A Visit to Where We Live

We live in Astatula, Florida.  Asta what?  It's pronounced Ass-tah-too-lah.  Kinda fun to say.  Established in 1872, today it's home to 1,400 residents.

It's a small spec of a farm town about an hour northwest of Disney World.  Amazing that a 45-minute drive from downtown Orlando lies miles and miles of mostly untouched farm land - really beautiful country!

In Astatula we found exactly what we were longing for - a smaller home, a little land, wide open space and quiet.

Just about a mile down a winding, unpaved road canopied by lush trees...

...is our little farm:

There's not much to Astatula other than the police station/town hall (shared building),

and the post office, two churches, two bars, a tiny diner (seats 8), and a family-owned convenience store. 

Mostly, we have acres and acres of orange and grapefruit groves:

Lots of horse farms...

...and pretty old barns:

And unlike most of Florida, Astatula has many rolling hills that cut through the farms and citrus groves.  Bikers (bicyclists and Harleys alike) travel from all over central Florida to work out on or just enjoy these amazing hills.

Many Live Oaks and Hammock Oaks dot our town's landscape, including this giagantic, ancient Hammock Oak on the shore of Minneola Lake:

Look at the size and sway of this this branch!

My favorite oak tree is the one just down the road from our house where cows shade themselves every afternoon:

Without a doubt, this is the most beautiful place we've ever lived.  I love it here!  Whatever environment you're in today, I hope you enjoy it!

For a chance at winning my September blog giveaway just leave a comment on this blog, or any of my September blog entries!  Drawing is September 30th.