Let's Go to the Beach

It will be fun, she said. We can enjoy a cool ocean breeze and watch the sun rise over the horizon, she said. We can ride the bike trails along the ocean, she said. So, with a bit of free time between graduation festivities, we headed to the ocean.

We did not get an ocean front RV site as everything was booked for Memorial Day weekend. However, we did find a spot  in a jungle Faver-Dykes State Park, about 20 miles south of St. Augustine. The campground is located about 1 1/2 miles off the main road.

It’s okay, she said; we can drive to the beach. Not at sunrise, he said.

Arriving at the campground we were immediately advised of rampant tick infestation.

So much for strolling along the nature trail.

Exploring St. Augustine we were reminded of Savannah, GA; lot’s of historical landmarks.

Castillo de San Marcos built in 1672 is the largest and oldest masonry fort in the US, It served as a refuge for the citizens of St. Augustine during frequent pirate raids. 

St. Augustine is very humid and hosts lots of tourists.

ABN found a Natural Life store and Captain discovered A1A Ale House, so we were happy.

 

St. George's street before the other tourists arrived. Trust us, they did arrive!

Located not too far from our campground we learned there was a Blue Crab Festival in the town of Palatka which is conveniently located on the Palatka-to-St. Augustine bike trail. Saturday we loaded the tandem and headed to Palatka. We rode a bit of the trail and did a bit of Florida hill climbing.

This is said 'hill;" the bike path goes along the bridge.

After a hot and humid bike ride, we headed to the festival.

It would probably be a very nice festival except it was just too warm and humid to stay very long (the heat was so stifling, ABN didn’t even want to look at the arts and crafts.Yep it was that warm!)

On Sunday we finally made it to the beach where we enjoyed a nice 20 mile ride along the ocean. And, yes, it was a tiny bit cooler with the ocean breeze.

Well, the path actually went along the side of the highway, but we did see the beach.

Best part of the ride was the 35 cent popsicles at a convenient store!

With the heat and humidity, and the mosquitoes, and the ants, we confirmed what we already knew; we are not beach people.  Will we ever get all the sand out of our shoes, the truck and the RV?

A note from ABN,

Today our nation is observing Memorial Day....for Gold Star Families, every day is Memorial Day (we never forget.)  It used to bother me a great deal to be wished a happy Memorial Day. This year I decided to change my attitude; when I hear or see “Happy Memorial Day,” I will say a silent prayer that those expressing the sentiment will never experience the circumstance that brings true meaning to the holiday.

We are now headed back to the Florida panhandle where we will join other family members as we celebrate Camille. In spite of our loss, we have so very much for which to be joyful and grateful.

Wishing all of you a “Happy Summer!”

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An (almost) Perfect Mother’s Day Weekend

What would any mother want more than to spend a weekend with those she loves the most? For ABN, it was the perfect Mothers’ Day gift.

First a trip to Wilmington, NC to pack up our oldest granddaughter, Alison, at UNCW and move her back to Florida for her summer break. From ABN’s memory of moving Alison’s dad in and out of college housing, it is a necessary but not fun chore. We were pleasantly surprised to find Ali had all her packing done and the apartment cleaned, leaving only the actual loading for us.

It was a much more organized and smoother experience than we expected and certainly worth it to spend time with our granddaughter and get a glimpse into her college life.

Love this young lady!

We arrived in Florida in time to celebrate our youngest granddaughter, Camille’s, 18th birthday.

Cake decorated by her talented mom.

It is not unusual to have their friends celebrating with us. We sat in amazement and listen to these young ladies discuss topics like music composition, college experiences and future plans. Were these the same girls that we knew to act silly? Before the evening ended, we were assured, they are the same girls.

Rarely are we in Florida and not see a ballet performance. This weekend was not an exception. Saturday we watched Camille perform a variation from the ballet, Carmen. A stellar performance, it is our favorite of all her performances that we have seen.

Love this one too!

Following the performance, Captain treated his girls to dinner at The Surf Hut in Destin. (Except for Camille who continued to celebrate her birthday with a night out with friends.)

It was an (almost) a perfect Mother’s Day Weekend.

Of course we could not drive through North Carolina and not stop to visit with our dear friends, Kathy and Jesse.

No, we did not get in trouble; we just took a little trip back in time, visiting Mount Airy, the hometown of Andy Griffith which was inspiration for the fictitious town of Mayberry.

Jesse and Kathy introduced us to The Yellow Deli in Hiddenite.

The story began in 1973 as a few passionate people decided to bring a ray of sunshine to their neighborhood “because, in the face of mounting troubles on all sides of this planet and for all of humanity” the restaurant founders saw the need for a solution. Yellow represents the ray of hope; the solution was a little place where people could come, sit down, not feel rushed, ask questions and find a refuge from the pressures of life. Following their interpretation of the early church where believers lived in communities, they live, work and homeschool their children on a little farm not far from the restaurant. To join the commune, one must give up all their worldly goods, agree to work on the farm or in the restaurants; they do not receive a wage. All of their needs are provided by the commune. It’s a very interesting concept or, perhaps a cult; The Yellow Delis are in several states as well as in other countries.

The restaurant in Hiddenite is in a beautifully restored warehouse with very good sandwiches on bread baked in their bakery.

The best part of our visit with Kathy and Jesse was sitting on the porch of their lovely home with a spectacular view,  sipping wine and catching up. 

We are back home, just long enough to do the laundry, load The Wanderer (she stayed home this trip) and head back to Florida for high school graduation celebration.

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