And we're off!!!

OMG - talk about two old crankers on two old crankers.  We picked up our bikes today and have been laughing like fools ever since.  If anyone thinks we're training for our Greek Islands biking/sailing trip on these ole puppies - they're even nuttier than we are for trying them.  All in the name of good fun.

At the rental place, Dave trying to convince me that this is not a good idea:

But I won (as always) and we're off to the races

Of course, Dave looks like a rockstar!!!  I, on the other hand look like a bad imitation of Siddalee from the Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood!!  I'll be switching up that look real quick!!

tata for now!  xoxo D&N

Random Beach Pictures

My apologies to all for taking so long to update the blog, but I have been waiting for a rainy day.  I finally had to give in and just forfeit some beach time to catch up.  Here are some random beach pictures.  You may notice that the sea that was so calm when we arrived has now turned in to a surfer's haven - apparently the combo of a full moon and an offshore storm.  Not everyone loves the big waves, but we're having a blast with them.

And did I tell you already that cars are allowed on the beach.  We weren't really impressed with that at first, but now that we've seen families arriving with pop-up sun shelters; pack 'n plays; bikes; kites; coolers ... , we think it's pretty cool.

And, of course, no collection of beach pics would be complete without at least one headstand :)

Today we pick up our bike rentals :)  I'm sure I'll have a story or two to share once we head out on 2 wheels.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!

Sunrise

As we are facing east, the beauty of sunsets has given way to the glory of sunrises:

What an amazing way to start the day!!!

5307 Pelican Way, St Augustine Beach

April 1, 2012

We check out of our hotel, do the big grocery shop and arrive at our new home away from home.  I'm always a bit nervous at this point, because Dave puts all his faith in me to find appropriate accommodations - I love the challenge, but am always a bit scared that I've booked us into some raggedy, filthy old place with the neighbours from Hell!  Suffice it to say, there was no need for worry.  The owners were here working around the property, waiting to meet us.  They were ever so nice and welcomed us as if we were family.  As a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll "shut-up" and let you have a peek at the place:

The place is equipped with absolutely everything!!! is spotless and only a 5 minute walk from the beach. 

Our walk to the beach takes us through an area of sand dunes:

and has re-educated me as to how dunes, although they may appear to be scruffy and dull, are in fact, a thriving echo system.  We have seen two tortoises (is that a word?) and some bunnies.  I was so excited to see a ~ 3 foot long snake skin - that is until I realised that there is a healthy, growing ~3 foot snake somewhere in there!!!!  From that point on, Dave has had to walk ahead of Guinness and me :)

And speaking of Guinness, he thanks us every day for bringing him along.  The love in his eyes is palpable:

He really is enjoying himself, and for the most part, we are really enjoying having him along - especially now that we are settled in to a "home" for 2 weeks.  Guinness is very used to the place and raises no objection to being left in the air conditioned bedroom while we explore, go the beach or out to dinner.  Truth be known, he probably prefers it - stays nice and cool, and no chance of getting any ticks on him (have picked 3 off so far).

Point of clarification - the pooch isn't always left behind when we go to the beach.  He gets a very long beach walk every morning, and has even been invited to some beach afternoons with us - he generally just lays at my feet, in the shade of my umbrella.  The only day of trouble was when the humans thought it would be fun for him to jump in the waves, so we took his Frisbee down.  We had been advised that the beach was "dog friendly", but the rules were that all dogs had to be on lead at all times.  Well, it was late in the day and folks were starting to clear out.  We didn't think anyone would be bothered if we thew Mr G's Frisbee into the water for him to fetch ...  well, were we wrong!!!  Luckily, the first "event" only results in a warning citation - second time 'round results in a fine.  As I said on my facebook post, "bad, bad sheriff!"  From what we understand we are very luck to be on a beach that even allows dogs, and a few years back things got pretty bad and out of control - thus the on-leash rule which we now know is VERY strictly monitored!!  On a positive note, the sheriff thanked us more than once for being "so nice about it".  Apparently he has had some encounters with folks who aren't quite as understanding as us Canucks are.

Oh yea, there's a no alcohol rule too - we haven't had the guts to challenge that one yet :)

St Augustine, Fla

Well, what a beautiful little find this has turned out to be!!!  I have become quite a fan of www.vrbo.com , a webpage for owners who are interested in renting their homes/condos/cottages.  There are postings from all 'round the world and for the second time, we have had great success with it.  It especially worked for this trip because owners post whether or not they are willing to have pets - makes the searching very easy and eliminates many frustrating phone calls/emails.  We knew we were interested in the St Augustine area.  Dave and Skip stayed here a number of years ago when the Superbowl was in Jacksonville, Fla and that city was unable to accommodate the influx of fans.  St Augustine took much of the overflow.  Dave has talked about it ever since.  When I went on-line and looked at what it had to offer, it seemed like an amazing combo of beach holiday destination and historical interest (St Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental US!!!).

We arrived in St Augustine a few days before we could access our accommodations.  We bunked up in a Quality Inn, enjoyed the beach and snooped around the old city.  It is very busy here this time of year, with many people taking advantage of the Easter holidays to stretch out their vacation time.  The churches have gone all out in preparation for the celebrations and I'd like to share with you the most amazing every palm arrangement - I have never seen anything like it:

The picture really doesn't do it justice - but I hope you get the idea.

And in the category of very different arrangements, take a look at this v. cool front door arrangement:

Cute, eh?  I may have to make one for Andy!!!

I won't bore you with all the pictures I took of old town, St Augustine, but want to give you a taste of the age of the city by showing you a few of the beautiful homes:

Next stop: 5307 Pelican Way, St Augustine Beach

Hofwyl-Broadfield Rice Plantation

Meandering through the southern states made me want to want to see a plantation.  We spoke with another tourist when we were in Savannah, and she recommended the Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation. 

From their web page:

"This beautiful plantation represents the history and culture of Georgia’s rice coast. In the early 1800s, William Brailsford of Charleston carved a rice plantation from marshes along the Altamaha River. The plantation and its inhabitants were part of the genteel low country society that developed during the antebellum period. While many factors made rice cultivation increasingly difficult in the years after the Civil War, the family continued to grow rice until 1913.

The enterprising siblings of the fifth generation at Hofwyl-Broadfield resolved to start a dairy rather than sell their family home. The efforts of Gratz, Miriam and Ophelia Dent led to the preservation of their family legacy. Ophelia was the last heir to the rich traditions of her ancestors, and she left the plantation to the state of Georgia in 1973."

The plantation was beautiful - beyond description:

 View of what was the rice fields:

and the homestead

Savannah: Misc

I'd like to share with you some of the things I found most notable about Savannah.

Did you know there's a huge Irish influence in Savannah?  No?  Me neither.  In fact, the city boasts the 2nd biggest St Paddy's Day parade (NYC is #1).  The St Paddy's events go on for about 2 weeks, and people book a year in advance to get accommodations!!  Cheers

The homes of Savannah are amazing:

and the "live oak trees", stunning:

they are covered in "Spanish Moss", which I understand is neither Spanish, nor moss.  Thankfully the Spanish Moss does nothing to harm the trees - they co-exist quite nicely!

Many movies have been filmed in Savannah.  Recognize this park bench??:

Yup, it's the one Forrest Gump sat on, eating his box of chocolates.

This tiny, weeny one room home recently sold for over $250,000 (that even beats Vancouver prices!)

The concrete used for the sidewalks (at least in the historic district) is composed of, among other things, crushed oyster shells!

Authentic cast iron downspouts go for up to $400 each!!

and finally, the Pirates House, where we had a fantastic meal, was in its day, much more that a Public House.  Did you see the reference to shanghaiing in an earlier post?  This place was well known for this.  Unsuspecting thirsty folk would come to the Pirates House to quench their thirst.  Unbeknownst to them, certain chemicals might be added to their drink, rendering them unconscious.  They would wake up the next day on a ship to China, having been carried out through tunnels under the floor of the building.  Don't laugh - I almost lost Dave - thank God Guinness barked or who knows what would have happened!!! Especially as he had the car keys ;)