Fort Ogden / Toy Maker

Fort Ogden is a tiny agricultural (cattle and citrus) community in DeSoto county about 10 miles south-southwest of Arcadia on US 17. Like Arcadia, it was hit by Hurricane Charley on August 13th. The photo you see here (courtesy of the Sun-Herald) is of the Toy Maker's shop. The Toy Maker has been handcrafting toys since probably before I was born. His name was Chris Williams. He died this past March of cancer, and is survived by his wife, Dolores. I'd been in the shop two times that I can recall, both times when I was passing through on a bike ride. I didn't buy anything either time: I didn't much want to try to carry a toy home (I had no bike bag or panniers), and I figured there would always be a chance when I happened to be in Fort Ogden in a car. I did, however, enjoy browsing. Even as an Atari addict (we're talking 80's, here), I could appreciate the hard work (and yes, love) that the Williamses put into their toys. In an age of plastic and electronics, it's refreshing to see handmade, hand-painted wooden toys.
I remember first seeing the building as a kid, and even then it looked like it had been around a while (it's over 100 years old). Unfortunately, it was uninsured, and was pretty much destroyed by the hurricane. Damn you, Charley. Damn you.