James Brubaker

Jan 23, 2014 – Each day I cross the Addison Canal – Each day I marvel at our Florida Community located on the St Johns River Preserve – Nature and Water are seen every step I take all day long. I carry a camera, just to show you a little of the marvel I see – each step of my day! “In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” Aristotle — “Water is the driving force of all nature.” Leonardo da Vinci

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Marvelous beauty and water - Tri Colored Heron standing knee deep in the Addison Canal. The TGO Nature Center property is located on the bank of the picturesque Addison Canal, as most people refer to it today. When the water level is low, you might spot a heron, egret and/or ibis fishing for a meal. When the water level is high, alligators have been seen in the canal. The history of the Addison/Ellis Canal dates back to the early 1900’s. A consortium of developers was established by Edgar W. Ellis and J. H. Beckwith in 1911 and was known as the Titusville Fruit and Farm Lands Company. A total of 22,500 acres was acquired in the western portion of the old Delspine Grant. To make the land usable for agricultural purposes, the plans were to drain the marshland in the St. Johns River Valley. Two years later, in 1913, 43 miles of lateral canals had been dug. Work then began on the Addison/Ellis Canal leading from Addison Creek to the outlying vegetable fields. The canal was to relieve St. Johns River flooding by diverting floodwaters to the lagoon. This would allow transport of supplies and crops from the St. Johns River to the Indian River Lagoon, ending at Addison Point. The Titusville Fruit and Farm Lands Company paved the roads to their fields using the extracted coquina rock. There were no problems for their equipment in the marshland and sand ridges; however, a coquina rock ridge which runs north to south was insurmountable and work stopped and the canal was not completed. The consortium went broke and the canal project was abandoned with construction ending just east of the scrub/coquina ridge in Addison Creek near the Enchanted Forest. The Addison/Ellis canal never reached a useful depth. Today, you can enjoy the natural beauty of the canal and the TGO Nature Center grounds. Come visit and relax on the bench or bring a picnic lunch to enjoy at our picnic table. You can walk, bike or drive a golf cart across the bridge built over the Addison Canal.
Marvelous beauty and water – Tri Colored Heron standing knee deep in the Addison Canal. The Great Outdoors RV and Golf Resort Community  has the picturesque Addison Canal running through it.  
After I crossed the Addison yesterday I played 9 holes of golf - well I played 4 holes of photographing and 5 holes of golf - Got to close to drying Cormorant - caught him just as he rotated (Wings carried the bird)) and his wheels (feet) left the tarmac (Lake's Bank)
After I crossed the Addison yesterday I played 9 holes of golf – well I played 4 holes of photographing and 5 holes of golf – Got too close to a drying Anhinga  – caught him just as he rotated (Wings carried the bird)) and his wheels (feet) left the tarmac (Lake’s Bank)
Ouch!!! He circled the lake and came back in for a landing -In effort to not discourage me my instructor always said "Landing is the hard part."
Ouch!!! That was a very hard landing – He miss-judged something. He circled the lake and came back in for a landing -Flight instructors always say “Landing is the hard part.” – And, I always said “Yes, but it is the only part that matters”
When the water level is low, you might spot a heron, egret and/or ibis fishing for a meal. When the water level is high, alligators have been seen in the canal. The history of the Addison/Ellis Canal dates back to the early 1900’s. A consortium of developers was established by Edgar W. Ellis and J. H. Beckwith in 1911 and was known as the Titusville Fruit and Farm Lands Company. A total of 22,500 acres was acquired in the western portion of the old Delspine Grant. To make the land usable for agricultural purposes, the plans were to drain the marshland in the St. Johns River Valley. Two years later, in 1913, 43 miles of lateral canals had been dug. Work then began on the Addison/Ellis Canal leading from Addison Creek to the outlying vegetable fields. The canal was to relieve St. Johns River flooding by diverting floodwaters to the lagoon. This would allow transport of supplies and crops from the St. Johns River to the Indian River Lagoon, ending at Addison Point. The Titusville Fruit and Farm Lands Company paved the roads to their fields using the extracted coquina rock. There were no problems for their equipment in the marshland and sand ridges; however, a coquina rock ridge which runs north to south was insurmountable and work stopped and the canal was not completed. The consortium went broke and the canal project was abandoned with construction ending just east of the scrub/coquina ridge in Addison Creek near the Enchanted Forest. The Addison/Ellis canal never reached a useful depth. Today, you can enjoy the natural beauty of the canal and the TGO Nature Center grounds. Come visit and relax on the bench or bring a picnic lunch to enjoy at our picnic table. You can walk, bike or drive a golf cart across the bridge built over the Addison Canal.
When the water level is low, you might spot a heron, egret and/or ibis fishing for a meal. When the water level is high, alligators have been seen in the canal.
The history of the Addison/Ellis Canal dates back to the early 1900’s. A consortium of developers was established by Edgar W. Ellis and J. H. Beckwith in 1911 and was known as the Titusville Fruit and Farm Lands Company. A total of 22,500 acres was acquired in the western portion of the old Delspine Grant. To make the land usable for agricultural purposes, the plans were to drain the marshland in the St. Johns River Valley.
Two years later, in 1913, 43 miles of lateral canals had been dug. Work then began on the Addison/Ellis Canal leading from Addison Creek to the outlying vegetable fields. The canal was to relieve St. Johns River flooding by diverting floodwaters to the lagoon. This would allow transport of supplies and crops from the St. Johns River to the Indian River Lagoon, ending at Addison Point.
The Titusville Fruit and Farm Lands Company paved the roads to their fields using the extracted coquina rock. There were no problems for their equipment in the marshland and sand ridges; however, a coquina rock ridge which runs north to south was insurmountable and work stopped and the canal was not completed.
The consortium went broke and the canal project was abandoned with construction ending just east of the scrub/coquina ridge in Addison Creek near the Enchanted Forest. The Addison/Ellis canal never reached a useful depth.
Today, you can enjoy the natural beauty of the canal and the TGO Nature Center grounds. Come visit and relax on the bench or bring a picnic lunch to enjoy at our picnic table. You can walk, bike or drive a golf cart across the bridge built over the Addison Canal.
He kids - when you hit a wall do not be afraid to do a 180 and start over.
He kids – Think there is a message in this birds flight!  When you hit a wall do not be afraid to do a 180 and start over.

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