The Simple Gifts: Life in Oviedo Florida
2025 Drawing the Lines of History
The song “Simple Gifts” is the 1848 Shaker song written by Brackett and Village. The song is performed magnificently by Aaron Copland. Simple Gifts is the sound of folks pioneering through farming and industry. It is the sound of all races of people building a simple life in a rural farming town in a large, beautiful, developing country. Simple Gifts is the sound of workers farming, car manufacturing, tall buildings rising, and railways running across America. Oviedo’s history is that of a simple, small rural town that looks like America. Regular folk, working, gathering, and making a good decent living while creating history, and the greatest country in the world. The song goes like this:
'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free, 'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right, 'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained, To bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed,
To turn, turn will be our delight, Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.
What I'm working on now...
The Exhibit is called:
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Simple Gifts - Life in Oviedo, Florida
Completed the work for the Solo Exhibit for the City of Oviedo. The opening of the exhibition will be on May 5, 2025 at 6:30pm, in Chambers, City Hall. The exhibit is open until September 3, 2025. All the art is for sale. Oviedo is my hometown, so I'm excited about the exhibit. Thanks Father God; You are way too good to me!
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Another Day on the Farm
Farming was the business of the day. Florida was producing enough oranges to help feed the world. There was always farm work to be done, until the 1960's when people started working for hospitals, governments and various other small businesses. Florida not so rural anymore, not with Miami and our own Winter Park being the hang out places for the rich and famous.
Slavik's Oviedo Garage
As a little girl I could remember driving by this garage and there was always cars to be repaired, people getting gasoline and it was busy. However, the garage was there everyday as a sign of the small town growing.
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The Browdy's Store
Browdy's Store was in the heart of the 'square', it was owned and operated by Saul Browdy. People frequent that store night and day. Everyone knew each other and there was always something happening at the Store
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Downtown Oviedo in the Early 1900's
These pictures were taken around the early 1900s, when Oviedo was known as a saloon town, much like the ones depicted in Western movies. It was small, and everyone knew everyone. Celery and citrus farming was the business of this little town. Now, although it is still small, it is still visible on 'the map'.
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The Celery Farmer
Growing up in Oviedo, there were farms and produce being grown every where. I particularly loved oranges and especially tangerines, still love them. This is a very old photograph of Joe Lee with a truck pack full of produce for delivery; the produce is probably celery.
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The Oviedo Train Depot
It's hard to believe, but Oviedo had a train Depot. I got this photo from the City of Oviedo....its priceless! This is my favorite piece in this collection.
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The Lawton House Oviedo Florida
When I was nine years old, my Mom and Dad said to me. The government has integrated schools and you can go to a school close to home, but you have to walk home. I remember the conversation, then I asked if I could sleep longer in the morning (mind you... the 'option' to sleep in, now that I'm retired, is priceless). My answer was yes, I was going to the new school called Lawton Elementary... so I could sleep later. Walking with my cousin Val, we passed the Lawton house every day, and back then, there was a family living there. It was always a quaint little house with too much charm.
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First United Methodist Church of Oviedo Florida
On Christmas day, my nephew Miles was driving me around Oviedo to take some fun pictures of the city. We drove past this church; I took this picture from the car. However, I remember walking by this church when I was in fourth grade, coming from Lawton Elementary. This drawing is of the First United Methodist Church. I loved the tree and especially the ‘bark.’
