A reunion in Ocala & some 'Cultcha'.?

On the road again--and heading north from Leesburg, I went looking for the Kellys.  Mike and Diane were the lovely couple that shared their Thanksgiving turkey with me and inspired my son, Ron, to buy me the Nuwave oven for Christmas.



Mike works in construction and travels all around the country on jobs.  He and his wife, Diane, have been living in a Rialta RV much like mine for the last 5 years. They have seen a whole lot of the country--and seem to thoroughly enjoy the lifestyle.

 I met up with them in a small out-of-the-way campground in the Ocala National Forest and immediately they insisted we eat at this great little tucked-away, mom and pop, seafood restaurant.  I forget the name but if you are traveling on SR 40 east of Ocala, approximately 9 miles out of Silver Springs and on the right you spy a little teeny tiny restaurant with a wooden whale in the front yard-That's it!  And they have an all-you-can-eat seafood platter of shrimp, fish & clams for $12.95!

Next stop, The Appleton Museum in Ocala.  I thought it was time for a little 'Cultcha'.

For my friend, Hilary, back in Tucson...I was welcomed by elephants.

There were some very interesting collections from India, China, Pre Colombian, African and more...

They even had an 18th century travel trailer--it got 4 able-bodied-men-to-the-mile.

And this was probably one of them.

This is why I love African art--I don't think they take themselves seriously.

And you can sure tell what part of the anatomy most appeals to the African artist.

There are boobs in abundance....

Now I cannot imagine putting this one on my mantle piece.

Oops, some of them flopped!

  The statue is actually life size--so would you put fruit in that bowl?  Wow!  I sure hope it isn't an ashtray!

My absolute favorite part of the exhibit was by a  Cuban artist,  Sandro de la Rosa.  This one is called "Labyrinth".

 

  This one is called, "Where the Waves Break".  Do you suppose she is on a beach in Cuba?  And she  is looking towards Florida?

It is time that we made peace with Cuba.  They sure are not a threat to us so what is the point? Besides I love their food, music and art.