The 14th Colony (yes there were really 16, not 13)

Between holidays, we jumped in the car and headed for St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States. Mark, with his Turkish perspective, wasn't too impressed with a date like 1513, but he considered the continent and feigned interest.

I was happy to see the old town was renovated and busy. There are plenty of museums to visit, but all require admission. It was great to see both the Spanish Village and Fort Castillo de San Marcos had employees and volunteers who dressed and played the roles of residents or army in the period around 1740.

I didn't get Florida history in school (since I wasnt in Florida when it is taught), so I found out some interesting things. For example, there were really 16 colonies, not just 13. Florida was split into 2 British colonies: East and West Florida. Because the 14-16 colonies were happy being loyal to the Queen, they didn't fight in the American Revolution, and for that they got no star on the flag! If you are wondering, the 16th colony was eastern Canada.

We enjoyed the mix of British and Spanish history (Florida went back and forth between the countries before becoming a state, and the abundance of sangria and ales to represent both sides. We saw and definately heard canons and flintlocks fired. We saw very old houses. Though St. Augustine was burned down by the angry British who couldn't capture the fort -which held the cities 1500 residents for 50 days- so I guess the houses could have been older!

St. Augustine had a resurgence back in the 1880's (until around 1914) when Henry Flagler built his railroad to the city so that the first snowbirds could come down in the winter. Being the entrepreneur he was, he also built fabulous hotels to house these wealthy people. One of the hotels, the Ponce de leon, is now the main Flagler College building while the Alcazar was purchased by Mr. Lightner for his museum. The Alcazar housed the largest indoor pool in the world at the time...though the water was from a sulfur springs which must have really stunk in an enclosed area. St. Augustine lost its luster when Flagler continued his railroad to West Palm Beach, and then to Key West. It seemed the further south those snow birds could go, the happier they were...until the depression when everyone stopped traveling.

For the holidays, the city was decorated in white lights which made the evening magical. While the country is in a recession, it appeared that a trip to St. Augustine during the holidays was a must-do. The streets were full of festive people wandering the town from morning to late night. It felt a bit like a tame mardi gras in New Orleans.

Farkels and Pancakes

Its about time!!!! Ya, that is what I was thinking as Mark and I drove over for a Farkel meeting...the 1st since we moved here. 'Farkels' you ask? In 1976, 8 girls (yes we were definately 'girls')went to Europe for part of the summer with Elmar, a history professor at UCF (called FTU at the time). Quite a memorable trip for each of us, which for me included a broken leg from sliding down an Alp. We all promised to stay in touch...and in fact, 5 of us have. For easy reference we are called the Farkels. The name is a long story, so just go with it.

We've gathered mostly over the holidays to catch up on marriages, divorces, children, dating, travels, excitements and disappointments. Gatherings have always included food and often drink. But life sometimes gets in the way of things, and it seems to have done a bit of that the past year or so.

With me back in Florida (most Farkles live in FL), I was hoping reunions could be more often than annual. In fact, they've been LESS. So, with great anticipation, we plotted and planned an appropriate time and setting for the 2008 gathering of Farkles.

3 of the 5 made it as the other 2 had iron-clad excuses for not coming. We met at DeLeon Springs, a beautiful state park complete with an age old pool built around the springs, and the spring fed river flowing from it. But even better than the natural setting was the food! The pancake restaurant was still there (visited in Farkel gatherings decades prior). Even the staff were the same.

But we each had 'our man' in attendance on this reunion...highly unusual for Farkle gatherings. So we introduced them to the art of cooking whole grain pancakes on the electric skillets built into the center of the table. Molasses, honey and maple syrup containers stood guard as we poured each pancake. We added toppings of bananas, berries, and apple slices while each pancake cooked, flipped them over either too early or too late, to be rewarded with heavy, hot bread covered in favorite things.

While the food was great (as expected at any Farkle gathering)it was so nice to catch up with each others' life adventures, some happy and some not. We knew that anything we did or said would be met with support, some laughs and some sighs. And we also knew that we wouldn't wait so long for the next gathering.

Mark's Handiwork Solves the Stuff Problem

Believe it or not, we've been living in our Florida house for almost 14 months. All of this time, the garage and house have been the storage locations for boxes of our books, photos, and 'stuff' accumulated while traveling or found on my doorstep (cause i swear i didnt buy any of these things). Yes, I did get rid of many boxes of 'stuff' before we moved, including a large box of pigs. But I think 'stuff' has the power to regenerate and warm weather expedites the process.

Mark had his job cut out for him - lots of shelves to build!

He was undaunted by my specific demands including shelving to wrap around the corner with 45 degree angles, shelves that slant to smaller depth to fit the nearby window, shelves to the ceiling which isn't consistently the same distance from the floor, etc.

I love the results! We have photos, books and 'stuff' within view and reach. Many boxes are gone... but somehow there are now several boxes of items to give away.

I tell you...'stuff' regenerates in this warm climate!

Xmas Boat Parade

We made sure we got to the Dunedin Xmas Boat Parade this year. Living near the ocean In Florida brings an interesting twist to celebrating Christmas. While we are used to the European version of the season with evergreen trees and snow, here in Florida you are apt to find decorated palm trees (actually more aligned to a Bethlehem location), and parades of decorated boats driving up the coast and back supported by the applause and hot toddies of the bystanders.

The parade began soon after sunset and the colorful boats followed a line of Christmas tree buoys. As the boats approached our location near the Dunedin Marina, we could hear the celebrations on board.

One boat highlighted an American Flag decorated in lights, with bongo drummers and fire eaters. A local preacher motored his sail boat that was highlighted by a shooting star and angels. One cruiser seemed to have a green gecko lit up...making us wonder if this was their version of an elf.

The evening was complete with Santa arriving from the marine police boat, and lighting the large Xmas tree in the park. Celebrants could eat s'mores and hot chocolate while listening to the town band play Christmas music.

A very nice evening.