Day 12: September 5, 2001
Mixing Gas & Water

Granny's Letters:
January 20th---This is the morning that we leave Haines City. We are loathe to leave it but it is time to go, dropped a card to Carrys, came on to Kissimmee, and looked at the camp grounds and it did not suit us, it is small and no shade. Met Williams from Piqua had met them at St. Augustine, came on to Orlando and did not like it there, it is a beautiful place but nothing to see but town, so we drove in to Sanford, missed the camp there so as it was only three o'clock started on for Deland. Sanford is a small place but it is a great gardening section, lettuce and celery, and different kinds of greens. They have a large shipping plant from Orlando to Sanford, it is well built up, one little place or large orange groves. Went in camp at Deland, they have a good camp, nice grounds, not so sandy, it is a park have a pavilion with a double fire place. Had our supper and had steak bought at a negro shop. Mrs. Long a lady from Hamilton came in camp after we did, she and I went up to the colored mans grocery, she got potatoes and I did not get anything. While we were there an indian came in, he had a feather head dress on. He is the only indian I have seen. January 21st---We took a drive this morning, over Deland and out to the depot and on to the ship landing the depot is three miles from town, don't know why. The boat landing is 3 miles farther on it is on the St. Johns river, there is nothing there but the freight house, the river is narrow. We crossed it at Sanford by bridge about 2 miles out of town cost us 50 cents, it was narrow there but up at Sanford it is wide, they have a ferry on the other side of town it is free only after 6 o'clock and on Sunday, but it was 4 miles out of the way so we came over the bridge, it was a very poor bridge and cost the most of any we have found. After dinner Frank made a chair, believe me it was some chair, but is a little bit too reclining to suit me. An old cracker from Alabama came over and spent the evening. January 22nd---The Alabama people came over this morning and stayed an hour or more, they ate nearly all of our tangerines, we didn't think they wanted them but were just eating them because they were getting them for nothing. He made us think of Hurley Smith. After they were gone we went up town, Frank got shaved and got him a new hat. We are dolling up some to go to Daytona. I got me 50 cents worth of silk and put me a new crown in my hat. We are dolling up to see Harding. When we see him we will say, "where are you from, where have you been, where are you going?" When he finds we are from Ohio won't he be glad to see us? We had to go to bed early this evening as we had no wood and it is too cold to sit around without. January 23rd---This is Sunday but we had to move or go out in the country to get wood so we loaded our goods and came on to Daytona it was only 23 miles. We came to the regular camp but it is low and damp so we ate our dinner there and came on to Holly hill, two miles north of Daytona. We pitched our tents and then went back to Daytona to look at another camp to see if we could find anyone we knew, we did not but we found that old Mr. Turner that used to live in Greenville. He was glad to see us but Wrights had not come back, they put up with him when they were in Daytona. We took the old man a ride, went up to the river to see Harding come in but he did not come. (Granny lined her hat all for nothing) We went back to the old mans house and he gave us some wood for that evening. We went home, saw several ships go by but did not know Harding from anyone else. We are camped at the bank of the river. January 24th---Frank went up town this morning, we intended to spend the day with Harding on the beach, but he fooled the people, he did not stop but sailed right through. They don't like him here, they would not vote for him. We got fish bait and went fishing after dinner out on the old bridge. Frank caught one very small cat, but a man that fished earlier caught so many he gave us 27. They were called yellow-tails, they were small made supper and breakfast. We have great times here of evenings, the boys take an old tire or suitcase, tie it to a string and lay it in the road, nearly every machine stops and comes back but there is nothing to be found, then the boys laugh. When they get up to the camp then the men laugh, so we have a time. Sometimes the other people laugh but not always. January 25th---We got ready this morning, fixed our lunch and went to the beach. It is a beautiful beach. It was low tide at 20 minutes to four but we did not stay that long but the tide was away out, the widest beach I ever saw. We drove 2 or 10 miles on it and could have gone 20 miles. We found a few shells and the ground was full of cocenias, they use them for soup, boil them shell and all. We did not feel hungry for them so did not get any. You could scoop them up by the handful. I got a lot of the shells and strung them this evening. They make portieres out of them. You know what I mean. We bought vegetables of a darkey, turnips, radishes, carrots and mustard greens, each at 5 cents a bunch. He comes every day they are fresh and very good. Frank wrote to Mary Martin. January 26th---Frank went with a man to work this morning, packed his lunch but did not stay, they were hoeing around some orange trees and the ground was wet, he would have ruined his shoes and they only pay $2.50 for nine hours and you board yourself. This is for the benefit of the tourists who are out of money, the niggers won't work they know that when the northern people are gone they will have to pay more or not get their work done, see. Frank is working on the machine cleaning the carbon out. We are going to have turnips, carrots, and potatoes cooked with salt pork for dinner. We went yesterday for wood out north of town and some people from Chicago they had a strip of jungle with 160 ft. frontage that they visit every 2 or 3 years and pay city tax on the rest of the time. Great dope. They told us to get all the wood that we wanted. The dry wood was on another mans ground but no telling where he lives so we should not worry. That is the way it is here at Lakeland. The ground we camped belonged to a man in England. The Chicago people had had a fair shack on their lot, furnished. She said people would live in it for 2 yrs. at a time and they would not know it and finally their furniture was all gone. Someone had taken it. It is more like spring here than back in the interior, the red birds sing and the grass is green and there is more grass. I don't know if it is natural or if people sow it. We have had our dinner, Frank has cleaned the carbon out of the machine, it was very dirty, the next thing is to go to the crate mill after wood. There is plenty of it the yard is covered and they use it for roads near the mill to keep them out of the sand. We got a ford load. The boys are out with their suitcase again. Our oil is all and the store across the is closed. We will burn the candle a while then go to bed. January 27th---This is Franks birthday, we had planned to go to the beach to celebrate but it is too cold. It is a good thing we got wood. This is the worst day we have had in Florida, the wind is blowing and the tide is away up the river, I would like to see the ocean but it is 50 cents every time we cross at Datona, Frank and Mr. Gott from Michigan have gone to pick oranges, I dont know how that will be, hard work I guess, they are to get 10 cents a box. I am cooking greens, radish and turnip tops and some turnips for dinner today. The vegetable man did not come today, it was too cold for him. I suppose this is to old crackers what zero is to us and you do notice the cold believe me. It is almost cold enough to frost, this is an awful place when the wind blows, the sand and dirt gets in every thing, we have not had very much wind, just a few days. We have been buying a few persimmons, they are the Japanese about the size of an egg. They are like the girl with the curl when they are good they are very, very good but when they are not they are horrid. Well I will get this ready to send. We are well, Dad says he has been feeling fine. I am rather stiff but able to get around. Send our letters to Daytona. Roy your letter was all right you might try again. I am counting off the ones that I will not have to write to again, Mandy and such, you know the time is growing short. All of the campers here are Michigan but us. We have not heard from Carries since last Monday a week, don't know where they are, sitting some place like a bump on a log I suppose seeing Florida. Hello Juanita. From Mom. Noon-January 27th---Frank picked 10 boxes of oranges, the man only wanted 20 boxes, it did not take them long. He liked orange picking. January 28th---We went up town after mail. We did not get any, never get any anymore, came home stopped at the boat house, saw a man catching a big fish, went home, Frank borrowed a casting rod and went fishing, did not get anything the wind blew and the sea roared like a lion, it is very cold and nasty. I sit in the tent and eat dust. January 29th---Got up very early and went over to the beach, we thought there would be lots of shells as it had been such high tide but there was none, if any had been brought out they were covered with sand. The beach was like a washboard washed by the waves as they beat on the sand. We did not drive on the beach, we did not stay long. Came back stopped up town a few minutes, came home got some dinner and went back after the mail. Did not get any, sat on the street a while looking at the people go by. Some are togged up about right and some look like us. Got a McCall to read over Sunday. Frank went to the dead-mine and got wood. We have a 7 day advent lady in camp, she keeps Saturday, she calls herself a Sabbath keeper, she is wise she Saturday, then Sunday she can do anything in the way of pleasure that the rest want to, see. Her name is coats from Lansing Michigan. Another car came in they are from Atlanta Ga. January 30th---Did not get up until 10 o'clock, Frank got up earlier. I was sick all day, had runnigut whizz, was awful sick, had fever, took Dayton Doctor pills that he gave Frank and went to bed before dark. Frank went down where they always lose their suit-case. It is still funny. Frank took the machine apart again and looked at the connecting rods, they seem to be all right. He made an oven out of two old oil cans, we will have baked potatoes. January 31st---I am all right this morning, Frank and George went to the grove but there was no picking, they told them that they would soon have to pick them as the bloom was coming on and the pickers knocked the bloom off, so they came back and went to Daytona. I have potatoes on baking. Frank toasted bread fine in the oven for our breakfast. He and George went up town in the forenoon, got 5 letters, 1 from Daddy, one from Hazel, one from Eva and two from Mother, all sent on from Haines City. After dinner we dressed up as best we could and went up town and looked through the 10 cent stores and bought 60 post cards. I like to sit in the car and see the people go by with their swell dresses on. The high heel shoes are very scarce on the streets of Daytona, compared with other kind but some people will totter along on them. We got beefsteak for supper tried to have corn grits but burned them so they were not fit to eat, fire enough for meat is too much for grits on that little stove. If I had the Georgia man that told us about grits down here I would drown him in the Halifax river. Frank has found another man that can out set him, Mr. Gott he stayed until 1 o'clock last night, that was too much for Frank and he comes every night. We will have to move to get any rest. Frank played the violin last night the first time since we left Haines City. One little boy of George Smiths about 5 yrs. old was very much taken with it. Mr. and Mrs. Georgia went fishing with us this afternoon, got a nice string of fish. There was a man passed today and gave us a tube he had found laying along the road, he had a horse and buggy, he had drove from Oklahoma he said and his outfit looked it.