Showing posts with label lake wales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lake wales. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
The Maple Hill Hop 110
Welcome to
The Maple Hill Hop.
This is a hop for folks who love the outdoors.
Feel free to post about anything that's going on
OUTSIDE
in your neck of the woods,
no matter the season.
no matter the season.
(Please share only outdoor posts.)
*Grab the button above to link back to Maple Hill 101.*
Friday night we headed over to Lake Wales for their holiday street event.
The historic downtown area was a buzz of activity.
Festive lights, carolers and
even a snow flurry or two awaited us.
The "snow" was some kind of soap mixture,
but it looked so realistic.
With the help of the breezy conditions,
it felt like a bit of winter had paid us a visit.
Many merchants offered drink and nosh
and a small market with homemade/handmade items was featured.
There were also specific kid-friendly activities
to usher in the holiday season.
A local community choir graced us with songs of the season.
The acoustics in the old arcade were fabulous!
The restored building is now used to house offices and shops during the day,
but it came alive on this evening with beautiful music.
We even bumped into our friends, Faye & Lynn,
enjoying a rare night out on the town.
This is just the type of small-town festivity we enjoy.
As a family living with autism,
it is sometimes difficult for us to partake in these types of venues.
This was a pleasant surprise.
The music wasn't too loud, the street not crowded,
and just the right amount of activity.
What a wonderful way to ring in the Christmas season.
Share what you've been up to!
HOP to it!
Friday night we headed over to Lake Wales for their holiday street event.
The historic downtown area was a buzz of activity.
Festive lights, carolers and
even a snow flurry or two awaited us.
The "snow" was some kind of soap mixture,
but it looked so realistic.
With the help of the breezy conditions,
it felt like a bit of winter had paid us a visit.
Many merchants offered drink and nosh
and a small market with homemade/handmade items was featured.
There were also specific kid-friendly activities
to usher in the holiday season.
A local community choir graced us with songs of the season.
The acoustics in the old arcade were fabulous!
The restored building is now used to house offices and shops during the day,
but it came alive on this evening with beautiful music.
We even bumped into our friends, Faye & Lynn,
enjoying a rare night out on the town.
This is just the type of small-town festivity we enjoy.
As a family living with autism,
it is sometimes difficult for us to partake in these types of venues.
This was a pleasant surprise.
The music wasn't too loud, the street not crowded,
and just the right amount of activity.
What a wonderful way to ring in the Christmas season.
Share what you've been up to!
HOP to it!
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
The Maple Hill Hop 104
Welcome to
The Maple Hill Hop.
This is a hop for folks who love the outdoors.
Feel free to post about anything that's going on
OUTSIDE
in your neck of the woods,
no matter the season.
no matter the season.
(Please share only outdoor posts.)
*Grab the button above to link back to Maple Hill 101.*
This weekend we headed back to the Pioneer Days event
in nearby Lake Wales.
This festival celebrates the founding of the city
and the uniqueness of this quaint lil' town.
There is an array of rural curiosities,
including the local tractor club's display.
This is one of Lil' Guy's favorite parts of the event.
Several times a day the tractors participate in a parade.
We marvel at the craftsmanship of local artists.
This woodworker displayed his vast range of beautifully carved household items
such as wooden spoons, measuring cups, and even backscratchers.
Something unusual we noticed were these cobweb brooms.
How cute is that?!
Another artist fashioned these wooden brushes.
It was so fascinating to sit and watch him create their bristles on a metal grate
and listen to him talk about his creations.
Aren't these hand-crafted flutes just stunning?
It makes me want to take lessons!
One of the highlights of the day
was the wagon ride through town.
Many of the historical landmarks are showcased
in a 20-minute narrated tour.
Lake Wales features a handful of gorgeous hand-painted murals
located throughout the downtown area.
Another favorite of Lil' Guy's,
is the True Value hardware store,
which has been in the same location for almost 40 years.
You won't find a big box store in downtown.
See the inside here.
The old arcade now houses several stores,
as well as office spaces.
A glorious day it was,
and we feel so blessed to be able to spend it together
in such a magnificent and charming little town.
What have you been up to in the great outdoors?
HOP on!
This weekend we headed back to the Pioneer Days event
in nearby Lake Wales.
This festival celebrates the founding of the city
and the uniqueness of this quaint lil' town.
There is an array of rural curiosities,
including the local tractor club's display.
This is one of Lil' Guy's favorite parts of the event.
Several times a day the tractors participate in a parade.
We marvel at the craftsmanship of local artists.
This woodworker displayed his vast range of beautifully carved household items
such as wooden spoons, measuring cups, and even backscratchers.
Something unusual we noticed were these cobweb brooms.
How cute is that?!
Another artist fashioned these wooden brushes.
It was so fascinating to sit and watch him create their bristles on a metal grate
and listen to him talk about his creations.
Aren't these hand-crafted flutes just stunning?
It makes me want to take lessons!
One of the highlights of the day
was the wagon ride through town.
Many of the historical landmarks are showcased
in a 20-minute narrated tour.
Lake Wales features a handful of gorgeous hand-painted murals
located throughout the downtown area.
Another favorite of Lil' Guy's,
is the True Value hardware store,
which has been in the same location for almost 40 years.
You won't find a big box store in downtown.
See the inside here.
The old arcade now houses several stores,
as well as office spaces.
A glorious day it was,
and we feel so blessed to be able to spend it together
in such a magnificent and charming little town.
What have you been up to in the great outdoors?
HOP on!
Friday, August 9, 2013
The Tower Tour
Last Friday, I was invited to a special event.
My friends, Faye & Lynn,
have a membership with Bok Tower in Lake Wales.
My friends, Faye & Lynn,
have a membership with Bok Tower in Lake Wales.
You can read about this magical place here.
I'd been here before,
but never ventured into the tower.
This is a yearly event that is by invitation only.
What an honor.
We learned about the masterful work that went into every detail
of this amazing structure.
The tower is known for its carillon, which plays the most ethereal music,
in the highest part of the tower.
Each bell for the instrument was brought through an opening in this wall
and hoisted up the main lobby to be placed in the uppermost story.
It must have been quite a feat.
The only word I kept thinking of was "majestic"
to describe the detailed craftsmanship in this unique piece of artwork.
Each piece of ironwork was hand forged.
The stairwell even looks good from the bottom.
This is the oldest working Otis elevator in Florida.
The tile floor is littered with various critters native to the area.
The resting place of Edward Bok, the founder of Bok Towers and Gardens.
The lily pads in the nearby pond
are a summer staple, and they can span 6 feet in diameter.
The gardens here are nothing short of stunning.
You can see pix from some of our past visits here and here.
I'm so glad that Edward Bok had a dream.
Even better was that he was willing and able to share it with his fellow Floridians.
It's a beautiful place to spend the day.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Farm School-Week Ten
Farm School is back in session.
Last weekend at the same time the daytime temps
were in the 60's.
This weekend it's felt more like summer.
Sad as I was to learn that most of the lettuce is finished until fall,
and the beets are tiring of the heat
and will soon be harvested for storage,
it's all a part of farming.
Our growing season is so different than most others',
but we have to accept that as an inevitable part
of being a Florida gardener.
The good news is that we will be harvesting fresh veggies
when others are gearing up for winter.
It's all a trade off.
We're back and ready to enjoy all of God's beauty that abides here.
This week, we started after lunch,
as Faye and Lynn had a successful morning at the farmer's market.
Temperature?
A breezy 91 degrees in the shade.
Our mission today was to get these pepper plants staked and caged.
Several have grown so quickly that they are now leaning.
Lynn has many uses for these particular cages.
He keeps them handy near the garden where they will be utilzed.
The stakes are repurposed from Lynn's citrus plants.
His trees are mature and no longer need staking,
so he reuses them for other crops.
Any plant that may be askew due to growth or wind
gets two or three of these rods placed around the stem.
It's a delicate process, as peppers can be extremely sensitive.
It's a delicate process, as peppers can be extremely sensitive.
They allow enough support when properly placed
that no ties are needed.
After staking, the cages are ready to be placed.
A small puncture is made in the black plastic where the cage legs sit.
This material is self-sealing, so the process must be done quickly.
The beauty of this product is that it eliminates the need for weeding.
A couple of rows down, a few more to go...
The farm grows bell and banana peppers
as well as a few hot varieties.
Mission accomplished!
Okra is one of the few plants that do well here in summer
and being a Southern crop, the demand is high.
So many unusual sights on this land...
as well as scenes created by Mother Nature's helping hand.
It's all beautiful, wonderful and fosters tranquility.
Another family has been busy.
These are mockingbird eggs.
They were noticed a couple of weeks ago.
Winken, Blinken and Nod
made their debut sometime last week.
Momma was not far away.
It felt good to accomplish a unified goal.
Another task completed means that attention can be focused
on the next objective.
See ya next week for another lesson!
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