The cruising community doesn’t call this place Velcro Beach for nothing!!
We’re planning to head back north early this year…spend time playing with grandkids and get our RV ready to start driving west across country to see Alaska for the summer!!
So instead of going further south and have more distance to retrace heading north we decided to hang out here where we have…a marina mooring ball which comes with showers and a lounge, a beach within walking distance, a free bus system that takes us to the grocery store, Walmart, West Marine, and what ever else we need for parts to maintain stuff on the boat. A farmers market every Saturday. Lots of walking routes from the marina and lots of friends to walk with. We enjoyed Evita, a Broadway play, at Riverside Theatre, a short walk from the marina. A happy hour social at the marina every Thursday…unless there’s bad weather…ok, there’s only been one since we got here!! 😁 The weather is a big part of why we stopped here too. There have been a lot of fronts BLOWING through!! We are keeping busy and having a good time!
Paperbird in the Vero mooring field.
Sunrise!
Two pairs of bald eagles we saw on the way to Vero along the ICW.
Dinghy dock in Vero.
View of the mooring field from the bridge just south of the marina.
Went across the bridge one day on our walk.
We really enjoyed the play!
Inside the theatre.
Facetime with grands. Love, love, love seeing their smiling faces!
Veterans memorial park just south of the marina. A great place to walk!
Pictures from the kids of the grands playing in the snow!
Walking to the beach…definitely a favorite!
And many beautiful sunsets!!
He quieted the sea with His power
Today we walked to the farmers market. There’s no snow predicted here but we’re having lots of wind!! As they say here, though, you don’t have to shovel wind!!
Red warning flags at the beach…meant nobody was in the water!
He quieted the sea with His power
We played tourist for a day and visited the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canerval Florida. It was a fascinating day seeing the history of the space industry from the early unmanned rockets to the planned Orion mission to Mars.
One of the most interesting aspects of the tour is that many of the exhibits are actual spacecraft that were either moved here after being used, like the space shuttle Atlantis, or were next in line to be used, like the Saturn V rocket. Those two exhibits were probably the most awe-inspiring.
The Atlantis made 33 flights into space, including the last shuttle flight, a real workhorse! The immensity of the Saturn V was incredible. It took several minutes just to walk the entire length of it. Imagine the combination of massive size, enormous power, combined with attention to every minute detail.
Just to illustrate the vision of the folks involved in space travel: Apollo 11 landed on the moon in July 1969, culminating a 10 year effort. On April 1, 1969, BEFORE the moon landing, the chief engineer at NASA gathered the key engineers together and started the Space Shuttle program that took 12 years to complete.
Out greeter.
A model of the Mars Rover made out of LEGOs.
This is a scale model that took 90,000 LEGO pieces requiring 650 man hours to construct. It took 3 months for a master LEGO builder team.
This is the glider used by the chief NASA engineer to kick off the space shuttle program on April 1, 1969. He flew it down from a stairwell toward an assembled group of engineers to announce their new goal: a reusable space craft to shuttle equipment to and from space.
The shuttles
A model of the Hubble telescope.
An Apollo control room
The business end of the Saturn V, largest rocket to date.
More Saturn V…
Still more…
More…
All to carry this.
Model of the Mars Rover…on the red planet.
A reconstructed control room from one of the early missions. A lot fewer people back then!
But if not…
We drove through Blackpoint Wildlife refuge near Titusville FL. It is a really pretty area with lots of birds and alligators. This is a sample of what we saw, there were flocks of ducks and other birds that were too far away for the camera!
Hmm, not a bird. Maybe there to keep the bird population in check?
He quieted the sea with His power
And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:12-14
Grandkids in a Christmas program at Church.
Youngest grandson (3 yrs old) singing in church program.
We pray Gods continued blessings on our family and friends.
He quieted the sea with His power
St Augustine has a long and storied history. Originally settled by the Spanish in 1565, then handed over to the British in trade for Cuba in 1763, then back to Spain and finally ceded to the US in 1822. A common theme throughout was how to defend the vulnerable city from attacks, either from other countries or pirates. The Castillo de San Marcos was a 25 year construction project started in 1672 by the Spanish. They are very proud of the fact that the fort was never taken in battle, but only changed hands by treaty. Given the strategic position of the fort overlooking the narrow channel from the ocean and the 17 foot thick walls, it’s not surprising the fort was able to withstand all comers.
Chapel
Barracks
Storage of food and supplies
Reenactment by Spanish soldiers
Practice firing the cannon
St Augustine and harbor in the distance
Inlet from the ocean is behind us
But if not…
One of our favorite stops on the way south is St Augustine FL for their annual Christmas parade. It’s a large version of a small town parade. It comes complete with dog rescue societies, high school marching bands, antique cars and kids dance groups. And a crowd favorite, a giant armadillo! Rain or shine, it’s a fun time. This year, it was a bit rainy, but just a little. Not enough to dampen the fun.
The weekend in St Aug has always been a good stop to kick off the Christmas season. It seems there is usually a Christmas Cantata at one of the local churches, the town is all decorated with lights and Christmas trees and even the tour trams drive around singing Christmas Carols.
All a reminder of just how joyous the Christmas season is and what it means to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
But if not…
219 steps up to be exact…equivalent to 14 floors! We climbed the St Augustine Lighthouse. We had a beautiful day to wander the grounds and climb to the top for some amazing views.
The lighthouse keepers quarters is a two story duplex that housed two families and a single guy. The keeper’s family lived on the left and the assistant keeper’s family on the right with a loft in the middle up stairs for a single guy who was the second assistant keeper.
He quieted the sea with His power
A favorite stop on our way south is Cumberland Island National Seashore. It’s the former winter home of Lucy Carnegie and the island was donated to the National Park service who maintains it. It’s a beautiful spot to hike and relax.
The anchorage was flat calm when we arrived, but the next day a north wind kicked up some chop and so we moved down the river to Fernandina Beach, where we’ll stage to go offshore Tuesday down to St Augustine, FL.
Hiking the main road that leads from the dock to the estate ruins.
The main house. The red brick was original, the block wings were added over time. Can never have too much room…
The foundation of the recreation building: heated pool, gun room, squash court and doctors office.
The estate managers house.
Wild horses still roam the island.
But if not…
He quieted the sea with His power
