The Earth Loves to Swallow Things in Florida
Imagine this strange scene if you can –
You live in a place where a huge lake will sometimes simply disappear overnight.
Then at some time in the future – weeks or months – it reappears overnight.
Sounds like something from a SciFi novel?
Sure. Some alien planet …
But I grew up with that. We called it “The Cascades”.
As I woke up this morning and clicked on “Red Eye Radio” on KABC around 4am I heard that just a few hours ago in Hillsboro County, Florida an entire house was swallowed up with two brothers asleep inside. One of them they haven’t found yet.
This is a strange news story for the rest of the world – but it was something heard of about every day growing up in Florida. The Earth loves to swallow things.
We swam in sinkholes. Blue Sink was always fun – and it was a ring of white sand with the strangest blue colored water you will ever see. A beautiful spot encompassed by trees heavy with spanish moss.
Another spot was Cherokee Sink way out in the middle of some woods accessable by a two rut road. So very secluded that you needed to be a local just to find it.
Water in Florida was either crystal clear or deeper black than black. Nothing between unless it was a river like the Suwanee – and that was like a strong brew of tea.
Big Dismal Sink was also a favorite place – but it was spooky even on the brightest day. Many never came back up after diving in and many divers were never seen again when they tempted its depths.
All these strange things are also in the vicinity of the world’s largest and deepest spring known as Wakulla.
A place so very strange with water so crystal clear that “Tarzan” movies, “The Creature From The Black Lagoon”, the under water scenes in “Airport ’77” and more were filmed in.
It is a great place to swim. The water was clear as glass and so very cold …
Looking into the Wakulla water from a dock will fool you. It may look 3 feet deep – but it is actually three times as deep.
It is also common to come face to face under the water with an alligator, but they are usually as surprised at you as you are of them.
One of the most fun activities was to dive down around 25 feet and swim through a huge, hollow cypress tree log out in the reeds a ways near the lip of the 180 foot drop into the main hole.
Good times.
A visit to Florida may be free of encountering such strange things – unless you consider the “snowbirds” strange.
I suspect most visitors are completely unaware of the forces that conspire to keep them in Florida for an eternity.
This would explain the occasional tourist who disappears and the many poodles eaten by gators every year.
The Earth in Florida is swallowing houses is on the radio news on KABC ?
Must be a slow news day …
Why have we not seen “The Creature From The Black Lagoon” remade in recent years like everything else is being remade in this time of lack of originality and creativity in Hollywood?
Because – just as George Lazenby as the new James Bond as he was just too much trouble on the set and only made one 007 movie, “The Creature” was also troublesome on set.
It must have been all that Florida sunshine, Jamaican Rum and Cola along with the crystal clear Florida spring water.
I have been told ( one of those Hollywood rumors ) that another creature-actor is being considered for the role in a possible upcoming remake of the classic monster movie:
However … in my humble opinion …
… there are some classic movies that just should not be altered or remade as it would be cinematic blasphemy … but as I said … this is my humble opinion …
It would be like colorizing the beginning of “The Wizard of Oz”!
Category: Tony Rollo Blog
