December 31, 2004:

Lazy morning this morning – up slowly – and down to the beach for a short walk. Found a number of interesting shells – including a mermaid’s purse, and a puffer fish.   While we were out, another rig pulled in behind us – and it turned out to be the single lady we had seen at the previous resort. Not only was she unusual to be a retired lady travelling alone, but was also the first African-American we had seen travelling in an RV. Really enjoyed our conversation with “Gloria” who turned out to be a retired teach from Washington, DC. Gloria has been travelling for a number of years – and even makes income on the road through a Shaklee Distribution network. Gloria said that she really enjoyed hearing the voices of our kids playing – as it brought back many warm memories from her teaching days. She also has a wonderful singing voice – and was trying to get us to attend their non-denominational service at the Club House on Sunday.

Deb and Pat spent some time talking with Gloria about our observations that the RV crowd seemed to be a highly segregated lot – and were wondering if we had unintentionally ventured into a racially elitist life style. Gloria indicated that there are African American RV group – and resort areas where they more frequently go – but she has been travelling in both groups for years. She did indicate that there were some prejudices in some areas but for the most part the people were good. Gloria also indicated that she really didn’t care what other people thought and just continued to live her life the way the she feels is best. She related a story that several years ago when she first started coming to his resort – that she used to request a site – up by the front gate. Jokingly she said that she used to call herself – “the spook at the gate”.   Thanks Gloria for all your insight – and I am sure that our paths will cross again – even if it has to wait until you get to BC.

The boys did some school work today – and then we made a quick run into town for some groceries (potluck supplies)- as the campground people as well as a number of the locals have come by and indicated that the boys are more than welcome to attend the New Years get together tonight if they wanted. However the boys decided late in the afternoon that they would rather stay home rather than go to the party.

Therefore we ended up playing Mah Jong until about 11:00 pm and then the kids went off to bed. There were some people setting off fireworks on the beach – which we were able to watch from our bed – not a bad way to bring in the New Year.

January 1, 2005:

All of us up early this morning and went for about a three mile walk down the beach. It was shirtsleeve weather – with a gentle breeze blowing off the ocean. The boys were able to pick up a number of nice shells – and were able to see a couple more puffer fish and watch the pelicans’ dive for fish. There was also a school of dolphin just offshore pursuing their breakfast. Not a bad way to way to spend New Year’s morning – and seemed fitting considering the trip we are on.

There were a number of people down on the beach fishing. They have this beach fishing thing down to a science. Most have some form of cart or wagon – on which to carry their rods and gear. They usually have two or more deep-sea rods, rod holders, a comfortable chair, bait and a cooler. Being a winter morning – most had cups of coffee (or it may have been a result of trying the shake off the effects of last night). Most of the fisherman – especially the locals were very talkative – and didn’t mind sharing with you their knowledge. In fact for some this was more of a social event than anything else. For others they appeared to be supplementing their grocery purchases with fresh fish. There were all types of people fishing – from young to old – both men and women. The two older African American women were probably the most colourfully dressed and friendly.

There was not much open this morning in town – so had to settle from some pretty terrible convenience store food and coffee – before turning around to walk back. By this time the tide was coming in – and with the steepness of the beach – and its limited width – we all seemed to end up getting our feet a little wet.

When we got back to the campground – it was time for Dad and the boys to get their first hair cut of the New Year – so we all took turns sitting outside at the picnic table – while Mom operated the clippers. Some of the other residents that walked by sort of looked at us a little strangely – but mom did a great job.

Boys settled in to doing some schoolwork this afternoon while Dad was “content” to watch a variety of bowl games. Dad briefly debated heading into Jacksonville to see the Gator Bowl (there were still about 300 tickets available at game time) – but eventually decided not to deal with the traffic and watch things from the comfort of the motor home.

January 2, 2005:

Dad was up early and went for a walk – and by the time he came back to change into shorts and get rid of his windbreaker – the rest of the family were up. This time we made and took our own breakfast on our walk and hiked down to and around Vilano Beach – about 4.5 miles.

It was a beautiful sunny day – with almost no breeze and therefore it felt much warmer than yesterday. The direction of the wind changed overnight – and there are far less shells visible on the beach. It also seemed that this change in wind direction affected the number of fish offshore – as very few of the fishermen were having any luck – and the pelicans are not patrolling the sand bar. As we progressed further down the beach – the slope became much steeper – and it would be easy to get knocked off your feet with the strength of the tides. There were a number of people out trying to surf the 7 ft waves.

Looking at the homes and hotels along the beach – it is easy to see some of the hurricane damage. Some homes still have broken or boarded up windows, and many have shingles missing. The majority of the private piers and steps down to the beach are damaged in some way. The people here say that there are few construction crews around to do the repairs – as most are further down in Florida repairing the more extensive hurricane damage there. However the busiest place in St. Augustine seems to be Home Depot – as people are trying to do some of their own repairs.

We all took a walk on the inter-coastal waterway on the other side of the campground tonight. There were large colonies of oysters that were hard to believe. They were in clumps rising a foot or more above the mud, latched on to each other. Some were in circles with 10 foot diameter. However, they were covered in a sulphury, thick sludge and did not look very appetizing. It was, however, fun to watch them squirt water out in what looked to be a tiny water gun fight. We did however notice for the first time the little biting bugs – and our walk back from the waterway was considerably quicker than our walk out.

January 3, 2005

Well, today we were off to start our touring of St. Augustine. Hopefully there will not be so many people around. We began by purchasing tickets for taking on a sightseeing tram (one of two operating in town) It not only gave us the ability to get around for three days – getting off and on whenever we want but also provides a commentary on some of the highlights of local history. The added benefit is that they also provide free parking – which is a bonus as parking is at a premium around here. The commentary varied between the various guides – but was interesting (at least the first couple of times)

Florida was ‘discovered’ by Ponce De Leon and when he arrived all the flowers were in bloom so he called it La Florita. It took another 50 some odd years before Spain were successful in sending back another ship to actually start a colony but in 1565 they did just that here in St. Augustine and established what is now the oldest continuously occupied European colony in the US.

Many of the old building here are made out of “Coquina” – a brick made of small shells, lime and sand and that is compressed and left to dry. It is very sturdy with many structures here still standing for over 400 years.

The fort or Castillo in St. Augustine has never been overtaken in battle in spite of major sieges in wars with Spain, the English, and amongst the Americans themselves. The coquina used in its walls (16 feet at the base and 10 feet at the top). These fortifications came in handy during these battles, as the cannon balls would simply sink into the wall about half a foot with no major damage. At night the soldiers would dig out the cannonballs, patch and repaint the wall. The next morning the enemy would be demoralized as it would appear that they had done no damage at all. To add insult to injury, the men of the fort would then fire the recovered cannon balls back at their attackers (recycling at its finest). In the oldest house in town there is a cannonball that has been left in one of the walls that shows the resiliency of the coquina.
In addition to the Fort – the original town site of St. Augustine was enclosed in a twelve-foot wall – that provided it with significant protection. However – during the various sieges of the town – the entire population of St. Augustine lived within the walls of the fort for the better part of a month.

The streets in the old section were very narrow with the houses build right up to the edge of the street. Although not uncommon for that time period, the design apparently also took advantage of the offshore breezes, encouraging the cooling wind along the narrow pathways. There is an incredible array of artisan shops, ice cream and chocolate shops as well as restaurants and boutiques in old St. Augustine. There was a toyshop and display built into an old Woolworth’s store – where we stopped for lunch. The booths, lunch counter and grill are all re-constructed to look like they did in the 50’s and 60’s. This particular Woolworth’s was the site of several of the major civil rights protests in 1963 and was even attended by Martin Luther King in his efforts to end segregation. In addition to the historic significance – the grill and food also gave Mom and Dad childhood memories of eating at the lunch counter of Woolworth’s in a couple of locations back home.

Henry Flagler, the entrepreneur and businessman was has been a big influence in the development of St. Augustine. Mr. Flagler (who was partners with Rockefeller in Standard Oil (Exxon)), initially was responsible for building a train line across Florida and out through the Keys. While in Florida, he fell in love with St. Augustine area and decided that he would build a world-class hotel that his New York crowd could come to in the winter. Mr. Flagler’s first problem was that the land that he wanted for his hotel was all occupied – with the major of it being home to two different churches. Not to be deterred Henry build a large and spectacular church building and offered it to the Methodists – on condition that they would give up their existing church and property – which they did. Henry then assisted the Presbyterians to build a new church – and gained access to the second parcel of land that he wanted.

The first hotel that Henry built (Ponce de Leon Hotel) was four city blocks long with incredible marble and mahogany décor. He also contracted with a man by the name of Tiffany to do the windows in the round indoor courtyard (this is where Tiffany became famous). The hotel was only open for three months a year and catered to a very elite crowd. If you wanted to stay there you had to purchase the entire three-month stay even if you only intended to stay one night. As if this wasn’t enough, Henry was afraid that his guests would get bored so he built a whole other hotel complex (Alcazar Hotel) with recreational facilities including bowling, tennis, silent movie theatres and a 125 foot indoor pool (World’s Largest at the time) with a removable roof and surrounding it two floors up was a dance hall.

The Ponce de Leon Hotel is now Flagler College – and from the brief glimpse we were able to get at the inside – it’s absolutely stunning. After all, how many places can you go to a university cafeteria and be surrounded by over 50 Tiffany original stain glass windows (The windows are now protected behind bullet proof glass – which means that their color and beauty can only truly be seen from within the cafeteria). The College runs tours through its facilities – as a way of subsidizing their operations – and these tours seem to be well attended. The layout of the campus puts to shame, many of the older Ivy League schools up north to shame.

St. Augustine is also home to Florida State School for the Deaf and Blind. This school – originally started with one teach and seven students, is now a many acre facility with over 70 buildings and about 800 students. Many of the students live in residence on the site – which has its own beach and marina areas. The entire campus is fenced and gated – and is beautifully landscaped with gardens and many large old trees. You can see the children and their teachers wandering around the town. (One group was coming back from the carousel – excitedly gesturing with his hands in their communication efforts). One of the drivers from the tram service has a daughter in the school – and volunteers most of his free time there – indicating that the job that they do at the school is phenomenal. One of the most noted students of the school – who left after grade 11 due to the number of performances he was making in places like Dayton and West Palm Beach – was the late Ray Charles.

Went home for a quick spaghetti supper and then back to see the town at night. It was very quaint with some of the Christmas lights as well as the lights on some of the churches, the college and 5 star motels. It was great to walk up and down the narrow streets and along the seawall at night – and listen to the variety of music coming from the small taverns, and restaurants throughout the town.

January 4, 2005

We were up early for a short walk on the beach as the sun was rising. It was incredible and all of us will miss the sound and proximity of the beach when we leave this campground tomorrow.

Back into St. Augustine – to the cat lovers store for Keelan; to get a picture of the cannon ball in the wall for Dad; to see the Ripley’s Believe It or Not (the original and one that they feature in the introduction to the television show) for Mickey; and to try out Alligator Tail, Conch Fritters and Key Lime Pie (something we all enjoyed). We also got the opportunity to see the works of an artist – who has patented a process of distressing and bending canvas and frames to create some uniquely wavy pictures. (Dad picked up info from the gallery – as he may have to order one when we move into a new home).

After completing all the things that we wanted to do – headed to the Old Florida Museum – this was a free pass given to us by the Tram Company. We did not expect too much from it – both because of the “cost” and the old run down building that it was housed in. However, despite its small area, the kids really enjoyed all of the hands on exhibits that were available to them (everything from using an old wooden bow drill – to playing a conch shell). The gentleman at the museum was full of information and just enjoyed talking to both the kids and us. We have paid a lot more and enjoyed ourselves a lot less – in far fancier places.

We went back to the campground to pack up (seems to me that we are accumulating more and more stuff the further south we go) and to eat dinner in time to go to the ice cream social. The kids once again filled up on ice cream – and many of the older regular’s were truly sorry that we were leaving and would not be here for their group supper tomorrow, etc. Many of them went out of their way to talk to and kid with the boys. This is a very different reception than we first received when we arrived here – and once again the boys seem to have won the hearts of these people. Given how nice the beach here is – and how difficult it is to get accommodation in Florida at this time of the year – we may have to consider coming back here on our way north.

January 5, 2005

Packed up and were on the road by about 9:00 AM this morning – however that still included another early morning walk on the beach. We realized that there were a number of things that we didn’t get around to doing around St. Augustine (State Park, Historic Forts, Alligator farm, etc.), but it really didn’t matter as we all seemed to have enjoyed our time on the beach so much. We have put in quite of few miles of walking during the last several days so hopefully it will have us in good shape for Disney World.

Travelled down the coast through some pretty towns – however you can see more indications of some of the hurricane damage – and the economic effects of the people travelling less after 9-11 (however they are saying that travel numbers this year should reach pre- 9-11 levels). The road took us right by Daytona Speedway and Drag strip – which is also a NASCAR amusement center – so there were still many cars in the parking lot.

Down in Florida there are not only state gas taxes but also city and county taxes – so gas prices vary considerably in relatively short distances. I also think that the closer you get to Disney World – the more likely you are to hit a toll road – and so far we have made a game out of trying to avoid toll roads wherever possible (one of these days when we have to make a bunch of miles we will have to change our tactic – but for now it’s working).

Found the campground in Apopka without much difficulty. It is a huge campground with over 2900 sites listed (many being full-time leases). It is located about 25 miles from Disney World. The campground is well shaded with many large trees – which is a good thing as it was 27 degrees when we pulled in. The trees above the campsite were all covered in Spanish Moss – so much so that it was hanging down and touching the top of the Motor Home. We will have to be careful – as although Spanish Moss is attractive – and has been used as stuffing in many things – such as seats and mattresses – it is also the home of a little bug called a Chigger. These Chiggers are a type of blood sucking mites – and their “feeding” can produce an intense and irritable rash. Therefore you have to boil the Spanish Moss and let it dry in the sun in order to get rid of the bugs. In days of old, cheaper hotels and inns used to use Spanish Moss in their beds – however may not have taken the time to boil it – hence the possible origin of the saying “Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite”. In fact, Spanish Moss cause the first automotive recall – when workers at Ford’s Model A plant did not want to waste time boiling the moss – and just stuffed it right into the seats. Consequently – the boys have been told not to pick up the stuff and put it in their pockets.

Got the RV set up at the campground and went to the office to get some information about things in the local area as well as directions into Disney World. The people at the front desk were not the most helpful in regard to routes into Disney or whether the bus stop outside the gate would take you to Disney World, etc. Often these places keep their employee costs down by having people who are staying, volunteer to cover the duties – in order to stay rent-free. Mom and Dad have started joking about whether the people were real employees or just someone occupying the space. In some resorts the volunteer hosts are extremely good – and have wonderful knowledge of the area – in others they are people that are very limited in their knowledge and ability.

We all packed into the Suzuki and headed into Kissimmee to pick up our tickets, to Disney World, Sea World, and Cape Canaveral.   On the drive there, it did not take Dad long to get somewhat put off by the commercialism around the area. The first thing is that everyone offers “Tourist Information Services” and “discount tickets” for the various attractions. The catch is you have to sit through presentations on Time Shares, Condo etc. Secondly – from a tourist information point of view – they do not know anything other than the product that they are trying to sell you. Dad has never been able to see the logic of buying a time-share or condo from someone that is advertising reduced tickets (and then only tells you about the time share when you get in the door) – doesn’t sound like the kind of company I want to invest my money in. Anyway – were able to find our ticket place – (which was a wholesaler and not part of any timeshare) and they were more than helpful in providing us with easier travel routes – and other information. They definitely believed in providing you with a service – and there was no efforts made to persuade you one way or another on your selection of tickets, etc. Dad’s MasterCard was almost too hot to put back in his wallet (oh well – think of the air miles.)

The next thing that got to Dad was that about every two blocks there were huge discount souvenir shops – usually done up in some sort of fancy design on the building. These places were all trying to sell T-shirts, etc. It sure made you appreciate the “intimacy” of Disneyland – where the commercialism did not seem to overwhelm you. As the one gentleman in the museum in St. Augustine said – that if Walt Disney was to rise up today and see what Disney World has spawned – he would immediately level the place. It may not be fair to blame Disney World for this – but it sure doesn’t set the right “magical” tone. All in all with the traffic, the glitch and the outright crass commercialism – Dad seemed to handle things pretty well and kept his sense of humour through out it all – however I think he is missing his quiet walks on the beach.

We ended up doing a minor grocery shop and going out for a Chinese Buffet dinner – as it was getting late. (As usual Dad ate too much and groaned most of the way home). Tried to hook up with the people we had met from Alaska but without success. Hopefully we will be able to connect with them before they leave the area.

Used an alternative way back to the campground as provided by the ticket wholesalers, in the dark (as that will be how we are travelling back most nights) and although it is not the most clearly signed – seems to be the most direct route – and in the evening did not seem to have much traffic on it – unlike other routes. We will have to see what it is like in the morning rush hour.

When we got back it was late – but we had to put the air conditioner on to cool the place down so we could go to sleep. Dad couldn’t resist checking the local temperature back home to discover that it was – 18 C. Mom has decided that she doesn’t want to go home quite yet – however Dad really does not want it to get much hotter – (as he is not a sun worshipper and I think he is really missing the cooling breeze off the ocean).

January 6, 2005

Well it starts – having to deal with crowds and people. Up early this morning and off to Disney World. After the 35-minute drive to the sign indicating that you were entering Disney World resort – it took us another 20 minutes to get into the parking lot. From there, you are still another 30 minutes from the main gate – by the time you take the boat or monorail across the lake. (Oh give me California where things are a little more contained). The staff gives you maps of all the different theme areas – but not a map of the overall region – nor how the theme parks are connected. Finally found an older employee on the boat that was able to give us a quick run down on how to get around the parks – and which modes of transportation could be relied on to be on time. He also said that if we wanted to park in downtown Disney and then catch the bus into the theme parks – you could save on the parking ($8.00 a day). Don’t know whether we will try this or not.

We spent the majority of the day in the Magic Kingdom – and the evening in Epcot. The Magic Kingdom is laid out very similar to California Disney – with some new rides and some rides missing. We decided that we would first hit those things that we had missed (due to closure for renovations) in California. Keelan was disappointed to find out that they didn’t have Indian Jones as be was too short to go on it when we were in California.

All of us noticed a difference between Disney Land in California and Disney World in Florida. The staff in Florida – although polite – does not appear to be as friendly or enjoy their job as much as their counterparts in California. The resort is by amusement park standards clean – but pales in comparison to the cleanliness standard that California set. The kids also commented that some of the rides seemed to be shortened and as a result did not make as much sense. Dad’s biggest disappointment was that the Pirates of the Caribbean did not start off in the bayou – so that it did not have the Blue Bayou restaurant – nor its famous Monte Cristo sandwiches (nor are they made in the Pirates restaurant across the way). However the family seemed to chow down on a big smoked turkey drumstick as we walked around in the evening. (These Turkey drumsticks could become a new favourite of Dad’s).