone!

Find out more about Go Hydrology 2.0 in this podcast.