Picking Blueberries, Dancing With A Goose

Today I got up early with my youngest son, Solomon and headed to Shady Oaks Farm, a blueberry farm in north Lakeland.  There are 10 acres of blueberries--row after row of plump juicy love!  First of all, blueberries are beautiful. 

You've got your green berries and red berries that will make you pucker.  And then the frosty blue ones and the deep blueish-purple ones that you pop in your mouth and all you can think of are "aaahhh..blueberry pancakes."  I love the fact that it's all-you-can-eat "grazing" while you're picking.  You can fill up on berries until you're sick, and then start putting them into your bucket!

 I have so many recipe ideas for our bounty from today --if they last that long.  The pile in the bowl seems to be getting lower and lower every time I look.  I better hurry up and do something with them!

After we left, we dropped by Indian Summer Farms.  Just driving by this place just makes you sit up straight and say "Oooh! ooooh!  Can we go there??? Please???" 

Vegetable stands can be small and quaint, set up on a little card table on the side of road.  But that won't do at this place. 

They've done a marvelous job merchandising their veggies and fruits, jams, relishes, flowers and loaves of bread. 

It was a pleasure browsing and snapping photos of their goodies.  We bought a watermelon and chatted with the owners. 

Here's "Chica", who came along with her Mommy!  I'm a sucker for dogs in clothes.

Now, on to Mayfaire-by-the-Lake....the annual Mother's Day's day art extravaganza around Lake Morton.  As always, fabulous artists, fantastic chicken kebabs (and Italian ice and cinnamon pecans, and..), and lots for the kids to do.  But we were really there this year to support my friend Katie, known in the literati circles as Katherine Boll, local children's author and teacher.  

Katie has created for us a treasure in her new book, "Dante the Dancing Goose", based on the birds of Lake Morton (the geese, the ducks, the swans, the blue herons, and all their friends).  I personally own 3 copies now!  Katie's love of dance and literature really come together in this little book.  It's so fun to read out loud!  It'll make you shake your groove thing....  Give this link a click to make Dante a part of your life...http://www.dantethedancinggoose.com/

Here are Katie's parents, Skip and Jann, two people I am proud to have in my world :)

....and here are some of our friends who came to give a shout out to Dante!  We are sweating like crazy here.  They don't call Mayfaire "Bake By The Lake" for nothing.

Until next year, Mayfaire....Maybe next year, I'll actually pay attention to the art. LOL.