Well, it’s been a little over two weeks since our arrival and we’ve been getting around. The weather has been nice with most days in the high sixties and seventies, with evenings in the forties and fifties. Not to say temps haven’t been better or worse; we have had eighties and have had thirties, but not too many.
Without our electronic calendar, we’d be lost. Mag has been filling it up with all sorts of activities and it’s been great! Several activities have been holiday related like the Holiday Craft Bazaar in Munn Park. Munn Park is located in downtown Lakeland. The park covers a city block and it was filled with many pop-up canopies containing crafts, food items, health & wellness products, and whatever else you could imagine you might see at a holiday bazaar. Oh, and Santa. Not only was the park filled with vendors hawking their wares, but the street adjacent to it, Kentucky Ave., was closed off to vehicle traffic for 4 blocks with both sides filled with pop-ups. Add to these the storefronts that line the street, made for plenty to browse. Other than putting tinsel in our hair, no purchases were made, but it was a fun time. It was nice to see the downtown area thriving.
The campground/resort includes a 27-hole golf course with driving range, a large practice area, a practice green and sand trap. Mag was off to get a massage so I had her drop me off. I hit a medium bucket, practiced my chipping & putting, also worked on my sand shots and approach shots. After all that I still had time, so I hit another medium bucket. My practice time wasn’t bad but hitting about 150 balls, I was a little wore out. I’m looking forward to getting back out there.
The park also includes an animal reserve with trails you can hike, bike or take your golf cart. We enjoyed a lovely hike and caught a glimpse of a number of critters. Last year I inquired at the office about a trail map. They provided one and, although it did the trick, I tried to create one using the AllTrails app and Google Earth; it’s a work in progress. We dined on Portabella Tacos that evening and Mag got a shot of the sunset. There is some grazing land on the west edge of the RV park where the herd gathers. One of those nights we made Vegetable Korma. It was good but a little heavy on cayenne!
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There is line dancing on our calendar too. It’s every Wednesday evening from 5 to 7 at an establishment in town which we haven’t gotten to yet, but we’ve been hitting the holiday markets pretty good. Friday, December 6, we went to the Holiday Spectacular located in downtown Lakeland which was in the same area as earlier, but encompassed a larger area with more vendors, crafters, food trucks and a car show. Before we began our browsing, we dined on the sidewalk at Harry’s Seafood Restaurant, then we hit the streets. There was lots of stuff to see and some really creative items. We had fun just browsing.
Saturday we had a double bill. In the afternoon, we headed to Winter Haven for another fair. This one was broken into two sections; The Mistletoe Market and the Bandit Market. Apparently the latter is a town favorite. I knew Winter Haven was known to have been home to some spring training camps for several major league baseball teams over the years, but what I didn’t know was, Winter Haven is (was?) the Water Skiing Capital of the World; I had no idea! Considering the name, Lakeland, it has 38 named lakes within its boundary. Winter Haven has 50! Cypress Gardens became Legoland in 2011 but they still celebrate their rich history in Winter Haven. It was a lovely day and it was a nice drive to Winter Haven. Lots of browsing and I did manage to dig into a BLT from a food truck that featured all things bacon; it was called BaconWave!
We headed back to Lakeland for the evening event; Tis the Season – Holiday Concert featuring The Vocalitas. The event was held at Lakeside Village here in Lakeland. Lakeside Village is what we would call a Mall but it’s primarily outdoors. You walk down streets and avenues to encounter shops of all kinds; big anchor stores and everything in-between. The center green is where the tall Christmas Tree is located and The Vocalitas will perform. It was getting late for dinner when we arrived, so we decided on Grillsmith for dinner. It was about and hour wait to be seated inside, but if we were interested in sitting outside, it was first come, first served. We grabbed a table outside, which was great for us; we were within earshot of the The Vocalitas.
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Last year during our time here, something had caught Mag’s eye but we never partook. She came across Lighthouse Ministries of Lakeland, an organization that serves the poor and at-risk population. She made an inquiry when we initially arrived here about helping serve meals during the Christmas Holiday. In order for us to volunteer, we needed to submit to a background check; which took a day or two. After that was completed, we spoke to Bridget who provided guidance. We wanted to help out wherever we could but weren’t sure where we might fit it. It appeared that help was needed on Fridays to serve lunch to staff and students. So as a way to get our feet wet, we offered to help on Friday the 13th. Not that we suffer from Triskaidekaphobia but we arrived that morning, undaunted by the #13. They quickly got us in the kitchen chopping onions, dicing cucumbers, and cutting up some chicken. That staff was unbelievably pleasant and welcoming. We moved to the serving station at the appointed time; Mag was serving Chicken Pesto and I was working the Salad Bar and Dessert Table.
The female residents arrive around 11:30 and the men around noon. The staff seems to roll in throughout. We really enjoyed our time there and committed to serving every Friday, in addition to, serving Christmas Eve dinner where they anticipate serving some 3000! The kitchen staff encouraged us to eat after we were done serving and we did. Steve, the President/CEO sat with us and shared their mission and program. Lakeland Ministries was started back in the mid 1970s by Carl Warnock, a local businessman, and Jim Welch, a local attorney/judge. It’s an amazing story and we found the Ministry to be very impressive and very focused on the mission!
If you were caught photographing or videoing, an usher quickly arrived to admonish you; No Photography or Video.
That same evening we attended Vienna Light Orchestra at the Youkey Theatre at the RP Funding Center located in downtown Lakeland. The performance was beautiful. I counted 7 violins, 5 cellos, 1 harp, the occasional keyboard, and drums that I heard once, maybe twice. The keyboard player was also the MC and would, from time to time, enter center stage to introduce the next performance and give a little background. The troupe also included five women who preformed solos and harmonies. The theater has a capacity of 2200, without a bad seat in the house. We really enjoyed the performance; it had a calming affect on us. Near the final performance, one of the women came out to perform Ave Maria, which got both of us a little emotional; such a beautiful song.
We took a drive to the Orlando Mall. Be forewarned, the traffic is horrible. The stretch around Orlando was bumper-to-bumper and added probably 45 to 60 minutes to the drive, each way. It was an upscale mall, as we learned. They had a massive Christmas Tree at the main entrance and decorations throughout the mall that was quite nice. On our way home, we stopped by our favorite vegan restaurant in Lakeland, Vegetation Plant Food. We discovered it last year and the chef is quite creative. Neither of us were overly hungry so we snacked on Nachos with a cup of herbal tea.
Not sure what’s in store for us in the coming weeks. I spoke to our neighbor Bob who, along with a small group, plays golf on Mondays and Thursdays and invited me to join. I think I’m gonna take him up on his offer. Also, there has been mention of holiday activities in St. Augustine? We may take a run up there for an overnight to check it out. We’ll let you know how it went. Until then, be well! ♥ T&M
4 thoughts on “Getting around Central Florida”
You sure know how to have fun. I hope you get to St Augustine, I hear its beautiful.
Merry Christmas
Love Trice and Jim
You sure know how to have fun. I hope you get to St Augustine, I hear its beautiful.
Merry Christmas
Love Trice and Jim
Thanks!
It looks like we’ll be in St. Augustine after Christmas. I look forward to our time there.
Tim
Sounds like you’re having fun. Keep sharpening up the golf game. I expect good results at St Anne’s come April. Happy Holidays
Thanks Timbo!
We’re having a great time and I’ll make sure I’m in tip top shape come April! Hope the fishing is good!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you, Karen, the boys and the grand-kids!
Tim