DADE CITY, FLORIDA

January 18-23, 2012

Travelers Rest Resort on Johnston Road in Dade City, Florida is a popular site for retired RV campers. It has a 9-hole golf course, an Olympic size pool, library, ponds for model sail boat racing, clubhouse, and lovely gardens. Tim’s sister and brother in law, Mary Lou and Scorchy, have a 37 ft. camper and comfortable cabana with full bath on lot in this park. There is an additional area with homes for retirement living here, too. With temperatures in the high 60s and mid 70s, it is easy to see why people enjoy central Florida this time of year! By the way, we awake to sandhill cranes whistling every morning.
Wednesday, January 18: We explored antique shops in Dade City. I bought a student lamp.

Thursday, January 19:        We went to a Zephyrhills flea market and I bought used paperback books
Friday, January 20:              Renninger’s Antique Extravaganza in Mt. Dora. I bought a Franciscan Apple relish dish for $6-a real steal. There are hundreds of vendors with everything from Tiffany aurene glass to Star Wars figures. My favorite food vendor sells something I absolutely love, the gran arepa, a little corn “pancake” with mozzarella cheese stuffed inside—a Columbian food. The permanent antique shops are worth visiting too. This is the best and biggest antique show we go to. I should have bought the wire tiered garden stand with grape design for $18. A reason to return next year! We had dinner at Pancho’s Villa in San Antonio.

Saturday, January 21:          The Shops at Wiregrass is an outdoor mall in Wesley Chapel. Dillards, Macy’s, Penney’s, Chicos, Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, are some favorite places to shop. The arts and craft festival there was an extra bonus, and so was the Mexican restaurant where we ate, Cantina Laredo.

                                                 Later we went to Bushnell, Florida, to visit our cruise friends, Sue and Jim from Nova Scotia, at Paradise Oaks RV Resort. Cruise friend Brian figured out that we were in the same vicinity and matched us up!

Sunday, January 22:            Today we took a field trip to Tarpon Springs, about 50 miles away. This town is known for it sponge diving industry established in 1905 by Greek divers. Tarpon Springs is noted for having the highest percentage of Greek Americans of any city in the U.S. It is a quaint town. We had the greatest Greek salad I’ve ever had at Hellas Bakery and Restaurant. I have never seen so many Greek pastries and I did not hold back. I enjoyed a Greek cannoli, Mary Lou had Greek rice pudding, and Tim had a pastry called boureki, made with phyllo and stuffed with custard and honey.

The natural sea sponges were an education, too—wool sponges (they look and feel like sheep’s wool), yellow sponges, finger sponges.

We enjoyed Scorchy and Mary Lou so much—they made certain we experienced central Florida! And we played Trivial Pursuit and euchre in the evenings!