Coastal Commentaries

Yes indeed the southern belle was once again dragged into the wilderness. My friends are determined to make a camper out of me yet. Full details at the end of the week (hint: it was a camping trip and picnic that wasn’t open to the public) For now, enjoy…

Smoke and Light

For more great photos visit
Wordless Wednesday

Florida sunset

Me, in a new hat courtesy of Mr. Jamaica

Gone Fishin’ with Mr. Jamaica.

Dead fish on the beach (and boy, did it stink up the place!) uh, what exactly are those spikes for? Anyone know what kind of fish this is? First one to tell me from Entrecard gets 100 ECs

Z-Man showing the extent of the beach erosion after Tropical Storm Fay (he’s about 6 feet tall.)

For more great photos, visit WordlessWednesday.com

We now interrupt your regular scheduled programing (the St. Augustine files) for a special report.

Today, I went fishin’ with the boys (Oh yeah!) No, no, I didn’t fish and I don’t do fishing or camping very well (yes, I’ve been both camping and fishing but wasn’t raised like that…I’m from “city folk.” Ok, ok, it was a small city, a large town, but my parents were never into either of these activities, hence my “southern belle” moniker…just call me “princess,” others before you have done just that…I am—and don’t you forget it—a delicate flower) however, I LOVE the beach. I love my life here, so close to the beach. And I love to watch others fish in the ocean (kind of dead-ass sexy,) so I’m happy to just snap photos of the process. I have more photos from this adventure yet to come (hint, I love the pelicans, who are tough-ass birds and are willing to bob like bobbers in the ocean and don’t seem to mind smashing against the rocks just to eat.)

The Boys, Fishing at Jetty Park

FYI…no, no fish. Bait used—shrimp and clams. Several bites, by Whiting, but nothing caught. They were hoping for Snook and Black Drum. What ever the hell that is? I have no clue.

However, it was a BEAUTIFUL day on the beach in central Florida, but don’t get me wrong, the water was a little chilly.

But….Shhhhhh…I’m NOT supposed to tell you how awesome this area is. So, shhhhh don’t tell anyone! Seriously, this is the best kept secret of Florida. No, no, really don’t come here. I am not supposed to tell you this is the best affordable beach-side properties you can find.

NO…don’t listen to me

BTW, since they didn’t catch anything…we went to the Port to eat tonight. More on Port Canaveral later.

I am very much now a beach bum. I have arrived!

Seriously, if you travel to any place within the U.S. St. Augustine should be one of your premiere destinations.

Ponce de Leon went in search of the fountain of youth.

The Fountain of Youth costs $7. I suggest taking the first part of the tour where visitors are actually allowed to drink from the Fountain of Youth (Ponce de Leon was quoted as saying it was the sweetest water he’s ever drank. Actually, the water is not sweet and tastes like bad well water with Sulfa as the main ingredient)

Sergei Zackovich and Ponce de Leon

Where Ponce de Leon first landed in Florida

Be sure to check out the Fudge Shop, Kilwin’s. Be patient, the line is always out the door but well worth the wait.

There are at least three hat shops in the Old City. This one has a cool red door.

Another back street in the Old City.

Fun with statues at the St. Augustine Public Library

Stop in at the A1A Ale House for a micro-brew. I had the Bridge of Lions Brown Ale. Yummy!

I have two more installments left to do. One will cover Anastasia State Park and the other installment will be about the San Marcos Fort. So stay tuned and y’all come back now, ya hear.

If you know me, you know that I am a lover of history so it’s no surprise that the Old City of St. Augustine is one of my most favorite places to visit. It is an area steep in history. Considered the oldest city in the U.S. St. Augustine was founded by the Spanish forty-two years before the English colony at Jamestown, Virginia, and fifty-five years before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts. That kind of puts it into perspective, doesn’t it?

There is so much to see, do, and experience in St. Augustine that one blog entry with photos just won’t do (actually, only one day exploring St. Augustine just won’t do either.) So I thought I’d separate this into several entries.

We enjoyed many different kinds of architecture. This is an old church in Old City. Read more… »

A few days after Christmas, my friend, Mr. Jamaica, his family and I went camping in Anastasia State Park (more about the park to come.) Now this delicate flower city girl don’t take a cotton to camping, however, the advantage was that we were so close to not only the old city of St. Augustine (the oldest city in the U.S.) but the beautiful St. Augustine Lighthouse as well. The city of St. Augustine is located about 30 miles south of Jacksonville, Florida. From where I live, St. Augustine is about a 2-2 1/2 hour drive north.

The original idea, since we’d spent a fun-filled but grueling day exploring old town St. Augustine, was to walk around the lighthouse and take photos. We went around to a service side entrance, hopped a low gate and began snapping. No one shooed us away. Then Mr. J’s college aged son noticed that no one was standing guard by the open gate in the side yard. So we decided to be mischeivious and sneak inside.

As you can see—A LOT of stairs. Read more… »

I’m thrilled with my new domain name. While the old site may be gone with the wind (hey, I’m a southern belle, what did you expect?) I will still be bringing you lots of beautiful photography as well as commentary on what it’s like to live in a coastal town. Not only that, but I have a cool new feature coming up: a video series called “Road Trippin’ with LA and Mr. Jamaica.” In it we will visit different places around the area and you’re invited to come along with us. We’re editing video as fast as we can.

So stay tuned and come back often, ya hear!

Jetty Park is just two miles down the street from where I live. You can see the rocks that jut out into the ocean. It is the barrier for the entrance to Port Canaveral, where shrimp boats and cruise ships enter and exit the port.