Authentic Florida

Welcome to Authentic Florida!

Absence made my heart grow fonder. By the day and hour. Having lived away from my birthplace for over 20 years, it created a deep longing and desire to rediscover the land I love. Authentic Florida is devoted to a searching and soulful discovery and rediscovery of Florida. 

 Have you heard of the familiar story where two people meet at a high school reunion and rekindle the love of their life?  Well, that's my story, only with Florida.

Florida has so many treasures – some are imbedded in my memory like old photographs, but many are awaiting rediscovery – the sunsets, the smell of orange blossoms, the quiet swaying of pine trees, a walk on a beach after a rainstorm, witnessing a great egret in flight or the chance sight of an osprey nest.  Come join me as we absorb real Florida together.

Throw on your flip flops, enjoy the stillness of a kayak ride through the mangrove tunnels, the wonder of the Florida Everglades, an unspoiled island with real old fashioned shelling, a dare-to-be original coastal barrier island, the true Nature Coast, and a real fishing village.

Also discover some wonderful ways to incorporate Florida into your life – recipes and cooking, eateries, simple backyard floral arrangements, gardening tips from experts, ideas for inexpensive home décor and trips through authentic homes, neighborhoods.  Watch for the Authentic Florida Book Club or enter one of the Authentic Florida contests for fun.  Silly, delightful fun.

 What is Authentic Florida?

It's a feeling, a beauty, a stillness, a knowingness, a funkiness, a simplicity, an elegance, a ridiculousness, a collection – every color in the rainbow.

Florida is a combination of the rag-tag red-haired freckled-face girl with mismatched socks and the sophisticated Vassar college graduate – it has always been a little of this and that. 

 But Authentic Florida will always be one thing: ORIGINAL. Come join me as we discover what makes it so.