Exploring...in Mount Dora

We did some "exploring" last Saturday with our friends, the Roses, in Mount Dora (about an hour north west of Orlando). But I do need to clarify one thing. There is no "mount" in Mt. Dora. No mountain, no big hill, no landmark of any sort that would hint to the reason for the name. Possibly a little more hilly than the rest of flat Florida, (though "hilly" is probably too strong of a word), but no mount. But we did not go there for the "mount" (though Carver was looking for it the whole time). We went there to have a fun day with friends and enjoy the charm of this darling little town and to play by the lake. All those things were accomplished . It is such a darling town with old charm, cute little houses, neat buildings, little shops and restaurants, and a beautiful lake. We did miss Kinsey as she had to stay home to study for her end of sememster exams. I have to hand it to that kid...she is so self motivated and her grades are so important to her and I am proud of her that she took her exams so seriously (she does have some college level classes, so they do require a lot of work). Her exams are over now...and she did beautifully...but we did miss her on our little outing. Although the town was not the feature of all my shots (I was too busy following the kids around trying to capture their charm), I still got a lot of fun pictures and the town had great spots to shoot. I am a visual person, I love pictures, I think they tell the best story, even if it is just showing the different personality or mood of the person I am shooting, so this post (like most) is FULL of pictures. I try to be conservative with the amount of shots I post, but then I think "who am I kidding". Too many pictures that I love.We stumbled upon a cool old red brick building, with a neat old fire escape going up the side. How could I resist these shots. The kids had fun playing while I snapped these photos.Luke, Emma, and Carver. They are the three musketeers, and they had such a fun day together. Emma just gets right in the middle of whatever game they are playing, and they play so cute together. Carver adores her...though sometimes he has to act "cool" when he is around Luke. Carver enjoys both of their company, and I think that is so cool.
I love this kids eyes.
Luke was the only sensible kid...who happened to hold on when climbing high...and thus didn't have all the parents yelling at him.

Oh how I love to take Emma's picture. She never tires of posing for me. Kennedy is a pretty good sport too.

Okay, why don't I have those eyelashes?

Cute Gavin...more beautiful eyes!

"We love to stomp, and stomp, and stomp"

Yes, it can be so annoying spending a day with me. I want to stop at every fun spot to take some shots. Well, Matt Rose just made the best of it. He started a game of "stroller racing", and kept the boys totally entertained while he ran them up and down this alley.
As you can see...the game was a hit.

The Lake on the edge of town is beautiful, and it was a perfect time of day. We played on the dock, then sat on the beach, and even watched the sunset. PERFECT!

I love the colors in this shot below and thought it was so cute...until I noticed the red cap lady in the back ground. Maybe she just adds to the charm.

Hmm, what are these two talking about? Planning their future wedding? A mother can dream.
"What's down there? You better not fall in"

"Kenna, your joke is not that funny"

This is my favorite shot of the day (below). Emma wins the prize!

relaxation!!!!

The kids played for a couple hours on the beach. It was so relaxing, the weather was beautiful, and we got to enjoy our friends so much.

John grabbed the camera for a while and stalked us all. He does know his way around a camera and took some cool shots.

There is a really neat Inn that sits right on the water. There was a wedding going on there and it was fun to watch. What a serene spot.

Look at this cute kid...you gotta love the dirt on his fingers, and the contentment of his face. John caught this moment perfectly.