Linda and I have decided that Duane lives in the coolest part of town of the three of us. It's an older area with lots of bungalows (Duane owns one) and shotgun style houses and great places to eat and shop that aren't part of 'chains.' Duane told us about the monthly outdoor market that her neighborhood has the second Sunday of every month so we decided to go this morning. It's held on the grounds in front of a beautiful old high school called Hillsborough High (Duane is a graduate). HHS is one of the oldest high schools in the South. The school has been around since the 1880's but was built on it's current site in 1911. The gothic style architecture is really cool. It has a clock tower and stained glass windows in the chapel. I tried to fit the entire front of the school into one photo but I was unable to get far enough away to accomplish that. It's way too wide.
The market was great even though the temperature was busy climbing it's way up to the low 90's. Lots of people bring their dogs (on leashes) to the market which is very dog-friendly. There are bowls of water set out in various places for our furry friends to stay hydrated and a number of vendors sell organic dog biscuits and other doggy items. Lots of great-looking fruit and vegetables are available from local growers along with everything from handmade soap to all sorts of jewelry, eco-friendly clothing, handmade furniture, etc. I picked up quite a few business cards since it was my first visit and many of the vendors also have stores and/or websites. Lots of variety for a fairly small compact market.
We sampled one lady's homemade whoopie pies (lots of flavors) and they were scrumptious. Linda was the only one who actually made a couple of purchases. One item I can't show here because it's a Christmas gift for a mutual friend who sometimes reads this blog. (No peeking!) But the other items she bought were three handmade jewelry bags to hold jewelry she's already purchased as Christmas gifts. I saw a number of items that I'm considering as possible Christmas purchases so it was a great scouting expedition.
Hopefully, the next time we go the weather will be a little cooler. (Oh, wait, this is Florida -- what am I thinking...) Here are a couple more pics of the market and the high school and one nice pic that I didn't take of the school's clock tower. By the way, so many people ride their bikes to the market that they actually have a bike 'valet' service. Nice.
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| The clock tower. |
