Florida – A Land Remembered

August 21, 2023 All Patrick Smith Books, Florida, Florida Happenings, Stories No Comments

1928 Hurricane Devastation as told in ‘A Land Remembered’

A lot of news has been focused on hurricanes lately, and it certainly has caught my attention. As of August 2023, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center on Thursday upgraded the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season forecast to an above-normal level of activity. For people living in Florida, this is not good news. Hurricanes are nothing new to […]

April 18, 2023 All Patrick Smith Books, Florida, Stories One Comment

What it was Like for Florida Settlers in 1860

In Patrick Smith’s novel, A Land Remembered, settlers come to Florida in 1858. Let’s take a look at what they endured: Life for settlers in Florida in 1860 was marked by numerous challenges, including oppressive heat, rampant mosquito populations, limited access to fresh water, and a lack of reliable bathing facilities. Did they stink? Yeah, […]

March 28, 2023 All Patrick Smith Books, Florida, Florida Happenings, Stories No Comments

Life In Florida Now And Back Then

Sometimes we forget how good we have it. At least, I do. If you have read books like A Land Remembered, you realize how hard life was for the early settlers. It’s romantic to think you’d like to live in that rugged time, but to them, it wasn’t romantic. It was just hard. Let’s take […]

October 10, 2022 All Patrick Smith Books, Florida No Comments

Welcome to Florida Interview with Rick Smith

In late September I was honored to be interviewed for a podcast in a series titled Welcome To Florida. That episode aired on October 4, 2022. The topic I covered? The book A Land Remembered and my dad, Patrick D. Smith. You can listen to that episode here. Welcome To Florida is the brainchild of best-selling author, […]

November 27, 2019 Florida No Comments

Did The First Thanksgiving Happen In Florida?

Florida is first in a lot of ways. It had the first cattle industry in the U.S. The first citrus industry in America. And of course the first U.S. space industry. Now I found that it also may have had the first Thanksgiving feast! Thanks to the History Channel for bringing this to my attention […]

October 16, 2019 Florida No Comments

What Was A Florida Cattle Drive Like?

Ever wonder what a Florida cattle drive was like in the 1800s? While you get a good glimpse of it in A Land Remembered, there is a group of diehard cowboys and others who actually go on one once a year. And you can experience it too from the comfort of your home. The Great […]