Sunday, April 22, 2012

Our Southern Vacation

Hello everyone,
    As you may already know I just returned home from a trip to Florida and also Savannah,Georgia so I thought it would be fun to put together some mosaic's of our holiday.
   My husband and I went a few days ahead of our daughters and their families this year so we took a drive up to Savannah. It is a beautiful old city with lots of historical interest and beautiful architecture.
We took an evening stroll around the city.
We also spent a night in Saint Augustine and took in this colorful parade.

I love Mount Dora in Florida so we spent a night there as well. It is a charming small town by a lake so we enjoyed walking around and taking in the sights.
The Garden Gate Tea Room was a definite for lunch again. We discovered it last year when we went for a day trip from Orlando.
It is so charming and the food is delicious too.
We took a drive through Celebration again as it is a short drive from where we stayed and it is so pretty there.
We enjoyed seeing colorful flowers and Olivia took time to stop and smell the roses.
Our three daughters and their families joined us again this year so we had a great time around the pool etc.-sixteen of us in a lovely big house and pool in Emerald Island Resort.
As I already mentioned in my last post I had another special treat as I met my  friend Becky( with the beautiful blond hair and smile) from One Shabby Old House and we had lunch at another beautiful tea room Lavender and Lace  in Lake Alfred.We had a lovely time together and of course I loved seeing all the pretty china they had too.
We enjoyed beautiful sunsets-this one in Mount Dora.
And when we came home this is the beauty(above) that greeted me in our own garden.Just as my Mama always says 'it is nice to go away but the best part is coming back home'!

I am so happy to see the garden coming to life again and to be able to get out and dig in the dirt again.

Thank you to all for your generous comments on my last post.

Take care,

Carolyn





27 comments:

Michele M./ Finch Rest said...

Oh what a DREAM vacation! You hit some of the best places in the South.

I am a huge fan of Savannah...and my mother's father lived in St. Augustine - in fact he was an awesome watercolorist and painted many lovely pictures of St. Aug.

Your sunsets, meetings, teas, sightseeing, swimmming, family - all just perfect.

Yay.

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

Whether you are home or away, it seems you always find such beautiful things to share with us, Carolyn! Your pictures of Savannah and Florida are just gorgeous.

podso said...

We drove past savannah just today but didn't stop since we were there last year. You captured the beauty of the city well. Glad you enjoyed your time in the south.

White Lace and Promises said...

Thanks for sharing. What a dream vacation! Loved your photos. Made me feel like I was there. Savannah is a quick-hour trip for us! We love it!!! I think I'll take a day off and go!

Judy at GoldCountryCottage said...

Hi Carolyn: What a beautiful trip you had. How nice that all your family could be there together. But, I agree, coming back home to your pretty flowers, would probably be the highlight..Happy Monday..Judy

Sanna - My Blueberry House said...

Hi Carolyn,

Thank you for sharing your holiday pictures with us. It is very beautiful in the South and it all look so very pretty.

Have a nice day,
Sanna

oldthings said...

Dear Carolyn
Nice pics like a dream ! Thank you for sharing your beautiful moments !
It is so nice to have a vacation with your family !
Have a nice day
Olympia

Teresa said...

Dreamy pictures of a lovely time that will fill your heart with love and blessings everytime you rememeber it.

Inspirational.

Thank you for sharing,
Teresa

Rowan said...

Savannah is one place I would really love to visit - it conjures up such visions of gracious Southern living.

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

Hello Carolyn
Your vacation included some lovely spots and tearooms. How nice that the whole family can gather together; I'd love that to happen for us. At least one daughter and family joined us in Florida which was a real treat.
As soon as it warms up again, I hope to be back in our gardens too - possible snow the next couple of days.
Judith

Linda Jennings said...

Beautiful post! I enjoyed traveling with you.

My Little Home and Garden said...

Carolyn,
I had the pleasure of spending a few days in Savannah last year and would be more than happy to return to that city. Your photos brought back some pleasant memories.
-Karen

Clara said...

Beautiful post! I'm ready to go back to Savannah. We visit every year and it is always so charming. Have a lovely week carolyn.
~Clara

A Garden of Threads said...

Hi Carolyn, Looks like you had a wonderful vacation. Love the photos. How nice to have family enjoy it with you. We are supposed to have snow today:(

Linda said...

Hi Carolyn,
How blessed you are to be able to vacation with your family! I am so happy that your holiday was everything you wanted it to be - all looks like a dream...I loved seeing your outstanding pics, as always. And, the best part is that now you are rejuvenated to get back in the garden! LOL Don't work too hard, though. Enjoy it all at a leisurely pace. And best of luck for your upcoming tour. I know they will just love it all. Wishing you a beautiful week...
Hugs,
Linda at Beautiful Ideas

Carla said...

Carolyn, what a lovely place to vacation. Thank you for sharing these beautiful photos for those of us who have not been to either place. I am here sipping a cup of tea and dreaming....

Bernideen said...

What a refreshing vacation - thank you for sharing the lovely event!

Elzie said...

So many lovely pictures. Must be nice to have the chance to go away all the family on those trips.
Have a nice day.
Love Elzie

Susan said...

Loved the tour, Carolyn. Glorious. Such wonderful photos, too. So happy you had a splendid time. Susan

Pamela Gordon said...

What a beautiful trip you had! How wonderful that your whole family could go together and enjoy the sunny south. Thanks for sharing these photos. Sigh.... Pamela

Rabbit Hill ~ Handmades by Jenn Tavoletti said...

Beautiful pictures. I really need a vacation!

Roberta said...

Very beautiful pictures !! thanks for posting these photos ! I saw a beautiful city that I never have visited !!
Roberta

Shabby soul said...

Darling Carolyn, I enjoyed so much taking this virtual tour with you.
I hope one day I can come to see USA and Canada , they must be really full of beauty.
Hugs
Silvia

Unknown said...

Lovely...every picture was just lovely. My oldest sister lives in Florida and when we go we always drive so we can vist all the states along the way. Life is beautiful and there is always so many wonderful places to visit. It looks like your family had the best time too! And yes, it's always nice to come back to the best place of all...HOME!

One Shabby Old House said...

Oh Carolyn,
Your pictures turned out beautifully. Making mosaics out of them was a perfect solution to so many great pictures. I really am going to have to learn how to do that. You captured every detail of a wonderful vacation and what a darling family you have. I loved the mosaic of your granddaughter smelling the roses. She is precious. Your flowers look stunning with your tea setting too. My iris and hydrangeas are starting to blossom so I now am experiencing some garden joys here myself. As soon as I get a few more blooms I will have to fill a certain lovely pitcher with them!

Kathy said...

This sounds like a fantastic rejuvenating vacation! You were sooo close! I just love Savannah! It is such a lovely, romantic town - LOVE walking the streets and down by the water. My friend Maria loves Mt. Dora and goes shopping there for her little store! Gorgeous photos - and I completely understand - there's no place like home.
God Bless,
Kathy

Anonymous said...

Hi Carolyn,
My name is Jane and I'm with Dwellable.
I was looking for blog posts about Emerald Island Resort to share on our site and I came across your post...If you're open to it, shoot me an email at jane(at)dwellable(dot)com.
Hope to hear from you :)
Jane