Thanksgiving with the Third Graders

Grandson Luke is a third grader in the St. Johns County School System.  We were invited to his Thanksgiving Day celebration which also included lunch.  Some of the children were dressed as Pilgrims and some as Native Americans.  They gave us a little history and sang a few songs before serving lunch.  Several classes were involved so lunch was served in the larger capacity art room.  Luke was pared up with a kindergarten student earlier in the year in a symbiotic reading program that lets third graders act as big brother/sister mentors to the younger children and we were pleased to have Luke's partner join us for lunch.  The third graders served lunch to all the parents and grandparents and we were mightily pleased with their efforts. The only tense moment was when the whipped cream in a spray can dispenser handled by a third grader decorated my pumpkin pie!!.  It worked out fine.  Easy to see why St. Johns County Schools earn such high ratings.  Thanks to the teachers for their hard work and the parents for their support!

   

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Pomenade the Waterfront on the New Seawall

Barbara tells me that I am an inexpensive date.  All one of us needs to say is " a cookie and a coffee " from  one of the many sources downtown and we are ready for a walk in the historic section of St. Augustine.  One of our favorite routes is the waterfront along the bay.  Historic homes and buildings to the west and the waterfront and boats on the east.  The views are great and many times we even hold hands.  This used to be necessary because the old seawall was narrow and the street was wide and we can both have clutz attacks.  This is changing, however, with the construction of a new seawall which is being constructed 12 feet further out into the water.  This newly constructed seawall will protect the historic old seawall along the bay that was originally started by the Spanish in 1696.  The section being fortified in the pictures is from the 1833 project  which was built by West Point Military Academy graduates.  The wall is also higher to protect the city from water intrusion during tropical storms.  The best thing for us and other pomenaders is the nice wide walking path between the old now interior wall and the new higher outer wall.  We may not have to hold hands to walk the wall, but then again.        

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Annual Boat Migration

This time of year one notices that the lift bridges like the Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine are getting a lot of use.  Boat traffic increases in the fall as northern boaters come south to take advantage of our relatively warmer weather and sunshine.  Some owners have their boats transported south on semi trailers for large boats or trail small boats behind their cars or RV's.  The really large vessels, however, get to navigate the north/south boat highway that runs down the east coast of the United States.  The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway was conceived by Congress in 1826 as a way to assist commerce.  The idea was for a system of natural waterways and dug canals to be so connected that vessels could navigate without the hazards of the open sea.  Smaller non ocean going vessels could be used to haul freight from New York to the Gulf of Mexico.  Today around 3,000 miles of inland waterway exist allowing boats to travel from Boston, Massachusetts to Key West, Florida.   You can even cross the state of Florida at around Stewart on the east coast to Fort Myers on the west coast crossing Lake Okeechobee.   Railroads have taken a lot of the commercial traffic leaving the waterway for pleasure boaters.  As a guy who has spent his life around boats this migration is like a very enjoyable parade.

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Hike to Bulowville

A little south of St. Augustine off Old Kings Road in Flagler Beach is the Buelow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park.  A drive down a one lane sand road leads you to the ranger station.  From there you take a short hike under an old growth tree canopy to the ruins.  We felt really out there and back in time and were surprised at the lack of other people.  If you like hiking you can keep right on going on 6.8 miles of cleared trails in this and adjacent Buelow Creek State Park.  The 13 mile Buelow Creek Canoe Trail starts at the ranger station and had canoe's for rent.  Next time maybe.

In 1821 the Buelow family acquired 4,875 acres of wilderness and using slave labor cleared 2,200 acres.  The plan was to grow sugar cane, cotton, rice, and indigo, which makes your Levis blue, and transport the products to St. Augustine by boat for further sale and distribution.  They also turned sugar cane into molasses but did not make rum like some plantations did.  The plan worked until the Second Seminole War when the Indians burned the plantation.  The coquina stone structures, however, are still standing and are in remarkable shape for their age.     http://www.floridastateparks.org/bulowplantation/default.cfm

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Northern Road Trip

This year our summer break consisted of a trip back to our roots.  Well my roots to be more specific.  I was from Ohio and Barbara was from Illinois.  This summer I had a Galion High School class reunion, an Ashland College Kappa Sigma Fraternity reunion, a Columbus Public Schools Southeast Career Center reunion and most importantly family to see.   When Barbara and I lived and worked in central Ohio we spent many happy weekends on a boat in the western island area of Lake Erie.  Time would not allow us to do it all so we choose the high school reunion, the relatives, and a trip back to some favorite haunts on Erie.  My parents had a cabin and boats on Erie long before I was in diapers so there were a lot of haunts.  Cedar Point Amusement Park, Put in Bay on South Bass Island, Middle Bass Island,  Catawba Island, Marblehead, Huron, Vermillion, Port Clinton, Sandusky, Peele Island, and Kelley's Island were on the short list.  We made it to seven with our favorite the ferry ride to Kelley's Island and the golf cart ride around it's five mile by five mile scenic shoreline.  Lake perch and walleye fish diners are still quite tasty.  The lake usually freezes in winter so you have to enjoy your short summers. http://www.kelleysislandchamber.com/

         

         

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Live like a Vanderbilt

Even if I were alive during America's gilded age I would probably not have been able to experience the wealth of the Vanderbilt's or Rockefeller's.  Today however,  I can visit the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine, Florida and gain incite into the wealth and magnificence of a bygone age.  In 1887 Henry Flagler built the Spanish Renaissance Hotel Alcazar to accommodate vacationing wealthy patrons who could ride his railroad down the east coast to St. Augustine.  The hotel was used for many years in that capacity but eventually was sold to Chicago publisher Otto Lightner to house his extensive collection of Victoriana in 1946.  You can view a plethora of items from Tiffany glass to Winston Churchill's stuffed lion in an opulent setting that compliments the artifacts.  We try to arrive when a live demonstration of spring powered musical instruments is occurring in the Music Room.  You can even have lunch at the Cafe' Alcazar which is located at the bottom of the huge drained indoor pool.  Even our grandchildren enjoyed their visit once they got past the "museum" word.  Click on the link for a map and tour information.  http://www.lightnermuseum.org/main_lightner.html

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El Galeon visits St. Augustine

 Not every day do you get to see an authetic full size replica of a 16th century Spanish Galleon even in St. Augustine.  Our city founder, Pedro Menendez, is credited with developing the galleon concept and arrived from Spain in one in 1565 to estabolish our fair city.  These ships were armed cargo and people carriers that were the Spanish colonies link to mother Spain.  The square rigged ships could not efficiently sail to windward so they followed a route that gave them the following winds and seas from Europe to the south and a northerly route home with a little boost from the Gulf Stream current.  St. Augustine was a stopover and provisioning safe port for the often gold laden ships.

Grandson Luke and I toured the 170 foot vessel last weekend and had a grand time.  The crew and officers who serve as tour guides enjoyed telling stories of their voyage from Spain and answered questions about the ship.  It was built in 2009, carries a crew of 28, has more than 9,600 square feet of sail area, and sails at around 6 knots.  Luke thought the cannons were cool especially when looking at the fort. 

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Splash Park

 Having five grandchildren has taught me that kids love to get wet and splash water everywhere they can.  A great place to fulfill their need for water dispersion is the St. Augustine Beech Splash Park.  Located down by the Fishing Pier on Beach A1A the park has recently undergone a nice restoration.  Ample parking and shade is provided for parents while kids splash away excess energy within steps of the Atlantic Ocean.  You might bring along a vollyball for the

adjacent sand courts or a fishing pole to test your angling skills in the Atlantic.  There is also a farmers market in the same area on Wednesdays.  Have Fun!

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A Sailboat Ride

The sight of a sailboat under sail in St. Augustine has become a more limited occurance the last fifty years or so.  Thank goodness the 72' topsail schooner Freedom sailed into town a few years ago.  For a modest sum you can take a two hour Day, Sunset, or Twilight cruise on this ship and enjoy the romance of sailing.  The historic St. Augustine skyline is a magnificient backdrop for the schooner cruise. 

The owners told me they sailed the ship from the west coast of Florida by way of Key West.  The steel hulled ship is a replica of a nineteenth century blocade runner and fits right in.  The Freedom docks at the City Dock just south of the Bridge of Lions across from the A1A Tavern.  One of my joys is being stopped by the opening of the Bridge of Lions and being allowed to watch the boat traffie which is when I took this picture.  The "schooner" website has many great amature submitted photos of the ship in action for your enjoyment.   http://www.schoonerfreedom.com/

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High Tea at the Ponce De Leon Hotel

Henry Flagler's magnificient  Ponce De Leon Hotel, which was built in 1888, is now incorperated in the Flagler College campus.  The Spanish Renaissance Revival structure incorportated the talents of the best minds of its generation.  Flagler used the talents of  New York architects John Carrere and Thomas Hastings (New York Public Library) and Bernard Maybeck(Palace of the Fine Arts, San Francisco), interiors and 79 stained glass windows by Louise Comfort Tiffany, and steam power and electricity by Thomas Edison.  As part of the 125th anniversary celebration the college has taken the final restoration steps to the domed Solarium.  This part of the hotel historically was where guests gathered for conversation and entertainment.  The Solarium has been closed to visitors and students for 20 years but beginning in the spring of 2013 will be open to host Second Sunday Teas.  This will allow visitors to view the newly restored space while partaking in gourmet teas and a selection of traditional tea sandwiches and sweets.  http://ponce125.com/  This link gets you to the Flagler College Ponce tour and events site and 1-800-304-4208 will reach them.

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