Cable car tracks going west on California Street toward Nob Hill from near the St. Mary's Square parking garage.
California Street at Kearny Street, San Francisco, California: 27 January 2013
part of the Tonga Room album
Triptych One: "Hybrid"
The Tonga Room Phenomenon
The Walls Are Just the Cover of a Book
The Voltage To Your Power Line
A brown water snake (Nerodia taxispilota) in the vegetation lining Manatee Springs Run at the headspring of Manatee Springs State Park.
Near NW 115th Street, Chiefland, Florida: 11 October 2014
part of the Manatee Springs State Park album
Harmless and nonvenomous, the brown water snake (Nerodia taxispilota) is one of the many species of animal that I got to experience up close during an October 2014 camping trip to Manatee Springs State Park.
They are good swimmers and good climbers. I saw several swimming in Manatee Springs Run and many could be found basking in the sun on the limbs of vegetation along the run. Near the headspring where I saw the most brown water snakes, a group of park guests were swimming about fifty feet away, completely oblivious to the herpetological wonders lurking nearby.
And just as it should be too, mankind coexisting peacefully with nature. Too many people have an illogical fear of snakes in particular and irrationally promote the killing of any snake they happen upon. Then again, it is the historically classic reaction of humankind to exterminate whatever it fears or does not understand.
Although there is nothing to fear from these creatures — unless you happen to be a small fish or frog — the Florida Museum of Natural History does share a somewhat spine-tingling cautionary note regarding the brown water snake.
"The brown water snake is a good climber and can found twenty feet up in trees, though it is most frequently seen basking on tree limbs that extend above the water. When frightened by a rapidly approaching boat, it will escape by jumping off the limb into the water. Occasionally its attempt to flee comes too late and they fall not into the water, but into the boat."
With that amusing (because you are not there in the boat) thought, canoeists take note: keep your vessels clear of tree limbs extending over the surface of Florida's waterways.
Moss Man sculpture made of Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), chicken wire and two red safety reflectors on display near the picnic area at Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park.
Near 6239 State Road 21, Keystone Heights, Florida: 18 January 2015
part of the Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park album
While enjoying a family camping trip at Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park in Keystone Heights, I found myself face to face with a true Florida legend… the Moss Man. A large mythical creature with red, glowing eyes and a penchant for violence, Moss Man has been striking fear into children around campfires for decades.
During my encounter, Moss Man was stalking, er, greeting visitors entering the park's day use area. He is known to wander the park however and has made appearances in other locations over the years. I did not speak to any park rangers, but when asked they apparently share a friendlier version of the Moss Man tale wherein he protects our state parks.
So what is this beast of legend made of Spanish moss and why is it roaming the forests and swamps of Florida? As with any folk tale of this type, there are numerous origin stories and localized versions told. Moss Man urban legends of one kind or another likely exist throughout the southeastern states where Spanish moss grows.
In the case of Florida's Moss Man, journalist Cinnamon Bair has documented several origin stories including one told to her firsthand while camping in the Withlacoochee State Forest as a youth in the 1980s.
That story introduces us to "an Air Force fighter pilot stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa." While flying training maneuvers in the area, the plane crashed into the forest with the pilot aboard. Although he was able to escape in one piece, his flight suit was alight and melting into his skin. Dropping to the forest floor and rolling about in agony, Spanish moss was infused into his searing flesh. In a craze from the experience, the pilot's eyes turned glowing red with rage and he left his former life behind to live in the forest and stalk wayward campers.
Another tale describes the Moss Man as a murderer who had escaped from a local prison. Injured by dogs and barbed wire during his escape, the prisoner eluded his captors in the forest where "he collapsed into a heap of moss and slept for several days without waking." Upon finally waking up, the man discovered that "the moss had taken root in his many injuries" and so off he went, continuing his violent rages as a creature of the woods.
The final version that Bair recounts is the story of a hiker who fell into an abandoned war era foxhole and broke his leg. Somehow able to survive alone, the hiker endured intolerable hardships while still hoping that someone would finally come to his aid. By the time his injuries healed on their own, moss had grown over his body. He finally left the foxhole in a rage and "stalks the woods to this day, seeking out revenge against all campers since no one came to help him."
There are, of course, additional tales such as the Moss Man of Red Reef Park in Boca Raton and the Moss Man of Mississippi. Regardless of the rationalization or adaptation, the common thread of a moss-covered and rage-filled entity is generally found. As new generations of campers and scouts experience campfire storytelling, the myth of the Moss Man — and those of his brethren the skunk ape, crackleback rattlegators, swampbillies and spectral pirates[1] — will live on in local culture.
Beyond the Moss Man of myth and legend, there are numerous other examples of people and things identified by that appellation. Paul T. Selle (1908–1996), owner of Vego-Hair Manufacturing Company of Gainesville, Florida was known as the Moss Man. From the 1930s to 1965, Selle earned his nickname by offering what was at the time "a valuable commodity used as stuffing for fine furniture, automobile seats and bedding."[2]
There is also Ken Russell of Batesville, Mississippi whose company Mostly Mosses "uses wild mosses to cover containers and baskets for floral arrangements" and "wholesales many moss covered items to florists all over the country." Russell, who calls himself the Moss Man, says that he has "an innate feeling about where [moss] will be" and that his "mother says [he] can smell it" when scouting in wooded areas. Russell sees moss as more than just decoration in his topiaries, wreaths and other creations. "Your mood changes positively when you see it," he said.[3]
Two additional examples are also worthy of note. Wide receiver Santana Moss, who caught the attention of the National Football League while at the University of Miami and went on to play for the New York Jets and Washington Redskins, has a "Moss Man" tattoo on his left biceps. It is apparently "anything but showy," appropriate given Moss' soft-spoken voice and relatively short stature.[4]
Finally, comedian Dave Berry reminds us that in the 1980s, Moss Man was a toy from the popular He-Man series of action figures. "And we have to explain that no, you can't put Moss Man in the water, because his moss will come off," he wrote in 1985. "And then we have to discuss how we know this, how we would presume to know more about Moss Man than a four-year-old child, and anyway what would be so awful about having Moss Man lose his moss?"[5]
Jackson, Tom. "It's All Right To Be Afraid Of The Park"
The Tampa Tribune, 25 October 2007: Tampa, Florida (Pasco, Page 1)
Powers, Ormund. "Moss Grows Deep As A Valuable Commodity In Lake County's History"
The Orlando Sentinel, 14 February 1996: Orlando, Florida (Lake, Page 3)
Gang, Christine Arpe. "A Moss Garden Soothes The Soul And The Soles"
The Stuart News/Port St. Lucie News, 11 April 1999: Stuart, Florida (At Home, Page G12)
Pope, Edwin. "Moss Is Boss Despite His Size"
The Miami Herald, 04 October 1998: Miami, Florida (Sports, Page 1C)
Berry, Dave. "Best Performance By The Near Dead"
The Miami Herald, 24 March 1985: Miami, Florida (Tropic, Page 7)
An Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly (Papilio glaucus) feeding on the nectar of a yellow thistle (Cirsium horridulum Michx.) near the site of Governor George Franklin Drew's mansion (1868–1970) in what was once Ellaville, Florida.
Near 596 NE Drew Way, Lee, Florida: 29 March 2015
part of the Suwannee River State Park 2015 album
Radar power distribution bus panel at Crew Station 5 (Navigator) aboard National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Aircraft Operations Center 'Hurricane Hunters' WP-3D Orion N43RF.
Near 3256 Capital Circle Southwest, Tallahassee, Florida: 22 May 2014
part of the NOAA Hurricane Awareness Tour album
Over the past few years, I have built a number of simple tools to assist me as an emergency manager and for my own personal use. After the recent upgrades here, I also gave some of these resources a refresh. Although designed for my needs and subject to change without notice, two of these tools were recently made available here after I decided that they may be useful to others.
My Firefox home page at work, this page is a collection of current and forecast weather graphics, mostly originating from the National Weather Service. Each graphic also displays a menu on mouseover containing a download link to the full-sized version and links to other relevant graphics and web pages.
My version of the video wall inside a traffic management center, this page shows the most recent capture from all ninety-five City of Tallahassee traffic cameras. The images are updated every few minutes, so the page refreshes itself automatically. Below each image is the name of the intersection linked to the camera's page on the city's website.
These tools are joined in the "Data Access" sidebar window by links to three outdoor weather cameras in Tallahassee (one hosted by FSU WeatherSTEM and the others by WCTV) and a battery of useful meteorological and natural event websites.
