Friday, September 24, 2010

Aged to Perfection in Old Winter Garden, Florida




I found this bill payment slot on the outside of an old building in Old Winter Garden, Florida and decided it would be the perfect picture for this week's photo challenge at   RAZMATAZ .  The challenge was to photograph something aged, with character, a history.  This little slot has the patina that many designers try to achieve when trying to age an item.  I could also picture the people of whichever era this bill slot served, diligently coming into town each week to pay their bills. Now many of us do it with the click of a mouse!

 I visited this pretty little town which is located about half an hour from downtown Orlando with my friend CG.  She is always up for adventures especially if it involves thrift or antique stores and a stop for a good lunch.  She hit the nail on the head by driving me to Winter Garden because there is a little bit of everything there. 

I had plenty of contenders for my challenge photo including this one:



I bet you can guess what I found this on.  I had no idea Ford made F-750s!  Look at what I found on the other side.


Now I know you know what this is.  It was parked in front of the renovated Winter Garden Railroad Station.  The tracks have been turned into a wonderful bike path that takes you through several small communities and countryside all the way to Sanford, Florida. A really good day trip for bike riders. 

Behind the firetruck, under the overhang we found this aged contraption.  It was used to apply pesticide to crops.



This is what the town of Winter Garden has done with the area where the passenger train tracks used to run through town up to this station. There is now a wide promenade that both bikers and walkers can use through the center of downtown.


A couple of blocks over we found another railroad station, this one services active train tracks for unloading cargo.



This quaint little town offers up plenty of thrift and antique shops as well as unique gift shops and a feed store that is right next to this railway depot pictured above.



And the town has more than it's fair share of chippy old buildings.




I've been to Winter Garden several times for browsing and lunch and this day CG introduced me to a new place that was as charming to look at as it's BBQ was delicious. 


Named after the two sister/owner's grandfathers, Harry and Larry's was serving up delicious traditional Southern Bar-B-Que and something else on their menu I had never had before.  "Q-Stew".  It was offered as a side dish and included tomatoes, corn, beans, okra, different meats and a really tasty broth.

Sitting inside this little shot-gun style space is a pleasure not just because of the delicious food, but there are things to look at all over the walls.

For those in the blogworld who love old signs, Harry and Larry's had quite a collection.



Although I'm not quite sure how or why overalls "wear like a pig's nose".  I'm guessing that's a good thing.  Anyone know?

The restrooms had wonderful vintage-style lighted signs:







And towards the back of the restaurant was this amazing old freezer/cold storage door.  I never knew they came in anything but metal.  I wanted to include the whole wall in my picture because they had replicated the look of the old freezer around the edges of the door.  Didn't want to disturb the people eating in that area.
Harry and Larry's is a definite two thumbs up for food and atmosphere - and friendly, fast service!

Next time you want to see the "real" Florida, take a side trip to Old Winter Garden, you will feel a sense of tranquility that is hard to achieve in these busy times. 


17 comments:

E. Charlotte said...

Great photos! I love the Ford F-750! I thought I'd read it wrong when I first looked at the picture. :)

I love the sounds of that bike trail! How fun!

Kit said...

Love the photos! I have a glass sign just like the women sign, only mine says Exit. Kit

Unknown said...

OK, when are you taking me? Why have I not know about this?
Great post.
We will talk about this missy!

Jen said...

Great pictures! I love all the vintage stuff! THanks for sharing!

Olive said...

I adore the graphics on the old signs. ♥O

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

Great post~ I just love Harry & Larry's! Looks like a lot of fun!

Mr. Connor said...

Great. Wonderful pictures and a wonderful way to spend the day. There are lots of little secrets like this tucked all over Florida ~ this looks like one of the best ! Nice going !

Orlando Grandma said...

Winter Garden,looks like the place to take my friend Mercedes to lunch on her 88th birthday I know we will find things we had seen when they were new. Thanks for sharing your trip.

Razmataz said...

Love your photo. That's what a great composition does, it make you think about it...like the people depositing their envelopes year ago.....

Decor To Adore said...

I have heard about Winter Garden. Sounds like my type of space. I love how they have used the old rr track space.

Great photos!

24 Corners said...

Love the mail-slot...wish we could put one of those on our front door as our amil has been getting tampered with! This would be the perfect solution...funtional and beautiful!
Loved the other images also...sometimes it's so hard to choose.

Happy weekend...
J~

oldgreymare said...

I think I would have suffered a stiff neck from all the gawking around to check out everything. What a cool place to visit.

:D

z

Anne said...

Thanks for the tour. I love how each one of us interpretes the assignment so differently. Your version is wonderful because it is so vast-- not just a single object, but a whole town! Nice job, Ann!

xo,
Anne

Orlando Grandma said...

With your ability to discover interesting things and relate them to your reader you need to have a colum in in a paper or other publication and allwow more people to enjoy your findings wrintings and observations, use your posts as reference.

Grace @ Sense and Simplicity said...

You found a perfect place to take 'age' photos. Well done. Harry and Larry's (did I get it the right way round???) sounds like a blast. I will have to show my parent's who frequently visit Florida.

Sammy said...

You should go biking there! You were an allstar on the beach biking adventure at Seal Beach! That looks like a really fun little town :]

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