Holiday Lights at A1A Ale Works

A warm night this holiday season offers an opportunity to combine two really fun St. Augustine events.  The "Nights of Lights" illuminates the historic downtown area with thousands of tiny white lights for the holidays.  The "A1A Ale Works" provides good food, hand crafted seasonal brews, and great views of the historic district.  Our plan is to choose a warm night, request an outside table on the outside deck overlooking the bayfront, arrive a little before sunset and enjoy the food and brew as the sun sets and the lights turn on.   You might even add a horse drawn carriage ride or trolley train ride and skip desert if you choose.  Have a Happy Holiday Season!    http://www.a1aaleworks.com/

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Free Car Show

If you like old cars and it's a pretty fall day a free car show sounds like a great idea.  The show was held at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind.  The school is St. Johns County's sixth largest employer (650 jobs) and was estabolished in 1885.  The campus is located North City and runs from A1A to the bayfront.  It is the only school of it's kind in Florida for eligible students in Pre K-12.  The late singer Ray Charles is reported to have attended FSDB.  Barbara and I saw a number of cars and trucks we had some association with in our formative years.  I had a Corvair, a 57 Ford convertible, and a 70 Chevelle that were represented.  A fraternity brother in college went to England and brought back a Sunbeam Tiger over summer break. A Ford V8 crambed into a small british sports car designed for a small 4.  That car would fly.  Barbara saw a Mustang and a Studabaker Hawk that brought back memories.  A learning experience was the red beach racer built in Jacksonville in the early 1900's.  Great cars, excellent food concessions, and a senic location were backdrops for a great day.

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Top of a Big Rock

Our summer break included a trip to the North Carolina High Country and the surrounding area.  One of the surprising highlights of this summer's trip was Roan Mountain.  A big chunk of rock named either after Daniel Boon's roah horse or the roan color of the rhodedendrons that are found towards the top elevation's of the mountain.  Barbara enjoyed the hike so much she made it three times.

The summit of Roan Mountain  rises  6,285 feet above the Appalachian Mountians of northeast Tennessee close to the North Carolina border.  You can drive to Carvers Gap in the 2006 acre Roan Mountain State Park and find a beautiful trail to hike to the top.  You start your little hike in a hardwood forest that changes to evergreen spruce and fir trees at a little over 5,ooo feet.  You then enter the rhodedendroms that are quite pretty especially when flowering.  You are finally through the trees and onto the grassy bald that leads to the summit.  The view from above the clouds was senic in all directions.  You also cross the Appalachian Trail somewhere in the process.  Great way to get a little exercise.

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Biking on the Beach

A great way to get some exercise and experience the gorgeous wide beaches, protected sand dunes and wildlife of St. Augustine is by bicycle.  Whether you choose morning, evening, or high noon there is a continuous stream of activity.  We like to ride down just above the water where the sand is hard and we don't disturbe those lying on towels or blankets in the softer sand.   Rides can be short or miles in length if you are so inclined.  From where we live it is also possible to ride north to The Beachcomer or south to the South Beach Grill for breakfast or lunch.  There are many public access points to take a bike onto the beach.  There is a fee for cars/trucks but bikes are free.  You can also get a season pass to park your car on the beach if you choose.  I have enclosed a link with the county map so you can find your nearest access ramp.. Happy peddeling!   http://www.co.st-johns.fl.us/GIS/RecreationMaps.aspx map

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The Kingfish Grill

If you are looking for good food, indoor or outdoor dining, great waterway views, entertainment, and friendly service you might give Kingfish Grill a try.   Located in Camachee Cove Marina off A1A West of the Vilano Bridge,  you can catch ocean breezes while enjoying great views of boats plying the Intracoastal Waterway under their outdoor tent.  The inside has a large bar and great views of the marina.  We have found the food to be consistant and quite good with an emphasis on seafood.  The current owner had many years of restaurant experience before opening this offering a few years ago.  Click on this link for more information about the Kingfish Grill. http://www.kingfishgrill.com/.

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Mayport Ferry Ride

If you are following the coastal highway north of Jacksonville you currently have the opportunity to take a ride on the Mayport Ferry http://www.stjohnsriverferry.com/.  The car ferry, which dates back to 1948, connects the village of Mayport to Fort George Island.  As you ride across and down the river you get a great view of historic Mayport.  Locals claim the Mayport Shrimp are the best available and are caught free swimming just offshore.   The experience is very well organized with a friendly crew and numerous crossings to keep you on your way.  Budget cuts threaten the future of this experience so enjoy it now if you have the opportunity.

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Anastasia Island's New Park

We have a new park on Anastasia Island!  The park is called Ocean Hammock Park Walkway and is located on Beach A1A just north of the Publix complex.  You can park your vehicle in the new parking lot and walk through the hammock, across the dune, and onto the beach.  A very cool way to get some exercise especially if you decide to walk a few miles down the beach.  You may ask why they named the park a hammock if it was intended as a way to get exercise.  The other meaning for hammock is "a fertile area in southern United States and especially Florida that is usually higher than its surroundings and is characterized by hardwood vegetation".   A walk through the trees to get to the beach.

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FREE Concerts at the Pier

Looking for a free event on a Wednesday evening that is family friendly and fun.  From mid May thru September, weather permitting, concerts are held at the Saint Augustine Beach  Pier Pavillion.   A wide variety of musical styles are represented and prior to the concert a local restaurant makes dinner and appetizers available for a reasonable price in the pavillion.  The concert itself is free so bring your beach chairs and a cooler.  The 2012 schedule is shown below.  Enjoy! 

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Kids KingBuster Fishing Tournament

Where can a kid go in St. Augustine to enjoy fishing, competition, instruction, friends, food, prizes,  and friendly pirates.  The answer this weekend was the "Kids Dock Tournament" which is part of the "KingBuster 400" fishing tournament held in St. Augustine.  The boats left early for ocean fishing chasing after the hard fighting Kingfish.  Kids, adult supervisors and parents then had their own age appropriate tournament complete with weigh in, prizes,  and an awards assembley.  Friendly bait carrying adults were on hand to offer advice, encouragement, and untangle lines as necessary.  How great to see adults and kids interacting learning a sport many of us enjoy. 

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Imported from Detroit

When I was a kid living at home with my parents in the mid 60's there were perks. One good perk happened one summer when dad wanterd to go to the unlimited hydroplane races held on the Detroit River in Michigan. Kids, food, clothing, charts, gas (lots of gas), were loaded on a twin screw woodie in Port Clinton, Ohio and aimed for Detroit City across Lake Erie. Before GPS with just a compass in a fog we found the Detroit River Light and ran the bouys to the race site near Keans Marina just north of Detroit. If you haven't been close enough to feel the spray from an unlimited hydroplane and see the driver chewing on a cigar as it thunders by you haven't been to the races. The other thing that impressed me about Detroit were the factories. There were huge factories along the rive belching smoke and busteling with activity.   One such plant was Ford's Rouge River Center. It existed from 1918 to 2004. It was large enough to make it's own steel and house six separate assembley plants. It's first products were World War One anti-submarine boats. Ford tractors, the first Mercury and Thunderbird cars and fourty years of Ford Mustangs were also produced there. The last car produced at that plant was a 2004 red Mustang convertible. The enclosed picture is Barbara in her 2001 Mustang convertible. The other smiling person is neighbor and past customer Ed in his newly acquired 1941 Ford convertible. According to the Ford dealer in Ohio when Barbara purchased her car, the convertible plant was the oldest Ford plant still in operation. The story goes that cars with roofs were driven to one special Rouge River Plant where the roofs were cut off and convertible components were installed. Maybe Ed's "41" and Barbara's "01" rolled down the same line.

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Mutiny at the Bounty

A kid who gets to visit St. Augustine occasionly gets a special treat.  Grandson Luke is too young to remember the movie "Mutiny on the Bounty" with Marlin Brando, but he does like pirates and vividly remembers "Pirates of the Carribean" with Johnney Depp.   We thought "what luck" that very same ship that was used in both movies was tied up at the city marina and going to be open for tours.
The ship was built in 1962 for the Bounty movie and has been touring offering dockside tours and used in appropriate movies ever since.  Luke jumped at the opportunity but was disappointed when event organizers and the Coast Guard had a disagreement as to how much orange tape was required on the ship so those touring would not fall off and hurt themselves.  Access was denied till the coasties were appeased while the many people who were milling around the dock waiting for a tour, some of whom had pre-paid, were about to mutiny.  Since nobody knew how long the process could take Luke decided it best to go swimming rather than participating in a mutiny.  Seeing the ship up close was still an inspiring moment even if the as advertised friday access was denied. 

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Tropical Storm Beryl

  A tropical storm has wind speeds between 35 and 73 miles per hour.  Over that it is a Hurricane.  Beryl came ashore Sunday evening with winds of 70 mph. making it the second strongest tropical storm on record for the month of May.  We could still receive up to 12 inches of rain from this storm which is forcast to go back out to sea and head north.  Tides were to be 2 to 4 feet above normal adding to the excitement for ducks and boaters.  The lights blinked a few times and the house ratteled a little but other than that we slept like babies.  There was an odd calm around 11 P.M. which the local newscaster said was the eye so don't celebrate quite yet.  He was right.  We went to the beach this morning and found the life guards on duty, the very efficient beach rescue vehicles at the ready, and the doons in tact.  The day before we went to Salt Run and watched some boaters preparing for the blow. 

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Wood Lake

We were showing houses to a young family who wanted a reasonably priced new home within a short drive to the beach. They also wanted as new as possible with little or no association fees and no CDD fee. They wanted a large lot and room enough for a growing family at a price in the low $200,ooo's. Oh, and by the way, a community pool and playground would be nice for the kids.
We did our homework and also called some builders rep's for additional current ideas. Kathleen at D.R.Horton is one of our favorites and informed us that they were now building in the new to them gated community of Wood Lake where many of the lots are large enough for homes with three car garages. Did I mention that the family also has a boat? Richmond American Builders originally started this community and is still selling home/lot packages. Both builders offer quick move in homes (homes that will be completed within months). The US and St. Rt 206 location is wooded and just 5 minutes from the beach. If you would like us to represent you in a transaction please contact us by phone or email.

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Rivertown

Barbara and I were recently enjoying the scenery along the St. Johns River on Route 13's scenic Bartram Trail. We were a few minutes early to an appointment so we stopped at the new Rivertown Park. The park covers over fifty acres on the St. Johns River and offers a marvelous fishing pier. Accross the road in the new community of Rivertown is an almost completed clubhouse and new model homes by three builders. By the time they are done they will have a lap pool, a kid-friendly pool, tennis courts, playground, and baseball fields to compliment the Florida traditional homes to be constructed. The development is big with land going all the way to Bartrum Trails High School. Literature says prices start under the $200,000's. Give us a call and we would be glad to show you the community.

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Fisher is in the Groove

Grandson Fisher and parents Sarah and Max dropped by the office the other day and arrived hungry. We used the opportunity to visit a reasonably new restraunt in the Seagrove complex called The Groove Cafe. A short walk past the Library and Post Office and we were there. We could have been seated inside or outside under an umbrella. Fisher wanted to be inside just in case a band was playing. He must have looked like a roudy customer so they gave him a chair with a strap to restrain him. We all enjoyed a tasty lunch and efficient, friendly service. Fisher thought he might come back if he didn't have to be strapped in the next time.

http://www.thegroovecafe.com/

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Great Fishing

Daughter Agatha and grandson Luke have both had the opportunity to enjoy fishing on the intracoastal waterway this winter. Obviously a great time was had by all. Around St. Augustine you have the option of fishing fresh water lakes, the saltier inshore intracoastal and rivers, and the briny deep of the Atlantic Ocean. Having grown up in Ohio where it was either a bass, walley, bluegill or pearch this latitude offers many catching choices. Even if you target a species you are never sure what you are going to get. Luke has come a long way from his "superman"little peoples rod and reel set with rubber hooks to casting open face reels. Who would ever have thought I would be discussing baits and lures with daughter Agatha.





Brought to you by:Team Gledhill, Prudential Network RealtyBuying or Selling Property in St. Johns Co? Call 904-874-2588 or email

info@teamgledhill.com

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