Oaklaw Nopry Music

Just a few minutes north of downtown Orlando awaits Winter Park, a charming picturesque suburb steeped in history. After my excursion on the Scenic Boat Tour, my local expert Wanda Salerno took me on a little walk through town past beautiful historic neighbourhoods.

With is origins as a citrus growing region, Winter Park became a major destination for wealthy northerners during the early 1900s, who came into town by train to reach their elegant winter retreats, seeking shelter from the cold winters of the north. Elegant mansions and and stately old oak trees draped with Spanish moss bear witness to this historic era.

Wanda then took me through some of Winter Park’s hidden courtyards, which are

filled with specialty retail stores and galleries. Winter Park features a large variety of galleries and I had a chance to sample three of them, all of which carried vastly different artwork:

- Scott Laurent Collections

- Native Visions Gallery

- Timothy’s

Our walk took us out on to Winter Park’s main street, Park Avenue, which houses 10 blocks of specialty retailers, galleries and ecclectic restaurants. Park Avenue is flanked on its west side by Central Park which offers a welcome sanctuary of relaxation with its graceful fountain, walking paths and shaded benches.

We then went on to explore Casa Feliz (”Happy House” in Spanish), the signature residential work of renowned architect James Gamble Rogers II.

In 1932 Robert Bruce Barbour, a chemical engineer from Massachusetts, commissioned Rogers to design a home on Lake Osceola, which turned out to be the Andalusian-style masonry farmhouse that we see today. This home was not only cherished by Barbour, but by the community as well. Throughout its history, it has hosted garden club tours, symphony orchestra concerts, poetry social meetings and a dinner for author Sinclair Lewis.

In 2001, in order to prevent the house from demolition, Casa Feliz was moved across Interlachen Avenue to its present location on Park Avenue. This move was one of the most dramatic events in Winter Park’s history. Casa Feliz was transported on 20 pneumatically levelled dollies, and an elaborate pulley system moved the house about 75 feet per hour. After the house was in position at its new location, skilled craftsmen worked on restoring it to its original 1933 condition. A special landscape design was commissioned to reflect the style of the era.

Today, Casa Feliz is available to rent for weddings, parties, business meetings and events. Its unique features provide the perfect backdrop for a truly memorable event.

As a centre of local culture, Winter Park also features three well-known museums:

- the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American art, which holds the world’s most comprehensive collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany, including Tiffany’s 1893 Chapel. The museum also features paintings, furniture and other works primarily from the late 19th and 20th centuries.

- the Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Garden: 3 acres of gardens, featuring sculptures and painters by Albin Polasek. The museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

- the Cornell Fine Arts Museum, which focuses on western world art of the 20th century and includes paintings, drawings, sculptures and other art from America and Europe. This museum is located at Rollins College, one of the top rated liberal arts colleges in the country.

The Winter Park Historical Museum examines various historic time periods, interchanging exhibits and rotating displays highlight some of the changes that have occurred in central Florida.

While I explored the town my husband actually played a round of golf at the 9-hole Winter Park Country Club, which is nestled beautifully inside Winter Park’s historic neighbourhood. The WPCC is the second oldest golf club in the Central Florida area and makes its way through the downtown Winter Park area and provides a challenge to even the most experienced golfer. He enjoyed his outing, and a cost of $12, it was an extremely affordable outing on a well-maintained golf course.

We capped off our excursion with an enjoyable dinner at a restaurant called 310 Park Avenue, right on Winter Park’s main strip. While a good portion of the Orlando area is very new, Winter Park is a welcome oasis of history and ambience that is perfect for a day of exploring.

For more information on Winter Park contact the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce, www.winterpark.org.

This entire article including photos is located at http://www.travelandtransitions.com/stories_photos/orlando_winter_park.htm

One can see that there is a distinct quality about real oak furniture that places it above any other, one item will transform your home with its singular beauty.  There is a durability in oak furniture that will enable you to pass it on to your descendents, and there is a resplendent gleam to oak timber that has been handled well and taken care of.  What measures to you have to take on to make sure that your oak furniture saves its remarkable good looks?  It’s worthwhile taking some time to find out a couple of tips.

Initially study the finish that your oak furniture has.  For instance, if it is unfinished wood, which can be beautiful, whether you are dealing with alfresco furniture or indoor furniture, be mindful of the fact that it may leak tannic oils into the adjacent area.  You can prevent this by rubbing it over with a duster from time to time.  At the time you go to rub over your oak article of furniture, the duster should be lightly dampened with some kind of wood oil.  Untreated timber is inclined to taking on dampness and commencing to deteriorate.  Covering your oak furniture with a preparation of teak oil should be able to stop this.

When you are dealing with oak pieces of furniture, recall that reckoning on the finish, you may find yourself needing to wax treat it each three or four months.  Waxing will keep the furniture looking sharp and it also has many down-to-earth functions as well.  Waxing will retain the texture of your oak pieces of furniture smooth to the touch and it will also sustain the wood from getting too dry and then cracking.  When you have noticed oak pieces of furniture with many little fissures, you are viewing a situation named crazing, which can be precluded by the correct handling.

Recall that oak pieces of furniture can be spoiled from water damage.  When you see a stain on your oak furniture that has been provided by a small water spill, there are lots of good means to address it.  A really good trick and a low-cost one besides is to knead some household fat like butter or margarine into the stain and then to leave it overnight.  When you have concluded waiting, you are going to be able to wipe it clean and then put on a small amount of top quality furniture polish.

Make a point that you never apply low-priced furniture upkeep wares on your authentic oak furniture.  If jobs are taken on employing mediocre wares, problems will spring up as they are of poor quality and they are fundamentally planned to peel stains away.  The preservative coating of genuine oak furniture is something that can be taken away and doing so will harm your articles of furniture. Recollect that you get what you pay for.  Oak furniture articles of furniture tends not to need caustic cleansing products anyway, as the wood is marvelously resistant.

Its worth taking a while and really study what your options are going to be to look after your oak furniture.  Remember that you have made an investment with beautiful furniture like this, and if there is a genuine troublesome problem, it might mean that you should contact a furniture specialist.

Four Corners Trading are a traditional oak furniture supplier in England.

The Colony Hotel – which The Palm Beach Post has hailed as “probably the best cabaret on the planet” – plans another sizzling, song-filled season at the hotel’s celebrated Royal Room, featuring some really hot headliners straight from Manhattan’s most sophisticated nightspots and Broadway – including, in fact, a Royal Room regular who was a 2008 Tony Award nominee.

 “The Colony’s 2008-2009 Cabaret Season will be our biggest and best ever. Instead of having to fly up to New York City to see major cabaret stars at the Algonquin’s Oak Room, the Carlyle or Feinstein’s at the Regency, fans of the Great American Songbook now can enjoy many of the same extraordinary performers within the cozy confines of the Royal Room. I can guarantee the quality of these performers because I personally reviewed each one,” promises Roger Everingham, general manager of Palm Beach’s favorite boutique hotel, which has repeatedly earned the highly coveted “4-Diamond Rating,” from AAA.

Widely considered to be one of the top cabaret venues in the country, The Colony’s Royal Room has scheduled another audience-pleasing line-up of performers.   Manhattan’s most sophisticated cabaret singer Steve Ross has been lavishly praised by audiences and reviewers alike for his singing style and personal élan.  The show will be held on December 12th and 13th.

Reviews of Steve Ross include Philip Elwood in Chronicle Jazz: “No one performing today is his equal. They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore.” Backstage reported, “With the loss of Bobby Short, Steve Ross is the last apotheosis of the quintessential Manhattan piano man. He’s a throwback to something timeless, although future generations — having moved on — may not see it in that regard and will never know what they’ve missed.”  Variety said, “Suave and savvy…a staple of Manhattan’s cabaret scene for more than four decades. Ross exudes great charm, sings with an appealing light baritone and plays piano with a flowery grace and assurance. Ross balances an expansive body of songs from the 1920s and ’30s that reach forward into the more contemporary terrain of Jim Croce, Maury Yeston, and Stephen Sondheim.” Perhaps Cabaret Scenes said it best, “Watching Steve Ross is seeing a master rule his craft.”

During the Fall cabaret season, through December 2008, each of the cabaret performers will do an 8 p.m. show on Friday and Saturday — except for The Four Freshmen, who will perform Wednesday through Saturday, December 17-20.

During January through April 2009, the 8 p.m. shows will run Tuesday through Saturday, with a 10 p.m. late show on Friday and Saturday – except for Jack Jones (February 24 – March 7) who is not scheduled to perform any late shows.

For all Royal Room evening performances, the doors open at 6:45 p.m. for dinner and the show starts around 8.  To make reservations, call the hotel box-office at 561-659-8100 or send an email to robrussell@thecolonypalmbeach.com