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It’s hard to believe, but I’ve met people who have lived in Lakeland awhile and are not yet privvy to the local swan fetish. (Yeah, they probably live on the “east” side - which only needs a one word description: Combee.) Venture into the charming historic district, or more specifically it’s popular lakes such as Lake Morton, and the beauty of these graceful birds, not to mention the quanitity of them, will leave you wondering:
What’s up with all the swans? or: Que pasa con todos los … uh … swans?
I’ve heard some stories about our native swans, but I suspected they were mainly folklore. After spending a glorious morning with Lil’ E (that’s him feeding the gentle, shy swan a cracker by hand!) at Lake Morton Friday morning, I decided I would try and get to the bottom of it.
LakelandGov’s website has some FAQ’s that I will accept as fact, so paraphrasing here, I will tell you the story of Lakeland’s swans.
As early as 1923 Swans made their mark on Lakeland’s landscape. Initially purchased as pets, the population grew and then dwindled by 1954.
Mrs. Robert Pickhardt (um, does she not have a name of her own?) was a Lakeland resident who hated to see the swans go, due to people, dogs, gators, and such. She was so moved that she wrote to the Queen of England, inquiring about the purchase of a pair of swans from the royal flock on the Thames River. The Queen generously went a step further; donating a pair so long as Lakeland could pay for the capturing and shipping.
Two white mute swans became the fundraiser of our little town, and when the money was raised, they traveled across the Atlantic and were released on Lake Morton on February 9, 1957.
The swan eating from my son’s hands could very well be the great great great great grandaughter of a swan that floated with the royal flock in England half a century ago!
This UK website cites Lakeland several times on its site for its fight against botulism, a cause of death in swans.
There is a little more information here, as well as some other treasures of central Florida.
Well, it looks like it is a buyer’s market now. Sellers might be catching on that higher prices don’t match lower wages around here, and houses on the market for months are at last lowering. Not to mention that CNN now lists Lakeland as one of the top ten places to buy right now! Check it out. I would have to agree, Lakeland is a gem. IF we had the funds, likely we would be browsing the real estate ads too! (Shameless plug: Vivian Writes -WRITER FOR HIRE!)
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To all readers: Some of you have tried to write a comment but were deterred by the need to register first. I think I fixed that. Try commenting in the future, it should be pretty easy. Thanks!
P.S. We are having a yard sale this Saturday. For sale: furniture, baby items, books, computer, and more. Free to good home: Two twin 4 yr old kitties and one 25 year old husband.
Well, its my fault. I got Ethan so used to sticking his feet in fountains like a little flower child that now when he sees water of any kind he automatically sits down and tries to put his legs in and splash around. Shoes on? Doesn’t matter. Yucky aquarium water with fish poop and algae? No bother! His feet don’t skip a beat: GET ME IN THE WATER.
Some of my favorite things to do while living in Lakeland:
1. Well, I like to shop, and I really like to shop for food. Try Strawberry Palace produce stand off South Florida Ave., Gourmet Country in Merchants Walk Plaza, the Lake Miriam Publix, or travel to Tampa for Wild Oats Markets.
2. Outdoors: The weather is FINALLY letting up, as our 8 month summer comes to an end. Step outside, you just might smell cinnamon in the air. Lake Hollingsworth- if you want to commit to the 3 miles. Stroll downtown- include Lake Mirror, Barnett Family Park, and Hollis Gardens in your walk. Lake Morton is looking a little better these days, and as a plus for parents, the children’s section of the Lakeland Public Library is slowly being put back together (yes, that’s indoors, but you can feed the birds at the lake when you get out!) Also, take a walk in your neighborhood- unless you live in the Combee area!- or try the boardwalk/nature trail at Peterson Park for some quiet time.
3. Great days in Lakeland wouldn’t be complete without goooood coffee. Starbucks coffee far outweighs the local coffee scene, sorry. It’s brewed darker, fresher, and just plain better. For specialty espresso drinks (for the java illiterate, that means lattes, caps, misto/ a lait’s, mochas, machiatto’s, etc.) stick with the wonderful siren logo as well; Starbucks just does a better job with consistency of recipes, temperatures, and quality of the espresso shot itself (blame that on the equipment). However, skip the frapps if you want a blender drink: Mitchell’s Coffee House has got some Frozen Mochas that really hit the spot. Made with powder mix of espresso and chocolate, the outcome is generally smoother, less syrupy sweet.
4. Pizza and other “joints”: Pizza Palace (downtown and off S. Fl) is great, and so is the pizza place in the new Lakeside Plaza next to the movies. YUM! Sandwhiches: try Purple Onion’s french dip or cuban, or Mitchell’s Coffee House lunches M-F from 11-2. Panera Bread is a decent choice for baked goods, sandwiches, etc - esp. the broccoli chedder soup. On weekend, enjoy 2 for $2 all beef Nathan’s hot dogs at the twisty treat/ Nathan’s place off S. Florida in downtown area. I wish I could refer you to nicer dinner choices but we are too poor for that. I recall Gosh (sushi bar), Cafe Panino, and Carabba’s being my favorite before my son came along!
5. After all your shopping for food, eating, drinking coffee, and then working it all off at the parks, remember to find a place to cuddle up with a good book. While Barnes n Nobles and Books A Million offer a large variety of books that you can take with you to your seat and never put back on the shelf, I like to find little nooks of reading space. Munn Park’s benches are nice, or the large steps surrounding Lake Mirror. Starbucks’ make good reading spots, so long as it isn’t their rush hour. I used to read on SEU’s campus but I don’t think alumni’s should sit around at their old schools.
6. Wines- I was told today by an unnamed employee at an unnamed chain wine store that their prices are too high and the quality ain’t that fabulous. He or she suggested I just go to Tim’s. Tim’s Wine Market is my favorite, and I don’t think its JUST because my brother-in-law works there, but more that he hasn’t brought me a wine I didn’t like. In comparison, the other unnamed place has given me four tastings and four purchases, and only once did I get a taste of something I liked, (and even then, the sales associate convinced me to buy something else, which I hated when I tried it at home and dumped it out.)
7. Art: I don’t get around to this much, and I really should. But a great day needs some art so here goes: Lakeland has a unique mix of artists, we are really quite rich in creativity. Just look at the pieces hanging on the walls of the downtown coffee shops. For some creative inspiration, Polk Art Museum is an obvious choice. Or make your own at one of the many pottery places, (my favorites are Pottery on the Park or Picasso’s Cup). The local colleges, even PCC, offers art events through out the year, and the annual Platform Florida is a fun event too.
8. Churches: A great day in Lakeland might, for me, include church in some factor, especially because faith plays a major role in my having a great day. Church and I have a love-hate relationship. I’ve tried many protestant churches in Lakeland and I’m just going to lay it out there: The bigger ones like Victory, Family Worship, and Without Walls turned me off by the hyper emotional mix of spiritual gifts and flaunting materialism. Some smaller baptist churches were just way too, how should I say it, ostrich with its head stuck in the sand? Bigger baptist church was great structurally, had much too offer (FBC at the Mall), but the quirky pastor with his wanna-be-mullet, constant smirk, and sermon’s made of nothing but acronym’s were too much. Others were extremely closed off, fake, or greedy, the unfortunate imperfection of churches and my own judgemental sin made it impossible for me to deal with. My family and I have been going to and getting involved in Trinity Presbyterian, because despite the whole predestination thing, the community is one of the most real, gutsy, loving, selfless, Jesus-focused I’ve ever been around. Also worth noting is Oasis Community Church- visited a few times and here of great things happening there.
9. Music: A great day needs great music. Whether you own an iPod or you can just listen in the car with the windows down, (or maybe you are one of the few people who keep the tv OFF and listen to music still- like, “what’s that in the corner over there, honey, a stereo? Gosh, I forgot all about THAT!”) My favorites go all over the spectrum, so I’ll limit to my recent music binges; Ella Fitzgerald- the swing stuff, not the ballads, John Williams and the Boston Pop Orchestra with their CD Joy to the World -hey, its as close as I got to the entire Home Alone soundtrack, Jimmy Needham- oh, so good, and as always, Nicole Nordeman. Diana Krall makes for some good times too.
10. Friends and family in Lakeland- though we fight all the time, and you all get super annoyed with me constantly (trust me, it works both ways!), a good day usually gets boring if I am going it alone! Hubby- in your good moods, you are truly the best friend a wife could have!; baby E-man- I’d take you any where and I never leave you with a sitter because YOU ARE SO MUCH FUN!; Nanny/canine woman- damn, why do we keep hanging out and leaving all other responsibilities behind- probably because we LIKE each other!; neighbors/relatives R and R; you guys are the best, you make me laugh, how R-female goes on and on, especially if she drank too much, and R-male loves to talk about anything and everything he thinks he is an expert on!; Kitchen Designer- when you are happy, every one knows it! You laugh loud and strong- its so good to hear. Keep ya head up!, and Mec- who probably never ever reads this because she is busy chasin around two little ones all day, you are the kind soul that I aspire to be!
That’s the ten ways I have a great day in Lakeland. How do you?
Here in Lakeland, Florida, there is no shortage of lakes. As they say, “It’s not called Lakeland for nothin’”. Ok, ok, my point is coming.
Though the lakes change sometimes — Lake Morton used to have a plethera of birds, from swans to pigeons, that would eat out of your hand, but with the recent renovations many have migrated out towards Lake Hunter and even Hollingsworth– there is still nothing like a visit to one of the lakes with a little one.
I recently walked Lake Hollingsworth with my friend Pacing Paws girl, and the little boy she nannies, (Kitchen Gal’s son). There are trees with nice low branches ideal for climbing, so we let the boys romp around as all boys do. They were adorable, pics below.
Check out my new article at Polk Voice, regarding healthy feeding tips. We recently had our first visit to the wonderful supermarket Wild Oats, and I can’t stop gushing about it!
Ethan and I are still “out” with nasal colds. He seems to be doing better, me not so hot but nothing to write home about.
Looking forward to posting about LOST tomorrow! Don’t forget to mark your calenders: ABC 9:00 eastern, Wednesdays. New season to air on Oct. 4th!
