October 1, 2025 • 25 mins
Florida before the Civil War was an open land with many possibilites - if you were brave enough to do it. A Land Remembered tells us how it can materialize, how it gets ruined, and ultimately destroyed.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:12):
You tuned to Evergreen Media Network. I am Cindy Schwartz,
and this is our Veterans Voice radio show with your
host Ralph nathan Oko.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Oh no, everybody, We're going to talk about the good
news of the bad news today. Now, you usually don't
hear me being negative because I don't believe in negative.
But have you ever seen this country in this world?
Pardon my friends? So screwed up? So yeah, last week
I was thinking about who do I want to use
(00:40):
for a guest and then I've remembered one of the loveliest,
most entertaining chronological novel that I've read. And we've spoken
about this book several years ago, and I'm building you
up to something. The book was written in nineteen eighty four.
It is absolutely probably second to Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck.
(01:06):
The book is phenomenal. Yes, I'm talking about a Land Remembered.
It was written in nineteen eighty four, and I want
to talk to you about it today because you know
how so many things have changed. Heck, they've changed from
five years ago, how about one hundred and fifty and
two hundred years ago? So, but there's a lot to
(01:27):
reflect upon and what can we learn from this book?
And if time permits, I want to read the speech
at the end of the book. So Cindy, you'll have
to tell me if we have enough time, Okay, Because
at the end of the book, a wealthy man knows
he's going to die and he's given. He's a multime
(01:47):
multi gazillionaire and he's giving. And I've been given honors
and a fancy dinner. And he tells them all what
to do with their dinner and their honor, and they're
all their phoniness, their fakeness, and unfortunately a lot of
(02:10):
that's going on right now. It hasn't changed. Yes, there
was another difference between the Garden of Eden then and
the paradise were living. Now we got eight billion people
instead of a few hundred. And by the way, ask
your religious leader, your rabbi, your minister, priest, whatever. You
(02:32):
had Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, you
had two boys, Abel and Cain, Abel coast Kine. Now
you have a man, a son, and a mother. And
the terrible connotation question that I was posed with years
ago is how did we get all these people on earth?
I didn't have the guts to ask my Rabbi. I
finally a cornered of them. I said, I got a
(02:54):
problem a Christian. I'm Jewish, and a Christian person asked
me about this Garden of Eden thing. I didn't like
the implication, he said, Ralph, we rabbinical students when we
had when I was studying for the rabbinet, we asked
our teachers the same thing, and the rabbi that they
gave him. The answer said God made the earth six
(03:16):
days and arrested. He made earth, But he didn't say
that God made Garden of Eden as the only location
in the world. There were many gardens of Eden all
over the world, and that's how the population prolificated to
the point what today we have eight billion people. Now,
(03:37):
I'm not espousing that that's the answer or not. I'm
just repeating the answer I got. And what I'm leading
up to is, so, what was the population in eighteen sixty,
one hundred and sixty five years ago? What is it today?
What's changed? Oh, medicine, transportation, communication, food, everything and maybe
(04:02):
people have changed. And I want to give all of you,
all of us, the benefit of the doubt that most
people are good. Now I'm going to make a terrible statement,
you know, the one you're not of the rotten apple,
the one rot apple apple can stink up the other
ninety nine, but there's still ninety nine good apples and
(04:22):
they can't change the odor of the stinking bad apple.
And that's with people the same thing. So I want
to talk about this, but I want to tell you
kind of review the book with you. I want to
turn you on. And I have two soft cover books.
I buy them whenever I can get my hands on
of you dollar. Yeah, so I have two. You call
(04:44):
me at nine to five four five, five seven, six
two six, and it'll be my pleasure to give it
to you, and only one condition. When you finish reading
the book, pass it on and give it to somebody
else to read. This book is absolutely one of the
most wonderful books. It's got some tragedies and happy and sad,
(05:07):
but the book is absolutely wonderfully written. And so let's
talk about the author. Well, Patrick Smith wrote A Land
Remembered in nineteen eighty four and it was up for
the Pulitzer Prize. By the way, I don't know if
you knew that, Cindy.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
You know what I want to say. When we did
the show years and years ago. His son went around
Florida and did different talks and the libraries and stuff.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
I went to the one in the Sunrise Theater in
Fort Pearson.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Okay, but I was going to say, I want to
say that he said that at one of the talks
the sun did that it was up for the Pulitzer
because it just blows your way. And it was phenomenal
to meet him.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Yes, the sun was wonderful, but we went. When I went,
it was literally just before COVID, and that COVID shut
everything down. And the sun has not the best of
my none has not been prolific in bringing this show,
the Traveling Show again.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yeah, I saw him at a library, I want to
say in Sebastian, Yes you did, yeah, twelve yeah, yeah, yeah,
remember you tell me it was unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
So the book is called The Land Remembered. And by
the way, just so you know, he wrote other books also,
not many, and I've read them all except one Forever Island,
Angels City, Alapada, The River is Home, the Beginning, the
last ride. You and I talked about the last ride
(06:32):
on the show. The one I didn't read is in
Search of a Russian Bear. Actually I did. I did
read it because I remember the story now the Seas
that Mourn and his last book was A White Deer
and other stories. I did not read that one, but
the nineteen eighty four book was phenomenal, A Land Remembered.
(06:53):
So what are we talking about? And I'm not if
i'm you're going to need to read it. If I
tell you from a movie, I'm going to tell you
go see the movie. Not the same. Whatever I tell
you is a synopsis. But you got to see the book.
You got to read the book. And from what I understand,
the movie rights were purchased like fifteen twenty years ago
(07:16):
for oodles of money millions, and nobody's put the book
into a movie.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Yeah. I wonder because of it, you would think like, yeah,
Ted Turner or one of them who have done like
what's the right word. It's not catastrophic, but just huge
productions would do something like.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
That Silberg, Ronnie Howard.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
They All I know is if this book was made
into a movie, to the equality of the quality of
the movie of Grapes of Wrath, it would get every
single ward there is the book is that good? I've
read it every two three years and either I forgot
what some things that I've read, or I've read thanks
(08:00):
so that I've never got the first time.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Yeah, that is true. Kevin Costner is another one that's done.
Then the last one he did didn't turn out so well.
I wonder if he would be Let's call him up
and ask him if we can, if we can get
this movie.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Man, I love to see this.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Yeah, me too.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
I even spoke. I didn't bring it to Doug Schwab,
who was a producer of the new movie that's coming
out this month for the High Women, the High Women
Trail about the high women artists. And by the way,
that movie is coming out the premieres October twenty fifth,
Jupiter and I'm Going And the main star, of course
(08:36):
of the is Alfred Here. And Alfred Here was killed
in nineteen seventy. But when he died he left a
few young children. Well, one of the children is Kelvin Here,
who now is second generation, very very qualified, very talented artists.
And Kelvin Here has a son, Kelvin and he is
(09:00):
the grandson of Alfred Hare. Calvin's son is an actor,
a known actor in Hollywood and in the country. So
guess who's portraying Alfred Hare and the movie The Grandson,
and every woman that sees The Grandson goes gaga because
he's charming, good looking, charismatic and a good actor. And
(09:24):
that's what Alfred had the same kind of following.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Yeah, he did.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
So I'm really looking forward to meeting him. And I've
seen him, but not in person. So Patrick Smith passed
away in twenty fourteen. Yeah, but nominated seven times for
Polarzer Prizes. Really never and then the Lobel Prize for Literature.
(09:49):
And here's one for you. He was inducted into the
Florida Artists Hall of Fame in nineteen ninety nine. Well,
who what twenty six people got nominated, then inducted in
two thousand and four the thirty six Hall of Fame Highwaymen. Yeah,
and on his own Beanie Beckus is also a member
of the Hall of Fame for the State of Florida Artists.
(10:13):
And so it's wonderful. So what is the book about. Well,
I'll tell you plots here and there. I can't tell
you the whole movie the book. I mean to me,
it's a movie. The movie. The book starts eighteen fifty
eight in Georgia, Tobias and I don't know if I'm
(10:33):
pronouncing the earth right. I pronounced it mcelvy m ac
i v e y mcavee. He's the Georgia cracker, poor,
not getting anywhere, frustrated, unhappy, Civil wars just about to start,
and he wants to get the hell out of Georgia,
(10:55):
find a new place in tire heaven, new beginning, as
you do. He applies to Washington d C. For a
grant and they sell them a million dollars. And if
you believe that it's snowing on US one and Route sixty,
what does he do? He packs up the family and
he travels, and he travels with a new for a
(11:17):
new life in the and he literally is traveling to
the Florida Wilderness. He's traveling to the what we know
is the Lake Okachobee area. Now remember this is all
open territory, all open, no fences. No, you got farms,
(11:38):
but wild horses, wild cattle, wild pigs, you name it.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Yeah, and the Native Americans and everything.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
Yes, and all that is in this book. Now that
I've wedded your appetite, we're going to take a short
break and then I'll tell you about a land Remembered.
We'll be right back. This is our Veterans Voice Radio,
the Bookworms.
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Speaker 2 (13:02):
Hey, did you hear the latest about our Florida High Woman.
No what, there's a new high Woman art gallery in
Vero Beach. Really where eighteen seventy two Commerce Avenue.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Wow?
Speaker 2 (13:13):
When's it open? Seven days a week called nine five
four five five seven six two two six for an
appointment any time, No kidding, Just call for your appointment
nine five four five five seven six two two six
and then go to eighteen seventy two Commerce Avenue. Wow,
that's good news. A member of the Itex trading community,
your I text dollars are welcome. Very can come true
(13:40):
and they did an lend rem and ken happened to you.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
It can happen to you. Welcome back to arbid Ear
on SOYS radio show Tonight's the book.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Worms and you Know what Actually, Frank Sinatoi's writes, we
are living in the greatest country in the world. When
I came here from Israel, I was eleven years old.
I didn't know, man, you know what? From what? But
the one thing I was I remember, I was always
told gold is on the trees, gold is on the sidewalk. Well,
we may not be perfect, but this is absolutely the
(14:09):
greatest country in the world for opportunities. It's here. The
idea is the wealth, the education. It can be so
fairy tales can come true in the United States. So
let's go backwards. We're going to start in nineteen sixty eight.
(14:30):
Now you're talking about one hundred and ten years after
what's his name? I forgot his name.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
Oh macarvy, Mabias, Oh Tobias, that's the granddaddy.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
So one hundred and ten years later, Patrick Smith's in
a book, A Land Remembered. A wealthy eighty five year
old real estate developer of Miami, Miami Beach, Palm Beach,
you name it. Solomon, nicknamed Sal mcavee. He arrives at
his cabin and put to Russa, Florida, where he plans
(15:04):
to live out his final days. He knows he's dying,
and he's reflecting the family history going back to eighteen
fifty eight and in Florida eighteen sixty three, to the
central homestead of Tobias mcavee, Sal's grandfather. So with his
wife Saul, excuse me, with Sal's grandfather, Tobias and his
(15:27):
wife Emma, and they had a six year old son, Zach.
Tobias gets to Florida, literally lands around, ends up deciding
to live the Florida Wilderness around the Okatoba Lake Okatoba area.
At the time, it was just a big lake coming
about it really, and he wanted to raise crops. Barely
(15:52):
overcame sarvation, bear attacks, bushwhacking, Confederate deserters, the Civil War,
Indian snakes, her canes, whatever. One day in the early
sixties eighteen sixties, Tobias offers food and shelter to a
seminole India named Keith Tiger and they became friends, and
(16:16):
in the Seminole Indians forged a relationship with Tobias mcavee,
an alliance the mcavies and the Seminoles at the Big
Cyprus Swamp, and that relationship lasted for generations, all three
of them. And then he had an ex slave named Skillett.
(16:38):
So what do you do? You're trying to farm and
you're not getting anywhere. But what's out there that you
can't get them? With no money at all? You can
round out cows and horses, So what do you do?
So now you catch one hundred wild cows, what are
you doing them? Well, where are you going to sell them?
(16:59):
In the middle of nowhere? So what do they do?
They start taking them to the west coast trading town
of Punta Rasa, which would be in the west coast
like Tampa areas.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Oh yeah, I was thinking like Punta Gorder. And I
want to say it's over about Naples or somewhere down.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Why because that's where the big harbor was, and that's
where the ships came bought. The captains would buy or
the buyers, a Canman buyer would buy the cows, put
them on the ship. And where would the ship do?
Number one destination Havana, Cuba.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
You're right, I was gonna think Cube.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
But yeah, so all.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
This is in the book. I'm just giving you a
little bit of and I'm going to go back and
forth because I don't have it in chronological order. But
remember this book Land Remembered. It is a chronological novel.
And the reason I like those that genre is because
what it does it takes a fictional story and puts
it in perspective of actual historical events. Right Cracker, Civil War,
(18:05):
Open Wilderness and you'll see them minute. Where I'm going
with this with Dade County. And by the way, in
those days, if you look at the map Daatee County,
would you and I relay to Miami Dade County went
all the way north to the southeastern section of Lake Okeechobe.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Right, it was like the whole bottom of Florida.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Yeah, it was almost like the biggest state county. Yeah.
And every one of the counties we know of south
of Lake Okachobe, who was one or another related to
broken off or broken the second time off to become
their own counties, all from Daatee County. So Skillett the
ex slave, the Maccarese, they catch more than a hundred
(18:47):
miles they plant to sell it in the Gulf Coast
Upunk to Russa eighteen sixty seven. Lucky Lucky Tobias. What's
the first thing that hits them on the way on
the first drive a hurricane. They drowned our entire herd.
Now he's got nothing. The hurricane wiped out they heard,
(19:09):
all hundred cows, wiped up the little plantation. He grew
the farm, and I had to start over again. But
this is the land of opportunity. So the next summer,
mcavee tries it again with the larger hell I heard,
and with the help of two drifters, Frog and Bonzo.
The drivers have success. This is eight mid eighteen sixties.
(19:32):
Now remember no trains, no fences, not et central Florida.
What he got Indians and everything else. By eighteen seventy
five the mcavee cattle Company, Tobias is driving up to
three thousand cows a year across Florida, no fences, just
(19:54):
literally it's a drive. They're delivering to cows to Key.
Remember Keith Tiger, the Indi seminole through this village and
Zach who's Zach, that was Tobias's son. Well, he falls
in love again. You know, you gotta have love story
in these books, and there really was a beautiful story.
(20:16):
So Zach follows in love with a Seminole woman named
Tawanda Cyprus. Well back in central Florida, Zach. Now, so
when I say fell in love, they had a courtship,
they made love and so on. So back now Zach
has to go back with his daddy Tobias, back to
where they live, and Zach courts a woman named Glenda
(20:39):
Turner who he marries and on the summer cattle drive
subsequent after eighteenth in the sixties and seventies, Glenda suffers
on his carriage and she dies and Zach travels to
the village Emino Village and he and Towandah again hook
(21:03):
up make love. Eighteen eighty three, Glenda's still alive. You know,
I said she passed away. I jumped the gun. So Glenda,
his wife gives a birth to our son named sal
remember the name Sal. Over the next ten years eighteen
eighty three eighteen ninety three is railroad and lumber tycoons
(21:25):
purchased wide swaths of the frontier. They're buying a lot
of land. The mcaves really spend and devote most most
of the time and resources to grow. Now they're decided.
In addition to the cattle drives which now getting a
little bit more difficult because of the lumber and the
railroad tycoons literally tying up the land. So what they're
(21:49):
doing is they start growing orange trees. So while the
mcaveees aren't put the russa in eighteen ninety two, nine
years again, guess what sacked again that little boy. He
travels back to Seminole village and he discovers guess what
He's got a nine year old son with Towanda the
(22:11):
Seminold Indian and it's named is Toby. Toby. That's Zach's
father's name. So before he departs, he and Towanda have
another a second fling. On the way back to the homestead,
Emma and I don't remember who Emma is. I'm sorry,
(22:34):
suffers a fatal Oh, Tobias's wife, Zack's mother suffers a
fatal heart attack. That winter, co Snap freezes all the
orange trees back of his own of business. Again. Tobias
tries to save the trees, and tobias daddy dies of pneumonia.
So now Zach, he's a leader of the pack. He's
(22:56):
the mclave in charge. And when a group of Seminoles
arrived to pay the respects, guess what, Zach learns that
Twanda died. That's his seminole girlfriend. She died giving birth
to us, his stillborn baby. In eighteen ninety six, Zach
(23:18):
is shot in the foot while staging a raid against bushwhackers,
the bad guys. He and Saul I remember who saw
As the son visit the seminole village, medicine man extracts
the bullet, and sal and Toby are now bonded as
half brothers. By eighteen ninety eight, Ah, we're going to
(23:41):
take a break. What a perfect time. So now they're
pretty much out of the cattle business, and now they're
changing back into the groves business. We're going to take
a break, and when we come back, we'll tell you
from eighteen ninety eight on. Remember I started the story
as the book does nineteen sixty eight. So we'll take
(24:04):
a break. I hope I'm turning you onto this book.
I am. I you know I'm a prolific reader glacomanol
and I've read a lot of books all my life.
This is one of the best books I've ever read.
We'll be right back, and you can always reach me
at ninety five four five five seven six two two six.
I have two of these softcover books available, first come,
(24:27):
first serve one condition you read it and pass it
on to somebody else. We'll be right back. The bookworms
are veterans Voice radio
You tuned to Evergreen Media Network. I am Cindy Schwartz,
and this is our Veterans Voice radio show with your
host Ralph nathan Oko.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Oh no, everybody, We're going to talk about the good
news of the bad news today. Now, you usually don't
hear me being negative because I don't believe in negative.
But have you ever seen this country in this world?
Pardon my friends? So screwed up? So yeah, last week
I was thinking about who do I want to use
(00:40):
for a guest and then I've remembered one of the loveliest,
most entertaining chronological novel that I've read. And we've spoken
about this book several years ago, and I'm building you
up to something. The book was written in nineteen eighty four.
It is absolutely probably second to Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck.
(01:06):
The book is phenomenal. Yes, I'm talking about a Land Remembered.
It was written in nineteen eighty four, and I want
to talk to you about it today because you know
how so many things have changed. Heck, they've changed from
five years ago, how about one hundred and fifty and
two hundred years ago? So, but there's a lot to
(01:27):
reflect upon and what can we learn from this book?
And if time permits, I want to read the speech
at the end of the book. So Cindy, you'll have
to tell me if we have enough time, Okay, Because
at the end of the book, a wealthy man knows
he's going to die and he's given. He's a multime
(01:47):
multi gazillionaire and he's giving. And I've been given honors
and a fancy dinner. And he tells them all what
to do with their dinner and their honor, and they're
all their phoniness, their fakeness, and unfortunately a lot of
(02:10):
that's going on right now. It hasn't changed. Yes, there
was another difference between the Garden of Eden then and
the paradise were living. Now we got eight billion people
instead of a few hundred. And by the way, ask
your religious leader, your rabbi, your minister, priest, whatever. You
(02:32):
had Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, you
had two boys, Abel and Cain, Abel coast Kine. Now
you have a man, a son, and a mother. And
the terrible connotation question that I was posed with years
ago is how did we get all these people on earth?
I didn't have the guts to ask my Rabbi. I
finally a cornered of them. I said, I got a
(02:54):
problem a Christian. I'm Jewish, and a Christian person asked
me about this Garden of Eden thing. I didn't like
the implication, he said, Ralph, we rabbinical students when we
had when I was studying for the rabbinet, we asked
our teachers the same thing, and the rabbi that they
gave him. The answer said God made the earth six
(03:16):
days and arrested. He made earth, But he didn't say
that God made Garden of Eden as the only location
in the world. There were many gardens of Eden all
over the world, and that's how the population prolificated to
the point what today we have eight billion people. Now,
(03:37):
I'm not espousing that that's the answer or not. I'm
just repeating the answer I got. And what I'm leading
up to is, so, what was the population in eighteen sixty,
one hundred and sixty five years ago? What is it today?
What's changed? Oh, medicine, transportation, communication, food, everything and maybe
(04:02):
people have changed. And I want to give all of you,
all of us, the benefit of the doubt that most
people are good. Now I'm going to make a terrible statement,
you know, the one you're not of the rotten apple,
the one rot apple apple can stink up the other
ninety nine, but there's still ninety nine good apples and
(04:22):
they can't change the odor of the stinking bad apple.
And that's with people the same thing. So I want
to talk about this, but I want to tell you
kind of review the book with you. I want to
turn you on. And I have two soft cover books.
I buy them whenever I can get my hands on
of you dollar. Yeah, so I have two. You call
(04:44):
me at nine to five four five, five seven, six
two six, and it'll be my pleasure to give it
to you, and only one condition. When you finish reading
the book, pass it on and give it to somebody
else to read. This book is absolutely one of the
most wonderful books. It's got some tragedies and happy and sad,
(05:07):
but the book is absolutely wonderfully written. And so let's
talk about the author. Well, Patrick Smith wrote A Land
Remembered in nineteen eighty four and it was up for
the Pulitzer Prize. By the way, I don't know if
you knew that, Cindy.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
You know what I want to say. When we did
the show years and years ago. His son went around
Florida and did different talks and the libraries and stuff.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
I went to the one in the Sunrise Theater in
Fort Pearson.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Okay, but I was going to say, I want to
say that he said that at one of the talks
the sun did that it was up for the Pulitzer
because it just blows your way. And it was phenomenal
to meet him.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Yes, the sun was wonderful, but we went. When I went,
it was literally just before COVID, and that COVID shut
everything down. And the sun has not the best of
my none has not been prolific in bringing this show,
the Traveling Show again.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yeah, I saw him at a library, I want to
say in Sebastian, Yes you did, yeah, twelve yeah, yeah, yeah,
remember you tell me it was unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
So the book is called The Land Remembered. And by
the way, just so you know, he wrote other books also,
not many, and I've read them all except one Forever Island,
Angels City, Alapada, The River is Home, the Beginning, the
last ride. You and I talked about the last ride
(06:32):
on the show. The one I didn't read is in
Search of a Russian Bear. Actually I did. I did
read it because I remember the story now the Seas
that Mourn and his last book was A White Deer
and other stories. I did not read that one, but
the nineteen eighty four book was phenomenal, A Land Remembered.
(06:53):
So what are we talking about? And I'm not if
i'm you're going to need to read it. If I
tell you from a movie, I'm going to tell you
go see the movie. Not the same. Whatever I tell
you is a synopsis. But you got to see the book.
You got to read the book. And from what I understand,
the movie rights were purchased like fifteen twenty years ago
(07:16):
for oodles of money millions, and nobody's put the book
into a movie.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Yeah. I wonder because of it, you would think like, yeah,
Ted Turner or one of them who have done like
what's the right word. It's not catastrophic, but just huge
productions would do something like.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
That Silberg, Ronnie Howard.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
They All I know is if this book was made
into a movie, to the equality of the quality of
the movie of Grapes of Wrath, it would get every
single ward there is the book is that good? I've
read it every two three years and either I forgot
what some things that I've read, or I've read thanks
(08:00):
so that I've never got the first time.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Yeah, that is true. Kevin Costner is another one that's done.
Then the last one he did didn't turn out so well.
I wonder if he would be Let's call him up
and ask him if we can, if we can get
this movie.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Man, I love to see this.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Yeah, me too.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
I even spoke. I didn't bring it to Doug Schwab,
who was a producer of the new movie that's coming
out this month for the High Women, the High Women
Trail about the high women artists. And by the way,
that movie is coming out the premieres October twenty fifth,
Jupiter and I'm Going And the main star, of course
(08:36):
of the is Alfred Here. And Alfred Here was killed
in nineteen seventy. But when he died he left a
few young children. Well, one of the children is Kelvin Here,
who now is second generation, very very qualified, very talented artists.
And Kelvin Here has a son, Kelvin and he is
(09:00):
the grandson of Alfred Hare. Calvin's son is an actor,
a known actor in Hollywood and in the country. So
guess who's portraying Alfred Hare and the movie The Grandson,
and every woman that sees The Grandson goes gaga because
he's charming, good looking, charismatic and a good actor. And
(09:24):
that's what Alfred had the same kind of following.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Yeah, he did.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
So I'm really looking forward to meeting him. And I've
seen him, but not in person. So Patrick Smith passed
away in twenty fourteen. Yeah, but nominated seven times for
Polarzer Prizes. Really never and then the Lobel Prize for Literature.
(09:49):
And here's one for you. He was inducted into the
Florida Artists Hall of Fame in nineteen ninety nine. Well,
who what twenty six people got nominated, then inducted in
two thousand and four the thirty six Hall of Fame Highwaymen. Yeah,
and on his own Beanie Beckus is also a member
of the Hall of Fame for the State of Florida Artists.
(10:13):
And so it's wonderful. So what is the book about. Well,
I'll tell you plots here and there. I can't tell
you the whole movie the book. I mean to me,
it's a movie. The movie. The book starts eighteen fifty
eight in Georgia, Tobias and I don't know if I'm
(10:33):
pronouncing the earth right. I pronounced it mcelvy m ac
i v e y mcavee. He's the Georgia cracker, poor,
not getting anywhere, frustrated, unhappy, Civil wars just about to start,
and he wants to get the hell out of Georgia,
(10:55):
find a new place in tire heaven, new beginning, as
you do. He applies to Washington d C. For a
grant and they sell them a million dollars. And if
you believe that it's snowing on US one and Route sixty,
what does he do? He packs up the family and
he travels, and he travels with a new for a
(11:17):
new life in the and he literally is traveling to
the Florida Wilderness. He's traveling to the what we know
is the Lake Okachobee area. Now remember this is all
open territory, all open, no fences. No, you got farms,
(11:38):
but wild horses, wild cattle, wild pigs, you name it.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Yeah, and the Native Americans and everything.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
Yes, and all that is in this book. Now that
I've wedded your appetite, we're going to take a short
break and then I'll tell you about a land Remembered.
We'll be right back. This is our Veterans Voice Radio,
the Bookworms.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
I'm doctor Tim. I needus at Treasure Coast Dermatology. At
Treasure Coast Dermatology, we believe in the prevention and early
detection of skin cancer. We are medical doctors and we
focus on the medical aspects of dermatology. You don't need
a sales pitch for botox, collagen or wrinkle creams. You
needed a doctor that cares about you and the health
of your skin. We feel by not trying to do
(12:21):
too much, we can do more for our patients.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Caul Tolfree eight seven seven eight seven zero dirm that's
eight seven seven eight seven zero three three seven six.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Meet Henry Bach, patient of Florida I Institute.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
After having the cataracts removed. It was a whole new
world for me. The colors were brilliant, It was painless.
It could almost says like being born all over again.
When I come in here is like coming home. Everyone
was so friendly and nice. It's just a wonderful experience.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
Are you ready to experience truly exceptional patient care?
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Florida I Institute.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Hey, did you hear the latest about our Florida High Woman.
No what, there's a new high Woman art gallery in
Vero Beach. Really where eighteen seventy two Commerce Avenue.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Wow?
Speaker 2 (13:13):
When's it open? Seven days a week called nine five
four five five seven six two two six for an
appointment any time, No kidding, Just call for your appointment
nine five four five five seven six two two six
and then go to eighteen seventy two Commerce Avenue. Wow,
that's good news. A member of the Itex trading community,
your I text dollars are welcome. Very can come true
(13:40):
and they did an lend rem and ken happened to you.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
It can happen to you. Welcome back to arbid Ear
on SOYS radio show Tonight's the book.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Worms and you Know what Actually, Frank Sinatoi's writes, we
are living in the greatest country in the world. When
I came here from Israel, I was eleven years old.
I didn't know, man, you know what? From what? But
the one thing I was I remember, I was always
told gold is on the trees, gold is on the sidewalk. Well,
we may not be perfect, but this is absolutely the
(14:09):
greatest country in the world for opportunities. It's here. The
idea is the wealth, the education. It can be so
fairy tales can come true in the United States. So
let's go backwards. We're going to start in nineteen sixty eight.
(14:30):
Now you're talking about one hundred and ten years after
what's his name? I forgot his name.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
Oh macarvy, Mabias, Oh Tobias, that's the granddaddy.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
So one hundred and ten years later, Patrick Smith's in
a book, A Land Remembered. A wealthy eighty five year
old real estate developer of Miami, Miami Beach, Palm Beach,
you name it. Solomon, nicknamed Sal mcavee. He arrives at
his cabin and put to Russa, Florida, where he plans
(15:04):
to live out his final days. He knows he's dying,
and he's reflecting the family history going back to eighteen
fifty eight and in Florida eighteen sixty three, to the
central homestead of Tobias mcavee, Sal's grandfather. So with his
wife Saul, excuse me, with Sal's grandfather, Tobias and his
(15:27):
wife Emma, and they had a six year old son, Zach.
Tobias gets to Florida, literally lands around, ends up deciding
to live the Florida Wilderness around the Okatoba Lake Okatoba area.
At the time, it was just a big lake coming
about it really, and he wanted to raise crops. Barely
(15:52):
overcame sarvation, bear attacks, bushwhacking, Confederate deserters, the Civil War,
Indian snakes, her canes, whatever. One day in the early
sixties eighteen sixties, Tobias offers food and shelter to a
seminole India named Keith Tiger and they became friends, and
(16:16):
in the Seminole Indians forged a relationship with Tobias mcavee,
an alliance the mcavies and the Seminoles at the Big
Cyprus Swamp, and that relationship lasted for generations, all three
of them. And then he had an ex slave named Skillett.
(16:38):
So what do you do? You're trying to farm and
you're not getting anywhere. But what's out there that you
can't get them? With no money at all? You can
round out cows and horses, So what do you do?
So now you catch one hundred wild cows, what are
you doing them? Well, where are you going to sell them?
(16:59):
In the middle of nowhere? So what do they do?
They start taking them to the west coast trading town
of Punta Rasa, which would be in the west coast
like Tampa areas.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Oh yeah, I was thinking like Punta Gorder. And I
want to say it's over about Naples or somewhere down.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Why because that's where the big harbor was, and that's
where the ships came bought. The captains would buy or
the buyers, a Canman buyer would buy the cows, put
them on the ship. And where would the ship do?
Number one destination Havana, Cuba.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
You're right, I was gonna think Cube.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
But yeah, so all.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
This is in the book. I'm just giving you a
little bit of and I'm going to go back and
forth because I don't have it in chronological order. But
remember this book Land Remembered. It is a chronological novel.
And the reason I like those that genre is because
what it does it takes a fictional story and puts
it in perspective of actual historical events. Right Cracker, Civil War,
(18:05):
Open Wilderness and you'll see them minute. Where I'm going
with this with Dade County. And by the way, in
those days, if you look at the map Daatee County,
would you and I relay to Miami Dade County went
all the way north to the southeastern section of Lake Okeechobe.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Right, it was like the whole bottom of Florida.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Yeah, it was almost like the biggest state county. Yeah.
And every one of the counties we know of south
of Lake Okachobe, who was one or another related to
broken off or broken the second time off to become
their own counties, all from Daatee County. So Skillett the
ex slave, the Maccarese, they catch more than a hundred
(18:47):
miles they plant to sell it in the Gulf Coast
Upunk to Russa eighteen sixty seven. Lucky Lucky Tobias. What's
the first thing that hits them on the way on
the first drive a hurricane. They drowned our entire herd.
Now he's got nothing. The hurricane wiped out they heard,
(19:09):
all hundred cows, wiped up the little plantation. He grew
the farm, and I had to start over again. But
this is the land of opportunity. So the next summer,
mcavee tries it again with the larger hell I heard,
and with the help of two drifters, Frog and Bonzo.
The drivers have success. This is eight mid eighteen sixties.
(19:32):
Now remember no trains, no fences, not et central Florida.
What he got Indians and everything else. By eighteen seventy
five the mcavee cattle Company, Tobias is driving up to
three thousand cows a year across Florida, no fences, just
(19:54):
literally it's a drive. They're delivering to cows to Key.
Remember Keith Tiger, the Indi seminole through this village and
Zach who's Zach, that was Tobias's son. Well, he falls
in love again. You know, you gotta have love story
in these books, and there really was a beautiful story.
(20:16):
So Zach follows in love with a Seminole woman named
Tawanda Cyprus. Well back in central Florida, Zach. Now, so
when I say fell in love, they had a courtship,
they made love and so on. So back now Zach
has to go back with his daddy Tobias, back to
where they live, and Zach courts a woman named Glenda
(20:39):
Turner who he marries and on the summer cattle drive
subsequent after eighteenth in the sixties and seventies, Glenda suffers
on his carriage and she dies and Zach travels to
the village Emino Village and he and Towandah again hook
(21:03):
up make love. Eighteen eighty three, Glenda's still alive. You know,
I said she passed away. I jumped the gun. So Glenda,
his wife gives a birth to our son named sal
remember the name Sal. Over the next ten years eighteen
eighty three eighteen ninety three is railroad and lumber tycoons
(21:25):
purchased wide swaths of the frontier. They're buying a lot
of land. The mcaves really spend and devote most most
of the time and resources to grow. Now they're decided.
In addition to the cattle drives which now getting a
little bit more difficult because of the lumber and the
railroad tycoons literally tying up the land. So what they're
(21:49):
doing is they start growing orange trees. So while the
mcaveees aren't put the russa in eighteen ninety two, nine
years again, guess what sacked again that little boy. He
travels back to Seminole village and he discovers guess what
He's got a nine year old son with Towanda the
(22:11):
Seminold Indian and it's named is Toby. Toby. That's Zach's
father's name. So before he departs, he and Towanda have
another a second fling. On the way back to the homestead,
Emma and I don't remember who Emma is. I'm sorry,
(22:34):
suffers a fatal Oh, Tobias's wife, Zack's mother suffers a
fatal heart attack. That winter, co Snap freezes all the
orange trees back of his own of business. Again. Tobias
tries to save the trees, and tobias daddy dies of pneumonia.
So now Zach, he's a leader of the pack. He's
(22:56):
the mclave in charge. And when a group of Seminoles
arrived to pay the respects, guess what, Zach learns that
Twanda died. That's his seminole girlfriend. She died giving birth
to us, his stillborn baby. In eighteen ninety six, Zach
(23:18):
is shot in the foot while staging a raid against bushwhackers,
the bad guys. He and Saul I remember who saw
As the son visit the seminole village, medicine man extracts
the bullet, and sal and Toby are now bonded as
half brothers. By eighteen ninety eight, Ah, we're going to
(23:41):
take a break. What a perfect time. So now they're
pretty much out of the cattle business, and now they're
changing back into the groves business. We're going to take
a break, and when we come back, we'll tell you
from eighteen ninety eight on. Remember I started the story
as the book does nineteen sixty eight. So we'll take
(24:04):
a break. I hope I'm turning you onto this book.
I am. I you know I'm a prolific reader glacomanol
and I've read a lot of books all my life.
This is one of the best books I've ever read.
We'll be right back, and you can always reach me
at ninety five four five five seven six two two six.
I have two of these softcover books available, first come,
(24:27):
first serve one condition you read it and pass it
on to somebody else. We'll be right back. The bookworms
are veterans Voice radio
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