Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.

Henry David Thoreau

A new to me dessert treat

Friday March 15, 2013
Site 20 Blue Spring State Park
Orange City, Florida

 

My day starts with Manatees of course.  The low was in the 30’s last night so they have returned in big numbers for mid March.  I never tire of them.  I could watch them for hours.  They are so calming.  I wish I could walk right down the steps into the water and just float along with them.  The white marks on their backs are scars from boat propellers.  I’ve said before, I don’t understand why the state of Florida doesn’t require cages on the boat propellers in their rivers.

 

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I pretty much spend the entire morning with the manatee.  In the afternoon I do go into the spring but with no manatee.  Not a graceful beginning but it’s very shallow there so no diving.  Walking in just makes it take forever.  Better to just get it over with, get in and start swimming.  I warm up faster that way and then everything is great.  Sure wish there was a manatee here.  It would take me a very LONG time to get out when they call for people out/manatee in.  

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After dinner, we meet Paula and Olivia at Olivia’s favorite dessert spot in the cute little town of DeLand.  We drove in down the main street where the motorcycles were non stop.  We did get a close parking spot and walked by Pioneer Park which has a huge outdoor mural and appears to be a place to bring any food you’ve purchased or brought from home, sit a while and people watch. 

 

 

 

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We see Paula and Olivia waving from a table just outside Berryville.  I am so excited I forget to take a picture of it and have to go back later to get one.  We take turns going inside to get our treats so we don’t lose our table.

 

 

 

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WOW! Look at this!  Sweet tooth heaven!!  Pick up a cup on the left.  Move to the back and serve yourself any flavor/s of frozen yogurt in any amounts. Flavors such as White Chocolate Mousse, Carmel pretzel, Kiwi Strawberry Sorbet, Watermelon sorbet, cake batter, red velvet, peanut butter, triple chocolate, New York cheesecake, over a dozen flavors. Then come on around to the right and cover your yogurt with any and all toppings you can imagine including fresh fruits of every kind.  Last of course is the scale where you pay by the ounce. 

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Here’s Olivia showing off the finished products.  Each of these cups (well David’s is almost full), not quite full cost between $5 and $6 each.  And yum yum yum!!!  Berryville is not a franchise so you will just have to come to DeLand to experience this great idea.

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It doesn’t get much better than sitting outside on a cute main street eating sweet frozen treats.  The only fly in the ointment was bike week.  We could hardly hear ourselves talk for the motorcycles going down the street.  DO come to DeLand.  Unless you love motorcycles, avoid Daytona’s bike weeks.

 

After we finished our yogurt, 8 year old Olivia wanted to go across the street to show us another of her favorite stores.  She calls it the Bunny shop.

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Yup wall to wall, floor to ceiling CANDY!   All those old candies you loved plus home made fudge and chocolate.  You could swoon just walking in and getting one whiff.  Olivia and Paula took their time carefully considering and picking out one treat each for later.  

 

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The only thing we seriously considered were these Licorice Beagles.  I should say David seriously considered since I don’t care for licorice.  I do wish I’d taken some specific pictures of those old candies and bars you can’t find anywhere anymore including the largest Sugar Daddy suckers I have ever seen.  Blame it on the sugar high I was already on.

What was your favorite candy as a kid?  I’ll bet they have it.

 

 

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This is the last time we will see Olivia and Paula as we wind down our time at Blue Spring.  But we don’t say good-bye just “see you later”.  It’s been wonderful having local guides to some of the best places to go.  Thanks SO much you two for making our time here so special.  We’ll be back next year if all goes well!!

16 comments:

  1. WE have a place like the yogurt place in Bend, called 'Cup 'O Yo' it is good, they have sugar free too :) That candy store looked cool!!
    Lots of Manatee... National Geo has an article on them this month, interesting...

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  2. Oh my! Me thinks we could get ourselves into lots of trouble at Berryville and the Bunny shop. Favorite candy from yesteryear -- Mary Janes, Pixy Stix, Sweetarts, Sugar Daddys, Bazooka bubble gum just to name a few. My dentist made A LOT of money off of me. :-(

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  3. Would luv to have a taste at the yogurt shop. How many kinds of chocolate did they have? My favorite candy as a kid was bottle caps. I still find them once in a while and indulge. It is amazing I still have teeth at all!

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  4. Oh yeah. George and I have gone to many such frozen yogurt buffets :) Can get in big trouble there! My favorite candy was Bit O Honey. Yum!

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  5. Yum, yum! Love the frozen yogurts and toppings!
    So many choices!

    That's alot of manatee...can see how it's so easy to pass the time there.

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  6. My favorite candy was any kind of taffy. I love Now n Laters, they come individually wrapped, and my favorite was banana. There is a frozen yogurt place in Indy called Fro Go, it is exactly as you described. That is so sad about the scars on the Manatees' backs, they should require shields on those motors, anything to protect those sweet creatures.

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  7. Your Manatee pictures are amazing!!! That's some amazing yogurt also. I know you must have been in sweet tooth heaven;o)) But OH...the decisions you had to make...too make goodies, too little time!!!

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  8. Those frozen yogurt bars are popping up all over the place; we went to one in Virginia before we took off on our gypsy lifestyle. Yummy indeed.

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  9. I wish we had a frozen yogurt bar here in Palm Springs! On second thought, it's probably a good idea that they don't!

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  10. Love the manatee in the crystal clear water. Also love the yogurt and toppings. :-)
    I remember candy that you could play with...orange wax flute and red wax lips.
    Syl

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  11. I admire your self control with being surrounded by all that candy! Of course, after that yogurt treat, there probably wasn't too much room left...

    Super pix of the manatees, sad to see the prop marks. I agree with you, there should be some kind of regulation for prop cages. Those poor animals, suffering from mankind's foolish behavior. :c(

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  12. I am so glad you enjoyed your time here! We loved having you as visitors in our hometown, and it was fun suggesting places for you to see. Thank you for including us in your time here! I can't wait until you guys return and visit again. We feel so connected to you and enjoy visiting with you!!

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  13. Great pics of the manatee. I think we will have to go say hello to some tomorrow. Berryville looks pretty darn good.

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  14. All those choices, I'd need at least two cups. :) Favorite candy was Butterfingers and those hard rootbeer balls.

    I'd so want to swim with the manatees. They look like gentle giants. Yet I would also respect their territory.

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  15. I love how easily you seem to create meaningful rituals wherever you stay. Swimming in the spring looks like an invigorating one. Of course, the dessert ritual might be my personal favorite. Frozen yogurt is one of my favorite indulgences. I recently discovered that Publix has a wide assortment of frozen yogurt flavors including Pistachio that are quite good.

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  16. LICORICE BEAGLES! Wow...that's quite amuzing :) So many manatees - quite sad to see their scratches :( I do wish other places had a Berryville - that looks yum, yum, yummy for sure. Another exciting day - what a life!

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