Venice, Florida, Flea Market with Unusual Architecture

On a recent trip to Venice, Florida, I spotted this beguiling dome-roofed flea market.

Whimsically painted in turquoise and aqua, it looks like a fun place to stop.

I love the remnants of kitschy Old Florida, fast vanishing from our landscape of strip malls, parking lots, and neat subdivision homes where dogs are not allowed.

The dome stretches behind the front structure a good way. The sky the day I took these photos was miraculous.

Jupiter to Stuart: Discovering Wild Places As Old Florida Vanishes

It is hard to find places with a vista uninterrupted by development in South Florida, like this birding sanctuary in Jensen Beach.

It is right off U.S. 1. No one was there on this hot September Saturday.

One of my favorite things-to-do on a beautiful blue-sky day is drive north to discover things I've never seen or that have changed since last I saw them.

My first September in South Florida, 1982, I was surprised every time I went outdoors the palm trees and heat.

I traveled from New York State on Labor Day weekend, 1982, accompanied by the annual snowbird migration; it seemed as if every fifth car on that great flyover route, I-95, had a northern license plate.

I would soon learn that September can be one of the hottest months of summer, the autumnal equinox that ushers in Fall notwithstanding.

There is a shaded picnic hut for bird watchers well down the trail; I doubt you can see the tiny speck in this this photo.

In this direction, you may see some high-rise condominiums just on the horizon line.

The first time I saw this area, it was so undeveloped, one followed foot trails between the sea grape bushes -- particularly nice one left -- and scrub palmetto to the ocean. We emerged from the dark canopy to the stunning vista of sky so blue it hurt the eyes and sand as white as salt.

L'Ombre, my Doberman Pinscher, mistook the sand for snow. He threw up a snoutful and chomped down to eat some, as he did with snow.

But Mother Nature had played a cruel trick on him and was about to pay another.

He ran to the ocean to get the sand out of his mouth, only to be confronted with another thing he had never before encountered -- salt water. Poor doggie.

But he loved the beach and to swim in the ocean, something none of my other dogs ever did. They feared the water and hated the hot sand on their feet.

The next set of photos is from a detailed mural with sections in relief, in an arcade leading to a small hole-in-the-wall bar and little gift shops. I think this is Port Salerno, but I'm not sure.

The first photo blends trompe l'oiel with a real potted plant. Other depictions are a sailfish, a popular sport fishing catch; underwater scene with mermaid, and a school of fishes under the gift shop window.

In an art gallery just around the corner from the arcade, I found beautiful art that captures the South Florida ambiance I love. Some of the photos turned out darker and more shadowed than I could rememdy.

This mermaid sculpture is a lovely piece for home that would need to be larger than mine to accommodate it.

The charming watercolor depict the insouciance of a Florida that is decades gone and never to return.

On the way home, I took a wrong turn and wound up in an area that seemed deserted -- even of cars. It is unnerving to think about being stranded miles from anywhere on a road for which I don't know the name and could only be sure that I was driving generally East.

Assuming there is cell phone coverage -- and I wasn't -- how would I tell the tow-truck to find me on a road off the Kanner Highway with a sign pointing toward I-95?

At first, the fields had cows grazing; after a mile two there was what you see in the photo.

I like knowing there are still wild places in Florida -- even though this looks like second growth -- but I don't necessarily want to live or be stranded in such a place.

Jupiter: Dappled Sunlight Through Canopy of Cypress Trees

The approach to Carlin Park in Jupiter, Florida, offers an outstanding canopy of cypress trees.

By this point in the drive, I had dawdled over where to eat so long that I created an impossible situation for myself.

In tourist towns and on the beach, one often pays for the view and quaintness, rather than the quality of the cuisine.

By this time, I wanted a hamburger, having consumed only two Dunkin' Donuts and an iced coffee all day. Well you know what they say -- America runs on Dunkin.

Since I've discovered how good the iced coffee is for half the price of Starbucks, I can't waste my money on the latter anymore.

I stopped in Delray Beach, another lovely small town voted in 2012 one of the most interesting small towns in the USA on Travel Channel.

It was crammed with couples from their 30s upward. Even so, I managed to find free parking.

By this time of a lovely busy Saturday evening, there were only two kinds of restaurants -- those that were crammed with couples and uncomfortable to eat in by myself or those that were empty and there suspected of bad food. Or else they'd be crowded, right?

I ended up grabbing some nachos at Moe's on Commercial Boulevard, bad food and not that cheap yet a satisfying end to a day in small-town South Florida.

Stuart Offers Picturesque Water View and Small-Town Charm

I drove down Route 1 from Vero Beach to Stuart. There are many antiques and second-hand stores along the way.

Daylight was waning, so I didn't stop. Someday I will return and take my time.

I haven't stopped in Stuart since 2003. I've always enjoyed it's small-town charm and small parks on the water.

The lock and chain attests that crime is not completely unknown, however petty.

This mural with tile insets was one of the first things I observed after I parked. Parking is still free, by the way, not like here in downtown and beachside Fort Lauderdale.

Like so many other South Florida town, Stuart has taken care to maximize its old-time appeal.

This building advertises a Stuart claim to fame.

I'm not sure if I completely like it. Before, Stuart was just an old town; now it has uniformly lettered signs with an antique script and Caribbean-colored storefronts that look like a movie set.

Theater with live band music coming from behind the closed doors -- probably a practice session.

Garden entry to attorneys' office evokes memories of New Orleans.

Charming pink cottage advertises rooms available. I believe the back yard is on the water.

I wouldn't mind living in an apartment with a balcony overlooking the small-town doings.

If you look closely, you may see a dancing woman and a parrot on the trompe l'oeil balcony that decorates the facade of the plain exterior wall.

Fake window scenes between real shutter further the illusion.

Built along the river, Stuart has preserved several places where all residents can enjoy the view -- unlike the Palm Beach to Miami metroplex where tall condos and hotels dominate the sands.

Here some folks enjoy cool evening breezes, and it looked like a preacher or other speaker might have been preparing for a presentation.

A final look at Stuart -- this sailfish fountain shining brilliantly as it was backlit by a bright sunset.

Vero Beach: A Quaint and Quiet Old Town

Vero Beach was named by a Mayor's wife, back around the 1920s, after the Latin word for truth, veritas.

This theater marquee preserves a sense of a vital city on the move, that it was considered in those days. While driving from town, a Public Radio program featured an interview with a town librarian and historian of Vero Beach history.

All photos are the property of Ordinary Gal and must be credited back to this article on the site.

Small shops and restaurants now occupy the theater building and arcade.

South Florida small towns, like those in other parts of the country, are working hard to provide the esthetics and things to do that appeal to local residents and tourists.
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The plain facade, above, is relieved by painting building sections different colors. This makes it look as if there are attached buildings, instead of a single, unrelieved wall.

Another plain building was enhanced with tiles.

View of the Pocohontas apartments -- a native American who did not live in this part of the county.

Mural is more fitting homage to the Native American past in South Florida. Gator-fighting is still carried on as a tourist attraction by the Seminole tribe in the Fort Lauderdale area.

The part across from Vero Beach City Hall is beautifully maintained and lightly used on Saturday afternoon.

On the walk back to my car, I noticed this handsome guy. What gal can resist her knight in armor?

Small Town Florida: Vero Beach, Stuart, and Carlin Park, Jupiter

The small towns of south Florida are quaint and offer shops, restaurants, entertainment, and architectural beauty.

Yesterday I took a ride that lasted most of the day to Vero Beach outlet mall to buy some cotton bras that I can't seem to get locally.

I prefer the Vero Beach mall to the nearby Sawgrass Mills outlets mall for several reasons:

First, Sawgrass Mills is noisy. Very noisy. There are lots of things for kids to do. On Friday, I saw a youngster almost flying using bungee cord-trampoline jumping. I probably would have been too dizzy too walk if I tried it, but it made me happy just to see his grins and antics.

Second, Sawgrass Mills is a hub of indoor corridors -- great for the Fort Lauderdale visitor who gets trapped in a hotel room on rainy days but not so great for a Floridian who would prefer to transverse outdoor walkways.
Third, it is skewed very young. At Vero Beach, music that appeals to my people, Boomers, was playing. It is easier to find clothing that interests me at Vero Beach.


Vero Outlets is nicely landscaped and a pleasure to walk. There is a free trolley for those who prefer to ride.

After that, I went into Vero Old Town to take some photos. Pictures are the property of Ordinary Gal and must be linked back to the site. They may be sold or otherwise used for your personal profit or that of your organization.

Why I Love Florida: Scenes from St. Petersburg Skyway Show Gulf Beauty

Vistas of the Gulf of Mexico seduce the traveler to pause at a rest area.




It's hard to believe that a busy six-lane Interstate highway is just a few hundred yards away.




Gnarled trees spread their branches across the path in a natural arch.




A weathered log creates an elegant pattern of lines and curves.




Local residents park pickup cars in the shade. Boat trailers wait for day trippers to return with coolers of fish. Kayakers paddle in after a full day on the water.



The wind was stronger than reported, the kayakers tell me, which made rowing more challenging.



The wide purity of the blue water gleaming in the sunlight.



Trees at water's edge create abstract designs with their branches. It is illegal to cut mangroves in many places, because they create valuable ecosystems for sea creatures.




Scrub pine wave their feathery branches against the blue background. Color and texture, broad vistas and intimate byways, create the endless appeal of natural South Florida.

Try as we might to pave over Paradise, small bits and and pieces survive to inspire and delight.