Black Gold and Silver Sands: A Pictorial History of Agriculture in Palm Beach County

Abiding faith and dogged determination were the main motivators as a handful of hardscrabble farmers began transforming tracts of sand, saw grass, swamp and muck land into the agribusiness infrastructure that underpins Palm Beach County, Florida today. Black Gold and Silver Sands, with over 250 photographs from museums and family collections, tells the county’s dramatic history of farming from the days of the hardy pioneers who grew pumpkins and pineapples on the shores of Lake Worth. In this handsome coffee table book, you’ll read diaries, letters and personal interviews that describe the faith and fortitude of those who endured sun, spoilage, frost, floods, hurricanes and other hardships in building what would soon become one of the nation’s most agriculturally productive counties.

Silver Sands beach near Mallaig on the west coast of Scotland. This was a beautiful warm sunday, a gorgeous white sandy beach. The perfect place. Canon EOS 5D MKII, Canon 17-40mm, F16, 17mm, ISO50, Exp 1/10 Second Lee Pro Glass 0.9, Lee Soft Grad 0.75 Raw File Processed in Lightroom, Edited in Elements. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without asking my written permission. All rights reserved.....© Brian Kerr Photography 2011 PLEASE ONLY COMMENT OR FAVE IF YOU ACTUALLY LIKE MY PHOTOGRAPHS, I HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE ADD ME AS A CONTACT, I DO TRY TO LOOK AT AS MANY IMAGES AS I CAN, BUT PLEASE BE AWARE I AM NOT ABLE TO SIT FOR HOURS LOOKING AT THOUSANDS OF IMAGES, I DO APPRECIATE ALL COMMENTS AND FAVES, THANKYOU.

Silver Sands beach, Aldinga, Fleureiu Peninsula, South Australia. BTW you gotta love the logic of bureaucrats. Let's build houses on the sandhills & rip up all the native flora so we can lay bitumen roads................ but god forbid, we can't allow cars on the flat baren sands of the beaches!!!!!!! You don't have to look far for a moron, just head to your local council offices or office of a member of parliament. And I can't say that I'm overly impressed with the results or many elements of the shot. Needless to say, I didn't achieve what I set out for. I think I need to return here with a tripod & flash.

For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, a frightening, yet awe-inspiring story unravels as archaeologists race against time to decipher an ancient truth...

A deep probing mystery riddled with prophecy and danger, Secret of the Sands uses Egypt and her mythology as a backdrop to delve into the meanings of life and religion. -McNally Robinson

Rai Aren and Tavius E. have crafted a fast-paced, exciting novel overflowing with mystery and intrigue. The tension is constant. The characters are fully developed. And the plot is gripping. Ancient history and present day relevance are so expertly intertwined, that you forget you are reading a work of fiction. -Thomas Phillips, author of The Molech Prophecy


A Prophecy was Told...

An ancient prophecy, thousands of years old, told of the coming of the Chosen one, but she will be both loved and feared, and some will stop at nothing to defy everything she represents

A Secret Long Buried...

A secret power that once proved too deadly, was hidden away deep beneath the sands of Egypt, only to be revealed by its sworn guardians when the time came that the knowledge would be safe

A Deadly Riddle is Unlocked...

Two young archaeologists fatefully unearth unusual artifacts dating over 12,000 years old. The exhilarating find however, is wrong - very wrong. The artifacts shouldn't be there...they shouldn't even exist at all

A Power Unleashed...

Now after remaining dormant for 12,000 years, the secret has been uncovered, and its true purpose suspected. What will be the greatest discovery in human history will either change us forever or destroy us for trying...


Secret of the Sands is a unique cross-genre novel with a double-storyline. The genres it encompasses are mystery, suspense, archaeology adventure, & historical fiction, combined with an element of speculative sci-fi. The story revolves around Great Sphinx of Giza & alternate theories about its age & origins. The novel weaves a new (fictional) chapter to ancient Egyptian history with an explanation for the true origin & purpose of the mysterious & enigmatic Great Sphinx.

For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, a frightening, yet awe-inspiring story unravels as archaeologists race against time to decipher an ancient truth...

A deep probing mystery riddled with prophecy and danger, Secret of the Sands uses Egypt and her mythology as a backdrop to delve into the meanings of life and religion. -McNally Robinson

Rai Aren and Tavius E. have crafted a fast-paced, exciting novel overflowing with mystery and intrigue. The tension is constant. The characters are fully developed. And the plot is gripping. Ancient history and present day relevance are so expertly intertwined, that you forget you are reading a work of fiction. -Thomas Phillips, author of The Molech Prophecy


A Prophecy was Told...

An ancient prophecy, thousands of years old, told of the coming of the Chosen one, but she will be both loved and feared, and some will stop at nothing to defy everything she represents

A Secret Long Buried...

A secret power that once proved too deadly, was hidden away deep beneath the sands of Egypt, only to be revealed by its sworn guardians when the time came that the knowledge would be safe

A Deadly Riddle is Unlocked...

Two young archaeologists fatefully unearth unusual artifacts dating over 12,000 years old. The exhilarating find however, is wrong - very wrong. The artifacts shouldn't be there...they shouldn't even exist at all

A Power Unleashed...

Now after remaining dormant for 12,000 years, the secret has been uncovered, and its true purpose suspected. What will be the greatest discovery in human history will either change us forever or destroy us for trying...


Secret of the Sands is a unique cross-genre novel with a double-storyline. The genres it encompasses are mystery, suspense, archaeology adventure, & historical fiction, combined with an element of speculative sci-fi. The story revolves around Great Sphinx of Giza & alternate theories about its age & origins. The novel weaves a new (fictional) chapter to ancient Egyptian history with an explanation for the true origin & purpose of the mysterious & enigmatic Great Sphinx.