Deleon Springs

On a cold winter day, Terry and I drove north to go looking for manatees at Blue Springs. When we got to the suburban road leading to the state park we were confronted with a one mile line of cars waiting to get into the park. We decided to turn around and instead drive further north to Deleon Springs.

At Deleon Springs there is an old mill which has been converted into a pancake house where you grill your own pancakes at your table. We were told the mill would be closing in an hour and that there was a wait to get in so we gave up our pancake dreams and instead relaxed by the spring. The spring is surrounded by beach sand and the the water spills over creating a nice little waterfall. A walkway crossed over the spillway and a father and son were fishing the while time I sketched. The wooden mill wheel doesn’t actually turn since the stream no longer runs beneath it. Terry wandered one of the hiking trails while I sketched. I was sitting in the direct sunlight which kept me warm. The fishermen must have come from up north since they were comfortable in their shorts. Two children looked in the bucket to see the fish that had been caught. The father watching from the walkway had to intervene when the little boy pulled the large fish out of the bucket and let it flop around on the grass. He apologized to the fisherman profusely. When I was done with my sketch, I texted Terry and let her know. As we were heading back to the parking lot, we poked our heads inside the mill to look around. The restaurant was closed but the gift shop was open. We vowed to return and try the pancakes some day.