I Gotta Get Outta This Place! If It's the Last Thing I EVAH Do!

 I'm losing my mind a little bit guys... I'm not meant to be a Work-from-Home kind of person. Not by force, anyway. If I were a freelance writer or photographer, it'd be one thing, but I'm not. I'm an Admin Assistant for the Government. So, I have to stay available "at work" all day. Monday through Friday. 8:30am to 5:00pm. If my phone rings, I answer it. If my email dings, I answer it. 

I've been working from home since March 20th. I'm just so fucking over this! I decided to get the heck out of town. 

First things first, I stopped off at a local bakery joint who makes potato donuts, called Halo Donuts. They've been in town for years, first as a food truck, then as a walk-up storefront in the newly revitalized South Main Street area. I always say I'm going to go try them, but I never remember until late in the day (when I get a hankering for a pastry), and by then they are either closed or completely sold out. Since I would be in their part of town, I made it my first stop (well, second, after a soda stop). 

The line was insanely long. And not just because of stupid social distancing. I think there were probably 20 people in line in front of me. For donuts. I was easily the oldest person there (at 40+), and also probably the fattest one. I was surrounded by 19-year-olds in yoga pants, tweeting and tiktokking and instagramming every single moment of their morning. 

I hated it. 

Once at the front, I decided on a Maple Glazed, an OG (Vanilla Glazed), and a Cinnamon Sugar (Tastes just like a churro! they said). 

(Whoops, OG and Maple Glaze are backwards)

These three donuts - that honest to God must have weighed a pound - cost ten bucks. TEN BUCKS! They better be fucking magical donuts. 

They weren't.

 

But before I tasted the donuts, I drove south to Paynes Prairie to take some photos. The Prairie is another local spot that I never go to, simply because I forget it's there, except for when I drive though it on the interstate! Paynes Prairie is designated as a National Natural Landmark and Florida State Park. 

 

This is a great place for sunsets

 Back in the 1770's it was called the Great Alachua Savannah. The park hosts 20 distinct biological communities, supporting the habitats of alligators, bison, horses, and up to 200 different types of birds. In the area I was in, there was a long boardwalk allowing an overlook into the Prairie. Short of getting lost one time in the actual park (long story), I've never stopped to check it out. 

 

The boardwalk extending into the Prairie

It's very pretty, especially right now, with it full of water because of the spring rain. Yes, a prairie... full of water. Back in the day, (like the 1700s and 1800s), it was more of a lake, and people could ride steamboats across it. Now, it's either a swamp or a prairie. But right now, it's full and it's beautiful.

 

Lots of swampy areas for birds, fish, insects, and .....

...gators, of course! This guy was probably about 13-feet long

After walking up and down the boardwalk, and then up and down the road, taking way too many photos, I headed back to the car and finally tried my donuts. 

The Cinnamon Sugar donut tasted like any other cinnamon sugar baked good I've tried. It was fried nicely. The Maple Glaze was not maple-y enough for me; I was hoping for a bigger punch. The OG was fine, too, just tasted like a basic donut. All in all, they were massive, heavy donuts (because of the potato) that were meh. I will probably give them one more shot, but I'm not impressed, especially for the amount they cost. 

My next reason for hitting the road was to get lunch. And lunch just happened to be an hour away in the next town, Ocala, at Long John Silver's (LJS). By this point, I was ready to eat inside a restaurant again, and even brought a stupid mask with me, just in case. 

Turns out, I didn't need a mask, because this place was still Drive-Thru only. Well, that puts a ding in the plans! I ended up ordering a special that they had (3 chicken + 5 Shrimp, for $6) and then drove over to a nearby park to eat. 

I was able to enjoy my impromptu picnic in the shade, near a cute pond that had old ducks, and one tiny baby duck, and old men racing remote-controlled boats! I spent half the time reading my book and the other time watching the pond.

The Duck Family wanted no part of me, and repeatedly 'circled the wagons' around the Chick

Go, Old Man, GO!

Once I finished my lunch (and packed up the leftovers for the Kiddo), I made my way toward the interstate, but passed a huge Dollar Tree, housed inside an old CVS/Walgreen's! It was massive! I, of course, had to go in and check it out! It was awesome, and of course, I spent $25 on random crap. 

Then I picked up soda and lemonade at Wawa and made my way home. 

Hopefully, between this and going to Disney next week, my wanderlust will be sated for a while and I can get out of this funk I'm in. 

I miss people.