A Visit to Harmony Springs

In Ghosts of Bliss Bayou, the town of Harmony Springs was founded near a group of natural springs in central Florida. An early inspiration for this setting was a trip my wife and I took in October 2014 to Silver Springs State Park, outside of Ocala, where you can still ride the famous glass-bottom boats.

silversprings1

In Chapter 7 of Bliss Bayou, Abby and Molly take a kayak tour of the headwaters of Harmony Springs. Here are some pictures that closely match Abby’s descriptions.

We paddle against the current, up along the swampy shoreline. Oak and ash trees stick straight up on the banks, eighty or a hundred feet tall.

silversprings2

The water is crystal clear, and I can see the bottom—sand and rock, with underwater grasses waving in the current.

silversprings3

Molly points out a wide fissure marked by tiny bubbles escaping to the surface.

“I think that one is Love Spring,” she says.

Each spring is a vent where water gushes up from the aquifer deep underground.

silversprings4

As we glide down the opposite shoreline, I suddenly suck in my breath. A four-foot alligator is sunning on a dead log.

“They don’t bother you if you don’t bother them,” Molly assures me.

silversprings5

 

Honoring the Patron of Writers

As I start this author’s blog, I am reminded that it is always wise to propitiate the gods and give thanks to the divine spirits.

Here is a little poem I wrote a few years back in honor of the god of communication and commerce.

Thanking Hermes

I’d like to thank him for the thought
Except he’s gone and never caught.
The curve of sky, the open road
The long haul trucker with his load
The camera phone, the meme, the vid
The stock exchange, electric grid
Liquid crystal, Web Two O
Slick as rain, bright as snow.
No scripture ever so profound
Winged feet never touch the ground
Quick as hawk, keen as spice
He guides the tumble of the dice
Place your bets, he is your friend
Who’ll stop for you at the end.

– Rev Aug 14, 2010

hermesmosaic