Jeffrey’s passion for playing outside began in the 1970’s and evolved when he moved to Clearwater, FL. As a youth he canoed with his Dad and cooked outside in the backyard; the father and son duo backpacked through mountainous hiking trails as Boy Scouts
Why the old ways still matter
FloridaOATS began as Florida Outdoor Adventures Thrive & Survive. It grew from my life outdoors and from Liquid Rhythm Kayaking, the website I started in 2007. The question here has become more deliberate: why do these skills, places, and traditions deserve to be remembered?
I am Jeffrey John Fabiszewski. I write about Florida’s waterways, outdoor heritage, camp cooking, family, and the responsibilities that come with enjoying a place. My studies in history, American studies, cultural anthropology, and existential philosophy help shape the questions. The answers often begin with people and their ordinary work.
A paddle, a repaired stove, or a family recipe carries more than practical instructions. Someone used it, learned its limits, and passed something worthwhile along. I want to preserve that knowledge without pretending every familiar practice remains the right choice today.
Our five editorial departments are Florida Waters & Forgotten Places, Heritage & the Old Ways, The Backcountry Kitchen, Outdoor Reflections, and Self Reliance & Stewardship. Together they make room for history, place, useful judgment, and the pleasure of a good story.
Food is as important as the love of family gathered around the campfire. There is room here for the meal and the people who taught us to make it, as well as the work of leaving a decent campsite afterward.
For current kayaking lessons, practical instruction, and scheduling, visit Liquid Rhythm Kayaking. FloridaOATS explores the history, meaning, and responsibility behind those skills. The first aid reading guide introduces our safety articles and explains their limits.
Read my author biography, explore the editorial departments, or contribute a story worth preserving. The old ways survive when somebody takes the trouble to pass them on.
Past Experiences
BSA: (1985 – present)
Bill Jacksons Shop for Adventure: Sales (2014 – present)
National On-Water Standards: (2015 – 2017)
Sweetwater Kayaks: Guides & Coaches (2010 – 2014)
Osprey Bay Outdoors: Kayak Instructors & Guided Day Trip Leaders (April 2001 – 2014; guest lectures and expedition promotion continued afterward)
H2Outfitters in Maine: Instructor (2012)
Expedition: Calusa Blue Ways (2011)
Expedition: Suwannee River (2009)
Expedition: Florida Keys (2008 & 2009)
Extremity Games: Florida (2008)
Circumnavigation: Pinellas County (2007)
A connected history: Team Topa Honu
Team Topa Honu is part of the outdoor history behind these pages. Sean Fitzgibbon’s vision connected paddling with outreach for people living with limb loss. The historical archive preserves the purpose and surviving accounts. FloridaOATS carries the stories; Liquid Rhythm Kayaking is the place for current paddling instruction.
Contemporary accounts: Kevin and Peggy
These accounts preserve how friends and participants experienced the early trips. Kevin’s reports and Peggy’s participant review have different authors and roles. They are linked as dated historical sources.
January 16, 2009 — Kevin (Kayakkev), Posting Progress. Kevin announced his shore-side reporting for the Keys expedition. He recorded lending Jeff his wooden Expedition Single kayak and helping Sean acquire an Atlantis MisT. His contribution included equipment and keeping people ashore informed.
January 18–23, 2009 — Kevin (Kayakkev), Where the Boys Are. These dispatches were assembled from calls with the paddlers. Kevin’s original includes a January 23 return-home update that is absent from the copy preserved on Team Topa Honu. Read it alongside Jeff’s January 24 account, which explains the weather delays at Long Key State Park and the decision to return home.
May 19, 2009 — Kevin (Kayakkev), Upcoming Paddles. Kevin announced Sean and Jeff’s return to offering trips, including a June 20 outing on the Chassahowitzka River. This is a dated trip announcement, not a current schedule.
June 21, 2009 — Peggy (KayakPeg), Liquid Rhythm Is Up and Running!. Writing as a participant, Peggy described the June 20 Chassahowitzka paddle: personal attention from Jeff and Sean, their knowledge and humor, and a homemade lunch prepared by Sean and Shelly. This account was written by KayakPeg and published on Kayakkev’s blog.
Peggy’s description of an inaugural outing refers to that June 2009 trip. It does not change the distinction between Jeff and Sean’s working partnership, which began in 2001, and the Liquid Rhythm Kayaking name and website, which began in 2007.
Peggy’s own publication of the June 2009 trip review
Peggy (KayakPeg) published Liquid Rhythm Is Up and Running! on her own blog on July 5, 2009. It recounts the June 20 Chassahowitzka River paddle with Jeff Fabiszewski and Sean Fitzgibbon, including their guiding, humor, and the lunch prepared by Sean and Shelly.
The same review appeared on Kevin’s blog on June 21, 2009. These are two publications of one participant account, not separate endorsements. Peggy’s old Trips.html link now reaches our restored trips landing page. Current classes and scheduling are listed on our instruction page.
For more of Peggy’s camping and paddling memories with Sean, see the companion-reading section on Sean’s biography.
Follow Sean Fitzgibbon’s Solid Ground Survival and Bushcraft on Instagram (@solid_ground_sb) for his outdoor skills and bushcraft work.
Sean’s continuing outdoor education
Sean Fitzgibbon completed the UF/IFAS Florida Master Naturalist Program course in Environmental Interpretation, earning a Certificate of Completion for 24 contact hours dated November 4, 2026.
Read Sean’s biography for the certificate, photographs, and his next training update.
