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!

Blue Willow

When I was a teenager I began collecting blue willow china.


A romantic at heart, I loved the story behind the painting on the dishes:

"The Romantic Fable: Once there was a wealthy Mandarin, who had a beautiful daughter (Koong-se). She had fallen in love with her father's humble accounting assistant (Chang), angering her father (it was inappropriate for them to marry due to their difference in social class). He dismissed the young man and built a high fence around his house to keep the lovers apart. The Mandarin was planning for his daughter to marry a powerful Duke. The Duke arrived by boat to claim his bride, bearing a box of jewels as a gift. The wedding was to take place on the day the blossom fell from the willow tree.

"On the eve of the daughter's wedding to the Duke, the young accountant, disguised as a servant, slipped into the palace unnoticed. As the lovers escaped with the jewels, the alarm was raised. They ran over a bridge, chased by the Mandarin, whip in hand. They eventually escaped on the Duke's ship to the safety of a secluded island, where they lived happily for years. But one day, the Duke learned of their refuge. Hungry for revenge, he sent soldiers, who captured the lovers and put them to death. The Gods, moved by their plight, transformed the lovers into a pair of doves (possibly a later addition to the tale, since the birds do not appear on the earliest willow pattern plates)." ~ From Wikipedia.

I don't know what happened to my blue willow china collection -- I suppose I sold it or gave it away over the years when I married and selected my own china pattern. But like all good collecters, we sometimes miss those sweet memories when they are gone. So I couldn't resist buying a Blue Willow plate at an antique shop in Moss Landing last week. It rests in my dining room hutch now, reminding me of that beautiful love story.

Visit to Moss Landing

Inspired by the VIA magazine article, Ash and I decided to go antiquing in Moss Landing on our way to Santa Cruz last weekend. Moss Landing is very small and very rustic, but the antique shops offer something for everyone. (I used to work for the small building in the very right border of this photo above.)

The main street as you enter into town -- this is the street with the antique shops, the new post office, and a few restaurants. To the left are the power plant towers -- not pretty, but a landmark as you travel along Hwy. 1.

Each shop is unique:
Not to be missed is this antique shop with a wide variety of inventory:

Little surprises await you as you walk through town:


Beyond the picket fence are old abandoned ships and boats:



Of course, there are other pursuits besides antiquing at Moss Landing. It is home to this lovely harbor, where boats simply round the bend to slip into the Pacific Ocean. It is also home to Moss Landing Marine Laboratory, which is teaming with research -- check out their blog at Moss Landing Marine Lab.
It is also adjacent to the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Reserve. We plan to go kayaking there this year.

To really learn about this unique area, check out the Pelicannetwork!