2/16/2024
We have a car called a Prowler & we have made many friends through this car group. Our next stop was at one of those friends home in Palm City. Larry and Debbie Bell - they hosted many Prowler events at their home in Indiana, and now they are hosting us in their home in Florida.
Larry and Debbie had gotten tickets for Jefferson Starship at the Peabody Center in Daytona. Fortunately they were able to get four more tickets. David Frieberg Was one of the originals of Jefferson Airplane and was one of the founding members in creating Jefferson Starship.
Dave in his younger years
Dave today at 85 years young
The lead singer Cathy Richardson is from Burr Ridge and went to Hindsdale Central HS
It was a very enjoyable night, we were all so glad that we were able to get tickets and The Bell's had invited us !!
12/17/2024
We took Larry and Debbie up the Mantanza River on our boat for a 3 hour tour. We brought them home safely and did not crash like the SS Minnow. Spent the rest of the day enjoying their continued hospitality and later went to dinner at one of their favorite spots.
Left the Bell's under stormy skies but not before we were able to see a Pileated Woodpecker
( Woody Woodpecker shares many characteristics in common with the pileated woodpecker in terms of both physical appearance as well as his characteristic laugh, which resembles the call of the pileated woodpecker. These similarities are the result of the artistic license of the creators and have caused much confusion within the birding community among those who have attempted to classify Woody's species.)
We headed up the ICW (Intercoastal Waterway) to St Augustine. River's Edge Marina would be our next stop for for the next three days.
2/19/2024
The town of St. Augustine has so much history and sites to see - I hope you enjoy my tour.
We hopped on the Old Town Trolley Tours train (at stop 12) to start our tour around the town. We soon got off at stop one to pick and choose our other stops for the day. The first attraction was the Old Jail which was at this stop. The jail which was originally located in the center of town was eventually rebuilt on the outskirts by Henry Flagler. He did not want his friends and family to be constantly heckled by prisoners as they passed by in the center of town
We decided to continue walking to the next stop rather than hop back on the trolley. This was the earliest settlement in St Augustine. St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European and African-American origin in the United States. Forty-two years before the English colonized Jamestown and fifty-five years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, the Spanish established at St. Augustine this nation's first enduring settlement.
The first Catholic mission in the present-day United States was established on this site. The Catholic mission system would grow from its headquarters in St. Augustine, spreading from Tallahassee to the lower sea islands of South Carolina.
Ponce de Leon Fountain of Youth is also located here. The men who drank the spring water felt rejuvenated and would get their stamina back. In fact, they had been dehydrated on their ships journey and the minerals provided by the springs revitalized them.
The water had a metallic taste to it
lot of peacocks here, including an albino peacock
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We passed the reproduction statue of "David" which was sculptured in Florence, Italy. It is one of the only two in the world to be carved to the exact specifications as the original - 17 feet high and weighing 10 tons and from one piece of marble. The townspeople made them plant a hedge around the statue as to keep him somewhat hidden.
Next, we passed this beautiful church, founded by General Pedro Menendez de Aviles. He settled here to start a colony and most importantly convert Indians to Christianity. After he kissed the base of the cross the Indians imitated him. General Pedro then proclaimed this land in the name of God (Nombre de Dios).
We continued to the Bridge of Lions which gets its name from the two lion statues that stand guard at the west end of the bridge. The lions were named for the Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, who founded the city of St. Augustine, and whose coat of arms featured two lions. The lions are named Fiel and Firme, Faithful and Firm.
It was a cool nite and the Ferrel cat found a warm vibrating place to sleep atop the dryer !!
2/20/24
A jelly fish by the dock
We were planning on taking a lyft to the Lighthouse and Maritime Museum. The guys went to secure another night and ran into a Navy VietNam Vet who ran a red Tour Train similar to the Old Trolley (which he had worked for) and told them he could take us there. When we were ready to go there were engine issues that Matt tried to look at and repair. The owners repair guy came and it started right up (Did Matt fix it - we will never know). He took us to the Lighthouse and provided more interesting points of the area.
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Walking around the grounds were several museums connected to the lighthouse which are private, non-profit museums dedicated to preserving and keeping alive the stories of the Nation's Oldest Port.
An octagon shaped historical home
A very unusual camper
The Alligator farm - one of Florida's oldest attractions. As of 2012, this was the only place where one can see every species of alligator, crocodile, caiman and gharial. Over the years, the zoo has expanded to include mammals, birds, and other reptiles.
Although crocodiles like the sun for warmth this albino one is kept in a mostly covered enclosure to avoid getting sunburned.
The main attraction here is Maximo hatched in 1971. Currently, weighing in at 1,249 lbs and 15'9" in length.
A Roseate Spoonbill and Snowy Egret
Next up was an uber ride to the oldest home in St Augustine. With a construction history dating to about 1723, it is believed to be the oldest surviving house in St. Augustine. It is also an important example of St. Augustine's Spanish colonial architectural style, with later modifications by English owners.
We walked down the oldest street
I walked into Cathedral Basilica of St Augustine founded Sept 8, 1565
We ended the day at Flagler College
We took an uber back to the boat and had dinner at Hurricane Patty's
02/21/2024
We left in the morning. There was a sailboat which looked like it had recently sank since the boats belongings were scattered on the dock.
It was a short ride to the free dock where we spent the night. The white pelicans decided the warmest place was in the sun on this small piece of land.
The sunset was beautiful - as usual
02/22/24
We headed to Jacksonville to Lambs Marina
This was an interesting barge that was carrying a naval boat. The barge would close it doors and submerge to allow the boat to exit
The vessel Zeus Leader is a Vehicles Carrier built in 2009 and is currently sailing under the flag of Japan. We watched as they unloaded
We arrived at Lamb's Yacht Center and cleaned up our boat as we prepared to take it out of the water.
2/23/2024
We took the boat out of the water to have the bottom painted, replace the zincs and put on a new prop.
Rocking chairs line the center of the walkway before security
Looks like someone didn't pass security.
We stayed home from 2/23/2024 until 03/03/2024
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