Sat - 7 Feb/15

A perfect day for going to the Mt. Dora Art Festival. Sunny, dry and not too warm.

Around lunch time we took the top off the Del Sol and went the "slow way" to Mt. Dora. Over the last few years we followed the same plan for visiting Festival. We parked for $5 in the First National Bank parking area at the corner of Donnelly and E 7th Ave.

The bank kindly donates their parking area to a church youth group who manage the parking and use the funds to help in their group activities. This is the easiest and closest parking to the temporarily "blocked off" Festival streets. We were lucky enough to arrive just as a car was leaving the totally full parking lot. All we had to do was walk across the street and we were on the main venue (Donnelly St.) that runs down the center of the Festival. To cover each side of the street booths (nearly 600) individually would require nearly two miles of walking.

Literally, as far as we could see, a fluid mass of humanity slid up and down both sides of the street. Mostly followed the generally accepted "Rules of the Road". Those walking against the flow must have been visitors from the U.K. , Australia, Japan or other countries that drive on the left (wrong) side of the road (1/3 of the world). They are just not "Right" (pun intended).

Although some may say that the Festival was for the "Birds" (grin). I suspect most were like us, just here to appreciate the many varied and beautiful works of art.

Still, other folks contended that all was "Going to the Dogs"(another grin). We, like the tens of thousands of others on the streets, thoroughly enjoyed the Art Festival. We have nearly a hundred artist signed pieces of art that have been collected in our travels over the years. They are now carefully stored in our basement. We have no room for additional pieces in our Home and even less room in the Motorhome. I suspect that the majority that are here today, like us, were also here to view and enjoy. I am sure that some of the over quarter million visitors will make an expensive purchase. That prospect is what has kept artists from all over the country (and world) returning for the past 40 years....and it just keeps getting bigger.

The range of media, styles, creativity and talent was astounding. Most booths requested no pictures be taken and we complied.

Mt. Dora is a joy to visit at any time. The have done an excellent job in making the wide downtown sidewalks very "visitor friendly". There are Park "Husband" Benches every few yards. Abundant parking is available at no cost. Parks of various sizes with well-maintained public washrooms can be found every few blocks downtown.

Mt. Dora, since the Victorian era, has catered to tourism. Their present "Business Model" should be studied by any similar community with like aspirations.

Normally, there is no waiting for the public washrooms. Today, due to the huge crowd at the Festival, was the exception,.This was especially true for the ladies. I took a seat on a nearby park bench and watched the massive crowd shuffle up and down the streets for the 20 minutes it took Charlotte to return.

Many local stores, hidden by the continuous line of booths on both sides of the street, placed "Sandwich Boards" in the center of the road to direct customers to the hidden gems behind the string of white tents. My guess is that Lake County Arms thought that someone purchasing an expensive piece of art might want to protect it?"

Delicious aromas from the street food vendors triggered pangs of hunger. Although we do enjoy "Nathan's" (Hot Dogs) we decided that rather than spend $8 and eat on the street standing up, we would add a little to the bill and enjoy a "Sit Down" meal.

Over the past three years we have sampled almost all of the downtown eateries. Just around the corner and down the street was Cecile's French Corner. This is a great spot with excellent ambience (live singer/guitarist) and plenty of scenic outdoor seating. The menu is also great (Read: No Bar Food). For these reasons there is usually a short wait at the best of times. Today, the list (3 pages) and wait was much longer.

To avoid any confusion, as there was already a "Bill" on the list, Charlotte signed in as "Route 66" and I added, "Just look for the hat, it will be easier." Although plentiful in the Mid and Southwest, I have not seen another "Route 66" hat in Florida at any time during our many visits. The hostess appeared to appreciate the suggestion. After about twenty minutes she returned with a suggestion. There was a table for four available and if we were willing to share we could be seated immediately,

We agreed and were very glad we did! We had the pleasure of having our lunch with Joan and Paula. BFF since meeting during their days as TWA (Trans-World Airlines) Stewardesses and currently living in different parts of Florida, they met up today to enjoy the Mt. Dora Arts Festival. TWA, along with Pan-Am, were the largest American based airlines in the "Heyday" of air travel. Sadly, deregulation ended in TWA being acquired by American Airlines. In their own words; "We got paid to travel the world". Enthralled by the anecdotes of these two vibrant friends, the time passed all too quickly.

As always, the food was excellent. We both started with a large cold glass of fresh lemonade. Charlotte had the Chicken Brie Salad: dried cranberries, almonds, walnuts with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing (quite tasty).  I enjoyed a Normandy Croissant: Chicken and mushrooms in a cream sauce w/side salad. Yummy!

The sunshine and high 70's F made the "topless" drive back to the RV quite enjoyable. It was nice to feel the sunshine on our shoulders after so many overcast and rainy days recently.

After such a busy day we decided to skip the casual dance this evening in the Olde Mill Stream main clubhouse. We rounded the evening off watching TV. We started with Jeopardy and finishing with NCIS, NCIS NOLA, 48 Hrs and the Local News.  Still full from the late lunch we decided that supper would be popcorn w/extra (real) butter.