And I spent it in Saint Augustine. Because I didn't have a rental car reservation, it took me an extra hour getting here; other than that, it was a perfect day. Took a taxi from Mayport, where we were dropped, to a rental car place on the coastal blvd. And that happened to be right next to a wonderful, local diner, where I promptly ate breakfast at 11:30 for my first meal of the day.
Realized I didn't need GPS, since that was the same coastal road (FL-A1A) that went straight to St. Augustine. Beautiful drive, with lots of views of the ocean. It was hard to stop for the pedestrians though... just a little triangle sign for crosswalks across a 55mph highway. Didn't even come close to hurting anyone... it weirded me out though.
Like Ponce de Leon in 1513, the first thing I did was visit the Fountain of Youth. They had little plastic cups filled with water from the spring to drink. It was a very little spring, and at this late date it is pumped 200 feet to the surface. At the same center, they had a very neat planetarium show, pointing out the constellations and which the Spanish would have used as they sailed across the Atlantic. It was the best planetarium show I've ever seen... maybe because they were talking about a specific point and not just spouting random astronomical facts. There were a few things about sixteenth-century navigation that I didn't know... like they measured the movement of the big dipper from the north star sort of like a giant sundial in the sky. They also had a cannon firing demonstration and a globe that outlined the voyage they made... but I heard the gun from a distance, and only saw the globe on a postcard because the planetarium show went a little long. I avoided buying bottled fountain water in the gift shop. :)
From there I drove across the Matanzas River and visited the St. Augustine Lighthouse (1874), climbing 219 stairs 140 ft. up for a fantastic view of the city, rivers, countryside and ocean. They had a cool little museum in the light-keeper's house.
At this point it was getting to be later in the afternoon and I was getting hungry again. But first I decided to go back across the river to the downtown and visit the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, a fort built out of stone and coquina (a hard mixture of shells and sand) from 1672-1695. The fort was impregnable, and was never over-run. It passed from the Spanish to the British to the United States, always by treaty.
After satisfying myself with a few neat things from the gift shop (patches, a picture booklet of all the Civil War battlefields, and books about the Underground Railroad and the Signers of the Declaration), I walked along the waterfront and across the bridge to the seafood restaurant I had spotted earlier for a fantastic lobster dinner (they had a special).
Did a little more exploring after that... drove a bit north, scouting for motels, and ended up stopping at the Fort Mose Historic State Park. It was really just a wetlands, since the 1738 fort site is now under water. But I did see lots of birds and took pictures of the beautiful sunset.
It's been a wonderful mini-vacation so far!
Jw
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Hello, Again
Well, it's been two weeks to the day since I've had time to post, but it feels more like four.
Sunday the 12th was my last day of liberty... and that expired that night at 8pm (I took a taxi at 7pm). Besides that, there was one evening where I had time between 6pm and 5am to spend at home, and that required two more taxi rides... but was completely worth it. You see, they didn't know if we'd have time to come back between the two things we were doing, so I left the car at home. Enough about that.
That Sunday morning I slept in, went to breakfast at the Pancake House, then tried out the local Baptist church down the street from where I live (on the way to the base, that I had been passing every day for a while). It was a friendly little church, and I really enjoyed singing some familiar hymns, but the sermon really focused on their church. Nice to visit, but I don't think I'll be calling it home. From there I went to the base pool for a good workout swim then shower... and the rest of the day I spent getting ready for the next couple months.
My night at home on the 16th was very nice. It was the first time I had been underway for more than 24 hours, so getting away from it all was a God-send. The traffic was really bad, so as the taxi got close, I got out before it came to a stand-still and walked the last bit, passing lots of cars. All I did was shower, eat a very yummy frozen dinner, drink some coffee, and relish sleeping on my own bed.
Once we pulled into Mayport, FL, I did get off the ship for a while and watch Batman Begins at the Liberty Center across the street from the ship, as well as talk to my mom and my husband. The second night I did make it out to the shuttle and had 15 minutes at the NEX before it closed. But I was able to get what I needed. Then I rode it to the Beachfront Center to get on the Internet, have a Pizza Hut personal size supreme, as well as hang out in the bar. I thought I'd just watch a little football while eating my pizza, but I ran into the sonar guys, and I sat down with them for a while.
The fourth day I was let off really early... around 2pm. Decided to walk to the on-base NEX (too early for the shuttle), bought some Raisin Bran, milk, bowl and spoons, and fruit cup (along with some new tennies, and a t-shirt that caught my eye), and had that for dinner on the beach. Took a walk along the beach after that and found lots of neat shells, as well as the molt of a horseshoe crab and the carcass of a sting ray of some sort. Then I stopped by the center nearby for Internet again, and caught the shuttle back. Did all my laundry before bed as I read in Black Beauty.
Sunday the 12th was my last day of liberty... and that expired that night at 8pm (I took a taxi at 7pm). Besides that, there was one evening where I had time between 6pm and 5am to spend at home, and that required two more taxi rides... but was completely worth it. You see, they didn't know if we'd have time to come back between the two things we were doing, so I left the car at home. Enough about that.
That Sunday morning I slept in, went to breakfast at the Pancake House, then tried out the local Baptist church down the street from where I live (on the way to the base, that I had been passing every day for a while). It was a friendly little church, and I really enjoyed singing some familiar hymns, but the sermon really focused on their church. Nice to visit, but I don't think I'll be calling it home. From there I went to the base pool for a good workout swim then shower... and the rest of the day I spent getting ready for the next couple months.
My night at home on the 16th was very nice. It was the first time I had been underway for more than 24 hours, so getting away from it all was a God-send. The traffic was really bad, so as the taxi got close, I got out before it came to a stand-still and walked the last bit, passing lots of cars. All I did was shower, eat a very yummy frozen dinner, drink some coffee, and relish sleeping on my own bed.
Once we pulled into Mayport, FL, I did get off the ship for a while and watch Batman Begins at the Liberty Center across the street from the ship, as well as talk to my mom and my husband. The second night I did make it out to the shuttle and had 15 minutes at the NEX before it closed. But I was able to get what I needed. Then I rode it to the Beachfront Center to get on the Internet, have a Pizza Hut personal size supreme, as well as hang out in the bar. I thought I'd just watch a little football while eating my pizza, but I ran into the sonar guys, and I sat down with them for a while.
The fourth day I was let off really early... around 2pm. Decided to walk to the on-base NEX (too early for the shuttle), bought some Raisin Bran, milk, bowl and spoons, and fruit cup (along with some new tennies, and a t-shirt that caught my eye), and had that for dinner on the beach. Took a walk along the beach after that and found lots of neat shells, as well as the molt of a horseshoe crab and the carcass of a sting ray of some sort. Then I stopped by the center nearby for Internet again, and caught the shuttle back. Did all my laundry before bed as I read in Black Beauty.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Quiet Evenings
Thursday evening I got off really late (but that's normal for Food Service on board, I hear). Didn't get home until 6-something pm. I was so tired I didn't even feel like watching a movie. I put in the Third Day CD I got in the mail (Offerings, from 2000) and played it on my computer while I got some snacks together and read some passages in the later part of Isaiah. I had some cheese and crackers, along with some raisins, and later on a cup of coffee on the couch as I listened to live streaming of the 1920s Radio Network. So nice!
Friday, I was let go early, getting home around 2pm. I went right to bed and slept for 4 straight hours... and then I felt better. :) Watched the last movie from the library, Anchors Aweigh (1945, Kelly, Sinatra). Although I'm not a huge musical fan, and even though it was long, I really enjoyed it. The story kept moving along, and the inclusion of that pianist playing himself... that was neat to watch... along with the famous Tom & Jerry cartoon that's included when Gene is telling the kids a story about how he won his medal. And as a bonus, there were no dream sequences. Everything pretty much made sense. :) While watching, I took breaks to fix my little bits and pieces of dinner... a rice & chicken frozen dinner (steam-heated in the microwave), Pillsbury crescent rolls (using my oven and cookie sheet for the first time), and one packet of Lipton's chicken noodle soup. A couple cups of coffee were involved too. :)
Friday, I was let go early, getting home around 2pm. I went right to bed and slept for 4 straight hours... and then I felt better. :) Watched the last movie from the library, Anchors Aweigh (1945, Kelly, Sinatra). Although I'm not a huge musical fan, and even though it was long, I really enjoyed it. The story kept moving along, and the inclusion of that pianist playing himself... that was neat to watch... along with the famous Tom & Jerry cartoon that's included when Gene is telling the kids a story about how he won his medal. And as a bonus, there were no dream sequences. Everything pretty much made sense. :) While watching, I took breaks to fix my little bits and pieces of dinner... a rice & chicken frozen dinner (steam-heated in the microwave), Pillsbury crescent rolls (using my oven and cookie sheet for the first time), and one packet of Lipton's chicken noodle soup. A couple cups of coffee were involved too. :)
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Sunday, Then Tuesday & Wednesday Afternoons
Monday was swallowed up by duty, so nothing of my own to share from there.
My Sunday was very nice... went to church with Kristin and Dan again, except this time I met them there. Good sermon on the passage just before the last one... Jesus calmed the storm; more of their "Jesus at the Beach" summer series. And again we had Moe's for lunch afterwords... and that ended up being my only meal that day! Stopped at Walmart for a couple odd things like paper towel holders and a new stopper for the drain in the sink. When I got home, I put everything away, then proceeded to go down my list of things I needed to get done. Put all those Navy patches and pictures in the big frame I got from Michaels, then I cleaned out the ice and water in the bottom of the fridge... and ended up taking all the bottom shelves out and doing a thorough cleaning. Then it was the trash bin outside that needed a good washing. Hooked up the hose outside and sprayed it for quite a while before the nasty, smelly stuff came out.
It felt good to get those things done that I had been wanting too for a while now. To relax, I had a cup of instant decaff and read a few chapters in Black Beauty as I sat on the couch in my own living room with only the evening light of the lamp on next to me. So refreshing!
Tuesday afternoon I went over to the housing office to pay my extra rent for the end of July... they hadn't been aware that I was late, so there was no fee. :) At first they told me I couldn't pay by personal check after the fifth (to be sure I wasn't overdrawn), but thank God, someone else in the office let it go since it was for such a small amount. I was almost going to be unhappy. :) At home, I had ham and potatoes for dinner and watched "The Fighting 69th" (1940, James Cagney, Pat O'Brien) - but the DVD came with "a night at the pictures", which came with a very neat little newsreel about the Pacific Fleet doing exercises near Hawaii, and then a little piece by a news correspondent called "London Can Take It"... about a typical day and night in London during the Blitz. Very neat, indeed. After the movie I started Rocky Balboa with Stallone (the recent one) but the disc stopped working half-way through. Good thing, because it was time for bed soon. :)
Yesterday I had to stop by the housing office again to put in a ticket for my fridge that is still dripping water. It was fast, and soon I was home and changed and out the door again to go get my cell fixed at a repair center on Virginia Beach Blvd. They needed time to wipe it and install new software, so I went out to dinner at the nearby Macaroni Grill (like they have in Seattle). Had a delicious dish on recommendation from the server... pan seared chicken with angel hair pasta, with mushrooms, artichokes and grape tomatoes. Mmm! But I also had a shrimp & avocado (with beans and diced tomatoes) over toasted bread. Again... wow.
Returned to find my phone working wonderfully, then stopped by Office Max to make copies of my OC spray certificate that I picked up on the ship. Found some useful laptop accessories, then made it out the door alright. :) Stopped by Michaels down the street for the last frame... and made some flower arrangements to brighten the living room. It was pretty late by the time everything was set up back at home. Skyped with my Darling for the first time in a while... and that was very nice. :)
Jw
My Sunday was very nice... went to church with Kristin and Dan again, except this time I met them there. Good sermon on the passage just before the last one... Jesus calmed the storm; more of their "Jesus at the Beach" summer series. And again we had Moe's for lunch afterwords... and that ended up being my only meal that day! Stopped at Walmart for a couple odd things like paper towel holders and a new stopper for the drain in the sink. When I got home, I put everything away, then proceeded to go down my list of things I needed to get done. Put all those Navy patches and pictures in the big frame I got from Michaels, then I cleaned out the ice and water in the bottom of the fridge... and ended up taking all the bottom shelves out and doing a thorough cleaning. Then it was the trash bin outside that needed a good washing. Hooked up the hose outside and sprayed it for quite a while before the nasty, smelly stuff came out.
It felt good to get those things done that I had been wanting too for a while now. To relax, I had a cup of instant decaff and read a few chapters in Black Beauty as I sat on the couch in my own living room with only the evening light of the lamp on next to me. So refreshing!
Tuesday afternoon I went over to the housing office to pay my extra rent for the end of July... they hadn't been aware that I was late, so there was no fee. :) At first they told me I couldn't pay by personal check after the fifth (to be sure I wasn't overdrawn), but thank God, someone else in the office let it go since it was for such a small amount. I was almost going to be unhappy. :) At home, I had ham and potatoes for dinner and watched "The Fighting 69th" (1940, James Cagney, Pat O'Brien) - but the DVD came with "a night at the pictures", which came with a very neat little newsreel about the Pacific Fleet doing exercises near Hawaii, and then a little piece by a news correspondent called "London Can Take It"... about a typical day and night in London during the Blitz. Very neat, indeed. After the movie I started Rocky Balboa with Stallone (the recent one) but the disc stopped working half-way through. Good thing, because it was time for bed soon. :)
Yesterday I had to stop by the housing office again to put in a ticket for my fridge that is still dripping water. It was fast, and soon I was home and changed and out the door again to go get my cell fixed at a repair center on Virginia Beach Blvd. They needed time to wipe it and install new software, so I went out to dinner at the nearby Macaroni Grill (like they have in Seattle). Had a delicious dish on recommendation from the server... pan seared chicken with angel hair pasta, with mushrooms, artichokes and grape tomatoes. Mmm! But I also had a shrimp & avocado (with beans and diced tomatoes) over toasted bread. Again... wow.
Returned to find my phone working wonderfully, then stopped by Office Max to make copies of my OC spray certificate that I picked up on the ship. Found some useful laptop accessories, then made it out the door alright. :) Stopped by Michaels down the street for the last frame... and made some flower arrangements to brighten the living room. It was pretty late by the time everything was set up back at home. Skyped with my Darling for the first time in a while... and that was very nice. :)
Jw
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Lots of Hangings
I've spent the last two afternoons and most of today finishing up the house as far as I can. Went through and got all my pictures framed and hung up... I think I counted fifteen little nails I had use in order to get them all up throughout the house!
So here's a walk-through:
Except for getting another bed set up in the other bedroom, finishing the master bedroom and figuring out what we're going to do for a TV someday, it's all done for now. Thank goodness! I can now calmly pack for Florida without digging through anything... and I have that lovely peace that comes when you know that everything is in its place.
Been taking it pretty easy this weekend. Got a take-home salad from Ruby Tuesdays yesterday, and had the remainder for dinner today. Last night I watched The Eagle Has Landed (1976) and tonight it was Adam's Rib (1949) - both from the library, and for the first time. I confirmed my address at the library today with my internet bill, which means I can check out more than one item at once. :) And right after I did that, I headed back to Fort Story to look at and climb the first public works project of the United States... a stone lighthouse built in 1791 at Cape Henry. It was very, very neat!
It feels so good to be comfortably set up (for the first time since joining the Navy). I miss my husband and family like you wouldn't believe, but at least I'm not living out of an ugly dorm room on base, a cubby hole in a stranger's house, or out of the back seat of my car. :) It's been quite a journey so far.
Jw
So here's a walk-through:
Been taking it pretty easy this weekend. Got a take-home salad from Ruby Tuesdays yesterday, and had the remainder for dinner today. Last night I watched The Eagle Has Landed (1976) and tonight it was Adam's Rib (1949) - both from the library, and for the first time. I confirmed my address at the library today with my internet bill, which means I can check out more than one item at once. :) And right after I did that, I headed back to Fort Story to look at and climb the first public works project of the United States... a stone lighthouse built in 1791 at Cape Henry. It was very, very neat!
It feels so good to be comfortably set up (for the first time since joining the Navy). I miss my husband and family like you wouldn't believe, but at least I'm not living out of an ugly dorm room on base, a cubby hole in a stranger's house, or out of the back seat of my car. :) It's been quite a journey so far.
Jw
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