FEATURES
FLORIDA COUNTRY MAGAZINE / ISSUE VOL. 2 • NO. 5
ON THE COVER: “Jemma” is a rescue mare from Canada. She enjoys her days taking riders for a unique experience at CPonies Beach Horse Tours. Photo by Bob Croslin. Read more on page 23.
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Prized Arabian Horses Have Deep Roots Offering close bonds, superior intelligence and amazing grace
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A Man From the Land Has Stories From the Saddle ‘Cowboy Poet’ Clint Raulerson lives what he tells
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DEPARTMENTS FLORIDA COUNTRY MAGAZINE / ISSUE VOL. 2 • NO. 5
FCM CIRCLE
CALLY IN WONDERLAND
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
LOCAL SEAFOOD SPOTS OFFER BEST ‘FAST FOOD’
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VET VIEW
VACCINATION PROTOCOL FOR HORSES, DONKEYS
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PICTURE PERFECT HITCHIN’ A RIDE
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page 55
SQUIRRELING AROUND
FLORIDA 4-H
RAISING HOGS CAN BE FUN, EVEN PROFITABLE
page 55
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COUNTRY ARTISTRY
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DOG DAYS OF SUMMER
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LEGEND OF THE HIGHWAYMEN CONTINUES TO GROW
THIS PHOTO’S FOR YOU!
HORSIN' AROUND
THE HOMESTEAD
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THE EXTREMELY VERSATILE ICELANDIC HORSE
MINI-RANCH IN FORT DENAUD, FLORIDA
SEAWORTHY CPONIES IN GULF’S WAVES
WILD FLORIDA
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SOUTH FOX REHAB AND TRAINING CENTER FOR SPORT HORSES
WHITE IBIS
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STARS & GUITARS CHRIS LANE ENJOYING HIS DAY IN THE ‘SUN’
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FLORIDA HARVEST
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THE CULINARY CRACKER
A SWEET SOUTHERN FAVORITE
WHIPPING IT UP IN YOUR KITCHEN
PIG'S PEN
THE ADVENTUROUS FRENCH BULLDOG
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CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF GETTIN’ MUDDY
THE RANCH
A PEEK INTO FLORIDA’S AGRI-TOURISM
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NOT YOUR DADDY’S SIDE-BY-SIDE
FLORIDA EXCURSIONS
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HOMOSASSA TRADITION HAS A CATCH
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KEY WEST IS ALIVE AND WELL
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TRUCKS & TOYS
MY RIDE LOVIN’ MY RIDE
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Owner/Publisher Scarlett Redenius Owner/C.E.O. Brad Redenius President Thomas Fifield Vice President Sheila Fifield Editorial Director Jack Collier Design Director Jessica Fifield Director of Photography Marsay Johnson Proofreader Katherine Waters Sales Associate Lynn Cox Contributing Writers William R. Cox, Christopher Decubellis, Sherri Denning, Pig Devlin, Ava Isabel Grace, Kathy Ann Gregg, Dayna Harpster, Kym Rouse Holzwart, Dave Kelly, Emma J. Morse D.V.M., Jacob Ogles, Jimmy Peters, Cally Simpson Featured Photographers Line Aaberg, Frederic Bonneau, William R. Cox, Bob Croslin, Alex Dannenmann, Lexie Devlin, Erin Ferber, Art Ferrell, Amanda Grace, Kathy Ann Gregg, Robert Neff, Jimmy Peters, Brett Peterson, Kara Peterson, Alana Pouliot, Michael Pyatt, Scarlett Redenius, Cally Simpson, Suzanne Sturgill, Megan Watkins, Zita, Jan Zurla For more information about advertising with Florida Country Magazine, or joining our regional sales team, please contact:
239-692-2613 sales@floridacountrymagazine.com For other inquiries contact:
Scarlett Redenius, Publisher 239-600-4783 Published by: Florida Country Publications
PO Box 50989 • Fort Myers, FL 33994 LIKE US ON FACEBOOK
facebook.com/floridacountrymagazine F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M Florida Country Magazine is published bi-monthly, copyright 2018, all rights reserved. Reproduction of contents in print or electronic transmission in whole or in part in any language or format must be by expressed written permission of the publisher. All articles, descriptions and suggestions in this magazine are merely expression of opinions from contributors and advertisers and do not constitute the opinion of the publisher, editor or staff of Florida Country Magazine, and under no circumstances constitutes assurances or guarantees concerning the quality of any service or product. Florida Country Magazine specifically disclaims any liability related to these expressions and opinions. Florida Country Magazine is not responsible for any unsolicited submissions. The advertiser agrees to hold harmless and indemnify the publishers from all liability.
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RAISIN SAUCE AND AGRI-TOURISM— THE FINER THINGS IN LIFE
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here’s nothing better than the months of October and November. It’s when we Floridians finally start getting some relief from the heat, the kiddos are looking for that special character they want to be for Halloween, and my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. Truly, the one thing I wait for every year is cooking that wonderful meal and sharing it with family and friends.
This year I decided I’m swapping my traditional turkey for a ham, for one reason only: raisin sauce! If you haven’t had it, you’re missing out because it is “to die for” on ham. A special thanks to our friends at the California Raisins Marketing Board— they know raisins—for sharing this fabulous recipe with us on page 69. Not only do we have great recipes to help you kick-start your Thanksgiving, we also have many interesting stories and people to introduce you to. It’s funny, but when I sit down to write my publisher’s letter—because we work so far in advance—you never know what could change in a month. One thing that will change concerns the story on page 42, about “cowboy poet” Clint Raulerson. A poet, it’s true, but first and foremost, a real cowboy. And by the time you read his story, he’ll be pretty well on his way to recovery from an accident that happened just four days ago. As I write this, he is laid up in St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, Oregon, recuperating from a split pelvis. But in true cowboy fashion, he leaves a message, saying: “Injuries heal … the feeling of failure never heals if you quit … I’ll be back.” Carmen Herrmann Hanson is the owner of CPonies Beach Horse Tours. She and I share the same passion for giving a second chance to our equestrian friends that have suffered from abuse or abandonment. It seems Hanson has the ultimate career: She loves going to work every day, creating memories for herself and others, and at the same time providing joy, happiness and health to both humans and horses. Read her story on page 23. Agri-tourism doesn’t mean your typical mouse ears, rollercoasters or searching for that perfect shell. It’s another type of tourism that’s becoming increasingly popular because people are becoming more interested in where their food comes from. Join the Padgett family of Arcadia for the Padgett Ranch Family Fest on weekends in October. You’ll get to experience a working ranch and learn about cattle ranching and hay producing. This is the type of tourism that offers hands-on experiences, education and the “building blocks of life” to our youth. At the same time, it offers a memorable and fun family field trip in which attendees can enjoy bounce pads, trains, mazes and horseback rides. And that’s not all! Read more on page 36. I also enjoy being educated on a consistent basis. Yet, wow, there is so much I thought I knew about our state but it turns out I didn’t! I’ve learned there is a great deal more to experience and so many additional stories to hear. It’s all part of living life to its fullest and never forgetting where you come from. And, as always, family is everything. SCARLETT REDENIUS, Publisher
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VET VIEW
VACCINATION PROTOCOL FOR HORSES, DONKEYS IMPORTANT PART OF ROUTINE CARE CAN PREVENT MANY DEADLY DISEASES
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Written by: Emma J. Morse, DVM
accination against preventable—and often deadly—diseases is an extremely important part of your horse’s routine veterinary care. Here we break down some of the most common vaccines recommended for all horses and donkeys in Florida:
RABIES Rabies is a rare neurologic disease of horses and donkeys that occurs after a bite from infected (rabid) animals such as raccoons, foxes, skunks or bats. While the incidence of rabies in horses is low, the disease is always fatal and has considerable public health significance because it is zoonotic—meaning that it can be passed to humans from animals. Rabies is a core vaccine for all equids and should be boostered annually. WEST NILE West Nile virus is the leading cause of arbovirus encephalitis in horses and humans in the United States. The virus is transmitted from avian reservoir hosts by mosquitoes—and infrequently by other bloodsucking insects—to horses, humans and a number of other mammals. Because mosquitoes transmit the disease, and because Florida has mosquitoes year round, West Nile is considered a core vaccine for all equids and should be boostered every six months to ensure the best immune response.
ENCEPHALITIS Vaccines are available against three strains of equine encephalitides: Eastern Equine
Encephalomyelitis, or EEE; Western Equine Encephalomyelitis, or WEE, and Venezuelan Equine Encephalomyelitis, or VEE. Transmission of EEE/WEE/VEE is by mosquitoes to horses from wild birds or rodents, which serve as the natural reservoirs for these viruses. This year, we have seen many cases of EEE diagnosed in Florida. Every case has been euthanized because of poor prognosis. For this reason, encephalitis is considered a core vaccine for all equids and should be boostered every six months, often in a combo vaccine called a “four-way” or “six-way.”
TETANUS All horses are at risk of development of tetanus, an often-fatal disease caused by a potent neurotoxin. Puncture wounds and lacerations are common sources of infection, especially from trauma located near the foot. Tetanus toxoid is a core vaccine for all equids and is commonly found in a combo vaccine with Eastern and Western Encephalitis, and West Nile. STRANGLES Strangles (Strep equi) is a highly contagious upper respiratory disease that results in very high fevers, lethargy, nasal discharge and swollen lymph nodes under the jaw and in the throat latch area. It is considered a riskbased vaccine rather than a core vaccine. That means that not every horse may need this vaccination every year. Horses
BECAUSE MOSQUITOES TRANSMIT THE DISEASE, AND BECAUSE FLORIDA HAS MOSQUITOES YEAR ROUND, WEST NILE IS CONSIDERED A CORE VACCINE FOR ALL EQUIDS. 10
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Be sure to prevent your beloved equine friend from such deadly diseases as rabies (below left) and West Nile virus (below right).
most at risk for contracting strangles are show horses in large boarding barns (that travel frequently), or horses exposed to “rescues� from kill pens.
TITER TESTING A current trend among some horse owners is the desire to test their horse’s antibody titers in lieu of boostering core vaccines. While serologic titer testing is available, owners need to be made aware of the
fact that the use of antibody titers alone to determine if boosters are warranted is not recommended in most cases. Clearly defined protective levels of immunity have not been established for most diseases, and correlation between antibody levels and actual protective immunity under field conditions has not yet been identified. Emma J. Morse, DVM, Calusa Equine Veterinary Services
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FLORIDA 4-H
RAISING HOGS CAN BE FUN, EVEN PROFITABLE 4-H SWINE PROJECTS TEACH RESPONSIBILITY, RECORDKEEPING, DECISION MAKING
hakespeare said, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” And while they may not always smell like roses, there’s an amazing animal that’s easy to raise, and provides delicious protein and byproducts that benefit humans every day.
Call them hogs or pigs or swine—they ARE amazing animals that many country folks raise for profit or to fill their freezers with high-quality, homegrown meat. With proper facilities and care, they actually don’t smell very bad, either!
work ethic, and teaches responsibility, recordkeeping and decision making. Additional opportunities exist for young people seeking to further their knowledge of pork production and porcine science. They can join a local 4-H livestock judging team or a meats judging team, or strive to excel at swine showmanship.
Spanish explorers brought hogs and cattle to Florida, as a ready source of meals. (It’d be a few centuries before barbecue restaurants opened on this continent!) Some hogs escaped; most of us have seen wild hogs thriving in this subtropical climate.
For those wanting to experience raising hogs for the family table, the 4-H Hog and Ham project teaches teenagers how to do so. Teens work with University of Florida meat scientists, learning to properly process the animal by making sausage, and curing and smoking hams and bacon. The family then gets to enjoy delicious meat!
Many 4-H club members across the country, including thousands in Florida, raise market hogs as 4-H projects, often exhibiting in local and state fairs. The swine project reinforces a strong
Floridians living on small farms or ranches will find that raising hogs is often a fun and sometimes even profitable endeavor. But before deciding, make sure your property is zoned accordingly. Greg MacDonald, a professor of weed science and agronomy at the University of Florida in Gainesville, checks on his pigs.
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PHOTO ON THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE COURTESY OF UF/IFAS EXTENSION
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Written by: Chris Decubellis
PORK WAS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE TRADITIONAL FLORIDA CRACKER DIET.
Top left, 4-H'er Kara Croft feeds her pig. Before raising hogs, such as those above, be sure land is zoned accordingly. Below, students judge pigs at a clinic. Archival photo from UF's George A. Smathers Libraries (below left) shows 4-H'ers with sow and piglets.
Hogs are strong and athletic, requiring a sturdy pen or shelter. Choose a well-drained, shady location. Each adult hog will require at least 6 by 10 feet of pen space if housed on concrete, and double that if on sand. This is a minimum—the larger the pen, the more exercise your animals will get and the easier it will be to maintain a clean pen. By nature, hogs are very sanitary and prefer clean, dry pens. They always need access to fresh, clean water and only like to wallow in mud if it is hot, in order to try to cool off. Young pigs should receive all the feed they desire until they reach at least 120 pounds. The feed should be labeled for growing swine and will be high in protein. Feed grown hogs 2 to 2.5 pounds of feed twice per day, depending on your production goals. Pigs’ health care requirements include regular deworming—as often as every 30 to 45 days.
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FLORIDA 4-H WITH PROPER FACILITIES AND CARE, they actually don’t smell very bad, either! Pork was an important part of the traditional Florida Cracker diet. Most old-timers had hogs on the “open range” and got together with family and friends and harvested hogs in the coldest part of the year. For those of us with homesteads and farms—who have the time and interest—keeping these traditions alive by raising a few hogs each year can be a delicious hobby, and possibly a money-making smallfarm enterprise. Youths who raise hogs as a 4-H project will learns lessons and skills that last a lifetime! Chris Decubellis is the Associate State 4-H Program Leader with UF/IFAS Extension. A native Floridian and a member of a west Pasco County pioneer family, Chris lives on a small cow-calf operation and family farm in Archer, Florida.
PHOTO COURTESY OF UF/IFAS EXTENSION
A club member guides his hog during the swine competition at a 4-H livestock fair.
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COUNTRY ARTISTRY
LEGEND OF THE HIGHWAYMEN CONTINUES TO GROW COLLECTIVE GROUP OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN ARTISTS ‘DARED’ TO PAINT FLORIDA SCENES
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here are stories about the work habits of the legendary Florida Highwaymen, tales of nonstop painters standing roadside, instantly producing paintings for curious passersby. And like any folklore, the stories exaggerate with time.
After a couple years traveling with Backus around the Caribbean, Hair learned that high-end galleries wouldn’t show work by black men to wealthy art collectors. However, plenty of buyers would peel off $20 to $25 for paintings sold in shops or roadside stands.
But painter Robert L. Lewis proudly defends the daring nature of the artwork. A community of east Florida artists not only sold cheap landscape paintings to tourists—they erased color lines in a time of deep racial division. “We were, as far as I know, the first collective group of African-American artists who dared to paint Florida things and scenes,” Lewis says.
Ben Whitley, now an art dealer and owner of The Swap Shop on Fort Myers Beach, Florida, recalls that as a child, his family would drive through the Everglades and pass by artists and artisans. “On one side of the road you would see Seminole Indians selling handmade items, and on the other side you would see these guys selling paintings.” Whitley explains.
The Highwaymen, originally 26 black artists based around the Indian River Lagoon Basin, sold oil paintings depicting the flora and fauna of the Sunshine State. The community started when successful Fort Pierce artist A.E. “Beanie” Backus, a white man, opened his studio to all, including black painters. He ultimately mentored artists of color, including Alfred “Freddie” Hair.
As Hair trained black artists, he stressed painting quickly to sell plenty. He developed an assembly line process for “fast paint” works painted by multiple artists. The Florida Artists Hall of Fame estimates that the original Highwaymen produced 200,000 paintings in the late 1950s and early ’60s. “They were just trying to make a living,” says Ray McLendon. His father, Roy McLendon, was among the original Highwaymen.
Paintings below are by (from left) Florida Highwaymen Robert L. Lewis, Sam Newton, and Ellis Buckner.
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ARTWORK ON THIS PAGE COURTESY OF COLLECTOR BILLY ROBINSON
Written by: Jacob Ogles
TOP ARTWORK COURTESY OF ARTIST ROBERT L. LEWIS; ARTWORK BELOW COURTESY OF COLLECTOR BILLY ROBINSON
At left, Robert L. Lewis also painted man-made scenes, including tractors and the occasional missile launch from the Space Coast. The river scene below is by Harold Newton, an original member of the Florida Highwaymen who passed away in 1994.
Ray McLendon says he recalls his father and his father’s friends working in the garage, churning out paintings. “They didn’t think it was something important and we didn’t either,” he adds. That’s not how all of the painters worked. Robert Butler Sr. painted on his own— but would sell his works roadside, just as the other Florida painters did. “He became a local celebrity for his work in Okeechobee,” notes his daughter, Dorene Butler. Lewis, a teenager who learned to paint in high school after an injury knocked him off the football team, started painting in 1957. It would have been impossible to predict later interest. “It’s like any underground movement,” he says. “It’s like asking a rock musician playing in his garage if he could see his music getting to be big.” The paintings weren’t originally coveted items—not until the “found art” movement of the 1990s. Robert Butler Sr. and art historian Jim Fitch were the first to coin the term “Florida Highwaymen.” Butler thought the term a nostalgic appeal to the roadside sales, his daughter explains. While her father already had a reputation that expanded to Lakeland’s art scene, Dorene Butler says it was important to her father that these artists got some respect. “He thought it was important [for] people to see this work and the hidden value of these artists,” she adds. “A lot of people didn’t realize that there were black people painting that type of artwork.” Now named, write-ups appeared in the St. Petersburg Times and then The New York Times. “Once we were identified with a name,” Lewis recalls, “people had a reason to start collecting.” Whitley says interest started to snowball in the 1990s. Paintings that in the 1970s might fetch $20 suddenly were priced at thousands of dollars. Prices vary, of course—based on the main artist, size of the works, and whether detailed
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COUNTRY ARTISTRY wildlife is depicted in the landscapes. Whitley says he’s sold dozens of paintings, but cherishes a few Butler works, including a painting of a boar hunt recently appraised at $4,500 to $6,000. Collector Matt Samuel, of Fort Pierce, says interest grows each year: “It’s Florida art, but I’ve sold paintings to people in Hawaii, Alaska, California and Texas.” Billy Robinson, a Sarasota art collector, met Lewis in 2009 and fell in love with the story of the Highwaymen. “It just seemed like such a great success story,” Robinson says. He has since tried to find at least one work by each of the 26 original artists. This painting, Moon Lit Hog Hunt by Robert Butler Sr., was done in 1984 and shows a rare action scene among Highwaymen work.
A COMMUNITY OF EAST FLORIDA ARTISTS not only sold cheap landscape paintings to tourists—they erased color lines in a time of deep racial division.
The tradition now continues with a next generation. Ray McLendon studied art in college—doing abstract works. But his father encouraged him to try landscapes in the tradition of the Highwaymen. Now he’s considered a second-generation member. He and his father run galleries blocks apart in Fort Pierce. Some of Butler’s children also continue the tradition, Dorene notes. Lewis took the money that he made painting and pursued an education. But the art made with the Highwaymen endures. He now fancies the collective akin to the Harlem Renaissance or even Motown. “But all I want to do as an artist,” Lewis says, “is to capture Florida as art history on canvas before it disappears.” Jacob Ogles is a Florida freelance writer.
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ARTWORK COURTESY OF ART TRADER BEN WHITLEY/THE SWAP SHOP
Not all the Highwaymen lived to see success. Hair in 1970 was shot and killed at a Fort Pierce bar. As time passes, the original generation of painters dwindles. Butler died in 2014. The Highwaymen in 2015 lost Carnell Smith, and John Maynar that next year. But the works live on, and the legend of the Highwaymen only grows.
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HORSIN' AROUND
THE EXTREMELY VERSATILE ICELANDIC HORSE
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Written by: Kym Rouse Holzwart
lorida is home to about only 30 Icelandic horses, and there are no Icelandic breeding farms. This is not surprising, because keeping Icelandics in Florida’s hot and humid climate can be a challenge. Even though Icelandic horses are hardy and easy to keep, they need special care to thrive in Florida. For example, frequent body clipping is required, and many owners have air-conditioned barns or sheds. The Icelandic horse is one of the world’s oldest and purest horse breeds. They are the only breed of horse in Iceland and descend from horses taken there by the Vikings during the 9th and 10th centuries. While Icelandic horses have been exported to different countries, by law no horse has been imported to Iceland for more than 1,000 years. In addition, when a horse is exported from Iceland, it is not allowed to return. Natural selection played a major role developing the Icelandic horse breed because many horses died from starvation, exposure to the harsh climate, and volcanic eruptions. Selective breeding has also been important
throughout history. Since the 9th century in Iceland, the preferred riding horse was sure-footed, smooth, fast and could travel long distances over rough terrain, including lava fields and glaciers, because there were few roads for driving with wagons. Icelandics are small and sturdy, typically weighing between 700 and 850 pounds and standing an average of 13 to 14 hands high. Their legs are strong and short, and they have coarse, flowing manes and tails. Because of their unique bone density, they are capable of carrying large adults. They have a double coat developed for extra insulation in cold temperatures. Icelandics come in many colors, including chestnut, dun, bay, black, gray, palomino, pinto and roan. Icelandic horses are long-lived, adapted to living with sparse forage in a harsh climate, and have few diseases in their native country. They are friendly, enthusiastic, confident, strong and have great endurance. With no natural predators in their native country, Icelandics are usually not easily spooked. The Icelandic horse is typically not ridden until the age of 4 years
Alex Dannenmann of Florida Icehorse Farm in North Fort Myers is the only certified Icelandic horse trainer in Florida. She won the 2017 FIEF International Trainer of the Year Award.
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PHOTO AND BOTTOM PHOTO ON OPPOSITE PAGE COURTESY OF U.S. ICELANDIC HORSE CONGRESS
SPECIAL CARE NEEDED FOR THESE HARDY EQUINES IN SUNSHINE STATE
and are not completely grown until 6 or 7 years. The sure-footed Icelandic horse has four or five gaits. In addition to the walk, trot and canter/gallop, virtually all Icelandics have a four-beat, ambling gait known as the tölt, which is smooth and ground covering. The tölt is comparable to other smooth, lateral gaits such as the rack, running walk or paso largo. Some Icelandics also perform the flying pace. This fast, smooth gait is used in races, with some horses able to reach speeds of 30 miles per hour. The Icelandic horse is extremely versatile; it excels in jumping, dressage, distance events, pleasure riding and driving.
PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM: BY ALEX DANNENMANN; BY JAN ZURLA; BY ART FERRELL; BY BY AMANDA GRACE; BY LINE AABERG
Clockwise from below: Icelandic horses are small and sturdy, with coarse manes and tails. Pine Ridge Equestrian Estates in Beverly Hills, Florida, is home to Jan Zurla's Icelandic horses. Patty and Art Ferrell of Ocala drive Bo and Asta. Amanda Grace of Williston trail rides and does distance competitions on Fina from Victorian Rose. Line Aaberg and Kathy Keely of Ocala enjoy a Florida beach on Rodaglod and Glaer.
Icelandic horses are a huge part of the history of the Icelandic people and still play a large part in daily life. There are about 335,000 people in Iceland and about 80,000 horses! Horses are still used for traditional sheepherding work in Iceland, as well as for companionship, leisure, showing and racing.
THE ICELANDIC HORSE IS ONE OF THE WORLD’S OLDEST AND PUREST HORSE BREEDS.
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The Icelandic horse's tรถlt is a natural gait that is smooth and ground covering.
ROUNDUP U.S. Icelandic Horse Congress 866-929-0009, icelandics.org info@icelandics.org
The U.S Icelandic Horse Congress was established in 1989 as the official Icelandic horse breed association in this country. It is a member of the International Federation of Icelandic Horse Associations, or FEIF, which represents Icelandic horse associations in 21 countries. The U.S Icelandic Horse Congress promotes knowledge of Icelandic horses in the United States, maintains the U.S. registry of Icelandic horses, sponsors U.S. participation in international competitions, regulates U.S. breeding and competitions, and provides a network for Icelandic horse owners. One-third of the Icelandic horses in Florida live at Florida Icehorse Farm in North Fort Myers. Alex Dannenmann, the only certified Icelandic horse trainer in Florida and one of only two FIEF International Sport Judges in the U.S., also resides at Florida Icehorse Farm. Last year, she won the 2017 FIEF International Trainer of the Year Award. During the summer, she travels throughout the U.S. and Europe giving clinics, training horses and judging competitions. Kym Rouse Holzwart is a multi-generational native Floridian, an ecologist, co-proprietor of Spotted Dance Ranch, and has been a freelance and technical writer for over 30 years.
PHOTO BY ALEX DANNENMANN
Florida Icehorse Farm 239-223-5403, floridaicehorsefarm.com floridaicehorsefarm@gmail.com
These horses are in high demand around the world and many are bred and exported. Icelandic horses are extremely popular in Scandinavia and the rest of Western Europe, and in North America. There are about 100,000 horses outside Iceland, with almost half of them in Germany.
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HORSIN' AROUND
SEAWORTHY CPONIES IN GULF’S WAVES TOURS COMBINE ALLURE OF RIDING WITH APPEAL OF BEACHES
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Written by: Jacob Ogles
overs of horses know the wonder of traveling on a saddle while a 1,200-pound animal carries them across terrain. And those called to Florida by the salty air and gorgeous sands also understand why the beaches remain the main attraction in a state rich with tourist traps. With CPonies Beach Horse Tours, guests can blend the beauty of both these experiences. Carmen Herrmann Hanson started the business four years ago, combining the allure of equestrian sports with the appeal of Anna Maria Island’s beaches. An experienced dressage trainer with a family farm in
Myakka City, Hanson knew horses well from having been an instructor for many years at her riding academy, Riding with Style. Her grandfather, Col. Ottomar Herrmann, was one of the first breeders to import and train Lipizzan stallions in the United States. Hanson explains that many years ago she started taking horses to the beach—first just to let them exercise and cool off in the water. In 2012, she had a non-horse-related accident and was not able to continue training horses. But she didn’t give up the equestrian world entirely, and soon fell in love with beach therapy, riding her animals in the Gulf of Mexico. “I would always take horses to spend the day at the beach, and so many people were stopping and asking
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CPONIES BEACH HORSE TOURS
CPonies' horses are mostly rescue animals that were abandoned or abused. Below, riders at the tour company's St. Petersburg location have a view of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
THE ANIMALS FIND A “SECOND LIFE” TAKING GUESTS THROUGH THE SOOTHING WATERS OF FLORIDA’S WESTERN COAST. F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
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what we were doing,” Hanson remembers. She decided to get back into business—not on the ranch but on the shore. CPonies Beach Tours now takes groups of six to 10 horses and riders to a half-dozen locations in the Tampa Bay area, including St. Petersburg, Anna Maria Island, Sarasota and Bradenton. Hanson likes to take horses and riders to Anna Maria’s sandbars, where the beasts walk shoulder-deep in the water while marine life such as manatees and stingrays coast in the waves, just inches away. Hanson’s business has grown quickly. “We have anywhere from people who have never been on "Jemma" is a rescue mare from Canada. The tour company has had her for three years.
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PHOTOS ON THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE BY BOB CROSLIN
HANSON DECIDED TO GET BACK INTO BUSINESS—NOT ON THE RANCH BUT ON THE SHORE.
horses to bucket-listers to grand prix riders,” the owner notes. During a trip in April, Nikki LaPorte, a Connecticut woman visiting family in Bradenton, rode a CPonies’ Gypsy Drum horse named “Snooki”—and loved the experience. A longtime equestrian enthusiast, LaPorte was impressed by the treatment of the animals. “I like that the horses had a nice, easy job and seemed to really love their work and knew their jobs well,” she says. LaPorte knows the Gypsy Drum and Gypsy Vanner breeds that make up CPonies’ roster can often develop skin conditions, which can best
Tour participants love everything about the ride, particularly when their horses actually swim.
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HORSIN' AROUND be cured with salt water. Thus, LaPorte thinks that CPonies’ business model is not just smart but beneficial to the animals and humans involved. Indeed, it turns out that Gulf waters provide as much therapy for the horses as it did for Hanson. Like aquatic therapy for humans, the waters allow a place for injured and aging animals to move through a buoyant environment, standing on their own legs but building strength as they cut through the liquid world around them. “It’s all good for the muscles,” Hanson says. “But it’s low impact for the horses; there’s no banging on their joints. And then the high salt content in the water heals all their sores and scratches.”
ROUNDUP CPonies Beach Horse Tours 941-773-5196, cponies.com cponies10@gmail.com
Hanson’s horses are mostly rescue animals that were abandoned or abused. She locates them all over, and has purchased steeds from Texas, Alabama, Wyoming and even Canada. The animals find a “second life” taking guests through the soothing waters of Florida’s western coast. CPonies now has six employees, and Hanson these days spends much of her time planning trips and running the business while other guides lead groups. But when she gets in the saddle, she always rides the same animal she used to take to dressage shows. “Khaleesi,” named for the horse-riding Dothraki queen from the Game of Thrones series, was the first Drum that Hanson ever owned, and remains her companion on journeys. “That’s the one that started everything for me,” she says.
TOP PHOTO BY BOB CROSLIN; OTHER PHOTO BY ROBERT NEFF
Jacob Ogles is a Florida freelance writer.
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HORSIN' AROUND
SOUTH FOX REHAB AND TRAINING CENTER FOR SPORT HORSES OWNER YVETTE SMITH’S EXPERIENCE, PASSION APPARENT IN EVERY AREA
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Written by: Jimmy Peters
f you drive through Fort Ogden, Florida, in DeSoto County, you’ll discover a tiny, quaint community. No strip shops, not even a gas station, just several picturesque churches, a park and graveyard nearby, which seem never to have been touched by the hands of time.
Drive another 15 minutes off the beaten path and you’ll come to a set of beautiful iron gates, set in huge brick pillars, the area outlined with gorgeous shrubs. It’s the entrance to South Fox LLC, which specializes in sport horse rehabilitation, and thoroughbred pinhooks. While visiting South Fox, I immediately notice that everything—grounds, barn and animals—are immaculate. Then owner Yvette Smith greets me, and because I have never heard the term “thoroughbred
pinhooks,” I ask her about that. Smith helpfully explains, “I buy young thoroughbred horses, weanlings to yearlings, in Kentucky. I raise and train them, then resell them.” She adds that the first weanling that she bought, named “Munny Spunt,” turned out to be a graded stakes winner. At South Fox, Smith treats post-surgical conditions, wounds, soft tissue injuries, pneumonia, lameness and eye injuries. Rehabilitation care includes the EuroXciser, a horse exercise machine that can be programed to walk and trot the horse, then reverse the direction. Bandaging, application of ice, medical care and treatments, and therapeutic ultrasound for soft tissue injuries are also included in the program. If needed, Smith says that she can also offer chiropractic,
South Fox's Yvette Smith is nuzzled by a horse that is having some time off from barrel racing. The horse's owner took her to Smith's rehab facility so the horse can continue an exercise program and stay fit.
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Clockwise from left: Smith examines "Saint," who just had her cast removed. "Caenan" gets a workout on the EuroXciser. Smith says "Bessy Cow" is a "member of the family." "Caenan" and Smith stand at the entrance to South Fox.
acupuncture, massage and laser therapy, through her outside connections. According to Smith, “The most important component when using any of these tools is the operator. If the person is not paying attention, not competent or not experienced in handling high-energy horses, they can sometimes do more harm than good.” She continues, “Not all of our horses are here for rehab. Some are here to get in shape for competition.”
PHOTOS ON THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE BY JIMMY PETERS
The owner notes, “In addition to the rehab equipment, the barn has all 12-foot by 14foot stalls. They are matted, with fans for air circulation, automatic water and an insectrepelling system. “Taking care of the footing is probably the most important item,” she adds. “To keep the footing consistent in the EuroXciser, we have poured a concrete pad. Then on top of that is a 2-inch plastic grid filled with rubber mulch for cushioning. We also offer various size grass paddocks that are utilized for grazing and exercise.” As an elite show horse trainer, Smith has worked with horses ranging from off-thetrack thoroughbreds to imported warmbloods, competing at the Wellington Horse Show in Florida, Pennsylvania’s Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, and shows organized by HITS Inc. She has worked with top vets from the East Coast, F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
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HORSIN' AROUND
AS AN ELITE SHOW HORSE TRAINER, SMITH HAS WORKED WITH HORSES RANGING FROM OFF-THE-TRACK THOROUGHBREDS TO IMPORTED WARMBLOODS. her favorite animals—“Bessy Cow.” She brought “Bessy Cow” home as a small calf and for the past three years, it has been a “member of the family.”
Smith has traveled to Germany to import warmbloods, a horse that has evolved from crossing hot-blooded horses such as thoroughbreds with draft breeds, known as coldblooded horses. The mix has produced the ultimate sport horse for jumping and dressage.
South Fox is a beautiful and professionally run rehabilitation and training center for sport horses. Smith’s experience and passion for horses are apparent in every area of the facility. For further info, visit facebook.com/ redfoxfarminc/.
As I prepare to leave South Fox, Smith insists I meet one of
Jimmy Peters is a writer and photographer living in Arcadia, Florida.
PHOTO BY JIMMY PETERS
such as those at the New Bolton Center in Pennsylvania, which provides an internationally renowned standard of veterinary care.
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At left, Smith takes "Caenan" on a stroll around the property. "Sophie" (right) is a permanent resident of the barn.
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FLORIDA HARVEST
A SWEET SOUTHERN FAVORITE SUGAR CANE SYRUP POURS OUT THE FLAVOR
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Written by: Ava Isabel Grace
he color is caramel and the consistency is syrupy. The taste is a little like molasses but a whole lot sweeter. Sugar cane syrup—a Southern favorite—goes perfectly on top of pancakes, waffles, French toast, bacon, sausage, grits and eggs, and also over veggies such as asparagus and sweet potatoes. The syrup dates back to the time of early pioneers, when it was commonly used as a sweetener. These days, that’s still a tradition in rural Florida and in many other parts of the southeastern United States. Sugar cane that is grown in central Florida is harvested during the winter holiday season, when sugar cane boils generally take place. Once harvested, sugar cane stalks are stripped of their outer leaves. Then a three-roller cane mill crushes the stalk and squeezes out the juice, which goes into a separate bin. When the bin is full, the juice is transferred to kettles to begin a three-hour to four-hour boiling process that gets hotter and hotter—starting at 190 degrees and ending at 227 degrees. During the boiling process, impurities are skimmed off until the foam is white. A linen cloth is then placed around the boiling kettle to assist with absorbing and purifying.
Eventually, the juice takes on a caramel color and starts to have a syrupy consistency. Once it’s thick enough, hot enough and has the right consistency, the syrup is poured directly into glass bottles and then capped and labeled. The process is a “spirited one”—with old-timers telling stories and sharing jokes as they sit by the kettle and wait. Florida farmer and well-known “cowboy poet” Steve Melton, of Dade City, is in his 60s and has been cooking sugar cane syrup for the past 12 years. “Last year I did nine sugar cane cookings from about 2 acres of sugar cane I grow,” explains Melton, who is part of a farming family that works on seed harvesting, cattle and hay. “We have an old horse-drawn cane mill we use for demonstration, but most is squeezed with a power mill that is belted to an antique tractor,” Melton adds. He uses a 60-gallon cast-iron kettle that sits in a brick, woodfired furnace. The family farm is also the site of Melton’s Machinery Museum, which Steve Melton founded. Many folks, of course, enjoy sugar cane syrup on their pancakes and waffles. But Melton says he enjoys it most on a hot-buttered biscuit—preferably one that has been baked in an antique wood-burning stove. “It is so good!” he says.
SUGAR CANE THAT IS GROWN in central Florida is harvested during the winter holiday season, when sugar cane boils generally take place.
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Sweet Memories Written by: Steve Melton
All around the area, old cane mills are being resurrected. From rusty graveyards, their rumblings once more can be detected. It seems that sugar cane cooking’s almost became a dying art. Many are trying to save this heritage, it is a labor of the heart. Stripping and cutting the sugar cane, we work hard having fun. It strengthens our relationships, we’re closer after the work is done. Watch the cane mill pull in those stalks, look at all that power. You might get a little sticky when it squirts you with a “sugar shower.” Fire off the kettle, smell the sweetness in the steam. Now the syrup is turning golden, it is for these moments that we dream. Everyone is standing around the kettle, telling how their daddies used to cook. Each one is a little different, you don’t learn this in any book. The syrup is getting close, the temperature is getting higher. Someone hollers to the fireman, “It’s time to pull the fire!” Bottle it while it’s hot, they are lined up across the tables. Friends are kidding each other how crooked they are putting on the labels.
TOP AND BOTTOM LEFT PHOTOS COURTESY OF STEVE MELTON
Sugar cane cooking is a heritage from the past. But we are also making friendships for the future, these are the friends that last.
At top, sugar cane is boiled for several hours until it thickens into a syrupy consistency. Steve Melton (above left) founded Melton's Machinery Museum. Above right is the finished product.
As the day draws to a close, happiness and joy on every face is shown. For it is not just the syrup, it’s sweet memories we’re taking home.
Melton belongs to the Southern Syrupmakers Association, a group that helps promote and connect more than 200 syrup makers throughout the South. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has designated sugar cane syrup as an “Approved Cottage Food Product,” which requires no license or permit. Thus, sugar cane makers can more easily sell it at restaurants and local markets. F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
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FLORIDA HARVEST
Sugar cane stalks (above) are stripped of outer leaves and placed into rollers that squeeze the stalks and extract the juice. The cooking process (inset) takes several hours and impurities are skimmed off until the foam is white.
Dade City-based Pioneer Florida Museum and Village hosts an annual sugar cane cooking and syrup tasting competition, known as Raising Cane. The 2019 event is set for Saturday, Jan. 12, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will feature vendors, food, live music and entertainment. Plus, there’ll be plenty of chances to taste the good stuff! Ava Isabel Grace is a Floridian who loves the country.
Approved Cottage Food Products Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services freshfromflorida.com/content/ download/70108/1634054/cottage_ food_guidance.pdf Pioneer Florida Museum and Village 15602 Pioneer Museum Road Dade City, Florida 352-567-0262, pioneerfloridamuseum.org
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INSET PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE MELTON
ROUNDUP
PIG'S PEN
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an, oh man! Do I have some exciting things to tell you guys! Mom took me on one last cool trip before having to go back to school. She let me dress up like Yoda from Star Wars and we went to this really neat place called the Moo-ving Ranch, located in Ocala. When we first pulled up, I wasn’t so sure about it. I could see all these different animals but some of them were like nothing I’d ever seen before. Mom let me out of the car and a cute little human girl walked over to me. I didn’t know humans could be so small! She told me her name was Paislee and that she was 3 years old, and she asked me if I wanted to meet Walter. I was thinking that she had another little human friend or something. Then all of a sudden, she brought out a freaky thing in a pouch. Whoa, Paislee! I thought we were becoming friends and then you bring out this thing you call a “wallaby”? I definitely wanted no part of anything to do with Walter! The other animals weren’t so bad, I guess. But when Mom asked me if I wanted to go meet the chickens, I was a tad bit confused—to be honest. I wasn’t quite sure why she was asking if I wanted to meet my lunch. Never before had she asked me to meet my nuggets! When we walked up to the coop, I was disappointed by the smelly things covered in feathers. The donkey and the mini horse had to probably be some of my favorites— well, besides that little human girl, Paislee! I really hope Mom takes me back to visit everyone at the Moo-ving Ranch. Now I’m finally getting settled in being a farm dog.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PIG'S MOMMY
You can write to me at the following, and ask me whatever you’d like: P.O. Box 50989 Fort Myers, FL 33994 Hope to hear from you soon! Oh, yeah—you can also follow me on Instagram @Datfrenchiepig and like me on Facebook @PigtheFrenchie.
—Cheers from Pig FFLO LORRIID DAACCO OU UNTRYM NTRYMAAG GAAZZIIN NEE..CCO OM M
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THE RANCH
A PEEK INTO FLORIDA’S AGRI-TOURISM PADGETT RANCH FAMILY FEST IS OCTOBER WEEKEND FUN FOR ALL AGES
very Saturday and Sunday throughout October, lots of people of all ages will be laughing and having a good time at the Padgett Ranch Family Fest. That’s because the working cattle and hay ranch, located just north of Arcadia, Florida, has joined the growing ranks of the agri-tourism business.
annually produces approximately 15,000 square bales of hay and 4,000 hay rolls, selling to hay vendors, feed and ranch stores, and even individuals.
This year is the first that the Padgetts, Randy and Sharla, are hosting the family friendly event. They are opening the gates to the land they love, and welcoming the public to come learn a little about cattle ranching and hay producing.
Randy and Sharla are typical of the hardworking cattle ranchers found across Florida. When their two daughters became involved in barrel racing, Randy and Sharla found themselves driving the girls to competitions all over the state. The Padgetts take good care of the land they ranch, and also their animals, because they understand what a privilege it is to do such important work.
There are almost two dozen heifers about to have their first calves. The timing of when they were bred was planned so that the babies would be born during the month of October. Fest attendees can see the newborn calves and their mamas—located in the Mooternity Ward!
The barrel train was built by Randy for little tykes to ride while it is pulled by a farm tractor. The Padgetts planted almost 5 acres of Egyptian wheat—and carving their ranch logo into it creates a crop maze. (And yes, they have a way to locate anyone who can’t find his or her way out of the maze!)
Visitors are able to take leisurely rides on one of the hay wagons, which winds through various areas of the ranch, including a trip through the hay barn. The Padgett Ranch
The Padgetts have installed a bounce pillow called the “Kangaroo Jumper” and also have a ball cannon—think potato gun that shoots tennis balls. There are a petting zoo and several play areas to keep the youngsters busy. Horse rides give children a chance to experience the thrill of being in the saddle. Lucky visitors might be greeted by Darla, the family’s Catahoula leopard dog.
FEST ATTENDEES CAN SEE THE NEWBORN CALVES AND THEIR MAMAS—LOCATED IN THE MOOTERNITY WARD!
Attendees are able to satiate their hunger at the concessions on site. The hamburgers are from the ranch’s own cattle. The Padgetts raise cross-bred Brangus and Braford cattle, which graze open range and are supplemented with a specially designed gluten-free feed. It is good, healthy, home-grown beef to be enjoyed by all.
The Padgetts have installed a bounce pillow (below), called the "Kangaroo Jumper."
ROUNDUP Padgett Ranch Family Fest 5422 N.E. McIntyre Road, Arcadia, Florida Saturdays and Sundays in October, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Cowboy Church on Sundays from 8:45 to 9:30 a.m.) Fest admission $10 ages 12 and up, $8 ages 3 to 11, free for ages 2 and under Facebook: Padgett Ranch Family Fest Instagram: @padgettranchfamilyfest
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PHOTO COURTESY OF PADGETT RANCH
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Written by: Kathy Ann Gregg
Visitors who arrive early on Sunday mornings can attend Cowboy Church from 8:45 to 9:30, before the festival’s 10 o’clock opening time. Not only are these services held at most major rodeos, but also throughout the country. And what would a fall festival be without the beloved pumpkin? There will be varying sizes for sale, and possibly other crop items—if Mother Nature cooperates, that is! Plan on spending a fun-filled October Saturday or Sunday with your family at the Padgett Ranch Family Fest. Enjoy the pastoral setting of the central Florida location, with the perfect weather that the Sunshine State offers in autumn.
Clockwise from left: Some of the mamas that visitors will see in the Mooternity Ward. Sharla and Randy Padgett have worked hard to get ready for the fest. Randy built the barrel train for children, which is pulled by a tractor. The working cattle and hay ranch will be open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays throughout October.
THE PADGETTS ARE OPENING THE GATES TO THE LAND THEY LOVE, AND WELCOMING THE PUBLIC TO COME LEARN A LITTLE ABOUT CATTLE RANCHING AND HAY PRODUCING.
TOP LEFT, TOP RIGHT AND MIDDLE PHOTO BY KATHY ANN GREGG, OTHER PHOTOS COURTESY OF PADGETT RANCH
Kathy Ann Gregg is a Florida photographer and writer, involved in many aspects of the country life that our state has to offer.
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With their chiseled head, long arching neck and high tail carriage, Arabian horses make a stylish statement. They are also known to develop close bonds with their owners and they possess high intelligence, making them easy to become enamored of. Back in 1981, Karin A. McMurtrie, owner of Hawk’s Flight Farm LLC and Hawk’s Flight Partners LLC, was involved in a career in forensic science and law enforcement. As a relaxing hobby, she had two Arabian horses, a filly and a colt. Her farm—just under 15 acres—is in Sarasota, Florida, where McMurtrie moved to in 1976 from Pennsylvania. The years went by and she created a breeding program. By the 2000s, McMurtrie had 35 Arabian. However, because of changing economic times and reduced demand for Arabians, she pulled in her reins and now breeds only four to five mares per year. “Arabians from our breeding program have won national- and regional-level halter classes. They’ve then gone on to become performance champions in endurance, dressage, hunter pleasure and great trail companions—starting off when they are old enough to be under saddle at the age of 3,” McMurtrie notes. Hawk’s Flight Farm horses are known for their athletic ability, pretty heads, beautiful large eyes, arched necks, laid-back shoulders and good bone structure. Their size ranges from 14.3 hands to 15.3 hands, which is the breed standard. Discussing her farm, McMurtrie explains: “The pastures are designed for length and size to allow the weanlings and young horses to have plenty of room to run, to strengthen their bones and tendons as they mature. There are 18 stalls with open stall fronts for socialization and air flow, along with security cameras to keep a close eye.
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PHOTO BY SUZANNE STURGILL
Written by: AVA ISABEL GRACE
Hawk’s Flight Farm's Arabian horses are known for their athletic ability, pretty heads, beautiful large eyes, arched necks, laid-back shoulders and good bone structure.
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“There’s also a 63-foot round pen for conditioning and training, and a beautiful presentation ring in which the Arabians are let loose for prospective clients. The horses here treat the time there as their ‘runway show’ and love to show off with their tails flagged, manes flowing and the classic Arabian ‘snort and blow’ to impress everyone,” McMurtrie adds. Her love for horses began at a young age: “I was a horse-crazed little girl with a huge Breyer’s [toy] horse collection and was an avid reader of everything equine-related.” McMurtrie says that at 8 years old, she traded mucking stalls and cleaning tack for regular riding privileges atop “Pinky.” “Pinky was one of the meanest pinto ponies God ever created,” notes McMurtrie. She learned to ride bareback as a child, which proved helpful when taking dressage lessons later in life.
Arabians develop close bonds with their owners and they possess high intelligence, making them easy to become enamored of.
Her first Arabian stallion, Cal Daaba, was purchased on a trip back home to Pennsylvania to visit her horse-loving mom, and while McMurtrie was pregnant with her first child. Cal Daaba “was an incredible riding horse, sire and best friend,” says McMurtrie. The horse was part of her life for 25 years. Another Arabian horse, Amir Jamaal, was part of the McMurtrie family for 20 years. He lost his fight with cancer in July 2017. “I did not think I could feel the same relationship with another stallion after losing Cal Daaba, and then Amir Jamaal, but Prince Michael MPE, who we imported from Brazil in February 2017, has changed my mind and my heart,” she says.
The horses bred at Hawk’s Flight Farm are loved and cherished from the moment they are born. “They are curious, loving and easy to train—because they want to please. This is the true nature of the Arabian,” adds McMurtrie. Ava Isabel Grace is a Floridian who loves the country.
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PHOTOS BY SUZANNE STURGILL
Hawk’s Flight Partners LLC was established to allow unique partnerships to be formed for those clients who do not have farms or ability to have a horse on their property but want to be part of the Arabian horse world. “We offer creative partnerships on future foals and existing Arabians to reduce the expense of owning a horse and allow it to be fun!” McMurtrie explains.
MIDDLE LEFT PHOTO BY ZITA; ALL OTHER PHOTOS BY SUZANNE STURGILL
Hawk’s Flight Partners LLC allows unique partnerships to be formed for clients who do not have farms or ability to have a horse on their property but want to be part of the Arabian horse world.
Hawk’s Flight Farm 5952 Vanderipe Road Sarasota, Florida 855-806-6610 hawksflightfarm.com
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‘COWBOY POET’ CLINT RAULERSON LIVES WHAT HE TELLS
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Written by: DAYNA HARPSTER
EOPLE CALL CLINT RAULERSON A COWBOY POET. That’s half true,
maybe. He’s definitely a cowboy—it’s official, and right there under “occupation” on things such as tax forms. He minds about 25,000 acres of ranch property around Immokalee, representing the fifth generation of his family in the saddle and on the same land. But as for poetry, well, “They’re stories and they happen to rhyme,” he says.
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He’s 51 now, and didn’t write even one story until he was 46. “I was sitting in the barn one morning about 5 o’clock,” he recalls one day as we sit in the shade, his horse and his dog idle while he talks. “I looked at my old horse standing there, his head hanging down,” and says he started putting words together. They became a story called “The Hand.” Raulerson composes mostly on his smartphone. Voice commands are out, though. “Siri doesn’t like my accent,” he notes.
PHOTO BY MEAGAN WATKINS/MDW PHOTOGRAPHY
Siri isn’t the first to find his manner of speaking a befuddlement. “I was told by my English teacher in school … She was about 4 foot 11 inches tall, white hair, and glasses down the end of her nose. I read a passage [out loud] in class. And she said, ‘Nobody can butcher the English language quite the way you can.’ ” He smiles broadly at the memory. Indeed, his accent is thicker when he reads. He met Diane at that high school in LaBelle, and they’ve been married for 31 years. Their three girls have given them three grandchildren, with another on the way. The eldest grandchild is 5 and goes to work sometimes with Raulerson, just the way young Clint did with his dad and his grandfather. Raulerson says he was just 4 or 5 when he first helped pull a calf. It’s just one of the lessons he has learned on the land.
Far inland from the white sand beaches of Florida's coasts is Clint Raulerson's world of cattle and cowboys.
He reads at libraries and his favorite venue, in classrooms with little kids. F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
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You’ll find another biographical fact on Raulerson’s Facebook page, which is a testament to the joys of rural life. Where he went to school: Cowboy University. But don’t say that’s “Uneducated,” as he attests in his poem by that name, excerpted here:
Someday he’s a mechanic although grease makes him frown, It costs too much to take the old tractor or bailer to town An engineer from town never had to design Fences and cow pens to hold the rankest of bovine. He’s a carpenter who can build a barn or a fence so strong He can build it to last his whole life long. He’s a plumber, fixing windmills and pipes for water to drink From the pastures to the barn to the kitchen sink. He’s a farmer growing grass for forage and hay To feed cattle when there’s no rain from January to May A weatherman, somewhat better than one on TV He’ll know just by the direction of the wind or the bloom on the tree … Raulerson’s stories are collected in a book titled Cowboy Legacy, A Lifetime in the Saddle. It was published in 2016.
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He knows he’s a dying breed, as a cowboy, and his passion for the lifestyle comes through loudly in his writing. He says it comes easily to him. “And as long as I’ve got a voice, I’m going to let everybody know I’m still here.” His parents are the first to read any new story, and then those lessons about cowboy life yesterday and today are out in the world, where he reads at libraries and his favorite venue, in classrooms with little kids. “Someone told me, you can’t fool dogs or children,” he says. Not that you’d expect him to try to fool anybody. He’s as sincere as the day is long. And it is. Raulerson keeps the sun’s hours and most of the time, he’s alone with it. “That’s one of the biggest attractions for me,” he says. “I spend a lot of time alone on the ranch, me and my horse, and that’s where I’m comfortable.” “He is as courageous as a man could ever hope to be and as humble as we all should be. He is the epitome of a cowboy,” says his longtime friend Alex Johns, president of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association. “He has lived the stories he tells and has the knowledge passed down from his father and his grandparents. He is a south Florida born-and-bred Cracker.” “I’m still a kid,” Raulerson says. “I’m a 51-year-old man living a little boy’s dream.” Dayna Harpster is a writer living in Southwest Florida.
BOTTOM RIGHT PHOTO COURTESY OF CLINT RAULERSON; OTHER PHOTOS THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE BY MEAGAN WATKINS/MDW PHOTOGRAPHY
THEY’RE STORIES and they happen to rhyme.”
Photos at left and above show Raulerson on the ranch. There are about 1.7 million head of cattle in Florida. At right, the "cowboy poet" reads a story from his phone.
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FLORIDA EXCURSIONS
HOMOSASSA TRADITION HAS A CATCH LUNCH ON SHORE CAN’T GET ANY FRESHER
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Written by: Dayna Harpster
shore lunch on a tiny, private Florida island in the Gulf of Mexico, off the Homosassa River, showed me just how wrong I was about at least two things.
I grew up in a small town on Lake Erie, where a shore lunch consisted of nonperishable food in a brown paper bag that you took with you when you went fishing. It sustained me many times out angling with my dad, when we’d catch a bunch of lake perch to bread and fry later, at home. And I’ve maintained in the nearly five decades since that you can’t beat fresh fried Lake Erie perch. But it turns out I’ve been in error. Not only is a shore lunch much more delicious as traditionally interpreted by the fishing guides from another small town, Homosassa, but
also the speckled trout that’s the main attraction, well, throws water on that theory of perch being unbeatable. Capt. Jonathan Hamilton is one of the Homosassa fishing guides carrying on the shore lunch tradition out that way. He’s the younger generation, at 34, and goes by the nickname Stump. He’s short: “[I’m] 5-foot-5,” he admits. Then he adds, “But 5-foot-6 on my driver’s license.” A mischievous smile follows. He is gung-ho Homosassa, having been raised on a working cattle ranch nearby in Brooksville. Fishing is in his DNA, too, though. “My great-grandma was a fishing fool,” he says. My traveling companion and I soon learn that although strictly speaking, Homosassa applies to a census-designated “place” with merely 2,500 or so residents as of the 2010 U.S. Census, and also applies to a river, the locals use it to describe just
Photos show some of the ingredients needed to have a delicious Homosassa shore lunch, including the sea trout at right, held by Capt. Jonathan Hamilton.
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about everything in this area of Citrus County. Witness to its large idea of itself, three ZIP codes are spread across its 8.3 square miles. The Homosassa Guides Association describes it as a place “where all the tall fishing tales are true, and your cares slip away like the slack in your line.”
PHOTOS ON THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE COURTESY OF CAPTAIN JOHNATHAN HAMILTON
The local Grand Central Station is MacRae’s, a motel, bait shop, marina, watering hole and gift shop, where we met Capt. Jonathan just before 8 o’clock on a summer morning to experience this shore lunch. We boarded his 19-foot East Cape Vantage poling skiff and headed out 5 miles to the mouth of the river, at most running at about 30 mph. There the Homosassa meets the Chassahowitzka, a spring-fed river that’s rich in bird life and a refuge for manatees. This area has a reputation for big tarpon, and there’s some expert fly tying to be found here. Capt. Jonathan teaches a class locally in the art. Early spring and fall are the best times to catch the speckled trout we’re after, the captain says, and since we’re counting down the last hours of July we’ll cross our fingers. We’ll be fishing in shallow water, sometimes so shallow—as little as 2 feet when we switch our prey to redfish—that motoring is out and poling is in. He tells us what to look for: “Tail up and staying up it’s a redfish, tail up and moving it’s a shark.”
EARLY SPRING AND FALL ARE THE BEST TIMES TO CATCH THE SPECKLED TROUT WE’RE AFTER. Top left, the captain uses a camp stove while preparing the shore lunch, shown ready to eat top right. Far left, the tasty meal won't last long! The captain, near left, aboard his 19-foot East Cape Vantage poling skiff.
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FLORIDA EXCURSIONS
From left, hush puppies are cooked, then served with jelly and bacon, and finally heartily devoured!
We see no redfish that day, but we do catch a couple of nice-sized trout destined for that shore lunch we keep hearing about. We land a couple of non-keepers, too—some catfish, too-small trout and a tiny crevalle jack.
He explains this is a main feature of the traditional Homosassa shore lunch: hush puppies, halved, spread with guava jelly and topped with bacon. With the efficiency of a short-order chef, he breads and fries the fish, cooks baked beans to which he adds a tube of sausage, and pulls out a baggie of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies for later. And that’s when I realize I’ve been wrong for a long, long time. This trout is incomparable. So is the rest of our lunch, and I see why the guides who do it are so proud. Dayna Harpster is a writer living in Southwest Florida.
ROUNDUP captainjhamilton.com Capt. Jonathan Hamilton’s light tackle fishing trips run about $450 for two people for a full day; add $60 for shore lunch. homosassaguidesassociation.com Homosassa guides work together to accommodate groups of up to 30 people.
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF CAPTAIN JOHNATHAN HAMILTON
We head to that tiny island and dock. The captain hauls his gear onshore to a picnic table that’s built around a tree, steps away to clean the trout, and comes back to set up to cook. An oldschool Coleman stove and cast-iron skillet are the major players here, and the captain is frying bacon and hush puppies in no time.
FLORIDA EXCURSIONS
KEY WEST IS ALIVE AND WELL SOUTHERNMOST CITY THRIVING A YEAR AFTER IRMA
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Written by: Dave Kelly
ust after 9 a.m. on Sept. 10 of last year, Hurricane Irma and her 130 mph winds roared into Cudjoe Key, 20 miles north of historic Key West. The Category 4 storm ravaged the coastline for miles, cutting deep into the economy of these islands that are so dependent on tourism.
National news touted “complete devastation.” But this is Florida. We’re a resilient breed. Could the hardworking folks in Key West get back on track with their businesses—and their lives? We headed south on U.S. Route 1 to find out. And, while the land itself still shows a few scars, the blue roof tarps are gone. Hotels and marinas bustle with activity, restaurants and bars teem with boisterous people, and tours and attractions showcase sunburned happy tourists. For our base of operations for the week, we chose The Perry Hotel Key West at Stock Island Marina Village. The beautiful hotel was built just four months before Irma tore through the area, yet it was up and running immediately after the storm. Its location is perfect. Whether you charter one of the many tours from the onsite marina or take the hotel’s free shuttle to Old Town’s Duval Street (a 5-minute trip), you’ll feel like you’re in the heart of the action. The Perry features two first-class restaurants. Matt’s Stock Island Kitchen & Bar is American “coastal comfort food” at its best. Choose from house specialties such as Snapper on the Half Shell Tacos and Citrus-Dusted Fried Chicken, or let Matt’s chef prepare your own fresh catch from your fishing trip that day.
Salty Oyster Dockside Bar & Grill offers fresh fare and tasty cocktails, right beside the pool and the marina slips. Its pressed traditional Cubano sandwich is the best on the island. And both restaurants feature more than a dozen local craft brews on tap. Rooms at The Perry combine a unique blend of contemporary furnishings and rustic touches. Every room boasts an oversized balcony, each with a spectacular Stock Island view. The ultra-plush pillow-top mattresses are luxurious, and many of the rooms feature open-air outdoor showers to help you relax as you soak in your time in the Keys. Stock Island Marina Village is not just a place to dock your boat, but a living, breathing community rich in character and adventure. It’s the largest deep-water marina in the Keys. Local excursion partners include fishing charters, kayak and paddleboard tours, and snorkeling and sightseeing excursions that are based just steps from the hotel. Our day on the water with Capt. Chris, of Dolphin Safari Charters, included a tour of the area, snorkeling off the coast, and even an encounter with a pod of dolphins that nudged our boat playfully. For a location that’s “A Destination Within a Destination,” you can’t ask for more than what The Perry Hotel Key West at Stock Island Marina Village offers. In addition to busy hotels, Key West’s many tours, attractions and watersports all buzz with activity. We decided to hit the skies and check out the area from that unique vantage point. Sebago Watersports’ Parasailing departs from the city’s seaport, taking adventurers up more
IN ADDITION TO BUSY HOTELS, KEY WEST’S MANY TOURS, ATTRACTIONS AND WATERSPORTS ALLF BUZZ LO R I D A C OWITH U NTRYM A ACTIVITY. G A Z I N E . C O M 49
FLORIDA EXCURSIONS Capt. Dante and Capt. Fabio took us offshore a couple miles—just enough to get us out of the rush of boat traffic and into gentle tropical breezes. We scanned crystal-blue waters for abundant sea life, seeing dolphins, turtles and manta rays in their natural environment. The boat’s extended rear platform even allowed for us to take off and land gently, all while staying dry. It was an amazing experience. Ramping it up a bit, we contacted Air Adventures, which is Key West’s only helicopter tour company. We chose the “Key West Eco-Tour” and our pilot, Abi, promised a “true bird’seye view” of the lovely waters of Key West and Stock Island. After leaving Key West Airport, the chopper circled out to the coastal beaches on the south side of the island. People were everywhere—Fort Zachary Taylor, the Casa Marina Hotel and the Southernmost Point marker were hopping with tourists who have clearly come back to this area in earnest. We gained an altitude of 500 feet, then banked around the military bases and island’s north side. From that height, the entire area looked healed—activity everywhere, especially on the water. As we cruised over the flats and coral reefs that the Keys are famous for, thoughts of Irma’s damage were the furthest thing from our minds.
Then we decided to look for a more earth-bound experience, settling on the “Ghosts and Gravestones Frightseeing Tour.” Based out of Old Town, this nighttime specialty tour takes ghost hunters on the “Trolley of the Doomed” in search of forgotten souls of Key West. For 90 minutes, we visited the area’s most tragic and sacred sites— from the African Slave Cemetery to St. Paul’s Church to Capt. Tony’s Haunted Saloon. The tour’s centerpiece was the East Martello Museum, one of Key West’s original forts from the early 1800s. Not only did thousands die of yellow fever in the decades the fort was occupied, the museum is now home to Robert the Doll. Legend says Robert the Doll wields supernatural abilities— allowing it to move, change facial expressions and make giggling sounds as amazed onlookers pass by. By midnight, we’d seen enough. It was time to head to busy Duval Street and discuss all that we’d experienced that day—over a few local craft beers.
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And when we packed up and headed back north, we were all in agreement that our question had been answered: Key West is indeed thriving again.
The Perry Hotel Key West at Stock Island Marina Village 7001 Shrimp Road, Stock Island Marina Village 305-296-1717, perrykeywest.com
Dave Kelly is a 45-year resident of Southwest Florida. His travel writing has taken him all over the world, but he always finds his way back to the Florida home that he loves.
The Perry Hotel Key West at Stock Island Marina Village was a brand-new facility when Irma hit, but was back in action right after the storm. Photos are of the hotel, its pool and marina, and mouth-watering fare from its two restaurants.
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE PERRY HOTEL KEY WEST AT STOCK ISLAND MARINA VILLAGE
than 300 feet, affording riders a 10-mile view of the beaches, skyline and the entire island.
ROUNDUP Dolphin Safari Charters 7001 Shrimp Road, Stock Island Marina Village 305-747-0453, safaricharters.com Sebago Watersports 205 Elizabeth St. 305-294-5687, keywestsebago.com Air Adventures Helicopters 3471 S. Roosevelt Blvd. (Key West Airport) 844-246-3594, fly-keywest.com
BOTTOM LEFT PHOTO COURTESY OF MARY VEAL PHOTOGRAPHY; TOP RIGHT PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PERRY HOTEL KEY WEST AT STOCK ISLAND MARINA VILLAGE; RIGHT MIDDLE PHOTO COURTESY OF AIR ADVENTURES
Ghosts and Gravestones Frightseeing Tour Corner of Front Street and Duval Street 305-440-0047, ghostsandgravestones.com
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Hey, y’all! I’m Cally Simpson, the author of Cally in Wonderland. With words and photographs, I will be presenting my Florida, giving you a glimpse of the wild and wonderful place where I and so many of you were raised. Join me on a journey of discovery into past and modern Florida.
LOCAL SEAFOOD SPOTS OFFER BEST ‘FAST FOOD’ LAW’S SEAFOOD OF PUNTA GORDA IS LEGENDARY EXAMPLE
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Written by: Cally Simpson
ust throw the bones out the window,” Mom said as we drove down the road. After 45 minutes trying to decide where to eat lunch—always a constant conversation of ours—we settled on something that would get us a few stares. Obviously, we didn’t care.
“Don’t eat all the crunchy pieces on the edges,” she scolded. “And watch for bones!” she reminded me again. “This is our
The author thinks "mullet should be the state fish of Florida," instead of the current sailfish!
version of ‘fast food,’ ” I replied with a smile, as I picked out a tiny bone and promptly threw it out the window. It was mid-July and the sweltering heat of south Florida was thick enough to knock you over, but we drove with the windows down and the AC cranked as high as it could go. Our hair blew in the wind while we moved and plastered our foreheads when we stopped. No matter that we had frizzy hair and sweaty brows. The food we painstakingly picked apart was a delicacy both of us had grown up with—and worth every effort to peel the flaky white meat off the tiniest bones. I’d eaten smoked mullet a thousand times. Dad had a black barrel smoker that was pulled behind a truck. He’d line the fish on the grates, delivering precious treasure at the end of the night. It was sweet with just the right amount of smoke. The oil stuck to your fingers, giving you one last opportunity to enjoy the bounty of the sea when you licked it off. In most small towns in south Florida, when you see a roadside stand with a smoker going, there’s a chance that mullet is smoldering right alongside pork butts and ribs. When driving, if you don’t see a roadside stand with a smoker, keep going until you do. It’s worth the gas! And I think mullet should be the state fish of Florida. It’s now the sailfish, but I’ll let y’all know when I start my
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petition to get this grievous wrong righted! After the experience with Mom, I never looked at “fast food” the same way again. As a general rule in our society, we feel we have to hit up drive-throughs to get a meal that’s quick, easy and can be eaten on the go—while saving the world on cellphones and rushing to appointments. That July day, I was reminded that “keeping it local” offered a better meal and also helped a locally owned family business. That’s because our destination of choice is an “institution”—Law’s Seafood in Punta Gorda— an establishment with customers from far and wide. And while Mom and I waited for lunch, we embarked on our other constant conversation: What to do for dinner? Luckily for us, Law’s Seafood offered options for both. We enjoyed smoked mullet for lunch and picked up shrimp for dinner—which had been swimming that morning. It doesn’t get any fresher than that!
Snapper, such as shown here, and blue crabs (below) are among the kinds of deliciously fresh seafood that customers find at Law's.
Law family history runs deep and they take being stewards of the water seriously. On any given day, you can walk in and see four generations together, preserving their family legacy. The family also helps other local fishermen by renting them space to clean, prepare and package their catch. The fishermen come in and get their products ready, then load them into refrigerated trucks for delivery. Without that setup, they’d have a harder time getting fresh seafood to customers. Not only do the Laws care about the product they put out, they care about the other small business owners who share the waters to make a living. The Laws sell very few products that have traveled farther than three hours and no part of the fish is wasted. Heads are sold for stocks and stews; the insides and other bits go to crabbers who use it to bait traps for the next day’s shipment. The establishment’s carbon footprint is small, but
with Adult Meal Purchase. One Chicken Leg and Fries. Dine-In Only.
11 Southwest Florida Locations View Our Menu at ribcity.com
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CALLY IN WONDERLAND when it comes to fresh seafood, it operates on a large scale. The fresh smoked mullet, mullet dip, smoked salmon and salmon dips are made by a Fort Myers woman who is known as “The Fishermen’s Daughter”—which she is. Her products are so good, you’ll have your gracious plenty and keep going back for more!
The selection of offerings (above) at Law's Seafood changes daily. Below, stone crab claws are always a favorite.
So remember, the next time you want a meal on the run, don’t pass up the “dives.” You can pick up lunch and dinner— and help local businesses. And when you want seafood that was swimming that morning, or possibly still alive when you buy it, head over to Law’s Seafood. Locally owned and operated for more than 30 years, the family does its best to help their community and fellow fishermen, while offering you the best possible product available. I certainly want to thank the Laws and their employees for allowing me to learn more about one of my favorite local businesses. Cally Simpson is a mother of a beautiful boy and loves to travel around the state commemorating our history and heritage. Check her blog, callyinwonderland.com.
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TOP LEFT PHOTO BY CALLY SIMPSON
Law’s Seafood 108 Rio Villa Drive, Punta Gorda 941-575-0414
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PICTURE PERFECT
HITCHIN’ A RIDE WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD OF NATURE AND WILDLIFE
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his photo of a cattle egret “hitching a ride” on a young buck was taken in July 2018 at Dinner Island Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Clewiston, Florida. Born in France, I moved to the U.S. over three decades ago and have traveled the globe. Since childhood, I’ve focused my attention on photographing landscapes and nature that surround me. My work is exhibited, collected and published around the world. As a conservationist, I’m on a passionate mission to create and share images that help evoke how I see our wonderful nature and wildlife. Photo was shot with a Nikon D500 body and Tamron SP 150-600mm Generation 2 ultra-telephoto lens f5-6.3. No filters and no post-processing. Photo by: Frederic Bonneau Every issue of Florida Country Magazine features one or more winning photos. Check our Facebook page or floridacountrymagazine.com for details. Photo by: Alana Pouliot
SQUIRRELING AROUND SURVEYING THREE LAKES WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA’S DRY PRAIRIE
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ello, my name is Alana Pouliot. I’m 20 years old and from West Palm Beach, Florida. I enjoy wildlife photography and I love to share my photos that I capture in the woods. This picture was taken with my Nikon Coolpix S9700. I took it at Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area in Osceola County. I don’t get to see fox squirrels that much so I always try to take a picture of them when I get the chance. F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
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PICTURE PERFECT
Photo by: Brett Peterson Post-Editing by: Kara Peterson
DOG DAYS OF SUMMER ‘PUP-APPROVED ADVENTURE’ IN PLANT CITY
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eekends were made for wandering! We’re Brett and Kara Peterson, a husband-and-wife team that owns Living Adventures Photography in Apollo Beach, Florida. We love to find new trails and adventures with our Australian shepherd, Lincoln, and his sheltie “sister,” Fiona. This photo was taken by Brett, using a Sony a6500 with a 50mm 1.8 lens. It was shot during one of our summer adventures to Plant City, Florida, and we can certainly say that it was pup-approved! With so many dog-friendly parks and beaches around the state, our camera stays busy and our pups stay happy!
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Photo by: Erin Ferber
THIS PHOTO’S FOR YOU! DEDICATED TO OUR HARDWORKING COWBOYS AND COWGIRLS
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his photograph was taken in 2015 in St. Lucie County, Florida, with my iPhone. We had just pinned our first bunch of cows before the sun burned off the fog. As I walked back up to the horses, the image just “captured in my mind.” It couldn’t be more uniform—lined up one by one, saddled, slickers tied to the back, fog just starting to lift—the ideal picture. It reminds me of how hard our cowboys and cowgirls (old and young) work, and this is the life they live for. It’s a privilege to be a part of caring for our land and the cattle in this great state of Florida. To all of our cowboys and cowgirls out there, this photo’s for you!
THE HOMESTEAD
MINI-RANCH IN FORT DENAUD, FLORIDA
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POSSIBILITIES ABOUND AT THIS PREMIER PROPERTY
ne of Southwest Florida’s best-kept secrets of real estate for sale is a mini-ranch located at 6950 West State Road 80 in Fort Denaud. It’s just a mile east of the border of Lee and Hendry counties, 15 miles from Interstate 75.
Drive to downtown Fort Myers in 30 minutes, south Fort Myers and RSW Airport in 45 minutes, or Naples in an hour. Approximately 3,300 square feet (under air), the distinctive custom ranch home has a brand-new Galvalume metal roof. It has four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a caged pool
PHOTO COURTESY OF SOUTHERN HERITAGE REAL ESTATE & INVESTMENTS INC.
THE PROPERTY IS FENCED AND CROSS-FENCED WITH A PRIVATE, ASPHALT-PAVED DRIVEWAY AND ENTRY GATE.
The traditional ranch home features a cathedral design with stunning stone fireplace and flanking windows as its focal point. F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
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THE HOMESTEAD
Eight-plus acres of pasture, with about 325 feet on State Road 80, and the home on the rear 3+/- acres. Rezone the frontage to commercial and everything can be in one place— business, home and hobbies.
Master Suite
with Jacuzzi spa. The master bedroom features a spacious bedroom and sitting room combination, huge bathroom and three closets (including a cedar closet). Three bedrooms and the kitchen overlook the pool. There are multiple living areas and two laundry rooms, with extra storage in the oversized garage and carport addition. The mini-ranch has 8-plus acres of pasture, with about 325 feet on State Road 80, and the home on the rear 3+/acres. Rezone the frontage to commercial and everything can be in one place—business, home and hobbies.
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PHOTOS ON THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE COURTESY OF SOUTHERN HERITAGE REAL ESTATE & INVESTMENTS INC.
Above left: Foodies will love the expansive kitchen, which has a view of the pool area. Above right: Pamper yourself in the master bathroom by soaking in the tub while gazing at the pool, or enjoy the spacious shower when time is too short to luxuriate!
THE MINI-RANCH has oversized rooms which are perfect for people who like lots of space, have a big family or love to entertain.
Dining Room
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THE HOMESTEAD THE MINI-RANCH has a baby grand piano is included in the music room. Or make a big change and swap out the piano for a pool table!
Music Room
Add an RV storage building, horse barn, building for a car or motorcycle collection, a woodworking or hobby shop, artist studio or guesthouse. The property is fenced and crossfenced with a private, asphalt-paved driveway and entry gate. The mini-ranch is offered by Sherri Denning, broker/owner of Southern Heritage Real Estate & Investments Inc. in LaBelle. For further information, call 863-673-0829 or 863-675-4500, or visit soland.com.
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PHOTOS ON THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE COURTESY OF SOUTHERN HERITAGE REAL ESTATE & INVESTMENTS INC.
Handsome wood ceilings and beams set off the unique stone fireplace for a distinctive look.
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WILD FLORIDA
WHITE IBIS
WADING BIRD IS CHARACTERISTIC OF SOUTH FLORIDA’S WILD WETLANDS
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Written by: William R. Cox
he white ibis (Eudocimus albus) is a mid-sized wading bird that measures 22 inches total length, with a wingspan of 37 inches. The male is larger than the female, and males also have a longer and more down-curved bill.
Adults have radiant white plumage, red flesh parts, bill and legs, and have black wing tips. Juveniles are mostly brown with white underparts. The white ibis is found throughout the mainland and both coasts of Florida. It’s a common breeding species in the coastal plain of the southeastern United States, from North Carolina to Texas. It can be found nesting and foraging in coastal and inland wetlands and marshes. They forage in shallow water 2 to 6 inches deep for prey found in freshwater, saltwater and brackish environments. Prey includes crayfish, crabs, aquatic insects, fish, frogs and snakes. The white ibis is also observed feeding on lawns and pastures. They prefer to forage in freshwater when feeding young because young will not grow if fed a salty diet. They’ll fly in large flocks or individually 48 miles to and back again
from freshwater wetlands supporting abundant prey. White ibis breed in large colonies throughout Florida from February through October. Nesting peaks in the spring and summer. They nest in areas surrounded by water because they are vulnerable to terrestrial mammals. White ibis prefer to nest on clumps of grass on the ground or in trees up to 50 feet high. They lay two to four light-green or white eggs, splotched with tan, purple and brown, in their well-constructed stick nests. White ibis nest only once per year and both the female and male incubate the eggs for approximately 22 days. Nestlings will jump out of a nest when 8 to 16 days old if disturbed by a predator or encroached by humans. Most nestlings will perish because they can’t make it back into their nest. They fledge between 28 and 35 days after hatching. The Florida population has drastically declined and fluctuated since the early 1900s. It was listed by the state as a “Species of Special Concern” for decades. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, it is no longer listed in Florida as of Jan. 11, 2017.
At top, white ibis fly from freshwater wetlands to their nesting colony to feed nestlings. They nest in a red mangrove coastal rookery (left) and cypress tree (right) in Southwest Florida.
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THE BIRDS ARE PART OF FLORIDA’S “IMPERILED SPECIES MANAGEMENT PLAN” AND ARE PROTECTED UNDER THE MIGRATORY BIRD TREATY ACT. However, they are part of Florida’s “Imperiled Species Management Plan” and are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The cause of the decline and the main threat to the white ibis is human development of coastal areas and freshwater foraging areas. This includes wetland destruction, alteration of water levels, saltwater influxes, pollution with pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals and excessive nutrients and other habitat threats. These negative impacts on wetlands decrease the availability of freshwater prey for nestlings.
PHOTOS ON THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE BY WILLIAM R. COX
That is why local, state, federal, wetland and wildlife mitigation banks and private lands are so important to the well-being of the white ibis. The large number of freshwater wetlands with fluctuating water levels across an extensive landscape, including private ranches, helps provide an abundant food supply during nesting. To find out more about the white ibis, which is so characteristic of south Florida’s wild wetlands, read Florida’s Birds: A Handbook and Reference. Published by Pineapple Press of Sarasota, this classic guide was written by Herbert W. Kale II and David S. Maehr, and illustrated by Karl Karalus. William R. Cox has been working professionally as a wildlife biologist, educator and nature photographer for more than 40 years. His passion is to entertain, inspire and educate others in the beauty of nature and the art of photography. See more of his work on Facebook and on his website, williamrcoxphotography.com. F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
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STARS & GUITARS presented by
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ntil just before graduating from college, country music singer and songwriter Chris Lane was far more likely to be holding a baseball bat than a guitar. Or maybe holding a girl—because “girls” were his “major” at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, he says with a laugh during a recent interview with Florida Country Magazine. Actually, he studied geography and American studies. “And I’m using it, traveling the world,” he adds, laughing again. On the heels of his third album, “Laps Around the Sun,” released in July, Lane has his boots on the ground all over the nation. After the interview, he was set to play later that day at a fair in Mississippi, and then head out to Washington, Oregon, Nebraska and Iowa.
CHRIS LANE ENJOYING HIS DAY IN THE ‘SUN’ COUNTRY STAR HAS HIS BOOTS ON THE GROUND ALL OVER THE NATION Interviewd by: Dayna Harpster
particular. But what girl don’t wanna be the ‘take back home’ girl, and what guy don’t wanna find that girl?” In those growing-up years, Lane wasn’t thinking about songs. He was busy playing baseball and football—often with his twin brother, Cory. “I always wanted to learn how to play the guitar, though,” he says. “I never really sang in front of anybody. … [Then in college] I started a cover band for fun, and started playing a lot of shows. I started learning how to entertain a crowd, started writing my own music— and bam! It just worked out.”
Regardless of his spot on a map, Lane would be recalling his “happy place,” singing songs from “Laps.” He explains that he chose many of the songs on it because he wanted “a good little summer vibe,” which certainly comes through on tracks such as “Fishin’ ” and “Sun Kiss You.” “Some of my best memories are being out on the lake, out on the ocean, on the beach, and I think that connects with a lot of people,” the singer says. “And I’m proud of how it came out.” Growing up, a lot of Lane’s friends had boats. “I remember so many happy memories from my childhood going to the beach. My best friends and their parents were always staying at the same hotel. And I want people to create memories with my songs, like I did to Kenny Chesney’s. “I’m a big Kenny Chesney fan. I feel like he’s the king of having songs that really connect with people. I ultimately wanted songs that would do the same thing,” he adds. And it’s obvious that Lane’s songs do just that. A good example is “Take Back Home Girl.” As Lane notes, “It’s not about anybody in
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Chris Lane
SOME OF MY BEST MEMORIES ARE BEING OUT ON THE LAKE, OUT ON THE OCEAN, ON THE BEACH, AND I THINK THAT CONNECTS WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE.
PHOTOS ON THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE COURTESY OF CHRIS LANE
Cory joined his band as a drummer early on, Lane notes. “He learned to play them just how I sat down and learned to play the guitar.” “We’re very competitive with each other,” he continues. That twin-versustwin behavior plays out on golf courses these days. It’s a new sport for Lane and he loves it, explaining, “I’ve gotten into it the past couple years and now I can’t get enough.” Swinging clubs on fairways while on tour is one highlight of Lane’s recent traveling life. Another is meeting some of his idols, such as Chesney, for whom he opened a concert last year in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. “I still get pretty nervous if I’m a big fan of somebody” like Chesney, as well as Garth Brooks and Keith Urban, he says. Lane has appeared on The Bachelor, Today, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers and Conan. He has opened on tours with Florida Georgia Line, Dustin Lynch, Brooks, Tim McGraw + Faith Hill, and Rascal Flatts. When he heard that actor Bryan Cranston was a fan of his band, Lane wanted to ask him to make a cameo appearance in a video—but chickened out. Maybe for his next gold-certified single. Dayna Harpster is a writer and editor who lives in Southwest Florida.
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THE CULINARY CRACKER
WHIPPING IT UP IN YOUR KITCHEN MAPLE-BOURBON GLAZED HAM Serves 6 to 8
INGREDIENTS 6- or 7-pound spiral-sliced cooked ham 10 whole cloves, or as needed ¾ cup orange juice ½ cup maple syrup ¾ cup cola ½ cup Dijon mustard ¼ cup brown sugar ½ cup bourbon whiskey PREPARATION Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place ham in roasting pan with an inch of water and put cloves on ham. In saucepan, combine orange juice, maple syrup, cola, mustard, brown sugar and ¼ cup bourbon. Bring to a boil, immediately reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, brush ham with glaze. Put ham in oven, cook for about 90 minutes, brushing every 15 minutes with glaze. Remove ham, get rid of accumulated fat from bottom of pan. Add remaining liquid from roasting pan to saucepan. Add ¼ cup bourbon to saucepan. Bring saucepan contents to a boil, serve glaze on the side. Remove cloves before serving.
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Every issue of Florida Country Magazine is filled with easy, delicious and seasonal recipes you’ll want to make again and again.
INGREDIENTS potatoes 3 medium-size sweet ½ cup white sugar 2 eggs, beaten ½ teaspoon salt softened 4 tablespoons butter, ilk ½ cup evaporated m tract ex lla ni va 1 teaspoon sugar n ow br ed 1 cup pack ur flo se po ur 2/3 cup all-p softened r, tte bu s on 6 tablespo 1 cup chopped pecans
SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE Serves 12
INGREDIENTS 2 cups broccoli 2 cups cauliflower 2 eggs ½ cup mayonnaise ½ cup chopped onion cheese ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese ½ cup shredded Parmesan ½ cup butter, melted d 1 package crackers, crushe
PREPARATION sheet, prick degrees. On a baking Preheat oven to 425 until tender, er with a fork. Bake sweet potatoes all ov eheat oven to t cool, then mash. Pr 45 to 50 minutes. Le toes, white bowl, mix sweet pota 325 degrees. In large ilk and vanilla blespoons butter, m sugar, eggs, salt, 4 ta 13 baking dish. ooth. Transfer to 9x extract. Mix until sm flour. Cut in 6 ix brown sugar and In medium bowl, m . Stir in pecans. til mixture is coarse tablespoons butter un 30 minutes, or potato mixture. Bake Sprinkle over sweet ly brown. until topping is light
BROCCOLI CAULIFLOWER CASSEROLE Serves 6
PREPARATION es. Put broccoli and Preheat oven to 350 degre d pour enough water cauliflower in saucepan an bles. Bring to a boil to completely cover vegeta 4 minutes. Drain and and cook until tender, 3 to Beat eggs in a bowl until mix in 11x17 baking dish. onion and cheddar creamy. Mix mayonnaise, er vegetables. Pour cheese into eggs. Pour ov li-cauliflower mixture melted butter over brocco eese. Sprinkle crushed and top with Parmesan ch Bake until browned and crackers over entire dish. tes. bubbling, about 40 minu
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THE CULINARY CRACKER INGREDIENTS nbread mix 16-ounce package dry cor r 2 tablespoons butte ½ cup chopped celery 1 small onion 2 eggs, beaten 2 cups chicken stock 2 tablespoons dried sage Salt and pepper to taste
SOUTHERN CORNBREAD DRESSING Serves 6
PREPARATION ections. Cool x according to package dir mi d rea nb cor dry re pa Pre 3 inch baking to 350 degrees. Grease 9x1 en ov t hea Pre le. mb cru d an r and sauté celery medium heat, melt butte er ov t lle ski ge lar In h. dis onions, 3 cups ge bowl, combine celery, lar In . soft til un ion on d an salt and pepper s, chicken stock, sage, and egg d, rea nb cor led mb cru for 30 minutes. o prepared dish and bake int ce Pla ll. we x mi te, tas to
INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon olive oil 6 slices bacon 1 tablespoon brown sugar BACON COLLARD 1 large onion, chopped Serves 6 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 3 cups chicken broth 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 2-inch pieces 1 pound fresh collard greens, cut into
GREENS
PREPARATION heat. Add bacon and cook until Heat oil in large pot over medium-high and return to pan. Add onion and crisp. Remove bacon from pan, crumble garlic and cook until just fragrant. cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add t to wilt. Pour in chicken broth and Add collard greens and fry until they star red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to season with brown sugar, salt, pepper and until greens are tender. low. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or
PECAN PIE Serves 8
INGREDIENTS 1¾ cups white sugar ¼ cup dark corn syrup ¼ cup butter 1 tablespoon cold water 2 teaspoons cornstarch 3 eggs ¼ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1¼ cups chopped pecans 9-inch unbaked pie shell
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PREPARATION Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, butter, water and cornstarch. Bring to a full boil and remove from heat. In large bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Gradually beat in cooked syrup mixture. Stir in salt, vanilla and pecans. Pour into pie shell. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until filling is set.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF CALIFORNIA RAISINS MARKETING BOARD
RAISIN GROWERS RAISIN SAUCE Serves 8
INGREDIENTS 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1½ tablespoons cornstarch ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground cloves ¼ teaspoon dry mustard ¼ teaspoon salt 1¾ cups water 1 cup California raisins 1 tablespoon vinegar
PREPARATION In saucepan, combine brown sugar, cornstarch, spices, mustard and salt. Stir in water and raisins. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Remove from heat; blend in vinegar. Serve warm with ham. For more delicious California raisin recipes, visit calraisins.org. F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
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TRUCKS & TOYS
CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF GETTIN’ MUDDY REDNECK MUD PARK TO HOST 4-DAY ‘TRUCKS GONE WILD’ BONANZA
Park founder Danny Kelly and his famous Swamp Buggy.
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et ready to celebrate a decade of muddy Southwest Florida fun by taking part in the Trucks Gone Wild 10th Anniversary Fall Classic at Punta Gorda, Florida-based Redneck Mud Park. The four-day mud bonanza, set for Nov. 8 to 11, 2018, will include Mega Mud truck races, a truck tug-o-war, live music, fireworks, camping, vendors and—of course—a whole lot of mud! The park, originally named Redneck Yacht Club, was built and opened by founder Danny Kelly in December 2008. In his youth, Kelly and his friends were often chased off private property. Thus, his keen desire to provide a place for offroad enthusiasts to ride “came from the heart.”
Kelly began acquiring land in eastern Charlotte County in the 1990s and worked it as a potato farm until 2006, when he began the permitting process for the park. He was granted final approval in early 2008. In the meantime, Kelly laid out plans for the world-class mud park that he envisioned. Construction took nearly a year, with Kelly’s goal “to satisfy every type of rider and provide a fun, yet safe, environment for everyone who entered the gate.” As the owner of Kelly Brothers Marine Construction, he used materials on hand to build a tough, sturdy infrastructure on almost 500 acres of his farm. Kelly knew that building the “best mud park in the country” would require it to be unique in many ways. So, in addition to creating monster mud holes and miles of trails, he built
Photos at left and bottom right show early construction of the park. Top right is a recent aerial view.
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TOP LEFT PHOTO BY SCARLETT REDENIUS; OTHER PHOTOS COURTESY OF REDNECK MUD PARK
WHEN FINISHED, FOUNDER DANNY KELLY HAD SPENT MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS TO PROVIDE THE AREA WITH “THE WORLD’S MOST EXCITING OFF-ROAD PARK.”
MIX OF PHOTOS BY SCARLETT REDENIUS AND COURTESY OF REDNECK MUD PARK
The park is a "must visit" destination for outdoor enthusiasts.
an oval race track for Mega Mud trucks, poured a cement pad for the truck tugs, constructed a huge stage for nightly entertainment and carved out a half-dozen camping areas. He also designed and built a state-of-the-art “Buggy Wash.” It’s a social gathering spot where park visitors can drive their muddy vehicles through the huge structure to be pressure-washed.
When finished, Kelly had spent more than a million dollars to provide the area with “The World’s Most Exciting Off-Road Park.” Redneck Yacht Club opened to the public in late 2008, and mud fans from all over the state flocked to the new park. Its reputation quickly grew, attracting thousands to weekend-long mud gatherings. Folks brought big trucks,
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TRUCKS & TOYS swamp buggies, four-wheelers and ATVs to participate in the now world-famous events. The park became a “must visit” destination for outdoor enthusiasts. Over the years, many additions have been made to the property. An obstacle course, airboat drag track, bleachers, “Bikini Beach” swimming hole and a dedicated “vendor row” have all added to the appeal and value of a weekend ticket. In 2015, the name of the venue was changed to Redneck Mud Park to better describe the fun that goes on during the long muddy weekend events. To thank fans, the Trucks Gone Wild 10th Anniversary Fall Classic will be the park’s “biggest and best event ever.” In addition to the regular features, the park will open on Thursday, Nov. 8, to provide an extra day of muddy riding for all attendees. Thursday night will feature live country music on stage, with a fireworks show afterward.
Over the years, many additions have been made to the property.
ROUNDUP
PHOTOS BY SCARLETT REDENIUS
Redneck Mud Park 44570 Bermont Road Punta Gorda, Florida redneckmudpark.com
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BEFORE
TRUCKS & TOYS
NOT YOUR DADDY’S SIDE-BY-SIDE 3 EXPERT LOCAL SHOPS ENABLE PUBLISHER TO GIVE HER HUSBAND A SURPRISE REVEAL
It all started with a stock Polaris General owned by Florida Country Magazine publisher Scarlett Redenius and her husband, Brad Redenius. He’s a man who loves TV shows in which they fix up your ride as a surprise. What Brad didn’t know was that his favorite shows were coming to life and he was getting ready to get his own surprise reveal. The mission began … but how exactly did they pull it off? How did they keep a vehicle for months when it originally went in for “minor work” that should take just days?
James Thompson (left) from Savage 4x4 holds Brad Redenius to keep him from getting a look at his reveal. At right, three amazing companies built one amazing machine.
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“A lot of white lies and dodging and weaving,” explains Scarlett, who admits she had “a lot of fun throwing curveballs at Brad.” She adds, “I’d do it all again, because the results were so worth it.” B&L Automotive is known for building extreme machines and other off-road vehicles that “take care of business.” No matter if you’re looking for an unstoppable off-road machine, high-powered vehicle or simply an oil change, it’s got you covered. B&L techs Cameron, Dwight and Steven did their magic, which included bolting a 10-inch lift kit, 6-inch portals, heavy-duty ball joints and Rhino brand axles to the undercarriage. They added 24-inch wheels/42-inch BKT tires, power steps, LED rock lighting, Havok glow whips and a level 3 sound roof made by AudioFormz. The techs also bolted in a muscle HMF Racing performance package of headers and engine tweaks to boost the stock
TOP AND LEFT PHOTOS BY SCARLETT REDENIUS; RIGHT PHOTO BY MICHAEL PYATT
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onths of designing, tinkering and aftermarket shop work has produced the ultimate off-road vehicle: This rebuild of a 2016 Polaris General for Florida Country Magazine was completed in three shops in the Fort Myers, Florida, area. The trio specializes in custom makeovers that include sound, look and performance—or one “very obnoxious” vehicle, according to Jay Krautheim, general manager with B&L AUTOMOTIVE in North Fort Myers.
Photos show B&L beginning the transformation, after picking up color-coordinated undercarriage parts from Wrap It Up Hydrographics.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF B&L AUTOMOTIVE
1000cc Polaris General for Florida bog power torques. Additional goodies such as front and rear GoPros, backup camera and windscreens rounded out the sweet B&L package. Custom exterior and frame two-tone paint, wheels and a color-matching YETI to boot on the Florida Country Magazine Polaris is courtesy of WRAP IT UP HYDROGRAPHICS in Fort Myers. Owner Kyle Thacker’s main specialty is “hydrodipping.” He describes that process of rolling out film sheets as something similar to laying holiday wrapping paper on water and applying it moist, almost surgically, so that the finish appears flawless. “There’s a real art to it, but we were looking for something different to set this vehicle apart from others, and that would be painting it” rather than hydrodipping, Thacker notes. The work is highly LOR RIID DAACC O OU UNTRYM NTRYMAAG GAAZZIIN NEE..CC O OM M FFLO
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TRUCKS & TOYS
Wrap It Up Hydrographics put in more than 40 hours taking the stock Polaris to another level. Matching wheels and custom YETI cooler set it off.
T&M Upholstery upgraded the seats to custom-coordinated, to match the machine.
specialized when dealing with paint on plastic— the vehicle disassembled and painted ruby red with a fire red flake finish, he adds. “And in this case, about 40 hours of hands-on work … and even then, probably selling it [time spent] short. It looks amazing. It sets the vehicle apart. Am I pleased? Yes, sir!” Thacker exclaims.
T&M Upholstery owner Tyler Messier says that while his shop mostly customizes cars, trucks and boats, it’s not too unusual for an ATV/UTV to cycle through. “Anything but couches,” he says of his team’s upholstery work on our toys. So, finally there were no more taunting Facebook posts for Brad—of bright pink toy vehicles—or dropping 3M Wrap samples on the floor for him to find. The reveal day arrived! Of all the hard work put in by so many, and keeping the secret even when it felt impossible sometimes, Scarlett had only one thing to say: “His smile was worth everything to me.”
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF WRAP IT HYDROGRAPHICS
T&M UPHOLSTERY in Fort Myers did its part in the Florida Country Magazine makeover with custom seating for the Polaris. Standard orange/ black upholstery was restored with a hand-stitched vinyl/latex in black and silver, embroidered with the Florida Country Magazine logo in red, and with red stitching to frame things.
TOP PHOTO BY BY WILLIAM R. COX; BOTTOM LEFT PHOTO COURTESY OF B&L AUTOMOTIVE; OTHER PHOTOS BY SCARLETT REDENIUS
All the big boys came out to play for the reveal. Brad was so excited not to sit on the sidelines anymore. Middle photo below shows the level 3 sound roof made by AudioFormz.
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LOVIN’ MY RIDE FLORIDA COUNTRY AND SAVAGE 4X4 PRESENT FLORIDA’S DEVOTED OWNERS
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lorida Country Magazine and Savage 4X4 in Fort Myers held a contest with Redneck Mud Park for the baddest mega mud truck and SXS. Here are the winners and we look forward to seeing everyone at Trucks Gone Wild Fall Classic at Redneck Mud Park's 10th anniversary event, Nov. 8 through Nov. 11, 2018.
LOOKING TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR VEHICLE? THEN SAVAGE 4X4 WILL BE GLAD TO HELP. We encourage you to post photos of your customized truck for our December/January 2019 My Ride section on facebook.com/floridacountrymagazine or facebook.com/savage4x4s.
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LEFT PHOTO COURTESY OF TRIPLE-X MOTORSPORTS & OUTDOORS; RIGHT PHOTO BY WILLIAM R. COX
MY RIDE
2008 CHEVY SILVERADO 2500 LTZ
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outhern Raised” was engineered as tough as it can get. This truck was built to be able to beat on during the day in the nastiest mud and then drag trucks on the tug pad at night. Has a 6.6l Duramax motor paired with a Suncoast-built transmission linked to a SCS transfer case with 4:1 gears to spin the 28l-26 monster tires. Truck sits on 18-inch Big Shocks and 5-ton military axles. Custom-wrapped and custom wheels set the truck off right. There isn’t a mud hole we are afraid of, or another truck on the pad. We aim to conquer it all. It’s my time to get away from the world and just relax. Built some of the best relationships doing it.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF TRIPLE-X MOTORSPORTS & OUTDOORS
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Owner: David Oberne | Plant City, Florida
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MY RIDE
2015 POLARIS RZR 1000 HIGHLIFTER EDITION
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Owner: Darin Beaner | Fort Myers, Florida
PHOTOS BY WILLIAM R. COX
ompletely custom built—from the 20-inch lift to the Fred Shutrump paint job—the outside features 14.9 x 24 massive tires turned by Turner Axles, and custom-geared 6-inch portal boxes. There is 3P clutching and a big-bore motor kit with 100hp shot of nitrous. All prismatic powder coating by Fusion coatings using Glowbee clear on the white parts, including the handfabricated aluminum seats. Spiker Orange over Super Chrome gives the metallic look on all external parts. Interior features a Bell helicopter joy stick for the shifter and interior controls, and one-off Windrock door pads. Custom overhead console and all fabrication work by Fusion Metalworks.
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