Toad Hall

While clearing out and cleaning up the flower beds in honor of Spring, I came across this toad, happily ensconced in his own private home. He politely hopped out of my way, waited a bit, then settled in again.

Here are links to some Florida garden blogs:

Gardening in Central Florida

Hoe and Shovel

Simply Susan!

Wicked Gardener

New Florida Blog

There's a new Florida-themed blog: Genuine Florida. Gotta love the big pink shrimp in a top hat (see their Feb. 2 entry)!

More Florida Blogs

It's always nice to run across some new (to me, at least) Florida blogs such as these:

Civil War Florida

Digital Library Blog

(and one for my sister...)

Gardening in Central Florida

Pompano Beach Blog

The Pompano Beach Historical Society blog is chock full of interesting information. Give them a visit!

Summer Road Trip Without Leaving Your Desk

A few months ago I blogged about other state and local history and culture blogs ("There's a Big World Out There"). Well, it's time for a little summer roadtrip --

BlogOklahoma.us ("Exploring Oklahoma's History") won the 2006 Okie Blog Award for Best Culture Blog. Read about a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere buried as a time capsule 50 years ago and recently unearthed.

Arizona Preservation -- "Posts and Musings from the Arizona Preservation Foundation"

Searching for Minnesota ("Things That Make Minnesota Great") With "quirky" prairie chicken, otter, and viking statues.

North Carolina Miscellany, "...a blog produced, edited, and maintained by the North Carolina Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill." Recent posts about barbeque and Cheerwine, and lots of historic images.

Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi -- learn about growing zucchini and the history of bentonite mining, among other things.

And last, but certainly not least, two very thoughtful blogs about a region rather than a particular state: Appalachian History and Hillbilly Savants.

Other Voices

Saurly Yours -- "Our Trip to Egmont Key"

"Vintage Urbanism in the CBD" -- Boom or Bust: Miami looks at restored historic buildings in Miami

"Go Go Gatorland!" -- Celebration Florida visits a recovering Gatorland

Woodland Shoppers Paradise is "Searching for Webb's City"

Seminole Heights "As Grandma Remembers"

And a new blog, Florida Keys History This Week

Florida Hurricane Blogs

I know hurricane season doesn't start until tomorrow, but it's never too early to get ready!

Here's three Florida hurricane blogs I found -- feel free to add comments if you know of others.

Eye on the Storm

Hurricane Headquarters

Central Florida Hurricane Center

This Week in Florida Blogs

Instead of my usual weekend roundup of news stories, here are some recent blogs about Florida I enjoyed.

"Spotlight On: Collins Avenue Shopping District" (Boom or Bust Miami) Photographs, maps, and discussion of Miami Beach's trendy yet historic Art Deco shopping district.

"Exploring Downtown's Cathedral District" (MetroJacksonville) Lots of photos with discussion of buildings and parking lots in a historic area of Jacksonville.

"Amorous Alligator Trapped at KSC Shop" (The Flame Trench) It's Florida. These things happen.

"Another Loss of a Beach Institution" (Blurbex) 60-year-old beach bar closes -- "Nothing is historic down here"

"Concert Under the Stars at Bok Tower" (Empirical Polk)

And:

Blogging with Rob
Patahistory
The (Big Square) Money Pit

There's a Big World Out There

This weekend I decided to see if people in other places are writing state-themed blogs about history and such. I did find some (and I don't claim this to be a complete list, just some that interested me).

Closest to home is Georgia on My Mind, written by a history teacher, who contributes to other blogs as well (History is Elementary and American Presidents).

Further north, I found All Things Maine, which led me to Strange Maine ("This site is a nexus for conversation about Maine's very special strangeness, the people who love it, the people who have experienced it, & the people who are intrigued by it. History, mysteries, legends, current events, cryptozoology, & more"). Maybe we could have a contest to see which state is quirkier, Florida or Maine!

Come back southward just a touch, and there's Cow Hampshire ("Blogging about New Hampshire History, Genealogy, Photography & Humor"). The blog's curious name is explained here.

Ohio has some excellent blogs. MyHometownOhio is one of the best historic preservation blogs around. And since I tend to write about old bridges, the Historic Ohio Iron and Steel Bridges blog was a great find.

Some of the state & history blogs I found are also war & history blogs. Old Virginia Blog is about the Civil War in Virginia, and North Carolina and the Civil War is about ... well, you can figure that one out. Boston 1775 is about Massachusetts during the American Revolution. It is also one of the most read history blogs around, and was featured on Blogger a couple of months back.

Boston 1775 is perhaps more about Boston than Massachusetts, which opens up another category of place & history blogs, those that focus on a particular town rather than an entire state. In that category, I like Endangered Durham, which features lots of historic photos and current photos of historic structures. There are many, many other blogs that are about a particular place and its history or cultures. Today I chose to write about some outside of Florida. If there are some similar blogs that you particularly enjoy, please share!