The Withlacoochee River runs begins somewhere near the middle of Florida and empties into the Gulf of Mexico at Yankeetown, Florida. The very last few miles of this river where the salt marshes mix with the fresh water has remained pristine with little development in the area. I was on a pontoon boat when I painted this for our television series. It must have been 100 degrees that day. During the painting and filming a manatee quietly swam up to the boat for a visit.