5/20/2010 A FULL DAY IN ST. AUGUSTINE

DAN AND JUDY WAITIN FOR THE "RED TRAIN"

I love being where we can walk to everything!! After Dan and Bruce put another quick coat of varnish on the hand rail we walked to Mary’s for a scrumptious breakfast then hopped on the “red train” for a tour of this gorgeous city. We were fed interesting facts about the various historical sites along the route and decided which places to visit more closely. The Bouchards and Querreys set out on different paths for the day.

Dan and I toured Flagler College which is housed in the gorgeous Ponce de Leon Hotel built by Henry Flagler of Rockefeller and Standard Oil fame. This amazing and massive structure, built in the Spanish Renaissance Style, was completed in 1888 at the cost of $250,000.00 and after only 18 months of construction. Mike, think we could do that now? Maybe with disposable workers and no OSHA? The immense collection of Tiffany windows and chandeliers are well preserved and apparently much appreciated by the students who gaze upon them daily. The student dining hall just took your breath away. Lucky kids!!! Steven, you would have fallen in love with this school!! Me too as the tuition and full board is only $21,000.00 for both in state and out.

OLD PONCE DE LEON HOTEL

FLAGLER COLLEGE

INNER COURTYARD

FLAGLER DINING HALL WITH TIFFANY WINDOWS

PLEXI-ENCASED TIFFANY WINDOWS

Our next stop was a tour and tasting at the little Sebastian Winery. Cute venue, fun tour but won’t be rushing out to stock up on their product.

Dick, you would be awed by the awesome job their Historical Society is doing in preserving their charge. We discovered that St. Augustine got its name from Pedro Menendez de Aviles when he and his men reached the Florida shores on the day of the festival of San Augustin. Fifty years later, after many failed attempts, Ponce de Leon finally established a Spanish settlement.

Kate and Bruce found their way to the beach and enjoyed some sun, sea and sand time before returning to Quest to clean up and mosey off to a lovely dinner at Harry’s. The setting sort of reminds me of the Blue Beau Restaurant at the Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland with twinkling lights nestled under the trees in the open-air courtyard. We were delighted to be entertained with “live music” by acoustic guitarist and singer Gary Campbell. Shades of home as he sounds much like Rick Reddington.