Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Home and Garden
Driving in Cross Creek, Florida, I spotted an orange, on a tree – I had to stop! So much of our citrus, in South Florida was forciably removed, trying to stem some invassive bug or detrimental disease, that it is rare to find what was once a plentiful bounty of oranges, lemons, and grapefruit growing in their natural environment.
As we made our way out of the car, we encountered a most Floridian of gardens, with a large canopy, ever so lightly covered with Spanish moss, and more than a few oranges growing, in what turned out to be the home of writer, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.
It was in this small house, sitting in a delightful garden, that she wrote The Yearling, for which she won the Pulitzer prize.
What remains of her gardens and orchard is more of an impression of what it once was, rather than the actual orange grooves; however, it was still nice to see what had once been her trees, fruiting — I wish I could have reached an orange. This stop is most assuredly off of the beaten path, but pleasant and recommended.
https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Marjorie-Kinnan-Rawlings
