Florida!

Every summer my two sisters, dad and I get together -- a pact we made years ago in honor of the importance of family.  This year we went to Linda's in Orlando and it was completely relaxing.  We had no plans, just woke up each morning and said, "What shall we do today?"  No tourist traps or amusement parks for us -- we took the roads less traveled to little towns outside of the city for leisurely site seeing.

One such place was De Leon Springs Park.

Boasting that their springs were one of the places where Ponce De Leon is said to have searched for the Fountain of Youth, people still come to swim and canoe in the lake.

It was here that we also discovered the charm of the Old Spanish Sugar Mill Restaurant.

 

 

Bowls of fresh eggs and pitchers of stone ground grain pancake batter are brought to your table to pour on your griddle, built into your table.  Fresh blueberries, chocolate chips, banana slices and other tasty sides are provided to make your pancakes oh so yummy!  I highly recommend the french toast -- the batter they bring to dip your bread in is delicious.

 

The old gift shop where I bought postcards and a "Flippin' Out" t'shirt for my grand-niece....

Another day we drove to the quaint town of Mount Dora for lunch and antiquing -- main street below:

Great prices on beautiful pieces were found as we browsed through shops of old furniture and glorious patterns. After commenting on the peaceful harp music playing in the background of one shop, Linda sneaked around and bought Chris and me each a CD of it to go with the ginger bubble bath she'd given us earlier.  Heavenly!  Don't you love these open air cafes and fun names like "The Painter's Daughter?"

 Other activities we managed to fit into the week included a visit to my grand-niece's horse camp where we visited the pot-bellied pigs, donkeys, horses, and chickens galore!

 

My neice holding "Miss Chicken" -- notice the kids giving the chickens rides in the baby stoller.  They play with these chickens like I used to play with my pet cats!

A visit to my sister's gym helped us work off some of the calories we were consuming.  That's my dad -- turning age 89 in a few weeks -- and still riding a bicycle 40-50 miles each week!  Is he amazing or what?!

 Lastly we enjoyed a jolly good time at Sleuth's Mystery Dinner Theater one night. 

Highly recommend it -- slightly risque humor, great wit!