Day 1: St. Augustine, Florida

Kate here. It's our first day on the road and we're in St. Augustine, Florida. We started out at 8am in a futile attempt to beat the heat. What can I say? It's summer in Florida. The temps are climbing fast, but not out pacing the humidity. The temps recorded on the car thermostat reached 103 degrees (I understand the car thermostats aren't always accurate though). The town of St. Augustine was very quaint with little bungalows and Florida houses made of clapboard. It's touristy, but we are tourists, so... The things I thought most interesting were the giant anchor, the walls made from spent oyster shells, and the Zultan fortune telling machine that was similar to the one in the movie, BIG. It was fascinating to learn about the group called the Minorcans (see the photo below).

So far, we've seen the Oldest Schoolhouse in the US. It was interesting because the Dunce wasn't the unruly child, it was the slow learner. There was a photo on the wall of one of the last graduating classes from the school taken in 1931. It was amazing to think the little wooden one room schoolhouse actually was used.

The schoolhouse garden was gorgeous and a respite from the intense heat and humidity.

We visited the Castillo de San Marcos, a historic fortress built by the Spanish on the coast. The view of the coast was sublime. I rested in the shade with Tulla, our dog, outside of the fort since they didn't allow dogs to visit. The fortess itself was built solidly of stone with walls that were at least 30 feet from the base of the dry moat. There were canons arrayed along the top in windows at intervals. There was a cool wooden drawbridge to access the fort. Bre and Maddy will have to describe the inside.

Now, the girls are in the Pirate and Treasure Museum while I sit with Tulla at the Colonial Oak Music Park in the shade. It's surprising how few places allow dog visitors.

The girls loved the Pirate and Treasure Museum that had a flag from Blackbeard's ship, the Jolly Roger. There was treasure seized from pirate ships on loan from the State of Florida as well as numerous artifacts and recreations. Next, we walked around town window shopping and reading the historic markers. For instance, we found more information on the Minorcans.

We ended up going into a cool shop that recreated clothing and accessories from the Colonial Period, called St. Augustine Textiles. They had so much authentic clothing for men and women that people buy for reenactments, etc. I wish I could have bought an outfit, but where would I wear it? The women who worked there was a wealth of knowledge of the period and clothing. She knew why and how they wore their intricate vestments. I strongly recommend folks visit the shop.

Making our way back toward the car (we had to get on the road for New Orleans), we checked out Potter's Wax Museum/The Oldest Pharmacy and some galleries.

In these photos, you can see the Spanish influence, the "Florida House" and the Minorcan style (the red one).