The Capital City...in those rolling hills!

Jacksonville is city that has grown by leaps and bounds over the past ten-plus years. It has a downtown that is in the process of redevelopment, and from what they have done, they are on the right track. Jacksonville has a beautiful setting along the St. Johns River and with continued redevelopment in a positive and planned manner should make Jacksonville a real show-case in years to come.

We stayed over at the Orange Park Elks and they were a great group of folks there.

We arrived at the Tallahassee Elks yesterday morning and we have had a chance to run around some and view the city. We have seen the Florida State Capitol Building, as well as the large and impressive campus of the Florida State University Seminoles, and the Florida A&M University here. I had forgot how hilly it is here. For Florida, these are nigh-on to being small mountains. Reminds me some of the Texas Hill Country. For a "flat-sand" state, the hills are rather impressive, but then with the highest point in Florida being just to the northwest of here up next to the Alabama/Georgia border, at 345 feet, it is obvious that these hills are just that - hills though.


We had dinner with the Elks last night and along with some great fish stories from "Big Rick" (a 'pro' tournament salt-water fisherman), along with Jean behind the bar and a group of local Elks members recommending what we should do, see and where to eat. Always good to hear the local folks speak on their own 'homeland', which as with all the other many Elks that we have visited, they love their communities, and their state.

An interesting point here is that this lodge (Tallahassee Lodge #937) has the original lodge and office furnishings from Elks Lodge #1 in New York City (established February, 1868). As I understand it, Lodge #1 was going to do a major remodel and refurbishment back around 1915, and were going to get rid of much of the old 'stuff'; the Tallahassee Lodge Exalted Ruler purchased it and had it shipped to the new Lodge #937, where it has been in use (and maintained very well) since. I may add that it is beautiful furniture that is obviously hand-made craftsman quality. Something that this lodge is quite proud of, and rightfully so.

Today we will move westward to Pensacola (yes, the Pensacola Elks) and we look forward to meeting those lodge members tomorrow night over dinner.