Mount Dora is a little town not far from us, perfect for a day trip. We used to go yearly, whether for a birthday or to peruse the large antique fair they host. One of my favorite memories was going for my birthday one year, and I picked out a beautiful magnifying glass necklace. It was made by a London jeweler, and it's something I still wear to this day.
We have been living back in Central Florida for 6 months or so now, and we took a day trip to pop into a few antique shops, grab lunch, and visit a new museum.
The museum is the Modernism Museum of Mount Dora, and it boasts a collection from a design group called Memphis. I adore the soft pastel colors used like pinks and blues, and I really love the patterns that are reminiscent of various pasta shapes, little squiggles of confetti. It's hard not be cheerful when viewing the collection.
The museum even holds a few pieces from the Memphis collection that once belonged to David Bowie, who was an avid Memphis collector. I can easily see why Bowie was fond of the colorful and bold designs of Memphis.
We had lunch at the museum restaurant, and at first when I told S that there was a restaurant at the museum, he expressed no interest to dine there. We perused a few of the other restaurants in town, various pubs, bars, and tea houses that we've dined at over the years. I showed the museum restaurant menu to S and that as enough to convince him that it was worth a try. We eat enjoyed cocktails, and way too much food, but it was tasty. I vividly remember the sticky cinnamon bread that was an appetizer, but it was delightfully sweet and would have been the perfect dessert.
My favorite thing about Mount Dora is the antiquing, as well as walking around the little downtown area and into all of the various shops. I can tell in the last 6 years since we moved away, the boutiques have changed over the years. Where there used to be more dusty antique shops, wares ranging from furniture to jewelry to decor, now there are kitschy boutiques, ice cream shops, and even specialty stores where I popped in and bought some Japanese instant coffee (a shameless love of mine).
Don't get me wrong, there are still antique shops, and the downtown streets are still charming. But the nostalgia that Mount Dora gives me will always be a force that I carry with me. It reminds me of our honeymoon period, newly dating, newly married. It reminds me of travelling with each other, a shared passion, even if only to a town a drive away. It reminds me of our shared loved of antiquing. And it reminds me of a place that is all ours, through the many years.
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