Road Trip !

Hello everyone !  I have not posted for a few weeks because we went on a road trip adventure to Florida.  In the several years since we retired we have not done the "go to Florida in the winter" thing...but we wanted to see some Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training games and decided to take a few weeks to see some sites.

We started off on a beautiful morning and made sure our Phillies caps were on display for all to see as we headed south.  In case you are wondering about our license plate...I had a personalized plate for years with my name - Ann Y - but when we went to just one car we needed a new tag.  We have been married for 47 years and were never blessed with children, so we say our life is like 

"One Big Date!"

Frist stop was to The Villages  - we have dear friends who live there for the winter and we were blessed to spend a few days visiting with them.  We are not golfers, which is the big attraction there, but we had fun playing bocce several times and exploring all that the area has to offer.  It is an amazing place!

I caught this shot of some birds waiting for the sunset - we were in one of the "village squares" that evening to listen to some great music.

Saw this on our walk...but luckily we saw no gators!!!

We then traveled down to Clearwater to cheer for the Phillies...

It was great to be so close to the players...and everyone there - in the hotel, at breakfast, walking to the stadium - was in a great mood and excited for the Phillies season!

We saw two games...and on this day there were Little League players on the field to get autographs and see the players...

then they joined their position players on the field for the National Anthem.  It was so moving...and you could see how thrilled the kids were to be there!

From there we traveled to Cocoa Beach for a little beach time...this was our view from our room at The Inn at Cocoa Beach.

Great beach weather, wonderful walks in the surf...a great time.

We did not know there would be a launch of the astronauts to the Space Station...and since our Inn was right on the coast not too far away from the Cape Kennedy Space Center, we got to see the launch!

It was exciting to see the launch, and then the booster rocket came back to the pad...and feel and hear the sonic boom a few seconds later.

From there we headed to our next stop, St. Augustine, and The Saint Francis Inn.  We chose Anna's room in the 1791 historic home...

A lovely room

with a cozy sitting area and a small bathroom.  The Inn is supposed to be haunted...we did not experience anything, but apparently the ghosts who haunt the inn are mischievous and not scary.   I am glad we did not see any !!!

A container of cream sherry was in each room....and it was a nice way to finish off the day.

Saw this sign in the dining room...a good idea.  We met some great people at the delicious breakfasts, and then met back at the Inn for Happy Hour to discuss our day.  There was a great selection of local wines and great snacks each day...as well as a dessert offered later in the evening.

Our Inn was in walking distance of historic St. Augustine...and on our way we saw this church which happened to have a service on my birthday.  We attended, and it was such a welcoming congregation.  When the rector learned it was my birthday as he was greeting visitors to the church, he invited me up to the altar for an anointing and a prayer for my birthday.  

We took the Trolley tour around town to get a feel for where everything was located...and it was a great overview on the history of St. Augustine.

The big breakfasts at the Inn called for lighter lunch and we shared a Monte Cristo crepe in a lovely garden in the historic district.

Beautiful city with so much history! 

Celebrated my birthday at the St. Augustine location of the famous Columbia restaurant.

We had wonderful gazpacho...and it was made to order at our table.

Yum...if I knew how good it was going to be I would have ordered a bigger bowl!

No birthday cake...a birthday flan...and the wait staff sang

Feliz Cumpleanos !

Wonderful evening.

Visited the oldest house in the United States...and John really enjoyed this map room.  We did not realize that Florida was split in two at one time - the 14th and 15th colonies.   Learned how Florida changed hands many times over the years.

The grounds were so lovely.

We also went to the Lincolnville Museum...so interesting to see all the displays of the Black community and the struggle for civil rights over the years...the museum is housed in the old Black High School and is filled with information and primary source materials.

The St. Francis Inn...

And right across the street a little park with a statue of St. Francis.  Reminded me of the book "Rabbit Hill", by Robert Lawson. 

It is a children's book, easy read, and a great story for lovers of nature and gardening.  "Enough for all"!

We had great weather on our trip, and the only rain came on our ride home.  We experienced Buc-ee's for the first time - WOW! We loved it...and bought some goodies and other things.  Now we will be on the look out for a Buc-ee's on our next road trip!

Thanks for stopping by Our New Vista and coming along on our road trip.  Have you taken a road trip lately?  Where did you go?  Please leave a comment below - I enjoy all of your comments and love hearing from you.

Have a great SPRING!