orange picking

This morning (of course, after sleeping in yet again) we headed out to a local orange grove to pick some oranges. I'd read about this place online and decided to add it to our list of non-Disney things to do this vacation.

The weather was (gasp!) a bit warm, but it was great to feel the sunshine and smell the citrus! The place we went to (Showcase of Citrus) was very picturesque and was just a really great place to spend some time as a family.


The store had tons of different citrusy/Floridian products, and I think the best part was that everything there was so much less commercialized that most everything else in Orlando.

We went on our merry way with our fruit bags and set off to find some goodies. Aaron was desperate to find the pineapple oranges (which we did!), and we also picked a few pomelos, neither of which we had ever tried before. Believe me, they are delicious!

On our way back to the store we quickly realized we were being followed by a gaggle (litter? herd?) of ducks and chickens. What's going on? Faster and faster they came, until they were running alongside Camille at quite a clip. But soon we discovered a little vending machine with feed corn. Ahhh. Smart birds. After checking all our pockets we were able to come up with a quarter.

And I tell you, I feared for my ankles. And my daughter. I scooped her up as she and my Dad tossed corn to the birds. And do you think a toddler thinks to throw the corn? Of course not. She dropped it. On my feet. I had chickens eating corn off my flip-flopped feet.

Definitely a memorable experience.

After the food was gone I was brave enough to put her back down. The ducks and chickens were much less interested now that they'd been fed. But Camille wasn't finished with them. She showed them who was boss, running around and chasing them like a wild animal!

We really had a great time while we were there! It was definitely different (and yet sometimes similar) from our trip to the apple orchard this fall.

Tomorrow we have a very busy day. We're going to the Magic Kingdom! Camille will be sporting her Snow White dress, and I have high hopes of snagging a photo of her with the real Snow White! I'm so excited, I hope I can sleep tonight!