Within the park there is a unique restaurant, the Old Spanish Sugar Mill, a do-it-yourself pancake place so popular that there is a sign at the ranger station at the park entrance telling how long the wait is! A griddle is in the middle of the table, there are two kinds of pancake batter, and the spring is just outside...where was Ponce!
After breakfast we went for a walk (waddle?) to see one of the oldest bald cypress trees in Florida -- Old Methuselah is 400 - 500 years old.
We also found a newly hatched luna moth on the path trying to warm up.
We hopped into the car and drove north to Barberville and Barberville Produce...as you can see, they sell more than produce. They produce a great deal of STUFF! Definitely a 10 on the unique-o-meter.
Gayle found another chicken for her collection; unfortunately, we couldn't fit it in the trunk. While I was gawking at the incredible collection of STUFF, I took a shot in the head from flailing zebra hooves, but I recovered quickly.
Steve thought this cannon would be great for working out neighbor problems, but again, fit-in-the-trunk issues.Next stop -- a car ferry across the St. John's River. It took about 10 minutes to find the pilot, 10 minutes to cross the river, and a $10 fee. Also a 10 on the unique-o-meter.
We then continued on to Mt. Dora for a walk around town and lunch, consisting of a scoop of ice cream. Those pancakes were still riding solidly in our tummies!
Lawn bowling..."We're more refined than bocce ball." And a lot older. Median age was 73.5, they had to wear white, and were very friendly. I think they were looking for more (younger) converts to the game who would then sit on benches watching a large elliptical ball - the bowl - roll s l o w l y toward the jack, a tennis ball sized white ball which is the target. And you get to say snappy quips as the bowl rolls s l o w l y toward the jack. Like, "Too much lawn" for a wide shot, or "Not enough arm" when it's short, or "It's in the ditch" when it goes way too far. My favorite -- When a bowl looks like it will be really close to the jack, you start vocalizing an "Oh" sound quiet and low. As the bowl gets closer, your "Oh" crescendos and slides up the scale. Then they cap off a good shot by actually standing up and doing the wave. Once. Wow. When about 40 old people do this it's another 10 on the unique-o-meter.
Lawn bowling..."We're more refined than bocce ball." And a lot older. Median age was 73.5, they had to wear white, and were very friendly. I think they were looking for more (younger) converts to the game who would then sit on benches watching a large elliptical ball - the bowl - roll s l o w l y toward the jack, a tennis ball sized white ball which is the target. And you get to say snappy quips as the bowl rolls s l o w l y toward the jack. Like, "Too much lawn" for a wide shot, or "Not enough arm" when it's short, or "It's in the ditch" when it goes way too far. My favorite -- When a bowl looks like it will be really close to the jack, you start vocalizing an "Oh" sound quiet and low. As the bowl gets closer, your "Oh" crescendos and slides up the scale. Then they cap off a good shot by actually standing up and doing the wave. Once. Wow. When about 40 old people do this it's another 10 on the unique-o-meter.
Of course, the leprechauns were out in Mt. Dora. It was St. Patrick's Day! This one was playing oldies in front of a very empty "All Things Irish" store. All the Irish and wanna-be Irish were in the bars drinking green beer. And that's a final 10 on the meter! What a great day!
