A Day in Dunedin

Yesterday, Duane, Linda, and I decided to take the show on the road and visit one of the small pretty little towns that aren't too far from Tampa.  We picked Dunedin since two of us hadn't been there in years and Linda had made only a quick recent visit.  Our friend, Danny, now lives there but this was such a last minute decision that we didn't let him know we were coming.  (We'll catch you next time, Danny!)



You don't have to be of Scottish descent to enjoy the picturesque downtown of Dunedin.  The name Dunedin comes from the Scottish-Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.  (I visited Edinburgh years ago and loved it!)  My family on my paternal grandfather's side came over from Scotland so I enjoy that connected feeling.  The shops are wonderful and everyone is really friendly.  Also, there are great places to eat. We managed to have a morning snack, lunch, and a late afternoon snack at three different places.  Yum. 

We certainly did our share of shopping.  All three of us found baby gifts for people we know.  Linda and I both found small handmade baskets at a shop that specialized in African art.   Many of the shops feature local artists and artisans, though, which I think is terrific. 

One of the places we shopped.

Funny to see these two places on Main Street across from shops.

There's a cool Celtic store in Dunedin where I bought pins for my nephews with our family seal or crest (can't remember which) as stocking stuffers.  I also bought a matted pic of the history of our name (Henderson) along with some information about some of the better known people who carry the name.  I actually have a kilt made from the Henderson plaid that I had made from a shop in Edinburgh.  It doesn't fit through the waist anymore (bye, bye, 24 inches) but maybe one day one of my three nieces might be interested in having it.

Henderson plaid.

We all found some little things for ourselves.  There was a very nice antique mall with a tiny elderly woman who was very friendly.  I found a couple of vintage glass dessert plates.  Duane bought a metal artist's pallet that is used to hold her glasses on her blouse via a magnet (no holes in her blouses) and Linda, besides finding some gifts and a handcarved bowl also found a cute mat for her two cats to have their bowls placed on.  There were actually a lot of pet gifts in various shops, too.  Cute stuff.  Also many of the items for infants and children were made locally. 

It was a really hot day -- in the 90's, as usual in August -- and we were only a couple of blocks from the Gulf but we just wanted to stay in the air conditioning as much as possible.  Our last stop before heading home was this fantastic ice cream shop called Strachan's Homemade Ice Cream and Desserts.   Everything there is made on the premises and we each got a cold treat.  It was really hard to choose so we took a few minutes to make up our minds.  I bought a small box of Strachan's chocolate fudge to take home to George.

Linda, Duane, and I would all recommend spending a day in Dunedin if you're ever in the area.  It's a neat place and if you go in March you can attend the annual Dunedin Highland Games.  We know that we'll be going back at some point.  We still have quite a few small towns that we'd like to visit for a day so stay tuned...

Our purchases.