This 'n That

These are a few more of the pictures I took when we visited Bok Tower Gardens. This first one is an Ornamental Cotton plant. It was planted in a pot in the courtyard and was a good four feet tall with some pretty big bolls.

As if there weren't enough beautiful real flowers around, there was also this metal sculpture garden --

And this picture is of the entry way to the gift shop at the Gardens --

I have continued to collect interesting names of churches. If anything, I think I have found more here in Florida than anywhere else --

• Oasis of Life Tabernacle
• Fountain of Life
• Living Life Church
• Brown's Temple
• The Rock
• Victory Tabernacle
• Bible Believers Fellowship
• The Pinnacle Church
• Tower of Prayer Church
• Soul's Harbor
• His Fellowship
• Living Message
• Real Life Church -- A Church for Real People
• Celebration and Praise Church
• Springs of Life Church
• Journey Christian Church
• Greater Faith Church
• Springs of Living Water Church
•  Peaceful Believers
•  Bethel Holiness Church
• Prevailing Word Church
• New Harvest Church
• Miracle Temple
• Point of Light Fellowship

 I would love to know the story behind the name of each and every one of these. For every one of these churches that seemed to be non-denominational, there are at least half a dozen Baptist churches, two or three Methodist and many community churches. We are definitely still in the Bible Belt!

Bok Tower Gardens

 After the carillon concert yesterday, we spent a couple of hours walking through the gardens of Bok Tower. Leslie estimated that we might have seen a third of the property. There is a wide range of tropical and semi-tropical plants throughout the grounds. There was one area near the Welcome Center where the trees were full of air plants --

There were many bromiliads in the same area --

These were air plants living on strings that formed a walkway along the patio --

 One part of the estate had a pond full of lily pads --

There was an anhinga (known as the "snake bird" as it is often seen with just its snake-like neck and head sticking out of the water) drying its feathers on a birdhouse near the pond --

 It was like walking through a lush tropical jungle --

There were squirrels all over the grounds, often taking advantage of seed left out for the birds --

There were many more flowers in bloom then I had expected, especially camellias --

This one was tagged as being named a "powder puff" --

The magnolias were just beginning to bud out --

Have you ever seen so many colors and shapes of camellias?

There is a cold front going through Florida. It got down to forty degrees last night and they are expecting a low of 27 degrees tonight. We saw lots of people putting sheets or other material out to cover the plants in their yards when we went into Wauchula for groceries this afternoon.

Bok Tower

Our friend Leslie has been talking to us about visiting Bok Tower Gardens ever since we got to Florida. Her family often came here when she was a child. A National Historic Landmark, it is located near Lake Wales. It is about halfway from where we are at Peace River RV Park and Mouse Mountain RV Park where they are parked, so we decided to meet up there this afternoon.

Built between 1927 and 1929, the was built to house the Edward Bok family carillon and serve as a centerpiece for the extensive gardens. It is 205 feet tall and weighs 5500 TONS!

There is a moat that surrounds the Tower, full of huge koi.

When she was a little girl, Leslie says there were swans in the moat that defended the marble border around the water -- they didn't bother you if you stayed on the brick walkway, but if you stepped on the marble, watch out! The docent told us that the swans finally got so aggressive that they had to be removed...

The tower is made of brick with an outer facing of pink and gray Georgia marble and Florida coquina, a limestone of shell and coral fragments.

All of the carving was done on site by Lee Lawrie of New York City.

This is the view looking out from the hill on which Bok Tower is built. The hill that it is built on is the highest elevation in Florida!

Looking back at the Tower from the edge of the hill --

This is the brass door going into the Tower (not open to the public) --

The door, by Samuel Yellin of Philadelphia, depicts the Biblical story of Creation --

The grillwork near the top of the Tower has colorful ceramic tiles --

 
Since it was still the holidays, the carillon played a Christmas song every half hour. The carillon has 60 bronze bells ranging in weight from 16 pounds to eleven plus tons! At 3 PM we enjoyed a half hour concert that ranged from Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring to Let Me Call You Sweetheart and Over There.

After the concert, we spent several hours exploring the gardens (I'll share some of those pictures tomorrow..!) and then went into Lake Wales for dinner at Norby's. Not much to look at, I doubt if we'd have gone into the place if it hadn't been for some great -- and very accurate -- reviews. The appetizer we ordered, Horsey Bites, was so good, we could have made a meal of it. The medium rare pieces of Filet Mignon on toast rounds topped with little mounds of horseradish were delicious!