With my spur of the moment 4th of July weekend trip to Florida I had hoped to squeeze in a little Letterboxing and thanks to Eeyoremama I was treated to a wonderful day of friendship and boxing. Lynda drove to Orange City Hills from Jacksonville which is a 2 hour car commute just to pick me up and take me boxing for the day. In addition to sacrificing her day and spending 4 hours in the car to and from Orange City she even printed the clues and mapped out the directions so we would not only enjoy outdoor boxing but a little indoor boxing away from the heat.
Together we braved the soaring temperatures with ink in hand and two very large ice cold cups of sweet tea back in the car. We easily hit a good rhythm of boxing and were thrilled to find our first couple of boxes without passing out from the heat and rising humidity. We were treated to abundant wildlife, thick lush jungle foliage, beautiful blue skies and visually stunning strolls as we hunted for our tiny treasures.
We boxed in Orange City Hills, Debary and Sanford. I especially loved boxing in Emory L Bennett Memorial Park, Fort Mellon Park and Veterans Memorial Park. Each park had it's own unique beauty and we found boxes in all three. In total we found 8 traditional boxes alive and well and had 4 attempts that were still fun to hunt for even though we came back empty handed. We also managed to discover some Fleas, Cooties and Hitchhikers along the way. This was also the first time that either of us had crushed pennies using a train that was chugging down the tracks.
In Sanford we discovered The Corner Cafe http://www.thecornercafesanford.com/ at 101 West First Street in the heart of the Historic Downtown District. The Cafe has been there for three years and they feature amazing grilled sandwiches. I would highly recommend The Asian-Style Pulled Port Press. Lynda had The Classic Cuban Press and we were both very pleased with our selections. The service was quick and they didn't seem to mind us spreading out our Letterboxing supplies and enjoying a leisurely lunch. Although we were there between the busy lunch service and preparations for dinner service. I also indulged in a caramel coffee smoothie and it was very tasty. They have a good balance with their sweet tea. It's not as sweet as some you find in Florida that almost give you a sugar rush the minute the straw hits your lips.
We ended our boxing afternoon at the Seminole Towne Center Mall in Sanford. The air conditioning was heavenly. We found one box outside one of the entrances and then two inside at a couple of the shops. As we made our way to the exit we discovered a freak Florida rain storm was raging outside. We made a mad dash for the car as we were pelted by the downpour. I was so thankful that Lynda was driving because I could not even see the road. The pounding rain and wind were extremely intense. Sadly the rain prevented us from re-visiting the zoo to look for one more box and also kept me in the car unable to plant the two that I had hoped to leave behind. We were also at the end of the day and Lynda still had a two hour drive back to Jacksonville after dropping me off. Her kids and Husky were back at home fending for themselves for the day.
I really appreciated Lynda's hospitality, great personality and willingness to be an excellent tour guide even though she was not familiar with the area. I look forward to visiting Florida again and hope that I will have a chance to box with Lynda once more. We have our sights set on Orlando next time the clues are waiting for us in the back seat of her car.
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