The Lower Place: St. Augustine FL

St. Augustine - one of the MANY amazing structures

We have traveled over 2000 miles and the main question I hear is “What has been your favorite stop?” ALL OF THEM!! But St. Augustine will go on the “return again by car” list…WOW WOW WOW!

Maybe it’s the clear blue skies, bright sunshine, first time on land in 3 days, fabulous architecture or being in the center of real American History…but this city is phenomenal. Get in the car and come on down!!

The Lower Place docked between the sail boat masts - zoom in & you can see Charlie taking my pic on the bridge

Since we spent the past 3 weeks in Melbourne, we’ve lost touch with the looper circle. St.Augustine Municipal Marina changed all that! We met never-seen-before loopers and they felt like long lost friends. But most importantly we had a surprise visit from our former neighbors and long-time friends Wendell and Paige!! They drove from their new home in Valdosta GA just to have dinner with us!! We had a wonderful visit on the aft deck, a delicious meal at O C White’s and more visiting after dinner. Then they headed back home. It hard to explain the excitement in my heart when I see a familiar face from “land life”…but the joy of seeing Wendell and Paige still has me smiling today. GREAT FRIENDS!

Sunday morning brought a fabulous sunrise and a 3 mile run! The weather, scenery and just the ability to run on dry land was all the encouragement I needed. I wasn’t alone because people were everywhere – always a good sign.

The reading nook at the breakfast cafe - cool lamp idea!

Charlie joined me for breakfast at a quaint out-of-the-way café. We strolled toward the boat but met a few loopers so we (he) stopped to talk. I headed south to see the Florida National Guard Headquarters – impressive. I circled through a residential area and back to where I left Charlie – he was still talking but to a different person.

The best way to see a town is before people wake up

Then we headed out on our own foot tour of the city (shops we just opening). We saw and smelled so many things, read plaques, bought a few post cards and a piece of “furniture”. Then it was back to the boat for real this time. I needed a shower and the laundry fairy wasn’t on duty today. Charlie stayed on the boat to inspect one of the central AC units, it doesn’t seem to be cooling…hmmmm…