Time to explora Mt. Dora...

 

Was looking for a place between St. Augustine and the Tampa area to meet my dear oldest (longtime, not age:)) friend. We settled on Mt. Dora after asking around for suggestions. A great choice (beat Orlando by a long shot) because of its size, location and absolute charm. A great find just under two hours away (a little longer on the return due to accident traffic). Put us there in time for a great breakfast at the Windsor Rose Tea Room (http://www.windsorrose-tearoom.com/). Just as cute and quaint as the rest of the town, great food and service and of course a nice selection of tea (even though I went for the coffee).

Not much was open before breakfast, but the area started to come alive after and we walked in and out of some stores and visited the water - next time maybe a cruise (http://www.doracanaltour.com/ - for a sample of what might be seen).

Down by the water there was the usual "Beware of..." signs, but the only alligator we saw was the statue on a dock railing. I can't say that was a disappointment, although I would like to see one from a safe distance while on a boat tour! I don't need up close and personal when I have a long lens! 

Of course, I also enjoyed the birds - didn't see much, but the usual common songbirds, herons, etc. and a duck I have seen once before (on the west coast of Florida) which I believe to be a Common Gallinule - noted mostly (in my opinion) for its red beak with the yellow tip.  

Common Gallinule

Very peaceful and pretty by the water. We sat for a short while and enjoyed the view. In addition to the birds, there was a lighthouse (of course, I liked the birds flying around the lighthouse, but couldn't capture any decent pics). As beautiful as it was, it was also bright, making it impossible for me to see the camera's screen. I probably would have done well to have my sunglasses, but of course, they were resting comfortably in my car. 

There's not a lot more for me to write, but I am rambling hoping that this terribly formatted blog site will look a little better if there are more words to wrap around the pictures.

Not sure if you get to go into the lighthouse, but it would be kinda cool for someone not afraid of heights. I don't recall noticing if there were any people milling about the lighthouse, but something worth looking into before the next visit.

Breakfast was great and I did take a couple of pics of the place, but did so on the phone and too lazy to get them onto the computer so you could see the inside, but definitely look at their website (posted above) for a glimpse into 

Some of the other buildings were great to see too - we loved the purple one and my thought was the furniture pictured here, which was one of several pieces in the window of the modern art museum and reminded me of Dr. Suess, would fit perfectly in the house. I am not a fan of modern art, or art museums in general, but the furniture in the window was fun. I can't decide if more Dr. Seuss-like or Flintstonian??

Near the purple house, there was a little park with the decorated tree and a plaque about the park and the house across the street. Nearby there were also some free-standing information boards with fun little factoids along the top. Did you know where to find the longest boardwalk in the state of Florida or where it is located? I didn't until I saw the sign! 

I did take a picture of the house across the street as mentioned in this plaque, but really there weasn't much to see. Many of the street scenes had cars and people in front and with the long lens I chose to keep on the camera, I couldn't really get into a good position far enough away so not worth posting. 

At this point I am getting so tired of trying to manipulate this blog and so I will wind up with a few pics. A more pics - the Spanish Moss and the water scene, both in the same area. The moss was on a good sized tree stand behind a set of buildings for lodging/bed & breakfast style and probably great for weddings. Super pretty area. 

Now for the street scenes. The train next to tracks was actually next to another restaurant, but can't recall any details of the restaurant. I do remember passing by a place that touted meat as its claim to fame and we bypassed stopping at that one - might have been the one by the tracks, but really don't remember.

Overall, great company, great food, and great weather (even though the drive started off gray!) for walking around. Can't wait to do it again!

As for this blog page - way too long and too much effort to move the pictures around. Some day I'll find a new site! I just need so much text to make the pictures stay in any reasonable pattern and even with this rambling it will still look terrible when published!

Spanish Moss