This time of year in Florida is not baking in the sun weather. We love it and so does Molly! Sunny skies and 65F is ideal for a little day trip. There’s so many interesting and quaint nooks around here.

Today’s adventure was in Winter Garden. It’s about a 30 minute scenic drive from our place heading north towards Orlando. We usually end up at the Crooked Can Brewery but today it was so temperate we decided to take Molly for a little walk off the main drag. Winter Gardens historical district has bricked narrow streets and trucks are not allowed but golf carts are. It’s hilarious to see people putting around in their golf carts. Today we saw a six seater and Rudy said there was one on the golf course that was enclosed and had AC?! Who knew.

We parked the car across from the big Baptist church. It’s a grand building and a lovely landmark in town. The neat shopping area on Plant Street is jammed with restaurants and cafes and tiny stores. There’s also a fire hall with antique trucks out front. The whole area is an interesting place.

But today we veered off the main area which was quite busy and crowded (because it was Sunday?). And we are not big on crowds. One lady we passed asked us if we were there to get shots for our dog? We didn’t know if she meant photos or vaccines. Another good reason to go off road. Everyone (apparently) has needle envy.

So we find ourselves walking towards Lake Apopka. Central Florida does not have a coastline on an ocean but it has a million smaller lakes and we have found very nice parks and trails on them. Today was no exception. At the end of the road we landed in a park on the lake and stopped to sit in the sun and enjoy the view.

You know you’re not in Canada when you see signs forbidding you from feeding the gators! The birds on the shoreline were plentiful. An Audubon enthusiast would have been a useful resource. However we still managed to spot about 5 or 6 species. Due to the chilly temperatures there were no gators to see let alone feed. There was a large sign detailing the lake and the features around it. Another man there told us about the sanctuary trail you can drive on around the lake. I see another trip in our future!

As we sat on the bench and enjoyed the warm sunshine on our backs we mused about how fortunate we are. Rudy’s mom used to say: if you have your health you have everything. As usual, she was right.