We were hoping to book a tour of the horse farms around Ocala but all were full for Thursday, so we spent a good portion of the day at the Appleton Museum in Ocala which turned out to be a treat. Established by Arthur Appleton, a wealthy Chicago businessman who also had one of the largest horse farms in Ocala and lived part-time in Ocala, the museum has over 18,000 pieces of artifacts and art from all over the world. Our favorite part of the museum visit was listening to a lecture and conversation from an acclaimed “street photographer” named Billy Joe Hoyle who was also showing his photography. It was interesting to hear about his life and work, as well as his photo techniques, as he captured photographs from around the world. We were able to book a tour at the Gypsy Gold Horse Farm (https://gypsygold.com) outside of Ocala and spent this morning hearing from the owner, Dennis Thompson, talk about the history of the Gypsy Vanner Horse that he raises on the farm. The owner took us on a guided tour of the farm where we met many of his horses. From there we headed north to Keaton Beach, on the Gulf side of Florida, where we are staying at a mom and pop run RV park named Old Pavilion, which is right on the beach. Tomorrow we’re hoping to do some fishing and exploring around the area and will stay tomorrow night and before heading out on Sunday.
Greg and Tina’s Travels Across America 