Horse Capital Of The World

Ocala, Florida

Weather: low 73 degrees, high 87 degrees, partly cloudy

We made our first trip to the WalMart Mall since we have been here. It was time to pick up a few groceries, and for me to get my WalMart fix. Before going to WalMart, we had a couple of other errands to run. By the time all of that was done and the WalMart fix was complete, it was almost lunch time. I took Carolyn to her mother's house, where she met up with one of her sisters. Carolyn usually takes her mother and sister out to lunch at least once when we visit. Today was the day for lunch with them, so I left Carolyn at her mother's while I went home and had a sandwich. They went to Sonny's Bar-B-Que for sliced pork sandwiches with all the trimmings.

After I had lunch, I meditated a few minutes, then went to my brother Roger's house. I had not been able to reach him on the phone, but thought I might be able to see him if he was home. Apparently, he is working out of town, so I probably won't see him this trip. That's too bad, because I try to see family every chance I get. At least I'll be able to see my sister Janie tomorrow.

The area around Ocala is known as one of the best places in the country for breeding and raising thoroughbred horses. Many famous race horses have come from the area, including Needles, the first Florida bred winner of the Kentucky Derby, Carryback, and Affirmed, the last horse to win the triple crown since 1978. There are over 200 horse farms in the area. Since the industry is so important to the economy of the area, the Chamber of Commerce commissioned a number of artists to create original full sized abstract pieces of art based on the horses. Some of the pieces are on the old courthouse square, while others are scattered around town. Below are some pictures of the ones on the square.















When I returned home, I watched a little of the continuing drama with the stock market. It's enough to make a person barf. Our leaders told us that passing that big bail out would fix everything. Well, from my vantage point, it looks like it has made things worse. We are heading down a path of moving away from capitalism that appears to be a big mistake to me. And we don't have anyone in Washington or anywhere else that seems capable of stopping this runaway train we're on. On the other hand, there are some great buying opportunities out there.

The RV park we are staying in has about 75 spaces. When we checked in, I was told that they had a rally coming for the weekend with about 40 RVs slated to attend. As of tonight, only about 15 RVs have arrived. And the park is far from full. The busy season in Florida starts October 1, and at this time, it appears tourist related industries are going to have a bad season.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Ocala, Florida: Horse Capital Of The World

Not all who wander are lost.