Florida-ST Augustine

          The pictures of the boat parade. It was a very cold and windy night, but there were still 100' and 100' of viewers. We had a great place to watch the parade. We were right aside of the judges stand. After the parade we had a late night smack at the White Lion.
       We had another great campfire with all the volunteers. Dogs on the grill, it doesn't get much better.

       Christmas Eve we attended church service at The Cathedral Basilica of ST Augustine. Its is America's first Parish, founded Sept 8 1565. This is were the first mass was celebrated in America. The area of the first mass and altar is several blocks from were the church was built. It is a beautiful church. See more at  www.thefirstparish.org  Below is a picture of the manger display

        Christmas day we had dinner outside our RV with fellow volunteers Rodger and Sue. It was a nice 74 degrees.

      We visited a Hydroponic pick your own produce garden. It is located at the ST Johns flea market. According to the folks running it they can grow the same amount of produce on 1/5 the amount of land it usually takes. The strawberries were delicious. We first saw this type of farming at Disney Epcot in the "Lands tour". Disney's supplies some  of the produce they use in their restaurants from their exhibit.

Florida-ST Augustine update and photo's

     Future plans. Leave ST Augustine on the 1st of Jan. Go to Wildwood FL till the 6th. Then to Bushnell FL for a Carriage Rally. Then to the Tampa RV show for a rally till the 15th of Jan. These plans have been made.  We are working on the rest of Jan. Some time soon after that we are heading further south to the Everglades. We are planning several stops along the way.
      As the year comes to an end we are looking back at some of our stats. We have traveled to and spent at least one night in 42 states. Since 2008 we have stayed at 138 different RV parks or overnight stops. About 18 of those stops were in repeat places. We hope to fill in a few of those missing states in 2012.
     Our blog had over 7900 previews or "hits".We made over 290 post to our blog. We enjoy writing about our travels and your comments and email about our post.
      Monday was a beautiful beach day. High near 80 with very light wind. we spent about four hours on the beach. Some of "us" volunteers got to go on a horse and buggy ride through the Winter Wonderland at the Amphitheater. see www.winterwonderlandflordia.com . It was ok, glad we didn't have to pay for it.
       On Tuesday we went to the Limelight Theatre. We saw a funny play called "Duck Hunter Shoots Angel". We had quite a few good laughs. see www.limelight-theatre.org  We got in on their special "Terrific Tuesday" which was two tickets for $25. A great deal as senior tickets are usually $22. each. Don't you just hate that word "seniors". Why not "Classic", like a car, or a bottle of wine.  "How about a classic discount? Sounds much better then senior.
       On Wednesday we went to see Luminary Night At The ST Augustine Lighthouse". We got to see the glow of 100's of luminaries. I (Bob) climb to the top of the lighthouse, all 219 steps. What a super view of ST Augustine at night. see www.staugustinelighthouse.org  .
          Blazer is having some more problems. He had several bad coughing spells, and coughed up some blood. We took him to a great Vet and he did start him on some different meds. He is also checking with Florida U. oncology department. We will update you. He was very firm in saying he is not ready to be put to sleep. WOW, as long as he remains ok, and himself. He said you will know when. We will keep you posted.

The Lightner Museum.

Sand painting, super detail in colored sand in bottle
Super porcelain items

Tiffany items

The Ballroom

Looking down at was the largest indoor pool, now with the Alcazar Cafe

At pool level

At night

Our ride

Palm trees with Christmas lights, just not right

The light and  luminaries

Looking down inside the lighthouse.

Florida-ST Augustine

     We had our first chimichanga at the Beachcomber in ST Augustine Beach. Wow was it good and big. Linda and I split one. It's  their Tuesday special. We will be back next week. After leaving the restaurant our "low tire pressure warning light" came on. It said our right front tire pressure was down to 19 psi. We kept an eye on it till we got back to our RV. Checked the tire and it was ok. Checked the other tires and saw a screw sticking out of our right back tire sidewall. It was at 19psi. So I filled it to 30psi and headed to the GM dealer since the display gave the warning for the wrong location. Well I knew a hole in the sidewall meant a new tire,ok, but what about the wrong read out on the dash. Well "did you have the tires rotated"?, yes I did. The sensor is in the tire valve. Dummy, I should have know this. So while getting a new tire, oil change, etc, they  reprogrammed the tire sensors.
          The next day we went to the Lightner Museum. What a fantastic museum. For more info see their web site www.lightnermuseum.org  It is a museum that highlights many items from the splendor of the gilded age. We did get in on the musical demonstration of many of the old musical self play instruments.  Super is all we can say. We did try to have lunch at the Cafe Alcazar, but they were closing in about 5 minutes after we go there. We may try another day, just to say we ate at the famous hotel Alcazar. The cafe is located in what was the largest indoor swimming pool of its time. see www.thecafealcazar.com We looked it up on www.urbanspoon.com and it has an 88% approval rating.
      Friday night a group of us volunteers went to the San Sebastian winery. On Friday and Saturday nights they have entertainment "up on the roof". The roof is the outside third floor on the  roof. They had a great band playing, and of course serve their wine by the glass or bottle. We all had a good time.
   Saturday we went to see "The Grande Illumination Parade". It was a march by reenactors in customs of the British troop and peasants etc. through the streets of St Augustine. Fife and drums and bagpipes(1). see more at www.britishnightwatch.org It was really nice to see. Then we have a late night dinner/snack at the White Lion. Good food at a reasonable price.
      See Bob and Linda's holiday dance. Click on it and let it play out. It starts like a add for office Max, but let it play.  see here  http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/HuHk730F3VAr0M2uPBKf
       Remember this season it is better to give then receive, that's why I'm giving Linda a new fishing rod and reel.

ST Augustine FL

      Hi, just a short update. Not to much going on for us. We had some beach time since Thanksgiving. Friends Paul and Sandy who volunteered with us last year stoped by several days for a visit. They will be back on the 28th of Dec to volunteer here in Jan and Feb. Of course we had to go out to eat a few times. We went to Sunset grill and Woody's Bar B Que.
      On Saturaday we went to the  46th Fall Art and Craft Festival. There were over a 150 juried artist. There were many many beautiful items for sale.  Wish we had room for some of them.
       Across the parking lot from us is the "Winter Wonderland At St Augustine Amphitheater". They have a real ice skating rink, ice slide and it snows every hour. There is a elf village and horse drawn buggy rides.
                                               Guess what blazer is watching.

     He's watching them unload the horses.

In this picture you can see the swelling on his face (left side of picture, his right side) and how its affecting his eye. He still has not slowed down. He is still being "Blazer" wanting to play all the time.

Our site at Anastasia State Park, we are in the middle.

How to haul a christmas tree in Florida. It was 80 degrees this day. Being from the north it just dosen't seem right shopping for a tree in this weather.

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A storm moving in. Going over the bridge of Lions and at the bay here in the park. Over the sand dunes in the background is the ocean.

Wind swept trees in the park

We toured the Villa Zorayda Museum. A small super museum modeled after the Alhambra Palace in Spain. We couldn't take any pictures inside. Check out their web site. www.villazorayda.com . The website dosen't show the most famous piece in the museum, the Cat Rug over 2400 years old.

History of the Villa Zorayda

Closed for the past eight years the Villa Zorayda Museum has undergone an extensive renovation and is once again open to the public as a museum. On the National Register of Historic Places it was built in 1883 as the winter residence of Franklin Smith utilizing his method of construction of poured concrete and crushed coquina shell. It is built 1/10th the scale of a section of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain. This building set a precedence for St. Augustine and began the Moorish Spanish revival of architecture that is seen throughout the city today. In 1904 it became the Zorayda Club. On display for the first time ever is the custom made bone china made exclusively for the Zorayda Club. In 1913 it was purchased by Abraham S. Mussallem, an authority on Oriental rugs, fine arts and Egyptian artifacts. In 1922 it became one of the most fashionable places for casino gambling. In the mid 1930's it was opened as a museum featuring the priceless antique collections of both Franklin Smith and A.S. Mussallem which are still on display today. The 45-60 minute tour gives an in depth look at the historical significance of the building to the City of St. Augustine, the magnificent architecture as well as descriptions of the many exquisite pieces you will see. On display is the "Sacred Cat Rug" over 2400 years old and made from the hairs of ancient cats that roamed the Nile River. Taken from a pyramid in Egypt it is said to possess a curse for anyone that walks on it! Washington Irving wrote of the original Alhambra in Spain in his famous "Tales of the Alhambra".
If you are interested in more information on the most interesting Franklin W. Smith you can read more here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_W._Smith

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Villa Zorayda Time Line

1883-Franklin Smith builds his winter home, Villa Zorayda, the first poured concrete and crushed coquina building in St. Augustine
1903-Franklin Smith leases the Villa Zorayda. It soon becomes the "Zorayda Club"
1913-Abraham S. Mussallem purchases the Villa Zorayda
1922-Gambling becomes fashionable at the Zorayda Club
1930s-Villa Zorayda becomes private residence of Mr. and Mrs. A.S.Mussallem and family and a show case of oriental rugs, furniture and fine arts.
1934-Opens to the public as Villa Zorayda Museum
1941-October 21, 1941 death of Abraham S. Mussallem
1942-Museum closes during World War II
1940s (late)-Villa Zorayda reopens as a museum
1954-With the death of Mrs. Olga Mussallem, museum closes
1964-Eddy and Wally Mussallem reopen the museum, rename it Zorayda Castle
1965-Wally Mussallem oversees daily operations of Zorayda Castle
2000-Zorayda Castle closes
2003-Major renovations begin and continue through present time
2005-Eddy Mussallem's daughter Marcia, and son-in-law, James Byles take over overseeing of renovations and the future operations of the museum
2007-December 15th Grand Reopening Celebration
2008-Villa Zorayda Museum reopens to the public.
2009-Villa Zorayda introduces audio tours and opens for wedding ceremonies.

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Thanksgiving on the beach

    Hi,hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  Here is were we had our Thanksgiving dinner.

Florida-ST Augustine

     Hi, just another week in at Anastasia State Park. We had free passes for the Ripely Museum, so we did a tour. I'ts just ok, but glad we didn't have to pay for the visit. After that we had a great lunch at Aunt Kate's. Aunt Kate's sits on the intercostal waterway about 3 miles north of downtown ST Augustine and had some great food. The best coleslaw we ever had. Linda ask the waitress what the secret ingredient was. She check with the chef and told us it was pineapple and lime juice. It was super. They have a nice deck overlooking the river as well as inside setting.
     We went to camping world to get a new water filter system. We have a built in filter by 3M, but we always have a very hard time finding the replacement cartridges. So we set up a new system with easy to find cartridges.
    We went to the turning on of the Christmas lights in town, called the "Nights of Lights". According to the newspaper the event was named by AAA as one of the "12 Favorit Places to Catch the Holiday Spirit in the US and Canada". Also named on the top 100 list by the American Bus Association list.      
     We went with fellow camp host to an early lunch to Woody's B-B-Q. Then  into town to see the festival lighting. About an hour before the lighting it started to rain. The rain lasted through the countdown and stoped raining about 5 minutes after the lighting. But there were still crowns of  1000's of on lookers.
     We were on ther beach several times this passed week. The water is in the low 60's to cold for us. But the beach is great.
     Blazer is still holding his own. No changes. His is eating great since we changed his food. He still wants to play.
  

Anastasia StatePark-St Augustine FL 10/2010

Started our second month of volunteering. The beach is great, but the water tempeture is droping. Last month it was running between 82-85 degrees, and now it 77-78 degrees. This week the temps have been in the low 80,s, but expected to go to the high 80's  for the next week. It's just right now, nights in the 60's days in the 80's without a lot of hummidy. First two photo's show the electric cart we use to drive around the campground. That's Blazer wanting to go with Bob for a ride. The cart will go 25mph. Not sure if it is street legal, but it does have lights, turn signals and brake lights.
       The next photo shows are first pot luck with some of the other volunteers. Last month we were the only couple, this month there are 5 couple and 3 singles and another couple is coming in on Monday.
       The next photo is the St Augustine Ampitheatre across the parking lot from us where we heard some great concerts, with more coming this month.
        The next photo is a pumkin display in front of the courthouse.

Florida 9-2010

      Can't believe its autumn already, its 90 degrees outside. Are air conditioner have been running non stop for the pasted 5 months. Well here we are 3 weeks into our volunteering position. Seems like we just got here. We are having a great time exploring the area.  St Augustine is a great city with much history as it is our oldest city. One of the greatest tours is Flager College. If you come here and only have time for one tour, do the Flager College tour. Thanks Jim ∧ Linda for telling us about this, as we may have missed it. See http://www.flager.edu/  To much to explain, like the Tiffany chandeliers and stained glass windows in the student dinning room. See the photo's and check out their website.
            We also toured Castillo de San Marcos, http://www.nps.gov.casa/  Next we toured Fort Matanzas www.nps.gov/foma south of town. Both with huge history. We also did a boat tour around the harbor. See http://www.scenic-cruise.com/ See the photo's. In downtown the streets are very narrow. We toured the first mission Nombre de Dios, http://www.missionandshrine.org/ , The O'Reilly house. Super history here, see http://www.oreillyhouse.org/ Their is also the Greek Orthodox National Shrine http://www.stphotios.com/  We are trying to include more web sites so you can find out more about the things we have visited and it will keep our blog a little shorter. We did a lot of walking around town.
     On Wednesday night there is a concert on the beach. Bring your chairs wine & cheese etc. and site back and enjoy.  Speaking of concerts, we are about 300 yards from the St Augustine Amphitheatre, and heard several great concerts. The first was Toby Keith, next was Lady Antebellum, plus a few others. Toby Keith came with several buses(custom Motor Homes), and seven truck loads of stuff. See the photo's.
       We also tried out our new tot, our kayak. We put in at Salt Run, a large bay that's goes into St Augustine harbor. The current and tides are strong so we don't venture to far. We are having fum. That's about it for now. Keep in touch and keep the emails coming. Blazer has nothing to say this week. He's not happy, because he can't be out to much in this heat.
    See photo's below and some may be in the list on the left. This is a new version of blogger and its give me some problems. I like when they tell you we are making it better and easier to use!

Anastasia State Park

Windswept trees, taken while out on our kayak.

 The beach at the park. Below taken from the middle of "salt run" is looking toward St Augustine harbor.

The empty beach, there is about 4 miles of beach in the park.