TRAVEL TUESDAY…..CHILDHOOD VACATIONS

HOW MANY VACATIONS DO YOU REMEMBER AS A CHILD?

We never went far when I was a child. My father worked a lot. But, what he did with us as a family was priceless. I grew up in Florida, In the time of the boom of Florida Attractions. Weeki Wachee Springs, Sunken Gardens, Jungle Gardens, Aquatarium, Six Gun Territory and numerous others. Many of those Florida attractions are no more. We visited many of them when I was a child. But, one place we went every summer, was a motel in Ocala. The Southern Host Motor Lodge.

Southern Host Motor Lodge

It wasn’t fancy, it wasn’t big, but, it was fun! We would normally stay a few days. They had a great pool, or great as I saw it, and two kids that were the owner’s children. We were all about the same age. We would spend countless hours in the pool, we would play shuffleboard,and at night, my father and I would sit on the patio and count semi trucks that would go down the interstate. Sometimes, we would go horseback riding or to Silver SPrings, home of the glass bottom boats. We ate those little boxes of cereal that you poured milk in, and ate sandwicheS for lunch. But, we always went out for dinner. My favorite place, was Sonny’s barbecue or Morrison’s cafeteria. We continued to go there until I was about 13 years old.I know, It doesn’t sound like much, but, these are some of the best memories I have with my family.

Myrtle Hill Cemetery

This is the map of Myrtle Hill Cemetery, Tampa Florida. It is said to be haunted. After some research at the Plant City Historical Society, I went to the cemetery in hopes of finding the headstone of my Great grandmother, Alice Lindell Davison. I entered the cemetery from the west, and chose to go to the older side of the cemetery, which was only a guess. I really had no idea where I was going. Only two other vehicles were in the park that day. After driving around some, I finally got out and walked around some. There is a mausoleum there to the north, that is a retro design from the fifties. It is a beautiful cemetery, decorated with  large oaks of cascading spanish moss. Absolutely gorgeous! I remember seeing a large marker with the name Savage. It must have been four feet high. Somehow, it seemed familiar. I looked around some, but, had no luck in finding the headstone.  I got a strange feeling, as if I had been there before. After my visit, I called my parents to see if I had ever been there. We moved from Tampa when I was three. I thought perhaps, I had gone there with my grandmother, maybe. They both told me I had never been there before.

Some weeks after I had gotten home, I posted a request on FindaGrave, to see if a volunteer could find the grave. I was overjoyed when someone answered my request. This gentleman was kind enough to go to Myrtle Hill and take a photo. He took a photo and posted it on FindaGrave, and told me of the location of the burial. I was so close when I was there. I can’t wait to go back and see for myself.