Send us your Florida questions!

This week Cathy sits down with Davida Breier and talks about her novel, "Sinkhole," growing up as a GenX in Florida, and how she came to write this particular delicious book.

Davida Breier's Fun Stuff

Reader's Guide for Sinkholereaders-guide.pdf

Want more Florida? Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. 

Have a Florida question or comment? Love the show? Hate it? Let us know – email us at [email protected]. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

Welcome to fall in Florida! Cathy and Jon talk about how real Floridians know fall has arrived, the best reason to travel to the Keys in September, and what the season looks like in different parts of the state.

Links we mentioned

On This Day: 1933 gas prices in Key West 

Hidden Gem: King Seafood, Marathon

Holderness Family's Fall Expectations vs. Realty

Want more Florida? Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. 

Follow Jon's road trip adventures at Don't Make Me Turn This Van Around. 

Have a Florida question or comment? Love the show? Hate it? Let us know – email us at [email protected]. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

This week, Cathy and Jon debunk famous Florida history myths, stepping on all the cherished legends they learned in grade school. 

Some myths we discussed

Fountain of Youth

Gasparilla Myth

First Thanksgiving

History that isn't fake

Discover Florida Tours – (Sacred Lands)

The Seminole Tribe of Florida's origin

Want more Florida? Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. 

Follow Jon's road trip adventures at Don't Make Me Turn This Van Around. 

Have a Florida question or comment? Love the show? Hate it? Let us know – email us at [email protected]. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

In January, Cathy decided she'd get rid of single-use plastic in her home, RV, and at the newspaper she and her husband own – all by Dec. 31. Her travels through the best parts of Florida motivated this decision, because everywhere she went, she saw plastic litter. 

She and Jon talk about the Florida road trip that cemented that decision, what she's doing to make earth-conscious swaps, and why she doesn't recycle. They also talk about which Florida beach town is fireworks-safe for people with PTSD, dogs, and wildlife, why Jon's seventh-grader has a case of existential angst about the environment, and how trash can reduce our dependency on fossil fuels.

The Plastic Project

Boca Ciega Bay

Zero Waste Cartel 

Little Pond Farm

Sans Market

Find your city's water quality report

Want more Florida? Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. 

Follow Jon's road trip adventures at Don't Make Me Turn This Van Around. 

Have a Florida question or comment? Love the show? Hate it? Let us know – email us at [email protected]. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

Today Jon and Cathy talk about hurricanes in the panhandle, UFOs in the Florida panhandle, and hiking the Florida National Scenic Trail through Eglin Air Force Base.

Hiking through Eglin

Carnivorous pitcher plants at Apalachicola National Forest

Wewahitchka

Ulee's Gold

DeFuniak Springs

Wewa RV Park

Want more Florida? Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. 

Follow Jon's road trip adventures at Don't Make Me Turn This Van Around. 

Have a Florida question or comment? Love the show? Hate it? Let us know – email us at [email protected]. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

This week Cathy and Jon talk about the Clermont area of Florida, including Lake Louisa State Park, Citrus Tower, and a few other places of note in the area, including the Presidents Hall of Fame.

Links we mentioned

Lake Louisa State Park

Citrus Tower

Presidents Hall of Fame at Atlas Obscura or on Facebook, or on Florida Traveler

Clermont Brewing Company

Want more Florida? Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. 

Follow Jon's road trip adventures at Don't Make Me Turn This Van Around. 

Have a Florida question or comment? Love the show? Hate it? Let us know – email us at [email protected]. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

In this episode of The Florida Spectacular, Jon and Cathy talk about the best beaches in Florida (well, some of them), beach renourishment, and each of their favorite beaches. They also mention a secret sidewalk in Pass-a-Grille, Mike Huckabee, and the not-so-great history on Egmont Key (that not that many people know.)

Fort De Soto Park 

Caladesi Island State Park

The concentration camp on Egmont Key 

American Beach

Mike Huckabee and beach renourishment

Want more Florida? Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. 

Follow Jon's road trip adventures at Don't Make Me Turn This Van Around. 

Have a Florida question or comment? Love the show? Hate it? Let us know – email us at [email protected]. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

This week, Cathy and Jon talk about a pair of water shoes Cathy's worn for 21 years as she paddled, snorkeled, waded, swam, and hiked through Florida. (Her Teva protons have seen more of Florida than most Floridians.) They also talk about other essential Florida gear, places they use them, and read a letter from a fan.

Links we mention

Gator "harassing" paddler at Silver Springs

Cathy's post about her Teva Protons

Want more Florida? Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. 

Follow Jon's road trip adventures at Don't Make Me Turn This Van Around. 

Have a Florida question or comment? Love the show? Hate it? Let us know – email us at [email protected]. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

This week, The Florida Spectacular takes you to Cedar Key, a tiny island along Florida's Nature Coast. Jon and Cathy talk about the island's award-winning clam chowder, the tragic history of nearby Rosewood, and the legendary headless horseman of neighboring Seahorse Key. 

Links we mentioned

Cedar Key Events

Cedar Key Seafood Festival

Tony's Clam Chowder (Hey, it beats New England chowder at contests – and he also has a restaurant on Cedar Key)

The only motel on Cedar Key, the Cedar Inn

Remembering Rosewood.

Want more Florida? Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. 

Follow Jon's road trip adventures at Don't Make Me Turn This Van Around. 

Have a Florida question or comment? Love the show? Hate it? Let us know – email us at [email protected]. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

This week, Cathy and Jon take a meandering look at what Florida's tourism board call each section of coastline. Some of the names make sense, others are a little weird, but at the end of the podcast, we'd all learned something.

Links we mentioned:

• (Warning: Wikipedia link ahead, but these are largely accurate) List of what people call different parts of the Florida coastline 

• The oldest operating hotel in Florida, nestled on the beaches of the no-longer-called-this Surf Coast.

• A road Jon thinks is the prettiest road that was much longer than he thought along the Nature Coast

• A nude beach (sort of; take your chances and keep your coverup close!) on Florida's Space Coast

• Sebastian Inlet State Park and the McLarty Treasure Museum

Want more Florida? Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. 

Follow Jon's road trip adventures at Don't Make Me Turn This Van Around. 

Have a Florida question or comment? Love the show? Hate it? Let us know – email us at [email protected]. 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!