Travel

You have to love the beaches of St Augustine, and well, just everything about that city.  

Technically, I guess it was Butler Beach, a tad south of town.  The dogs needed to be on leashes, which wasn’t quite as much fun for them, but the place is soooo pretty, we adore being there.

Shelling for fairies wasn’t as easy as our previous stop, but I managed to wrangle a few sprites into shape to place on the beach our last day.

Tide was coming in soon after these were made.  My husband asked to see the fairies, and as we walked over to them, they slipped out into the waves.

He said he’d always been confused by why I spend so much time hunting for the shells to make something that has no permanence, but now got it.  That it was the joy of creation, not the creation itself.  I don’t think those were his exact words, but it was a sweet conversation, however he phrased it.

It has been pointed out to me, that this gal has three boobs.

hmmm

Not what I was going for, but I sure see it now.  I just thought it was a pretty gown with a ruffled bodice. Her striped socks are my favorite part, they look like pieces of the same shell but were found at opposite ends of the shoreline.

One thing I appreciate about this area is the long, flat stretches of sand.  Ideal for walking.  And there is a “road” along the back where you can drive, so we bring our truck with all of our paraphernalia for the day.  We can easily haul a tent, chairs, and coolers to settle in and spend an afternoon.

And I have never seen it too busy.  The weather wasn’t perfect, but even when it is, it hasn’t been crowded when we have visited.  

After living in a 19’ RV with four dogs for a few weeks, we decided to find an Airbnb while our boy, Dewdrop, and her mother came to see us.  It was sorta last minute, so we took what we could get.  And we got pretty lucky with this spacious, new house.

I was sold when I saw photos of the fence.  What a luxury to just open a door to let dogs out, after being in an RV park and needing leashes!

Oh, and the pool was a bonus.

I already mentioned that our weather was less than perfect, but the grand fairies still spent time out there.  Then they’d run to the hot shower and I’d have warm towels waiting for them in the dryer.  So the pool wasn’t wasted, even if we couldn’t enjoy it as much as we’d like.

Renting the house was a good move, I cannot imagine what our trip would’ve been like in hotels or another, smaller rental we’d looked at.  This one had spacious areas and a covered porch.  We sat on the patio while it rained to drink our coffee in the mornings, and it felt very vacationy.

The house was around the corner from some cool, but swampy walking trails.  I doubt if I’d take dogs over there on warmer days when gators are active.  

We were right down the street from the beach access too.  Now, would I have preferred a home with the surf as a backyard?

Well, dur.

But- this one was close.  We could zip down quickly between rain spurts if we wanted.  And that fence for the dogs?  Such a pleasant thing to have when you are crazy enough to travel for five weeks with four mutts.

Most of the trip, we avoided big crowds.  Except that rainy Saturday when we, like the rest of the spring breakers thought they’d put on raincoats and go visit the historic downtown.  But even then, we avoided the biggest rush of them by looking for a place to eat on side alleys, not the main road, George St.   We also took a drive north to Vilano Beach to go to a place that didn’t have a two hour wait like most places in town.  I guess I’ve spent enough time in the area to know the ins and outs and avoid the most touristy spots.

You never know when you plan a trip what weather you’ll get.  All you can do is hope for the best and be flexible, look for fun where you can.  We had planned a big day kayaking out on a crystal spring, but had to cancel.  We even scoured the weather map looking for a break in the clouds within a couple hours of driving time.

Nope, no weather break for us.  We hunkered down and made the most of our time.

Enjoyed the beach when we could, went to the seafood market and cooked, played games, and just enjoyed each other.

Fresh, local food to cook together, lots of long walks and giggles.  It was a great visit, even if I was wearing a raincoat.