"Roadkill Creations"

Sunday, June 25th: This morning at breakfast, Claire and I read the local newspaper - The Crystal River Current. Today's headline on the front page of the paper: "Roadkill Creations." (See attached picture) The article is about this woman who scoops up dead animals along the road and uses them to create unique items such as coin purses, handbags, shoes and teddy bears. She calls it "recycling." She collects the dead animals, puts them in the freezer and when they are partially thawed, she skins them and sends it to a tannery. (If she invites you over for dinner, my advice is not to go.) Her favorite creation so far is an evening bag made from a skunk, which she lined with Oscar de la Renta satin, then embroidered with rhinestones and added a silver strap. (We are trying to purchase one of these for you, Sandy!  :) Every one of her creations comes with a certificate of authenticity, stating what road the animal was killed on and the date it was retrieved. Don't believe me? See the attached pictures and visit her Web site at roadkillcreations.org. You can't make this stuff up. By the way, this city was right down the road from "YeeHaw, Florida." (See picture...) 'nuff said! One more tidbit about this... Claire and I spent the next 200 miles on Highway 60 and Interstate 75, scouring the road for something special for each of you. We did discover something - an undetermined "recyclable" on Highway 60. (See attached picture) The fur is lovely, and once Claire is finished freezing and skinning it and it comes back from the tannery, we will create something special for each of you as a momento of our Florida summer vacation. Please specify your preference: Coin purse, handbag, shoes or teddy bear....

We are now 758 miles from Pensacola and in Palm Beach Shores. No roadkill here - but the Atlantic Ocean is beautiful!

You can't make this stuff up!