Valerean

My guy and I decided to get out for some fresh air, much needed after being homebound for two weeks, and headed out for a nice lunch and some wandering around Wildwood, home of one of our favorite antique malls. This mall is huge, has lots of vendors and for the most part very reasonable prices. I saw several good-condition vintage quilts that tempted me, but I'm trying not to add to my collection, which is near to overflowing its closet as it is. I loved seeing all the Halloween-themed decor the vendors put out. You can never overdo Halloween for me. :) One booth had some blind date with a cookbooks! I love this idea. The vendor packaged them with pretty potholders and hand-painted bookmarks. This would be a great gift for anyone who likes to cook. Check out more finds in the next post!

Back in June my guy and I visited Celebration, Florida to walk around town and admire some of the beautiful houses there. To see pics of our day, check out my album here .

On Monday my guy took me to spend the day in St. Augustine, one of my all-time favorite cities. If you want to see what we did, check out my album of pics here .

I've sorted out my pics from our trip to Cocoa Village, and put them in an online album you can see by clicking here . Wonderful trip for a summer day.

Yesterday my guy and I took a trip to Cocoa Village, the lovely downtown area of Cocoa, and did the walking tour of the historic buildings and homes there. Among the many wonderful places we visited was St. Mark's Episcopal church, where we were able to go inside and see the amazing stained glass and Victorian construction of the chapel. Once I have my camera sorted I'll create an online album of pics to share. After having a tasty lunch of Cuban sandwiches at Cafe de Havana, we visited Hello Again Books, the local indy book shop. As soon as I saw the wonderful message on the door I was determined to spend all my book budget for July there. Here's what I got (and yes, I went a little over budget, sue me): Bulletproof Monk by J.M. Dillard, Lego Small Parts by Aled Lewis (gift for my grand nephew), 1001 Facts That Will Scare the S#*t Out of You by Cary McNeal (gift for a friend), The Martian Contingency by Mary Robinette Kowal, History of Food by Maguelon...

Last month we went wandering and ended up in Dade City, a historic little town near Tampa that we've never visited. They have lots of interesting antique and book shops, and in one craft place I found some very neat things, like these vintage embroidered placemats. I also invested in another mystery bag. I know, I'm like a kid, but I love surprises. Got a lot for my money with this one -- and I adore the bunny kitchen towel. I don't often invest in decor, but I couldn't resist up this carrot-shaped basket filled with a variety of Easter eggs, handsewn fabric carrots and a cool mixed media bunny. We had a good time in Dade City. The owner of the craft place recommended Kafe Kokopelli for dinner, and while it's not a cheap place we both enjoyed our meals. A word of warning, the chef's shrimp scampi (which I loved) is pretty spicy!

While on one of our our road trips in July my guy and I walked around the little town of Micanopy to look at the old buildings, but also some of the private homes. I don't know why we like seeing houses so much but it's one of our favorite things to do. I loved the wrap around porch on this one. Many big older Florida homes end up becoming B & Bs, which is a great way to preserve them and also allow people to enjoy them on their travels. This is not a house but the museum where we saw the quilt I wrote about yesterday. Before it was a museum it was an old warehouse. If you're ever near Micanopy, FL it's worth stopping by and seeing the little town for yourself.

I don't take many vacations, but when I do have the time one of my favorite cities to visit is St. Augustine, which is where we went this week. Founded back in 1565 by a Spanish admiral who would become Florida's first governor, St. Augustine is pretty ancient (as far as US cities go, anyway.) The architecture of the many churches in the city, like the poured concrete structure of Grace United Methodist church, built by Henry Flagler, is unusual and often stunning. We had dinner at my favorite restaurant, The Colombia, which is basically heaven for anyone who likes Spanish cuisine. It's definitely a touristy town, but still lovely, with countless little alleyways and gorgeous spots. You can see most of the old town in a day on foot, or take a trolley ride around to look at the historic buildings. Not a bad way to spend a day with the family. :)