Jacksonville and more

After going to Jacksonville at the end of July, I realized how huge the city actually is. It's the 13th largest city in the U.S. based on population. I got to explore Riverside, the neighborhood on the other side of the St. John's River from downtown. This was taken near Memorial Park I believe.

On the way home from Jacksonville, there was a last minute addition to the agenda: Manatee Springs in Chiefland, near Gainesville. The water was so clear; the divers were out and about exploring the caves.

River Sink

One of my favorite places in Tallahassee. Since the beginning of July I think I have visited this place about 6 times. I have gone in both small and large groups and have found the swimming hole both empty and occupied.

Some of the people I have met there include, college students (alone and with parents), high schoolers, stoners on parole, old breakdancers, locals, and lovers. We have even spotted tiny alligators, but swam anyways. The current is a little strong so it's such a workout to keep afloat for me.

We use this old rope swing to jump in. I was afraid to use it at first, but like many other fears, I got over it!

Every time I go I find something different about it to admire. I took these photos with my dad's auto SLR. I think I will buy a new camera soon.

If I was studying a teenage drug ring...

I would be a little more interested in what makes these people tick and what they think about the outside world. What does the outside world think of them? The what ifs are endless really. This is the ethnography I'm reading right now, The Cocaine Kids. It's short and sweet. It takes place in the late 80s in Washington Heights. The researcher basically just hangs out with these teenagers that are pretty big time in the cocaine biz. They are all Dominicans so this is a very nice view of one tiny slice of that time.

EDIT: I finished it this afternoon and I think what I liked best was the way the kids described their families with such pride. One chick's dad was santero. How she described the saints, orishas, beads, etc. was very familiar to me. At the end there was a sort of epilogue that explained that happens to each person. One person got shot - it wasn't even the way he died; he drowned accidently at the beach. What are the odds?