We Are Nuts

Another weekend, another big adventure.

I heard that there was a Peanut Festival in Williston, FL. I figured A) we like peanuts and B) I come from peanut people, so C) we ought to check it out since we’ve never been. We started out by getting up early. But then wandered the house packing up sales to mail and getting dressed. We went to breakfast (it tastes better when the husband pays). We dropped off the truck at the in-laws’. We went by the post office. Yes, we were taking our sweet time.

The husband went the long way around Gainesville since there was a Gator home game and the traffic is bad normally in that town. We stopped at one of those touristy gas stations along I-75. The people asked where we were going. When I said Williston they left us alone. We looked at the stuffed 13 foot alligator. We bought some chocolate and caramel covered popcorn.

The handsome Grand Marshall

I am still on the look out for this large ice cream cone. 

We got to Williston and checked out the Peanut Festival. There were a couple big stands where they sold peanuts and peanut products but we felt the peanut was underutilized. We took some pictures. We watched the kids in the walking on water type thing (see below).

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We bought some peanut butter. We saw a lot of dogs. Then we checked out the antique store I saw on the Levy county website, Dixie’s Antiques. It was okay. We thought there wasn’t enough old stuff. Too much was newer or not super old. I bought some twig crayons. I already had one but I found 6 at 50% off. I had to get them. The older folks at the register were adorable. The lady wrapped up my crayons.

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We went in search of roads the husband has not driven and something to eat. We ended up passing Smiley’s Antiques and had to check them out. They were much bigger than Dixie’s. Plus it had a ton of old stuff. Your usual antique mall. We didn’t buy a thing since most prices were super high. They had the lamb planter I found for a couple bucks at a thrift store for $30. Oh my. I have seen that same planter online for a lot less.

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We wandered down the road and we were starving. We finally just pulled into a dive. Georgie’s Lakeside sits by Orange Lake. The problem is, Orange Lake isn’t quite where it used to be. You have to take an air boat from the boat ramp and go out further than I could see to get to the actual lake. Orange Lake is the lake Marjorie Keenan Rawlings lived on at Cross Creek.

Georgie’s was no Yearling restaurant. It was a true dive. It was a bar with a few tables. It reeked of cigarettes. The table was dirty.  The waitress was nice. She tried her best. We got a couple burgers. They weren’t anything special, but we were starved.

We went back home before heading out to the Florida Twin Theater in Starke. I love small town 

theaters. This one is art deco on the exterior and basic on the inside. The best part is that it is cheap, $6 for adults. They only take cash. The concession stand is awesome because for popcorn, 2 sodas and a candy it is $7. So for less than $20 we can go to the movies and have snacks. I think that is awesome when  big theaters are that much just to get on.

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Plus this theater plays new movies. We saw Taken 2. The theater mostly plays kid/family movies (the other screen was Frankenweenie). It isn’t too often they play something I really want to see.  The bad thing is they only have two screens (one upstairs and one downstairs) so the movies only stay a week. I also think that down town Starke is totally cute. I am a sucker for old buildings and old fashioned store fronts. I would love to have one of my own. I just can’t seem to find a store downtown or a restaurant that I love. I try them out but they aren’t all that. I guess I will stick with the movie theater. 

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