Gathering Ideas for Vista

Friends board members recently met at Vista with architects from a Jacksonville firm, LOCI, specializing in historical renovation to determine if the proposed Cook's House renovation was realistic and achievable. Their assessment was positive and encouraging.

Subsequently, as a followup to an earlier visit to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings State Park, several board members visited the Forest Capital Museum State Park in Perry recently to gather ideas for interpretative materials and displays that might be useful eventually at Vista.

Forest Capital Museum State Park

Displays at the Museum

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings State Park

They also met with Tom Baird president of Friends of St Mark's National Wildlife Refuge. Tom led their Friends' efforts to restore the St. Mark's Lighthouse. Much of the funding came from the Florida Division of Historical Resources, the same agency that has provided us with our two grants. We learned that they also had to do a lot of private fund raising to complete the project. It was a useful meeting.

Some of the board members and Friends who visited St. Mark's to talk about Vista

St Mark's Lighthouse

Donor recognition sign at the Lighthouse

Since we were making the trip to St. Mark's, several of the board and others decided to spend a couple of nights and a day together, at our own expense, at The Lodge at Wakulla Springs. Our meetings have continued to be on Zoom and we never get to be together. We miss the face to face time to get to know each other. It was a very enjoyable time. We even played charades (not very well), went on a cold, morning river cruise and a walk in the woods.

It was an added bonus that The Lodge is about the same age as the Vista buildings and clearly put to modern use while maintaining its classic integrity and charm.

The Lodge from the water

A trail near the Lodge

On the cold cruise

The River from the cruise boat