St. Augustine, FL: Day 4, Part 2 (Pictures)

The Old Jail

Zach with the Sheriff

The Gallows

The Sheriff

me in a jail cell

me and mom in jail

The Sheriff's Living Quarters

This is what toilets used to look like...

The Fountain of Youth

The Oldest Tree...it's over 600 years old! They call it "The Old Senator" because it's crooked and shady.

St. Augustine, FL: Day 4

Today we headed into St. Augustine to start our 3-consecutive day tour. We started out at the Old Jail. A "prisoner" named "Clara Belle" "booked" us (took us on a guided tour) and led us to our "cells". She was fantastic! The jail was originally built across from one of Henry Flagler's hotels. He asked the city to move the jail and they said no...at first. But when he offered them money, they changed their tune. He asked that they build the new jail away from his hotel and that they make it look not like a jail. From the outside, it looks like a large pink house, complete with a rocking chair front porch. The only way that it even remotely looks like a jail is the prison bars on the windows. We saw the infirmary, men's and women's cells, solitary confinement, and some displays that housed weapons prisoners used to commit murder. It was very interesting.

Next, we headed over to the St. Augustine History Museum which gave us historical information on the city itself.

Then, we boarded the trolley for a narrated tour of St. Augustine. We decided to stay on to hear our guy finish the tour. His name was Tom and he was very informative and had a great sense of humor.

We got off at the last stop on the trolley tour: The Fountain of Youth. This is where Ponce de Leon thought he had found some water that would help the drinker retain their youth. We actually got to drink from it, but it was nasty due to the fact that Florida's water tastes like sulfer before it is treated. It was very interesting. This was also the site of some Timucuan Indian burial grounds.

We left and walked down to Ripley's. Those places are always interesting! We caught the trolley and rode it back to where our car was. We came back to the condo and had some pizza for dinner. We were all so exhausted!

Pictures to come in the next post.

On the agenda for tomorrow: More sights and sounds of St. Augustine and a Ghosts and Gravestones Tour tomorrow night!

Amelia Island, FL, Day 3: Part 2 (Pictures)

The Beach

The Courthouse

Jacksonville, FL: Day 2

July 4, 2010

We arrived at the Chapman residence around 1:30. We talked and hung out until the food was ready. Hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad, homemade ice cream, oh my! It was delicious. Aubrey (Kim's sister) and Kyle (Aubrey's boyfriend) played Halo 3 on the X-Box most of the time. I mostly played with Kim's nephews, Wylie (age 5) and Alister (age 3). They are too cute! Kim and I played Scattegories, and though we had fun, it would have been better with a big group of people. I got to see my puppy, Abbie, again! I cannot wait to get my own place so she can come live with me instead of in FL with my second family! We left before dark and came back to the condo. Mom and Zach surfed the 'net, dad watched TV and I read some of my book (Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs). Then my brother and I played Wii Sports.

On the agenda for tomorrow (or later today, actually): Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach with my family and Kim, her mom (Cheryl), Aubrey!

Pictures coming up in the next post. Good night!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! Thank you to those who served, those who continue to serve, and to the families of those who serve! You are appreciated more than you know and my prayers are always with you.

On the agenda for today: Cook out at the Chapman House!!!

Jacksonville, FL: Day 1, Part 2 (Pictures)

This is the entrance of the condo.

The bar.

The dining area.

The chaise.

The living room area. Zach was trying to hook up the Wii.

The second bedroom.

The master bedroom.

The kitchen.

Jacksonville, FL: Day 1

July 3rd:


It has been a long day! We left the house this morning a little after 8:00 and stopped at Chick-fil-A for breakfast. We left there around 9-ish and headed south.


Every time Kim (my best friend) and I go to her parents house, we always saw a sign on I-75 around the Georgia/Florida border advertising books -- no book over $3. We never stopped, but I convinced my dad to stop today. We were running ahead of schedule (the realty company wasn't meeting us at the condo until 4:00), and had some time to kill, so we stopped. I am glad I finally did. There are tons of books in a variety of genres. A lot of the books are overflow from local libraries. All books were $2.99 or less. I spent about $40 and walked out three bags full of books! I was excited -- my brother called me a nerd. :) So, if you're ever heading down to Florida, travelling I-75 South, and you love books, get off at exit 5. You won't be disappointed!


We got to the condo a little after 4:00. One of the ladies from the realty company met us here and showed us around. We were pleasantly surprised! I found this condo on HomeAway and got a really good deal for a one week stay. We were a little weary of what we were coming into, but everything turned out great! The condo is beautiful and is central to a variety of restaurants and shops -- just about anything you can think of.



We unloaded the car and put everything away. Then, we headed to dinner. Zach (brother) chose Ruby Tuesday. We then headed to Wal-Mart to buy some groceries. We returned to the condo, put everything away, and I finished a paper for my online class.



After I post some pictures, I will be heading to bed. I'm exhausted!! Good night!

Vacation!

We are leaving tomorrow morning and heading down to beautiful, sunny St. Augustine, Florida. I cannot wait to see the sights, take lots of pictures, head to the beach, and just relax!