Florida Flea Market - Last Chance for Florida Giveaway Entry

One of the highlights of my stay in Florida was the access to garage sales and flea markets. Up here in Wisconsin the weather is just getting nice enough for such things. There's a really gianormous flea market between Milwaukee and Racine on Highway 41 called the 7 Mile Fair - you really should plan to stop in if you're in that area some weekend.
Back in Florida, I located a flea market not far from where I stayed in Ocala. It was advertised as a "Super" flea market but there wasn't too much to it. (Maybe they, too, are somewhat seasonal?) The following week I saw an ad for a flea market about an hour to the north of Ocala on Highway 301 in Waldo. Somewhere between Gainesville and Starke. My sister-in-law and I headed up there to check it out on the weekend and it was so much fun that I went back the following weekend and I made sure I had the camera along with me.



The flea market in Waldo was so much bigger than the one in Ocala, even with a portion of the stalls empty. It was bustling with shoppers and brimming with all kinds of goodies. The fresh fruit and vegetables were beautiful and priced just right. I couldn't resist loading up on a few bags to bring home to Mom. Yum!







Vendors were assembled both indoors and outdoors with their wares. Some of them looked like thay had been in the same spot for years. Indeed, the old guy with the architectural goodies looked like he could have lived there among the maze of stuff he had on display.





I was surprised to see vendors from many states other than Florida. There were, of course, some from the southern states but also from farther north like Minnesota, New York and even Wisconsin.


On my first trip to Waldo I met a vendor named Cindy Cross who had all kinds of lovely old photographs, ephemera, rusty hardware, skeleton keys, etc. I only picked up a few things knowing that I would have to carry whatever I purchased back with me on the plane. After I got back to mom's I thought I should go back and pick up more the following weekend and ship my treasures home by mail. Unfortunately, Cindy was nowhere to be seen when I returned. If you happen to stop by this flea market sometime, look for Cindy's stall. She also sells some nice western boots.


I was able to find some excellent vintage post cards a great old typewriter, buttons, coins and other assorted bargains and ship them back to the Weller Store. Now it's time to get ready to open the store in May! I'm excited about all the new things we'll have to offer this year!

Don't forget to leave a comment for the giveaway! (You may leave a comment on each Florida post.) Drawing will be held sometime during the evening of Monday, April 20th. Add my blog to your Google Reader so you won't miss the announcement of the winner. Good Luck!

EASTER BLESSINGS!

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

TGIF! And another chance to win the giveaway!

Friday is finally here! I'll be heading down to the big city to pick up my college student for a nice, long Easter weekend. Before I go, here are a few more shots from Central Florida...

OK - so these are orchids - and they're indoors. They were growing by the swimming pool and I couldn't resist taking several pictures of them. Technically, they're growing in Florida, so commenting on this blog gets you another chance to win the giveaway!

Finally! Fabulous Florida Fotos!

After a long and unsuccessful search for the missing camera cable and a couple of snafus at the photo shop, I finally have the pictures on a CD and can upload them to the blog.

This also means the blog giveaway has officially begun. Just comment on one (or all) of the Florida posts and I will randomly choose a winner. The prize package includes some vintage Florida post cards, a couple of ads from the 1950s for a free Florida vacation book and Rainbow Lakes Estates in Ocala, and a jar of YUMMY tangerine marmalade. Be sure to give me some way to reach you if you win.


Today's selection of photos include palm trees, oranges and flowers! I went a bit crazy with the flower pictures - it was so wonderful to see spring after leaving gargantuan piles of snow behind in Wisconsin. There's still no sign of color around here except for a few green sprouts making their way into the light. We should see some crocus blooms soon I should think.
The azaleas were just about finished blooming when I arrived. Still, they were a delight to me!
Of course, when a Northern gal is down in Florida it would be a shame to come home with no proof that she saw any orange groves. So here you go...






The only amaryllis plants we see way up here are in pots - it was lovely to see tons of them all over town just popping right out the ground.

Just in Time for the Easter festivities

Ms Cora Bond and Ms Willie L. Dutton arrived yesterday and just in time to help us celebrate Easter on Sunday! Cora and Willie came from Suze Persechino's blog giveaway and they are just as cute as can be!! You can see them on her blog here: http://junquedrawerchick.blogspot.com/2009/03/march-giveawaymeet-ms-cora-and-ms.html

Thanks Suze! They are so wonderful!!

My giveaway - I'm convinced that I lost my camera cable somewhere between here and NYC so I'm going to have a CD made tomorrow. I've been dying to post the Florida photos and start the giveaway. In the meantime, I found a vintage ad for property in Florida that I will add to the goodies. So, c'mon back!

My First BLOG GIVEAWAY!!

I'm finally back home from Florida and there are still lots of dirty little piles of snow about. But I'm not going to let that stop me from seeing signs of spring! There are green shoots of plants popping out of the ground all over the garden and there seem to be more birds flitting around. Those are good enough signs for me!

Now, for the giveaway...

I have a few small items from Florida to give away on my blog this month. The package will contain some vintage post cards from Florida and a jar of some yummy tangerine marmalade. All you have to do is leave a comment on one of the posts with pictures from Florida. You can comment on each post for extra chances to win. Be sure to leave me some way to contact you if you are the winner - send me an e if you do not want to leave your email address out on the comment.

So...... just as soon as I find the cable for my camera so I can download the photos, I'll start posting them on the blog. I know it's here somewhere....

Stay tuned....

Oh, by the way...

Here are a few other shots I took in NYC. While walking down Broadway near Washington Square, I came across a nice piece of urban mosaic on this lamp post. I had heard that there were some folks filling in sidewalk cracks with mosaic work but I never did stumble across any of those. ('scuse the pun!)




Many of the older buildings still have the old water towers on top - seems a little incongruous among all the shiny new structures.

Lincoln Center around dusk. There was a lot of reconstruction going on around LC and Julliard. Looks like they were just about to be wrapping it all up when I was there, though all the plywood walls and barricades were still in place.




The next post will have some photos from sunny Florida! Watch for my Florida giveaway!!

The Rest of the Story from NYC

As promised, here are some more photos from my brief stay in the Big Apple. Starting with Central Park.





























This is, of course, only a wee small corner of the more than 250 acres of green in the middle of Manhattan known as Central Park.

Even in the latter days of Winter, when the trees are still bare and the grass is a dormant shade of brown, it is a beautiful place for a stroll.

There are even some brave, blanketed souls who opt for a ride in one of the famous carriages.
















The architectural detail that is evident in the park's structures is also a treat for the eye. It seems that everywhere one looks in New York something interesting pops out in the most unusual place. Stay tuned for one of those interesting sights in my next blog!

HAPPY ST PADDY'S DAY!!

My Grandad used to say, "There are only two kinds of people in the world - those that are Irish and those that wish to be Irish". Whichever ye be I wish ye a Happy St Paddy's Day!

Eibhlin

Attractive Opposites

The opposite of rural is urban and New York City is about as urban as it gets. While I love the beauty of our setting in the Village of Rural and most all of Wisconsin, I have to admit there is a different kind of beauty in the cities.

A couple of weeks ago I spent some time in Manhattan with my daughter while on the way to stay with my mother in Florida while she has surgery. (My daughter, the journalism student, is an editorial intern at Popular Science magazine until the end of this month.) While she was at work I did some walking and, when I remembered to take my camera along with me, took some photos.

The tiny apartment my daughter shares with a roommate is one and one-half blocks from the Hudson River - where the US Airways passenger plane ditched recently. Judging by the proximity of the bridge to the pier, I imagine it first hit the water very close to where I was standing.




The Hudson looks enormous when compared to our clear and sparkling little Crystal River!



Near the pier, along the East side of the Hudson are the remnants of the New York Central Railroad 69th Street Transfer Bridge. An interesting site now on the National Register of Historic Places - as are many of the buildings in Rural.








The park that runs between the trails and the river is a nice spot to sit and enjoy the view of the boats on the water, even though the sound of the rushing traffic above is a clear reminder that this is still the big city.



Once out of the park and up on street level again, the glistening giants of some of the Trump buildings inspire a bit of a different kind of awe. The clean, sleek lines of the more modern towers in the city certainly give off an aura of power and prosperity, however, they are not nearly as interesting to me as some of the older, more ornate examples of big city architecture.







Churches, in particular, are a treasure trove of the most intricate and beautiful architectural detail. It is awesome to think of the time and talent that went into the planning and execution of these marvelous structures.







Some residential buildings also have very attractive architectural elements. This building on Central Park (above), I was told by another photographer, is the home of celebrities like Madonna and Paul Simon.

Central Park itself has quite a number of fascinating details in the formation of the walls and overpasses that adorn various parts of the area. Stay tuned for more photos....