Day **100**-Wed, 8 Apr 09-Daytona Beach, FL

Photos: (1) St Augustine-fishing pier near marine (2) Coquina-limestone material made from seashells that hardens to concrete (3) one of the streets in Old Town (4) an old home in Old Town

Yesterday was pretty cool here and the wind was howling. It was certainly not a day to be sitting on the beach, even though the sun was shining. I did a couple of loads of wash but then figured that we had to get out and do something or the day would be lost. We decided we would get in the LuvMasheen and go to St Augustine, about 50 miles away.

If you have never been there, put it on your 'Top 10' places to visit. It's a delightful, historic, wonderful place that I knew exsisted but didn't realize it was all that it was. The city was founded in 1565. If you want to know the who, how, and why, google it. It's certainly interesting but the joy of it all is that the Spanish kept meticulous records about their early conquests; people kept diaries, letters, and other correspondence; and it's all resulted in houses from the 1600s still standing with the names of the original owners, and their business or position, on the front of every building in 'Old Town'.

Most of the building were constructed on 'coquina', which is something like limestone, and only found in Florida. It consists of shells that has been compacted (with dirt/sand) which the Spanish cut into blocks and let cure until it harded into blocks as hard as concrete. There's a fort which is entirely constructed of coquina and the Spanish found that during conflicts, cannon balls would imbed in the walls vice shattering them. It's amazing going through some of the old homes and seeing the same walls that were put up in the early 1600s.

Old Town is a beautiful place where the streets are one carriage wide, with cobblestone streets. Most of the building are now businesses but it all been done with careful consideration of the historical significance of the original house. Because they have been classified as 'historical', there are constrictions on how any construction can proceed, and in fact, St Augustine is the only city to have a full-time archeologist as part of the city council.

Over and above all the beautiful architecture, it's just a very pleasant place to be with lots of interesting shops. We had a fabulous supper at a seafood restaurant before heading home. The restaurant was on a pier over the water and they had small trap doors by the windows that you could drop bread (provided) to the fish. Of course the seagulls, aka Shit Hawks, fought for their share but it was fun.

Wayne went off this morning to have the new brake pads re-checked as they were still squealing. He's been gone since 10 am (it's now 5 pm) so heaven knows what else came up. I hit the beach about 10 am and except for a quick run to the washroom/lunch, I stayed out until 4 pm. There was hardly any wind and it was just cool enough to be able to sit and enjoy the sun. I finished reading 'Marley & Me'...a really nice book, pretty predictable, but fun to read.

Time to think about supper. I've discovered Birds Eye Steamfresh dinners...enough for 2 with a small salad..and they are delicious! It's steamed, in the bag, in the microwave so no pots even. We'll be packing the LuvMasheen on Easter Sunday and heading for home Monday morning. After spending a few days with Tim & Kim, we expect to be back on Rainbow Crescent around 21 Apr. Until then, love and hugs to all. xx