Winter Park

A Saturday in town…

It was too late to drive back to the beach on Friday night, so I stayed in town and spent today with my sister. Maitland and Winter Park are interesting places to spend time, so finding things to do was no problem, and it provided the chance to knockabout with my sister, always a pleasure.

There was a farmer’s market in Winter Park, and a visit several years ago guaranteed there would be a lot to see. Even without the farmer’s market, Winter Park is a beautiful little ‘town’ to stroll through, window shop and maybe have a bite of lunch or a cool drink. No mistaking the fact that it is a posh area geared toward people who don’t mind spending a little money, but you don’t have to spend anything to enjoy an hour or two of walking around.

The farmer’s market is a dazzling array of fruit, vegetables, plants, flowers and herbs. There are places to have smoothies, coffee or tea, and a fairly wide selection of things like breads, bagels and other such, plus cheeses, honey, jams and jellies, and even a counter lined with exotic kinds of quiche. There was one vendor featuring homemade relishes and pickled vegetables that I couldn’t get past without sampling a bunch of different relishes. They were all knock out good and I ended up buying three jars—pickled red peppers, pickled corn relish and cabbage salad—all made with fresh ingredients, all pure, all chemical-free.

Later, at Barnes & Noble my sister bought the delightful book by Clyde Edgerton, Walking Across Egypt, and I got a copy of the just released Jonathan Frazen novel, Freedom.

Turning beachward in mid-afternoon, I filled up the gas tank, paying 21¢ a gallon LESS than what the same gas costs at the beach.

Back at the beach, I discovered it crawling-jumping-hopping with weekend visitors. And how I long for Tuesday, the return to a quiet beach empty of people.