ANOTHER GETAWAY: ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA

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You’re probably wondering why a “retired” couple living in a resort-style community would want to get away. Well, we really don’t need to get away; we are extremely fortunate to have a happy life, just the way it is. But, when the travel bug bit me in my youth (thanks to my mom and dad), it bit hard. And, thankfully, I am married to a great guy who enjoys the adventures, too!

So, here we are in St. Augustine; another road trip getaway to a place we were curious to see, being East Coast newbies.

Did you know that St. Augustine is the oldest city in the U.S.A. and is celebrating its 450th birthday? Well, I sure as heck never knew that, even with my college education. Either I missed that little nugget of knowledge while out sick one day or none of my history teachers never shared that interesting fact. Same goes for Bruce; he didn’t know it either.

So, now, as adults, that little factoid interested us enough to see what this 450 year old city is all about.

We arrived on Sunday, at our cozy 1930’s era rented Vilano Beach cottage (www.homeaway.com ), located maybe 100 yards from the beach. It’s just over the bridge from the historic downtown area and a perfect location for us. A terrific boat ramp is just three minutes down the road; perfect for launching our kayaks into the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway), for a short paddle over to Poncho Creek.

In our area of Vilano Beach, we are away from the hotels and tourists in a quiet residential area. Just like in Sanibel, beach houses- 3 stories at most- line the beach, rather than high rises; our preference over tourist beaches, such as Miami and several other Florida beaches.

It was so nice on Sunday, during the late afternoon, walking along the beach and seeing very few people. The tourists are drawn more to St. Augustine Beach, according to the reviews on Trip Advisor. Fine. The tourists can have St. Augustine Beach!

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On Monday, our day started out very much like one of our typical Sanibel days: Go kayak fishing first thing in the morning (although our “first thing” was too late; the fish had already eaten their breakfast), followed by a trip to the local pool for a swim workout.

The results were the same: No fish- yet. We set the alarm for an early rise, today, in hopes of some redfish having what was on the end of Bruce’s fishing line for breakfast. Again- nothing. But, I got to observe these roseate spoonbills eating plenty of munchies for breakfast.

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As for the community pool, it is nowhere near as nice as the one at the Sanibel Recreation Center, but it will do. I had to share a lane, on Monday, but had one all to myself, when I returned yesterday for a swim. I finished just in time before hundreds of kiddie day campers took over the lanes surrounding me. Some of them were even sitting on the edge of the pool on each end of the swim lane I occupied, with their little toes dangling into the water; a bit of a surprise, when I did a backstroke turn, pushed off, and saw their little faces staring wide-eyed at me!

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Our afternoon on Monday was pretty quiet, after a morning of kayaking and swimming. We stopped by Kyle’s Seafood Market to pick up fish for dinner, since the redfish seemed unwilling to sacrifice themselves for our meal.

Have you ever tried cobia? I had it for the first time on the Mississippi river cruise and fell in love with it at first bite. Delicious! It was locally caught and very fresh at the market, so that was our selection. Mmmmm!

Our other little excursion was to find the “castle” in Ponte Vedra. I had heard about this from Laurel, the gal who cuts my hair, and assumed she was being a bit dramatic in her description. But, she was right. Check it out here: http://www.castleotttis.com . What a trip…

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We skipped kayak fishing, yesterday, and opted to head straight to the pool, instead. The afternoon was spent at Whetstone’s Chocolates ( http://www.whetstoneschocolates.com ), for a chocolate factory tour and tasting, followed by San Sebastian Winery ( http://www.sansebastianwinery.com ), for a winery tour and tasting. Wine and chocolate; life is good! Just for the occasion, I wore my t-shirt with a graphic of a glass of red wine and dark chocolate, with a hand holding a prescription that reads: “Red wine and dark chocolate. Doctor’s orders.” It will get another wearing on Saturday afternoon, when we go for the Tour de Chocolate, a chocolate walking tour being conducted by St. Augustine City Walks ( http://www.staugustinecitywalks.com/?page_id=67 ).

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So, back to Whetsone’s, we enjoyed the chocolates and bought some of our favorites to enjoy later. Our favorite was the De Leon Blend Dark Chocolate (at 47%, it is technically a semisweet chocolate), and I also liked the Menendez Blend Dark Chocolate (72%); a European style bittersweet chocolate.

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Whetstone’s buys their beans from South Africa, a question our tour guide was able to answer. But, when I asked her if they make any single origin chocolates, she didn’t have a clue what I was talking about. Neither did one of the sales staff behind the chocolate counter. So, the answer to that question would be, “No.”

We enjoyed the tour and our chocolate tasting, before making our way down the street to the winery. San Sebastian was quite generous; the tour was free (Whetstone’s was $8 per person) and the tastings were plentiful. Unfortunately, the wine wasn’t our style; there was only one dry white and one dry red. The rest of the wines were quite sweet to me. Our guide even recommended one of them be used to make “winesicles”, combining the wine with blueberries and peaches in popsicle molds for a refreshing summer treat. I’ll pass, but we enjoyed the winery experience and our guide’s sense of humor!

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After a late afternoon walk on the beach, we enjoyed another Cooked Creation by Bruce Cook: Fresh shrimp from Kyle’s ($9/lb. for 30 VERY fresh shrimp), sautéed in garlic, olive oil, and red pepper flake. The shrimp was served over pasta with steamed broccoli and tomatoes with a little pesto sauce stirred in; perfect with my glass of bubbly. Ahhhhhh…

AFFORDABLE TRAVEL CLUB: A GREAT WAY TO GO!

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This year, we decided to join the Affordable Travel Club http://www.affordabletravelclub.net; one of our best travel decisions yet! This is what the ATC’s website says about their club: “Would you like to travel with low-cost accommodations, meet interesting people, and share travel experiences? Does the warmth and hospitality of a bed and breakfast experience appeal to you? Then we have an exciting alternative! Join a host of other friendly travelers in the growing family of the Affordable Travel Club! You stay in private homes of travelers like yourself, paying a small gratuity. In the ‘private home hospitality accommodation’, the hosts are individuals who enjoy meeting other people, sharing their homes and communities, and perhaps even serving their favorite breakfast recipe.”

Affordable Travel Club was started in 1992 by Suzanne and John Miller and has grown to a membership base of over 2400 households in 49 states and 50 countries. The annual cost is $65 ($75 if you prefer a printed directory, rather than an online version) and the fee (“gratuity”) to stay in a home is $20 for a couple or $15 for an individual, per night. If this sounds interesting to you, check out their website; it’s definitely worth a look! And, if you decide to join, please let me know so I can refer you. They even offer membership discounts for referrals!

Last November, we stayed at a hotel in Ocala on our way down to Sanibel and on our return, to break up the 9-1/2 hour drive. This time, we contacted ATC members, Mary Ann & Hugh, to see if they would be available for us to stay our their home. They were available for both requested days, so we were in luck. And, what a great way to start and end the trip it turned out to be! They could not have been more welcoming and hospitable in their comfortable home. We ended up having terrific conversations and a really nice time going out for Mexican food at a different restaurant each time. And, their guest room was very comfortable. Not only did it beat staying at a hotel; we made some new friends in the process! And, for the cost of the annual membership and two nights gratuity (a total of $105), it was less than the cost of two nights at a hotel. But, we still have the remainder of the year to use our membership as guests and hosts.

Mary Ann & Hugh, thank you for a wonderful experience as Affordable Travel Club newbies!

OUR LAST DAYS IN SANIBEL

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Our last couple of days in Sanibel were beautiful. Overall, the weather was terrific; sunny and mostly on the drier side. There were a few humid days in the middle, but our friends were right about it being a really nice time of the year to be there. There was more wildlife to see in November, though, so we would opt for a fall visit, next time around.

We spent the first part of our last full day going over to Captiva to have brunch at RC Otter’s and check out the Manatees at Jensen’s Marina. RC Otter’s is a very laid back place with a casual outdoor dining area and killer blueberry pancakes (Bruce’s choice) and delicious crunchy granola with fresh berries (my choice).

As for manatees at Jensen’s Marina, we were told by our RC Otter’s waiter, last November, that they can be spotted there all of the time, as long as the water is warm. And, as promised, we saw them last November and during this visit. There were five “sea cows” feasting on the sea grass, next to the dock and just feet from the shoreline. Here is one of them:

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The remainder of our afternoon was spent kayaking at the J.N. “Ding” Darling Refuge (see my November posts for more info.). And, I am happy to report that Bruce caught another fish; a legal-sized speckled trout, this time around (Wooo HOOOO!). But, just as he did with the pompano, he released it immediately after I shot this photo:

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To wrap up my Sanibel posts, I will include more of my favorite shots from the last couple of days. Stay tuned for a post about our detour, as we made our way back home…

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There were hundreds of these crabs running around all over the shoreline! They were quite amusing to watch.

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We finally took the opportunity to walk to the lighthouse in the morning, so I could get a shot of the sun shining on the roots of this dead tree.

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This cormorant, resting in the shade under the pier, may have been sick or injured, because he just didn’t seem to have the motivation to move as I got up close to it.

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We learned that osprey mate for life and always return to the same nest. After mating season, hubby and wife fly off to take separate vacations, and then meet again at the nest for the next round of baby-making.

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Snowy egrets have yellow eyes, black bills, and yellow legs. Great egrets are larger in size and have black eyes, yellow bills, and black legs. Both species can always be seen around Lighthouse Pier snooping around the fishermen’s bait buckets, waiting for a handout.

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This cute woodpecker had made a home in a dead tree, in front of a house down the street from our cottages.

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These signs can be seen along the roadside in several areas throughout the island. They’re no joke!

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THE SEASONS OF SANIBEL

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We have made some interesting observations being in Sanibel during the spring, after visiting here during last fall. Most noticeably, we have seen very few calico scallop shells on Lighthouse Beach, whereas they were quite plentiful, last November. Are shells seasonal? I had never given it much thought.

Birds, on the other hand, were something we learned about back in grade school. Some species migrate south for the winter and others stay year around. Last November, the white pelicans had just arrived from Canada. And, we saw birds everywhere. During our paddle through the Mangrove Tunnels, last November, we saw birds all around us. (Check out my Sanibel blog posts for photos.)

Kayaking through Mangrove Tunnels this time was much different. We saw only three birds in the tunnels; none of the species we saw last November. This bird isn’t even on the Sanibel bird species page of the Sanibel Chamber of Commerce guide, so did it migrate from the south where the seasons are opposite of ours? Does anybody know what the name of this bird and where it is from? Perhaps it is a local bird, after all, but we sure didn’t see any last fall.

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There haven’t been as many dolphins feeding out off of Lighthouse Beach this time, but we did enjoy watching this one cruising for fish, just 30 or 40 yards off shore. When it spotted a fish, it would chase it up to the shallower water and trap it just feet from the shore. It was quite a show!

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As for the water temperature during this visit, it has been perfect at 78 degrees; very inviting for my morning open water swims. Last November, in addition to the horrible red tide, the water temperature was cold; fine for kayaking, but too cold otherwise.

One thing that hasn’t been much different is the fishing. Bruce had no luck last November, but neither did anybody else, due to the red tide and sudden drop in water temperature.

We thought Bruce would have much better luck this time around. Considering his success fishing from his kayak in San Diego Bay (I witnessed him catching a bass on several casts in a row and 5-10 fish in a typical hour on the water.) and at Lighthouse Lakes, in Texas, it seemed like a no-brainer to catch fish here. He did his research and had the right tackle. But, once again, it has been tough. And, once again, we haven’t seen anybody else catching much of anything either. BUT, he did catch this pompano, yesterday.

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That was one full day! It began with a fast-paced 40 minute open water swim, followed by a pool training session; a total of 5,000 yards between the two. I capped that off with a PT session in the gym.

After brunch back at the cottage, we packed up for our afternoon kayak fishing trip on Tarpon Bay. The winds had kicked up to 11mph, so we had a rough paddle against the current to a protected area where Bruce caught his pompano. But, it was a fun couple of hours out on the water, before riding the current back to our launch site. And, at that point, we declared the day DONE. It was time to head back, clean up, and relax over dinner- and, dessert.

After dinner, we were strolling by shop windows and noticed a group of guys sitting around in a circle playing guitars and one playing a drum. They were in the Sanibel Café, a breakfast and lunch café that had closed hours ago. When we did a double-take, the owner invited us in and offered us a beer on the house. I mentioned that Bruce played harmonica, but had not brought any with him. The next thing we knew, one of the guys went out to his car to get his harmonica and Bruce joined in on a loosely organized jam session that meets on Monday nights at the café. Bruce blew them away (no pun intended) and it was a fun way to finish off an action-packed day!

SANIBEL SUNSET

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The last two evenings have been beautiful on Lighthouse Beach, during sunset. The tide has been low during the nicest time of the day, so we have strolled along the shoreline with our Friskies and camera, taking a sip here and photographing a shell or bird there.

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Enjoying the sunset on Lighthouse Pier were Noodles and Summer, two very sweet Weimaraners; my favorite breed!

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SWIMMING, SHELLING, AND KAYAKING IN SANIBEL

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Like our last visit to Sanibel Island, this has NOT been a sedentary vacation! And, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Following my last post, Bruce and I took a late afternoon walk along Lighthouse Beach to photograph the shells, watch the birds and fisherman on the pier, and just enjoy the beauty all around us.

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Notice I said “photograph” the shells. Last November, we collected all sorts of shells, but ultimately decided to keep only the most special ones. The remainder came back with us to Sanibel. I threw them into the water at the end of the pier, to wash up on the shore, once again.

Yesterday morning, after my 45 minute open water swim, I walked along the beach looking for shells, while Bruce continued to fish. (Notice I said “fish”, rather than “catch”.) I found a beautiful lightning whelk on this hunt; definitely a keeper that won’t find its way back to Sanibel, next time around.

The swim before my shell hunt was another in-the-zone experience: Perfect water conditions, a gorgeous morning (just after sunrise), and a dolphin swimming by just 50 yards away, as I headed back to the shore. My sighting even improved (Alligator eyes for you, Cooooach Mike!) as I felt more comfortable in my surroundings and adapted with my Meniere’s.

The activity for the day didn’t end there, as we made our way to the Sanibel Recreation Center for our real workout. While Bruce exercised in the gym, I managed training 2,500 yards in the pool; a not-so-fast sprint session, since I already had an open water session behind me. After that: PT exercises in the gym. It was afternoon before we finally had “breakfast”.

Today was another fitness boot camp day: Four hours of paddling (with a few stops to photograph the birds), followed by a full training session in the pool and gym. Pure heaven!

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And, now, to cap off a perfect day, a toast to my friends Melody and David: With Frisky (Fresca and Spiced Rum; Melody’s invention) in hand, we celebrate the success of your surgery and David’s remission. Cheers!

SWIMMING IN THE ZONE

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I don’t remember the last time I swam any distance in open salt water. Since swimming during the summers of my youth at the Alamitos Bay Peninsula, in Long Beach, I have kayak surfed, body surfed, snorkeled; just about everything BUT swim for any distance in anything other than a lake. So, returning to the saltwater for a good long swim was pure joy.

While Bruce fished from the shore, this morning, I swam back and forth, practicing my sighting for the upcoming Clemson open water swim, in June, and the Georgia Games 3k and 1k swim, in July. In my very first open water swim competition, last summer, I swam in the Georgia Games and swam the 3k and 1k back-to-back. Winning a silver and gold in my age group was the icing on top of a fantastic experience- and, learning I am really better suited for long distance swimming, after all.

In my first open water swimming experience since those races at Lake Ackworth, I really felt like I was swimming in the zone. The water was a perfect 78 degrees, I swam straight, and, Bruce even said a dolphin swam alongside me for awhile; something I didn’t even notice, since I was turning toward the shoreline to take my breaths and the dolphin was on the other side of me.

It was a beautiful morning, capped off with a pool workout and PT exercises in the gym, before heading back to Seahorse Cottages for breakfast.

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IT’S GREAT TO BE BACK!

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Sanibel Island, Florida, is one of those places where, when you leave, you just know you have to go back. If you read Sanibel Island blog posts from last November (in the Domestic Travel section) and see my photos, you will understand why Bruce and I returned.

Today, we arrived for another 10-day visit and were greeted by perfect weather; it was a gorgeous day! And, the first thing we noticed when we stepped out onto the beach was that familiar scent of saltwater we enjoyed so much when we were last here; just like back in San Diego.

It’s spring now, so things look a bit different than during our November visit. There are more flowers in bloom, different birds running up and down the surf line, and less humidity- thankfully. And, no red tide!

We hear the fishing is good at the moment, so Bruce is looking forward to giving it a try in the morning, while I go for an open water swim in the perfect 78 degree water.

Just to give you a taste of what our late afternoon was like, the following are a few of my favorite photos of the day:

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My Article Was Published!

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Well, it isn’t exactly the most widely distributed magazine where my article appears. In fact, my first published magazine article was only distributed to about 5,000 homes. But, it’s not like I am trying to make a full-time career of writing, either! This is just a fun project I have taken on for the heck of it. I enjoy writing; the reason I started this blog.

Griffin/Zebulon Life Magazine is a new free community magazine that is direct mailed to homes in the south Griffin and Zebulon areas of Georgia. Hibu (the yellow pages people) started publishing this magazine in February and is in the process of rolling out what will ultimately be 3,500 community magazines throughout the country.

My first contact with the publication manager of this magazine was on behalf of Griffin Choral Arts, in hopes of getting my press releases and photos included to publicize our concerts. That was accomplished- and, more.

Soon after my initial contact, I received an e-mail from one of my media outlet contacts from my job, Mike Boylan, letting me know he had left the newspaper he had been working at for 14 years and took over as publication manager of Griffin/Zebulon Life. (The former publication manager was shifted to the northern Atlanta region of publications.) One thing led to another in our e-mails and I am now writing articles and doing photography for the magazine, in addition to submitting PR for Griffin Choral Arts.

I am writing a series called “Encore”; my first article appears in the May, 2013 issue. Mike had asked me to write about U.S. Masters Swimming, after he saw my swim meet photos on my website (www.ExquisiteCards.Fototime.com) and learned I was a competitive swimmer.

Here is a scan of my article:

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