Freezing in Florida

The only difference between this post and being trapped at somebody’s house as they whip out their laptop to regale you with vacation pictures is that here you have the option to move on.

But I will attempt to lure you in with the enticing proposition of seeing my beach wear.

Behold:

Rumor has it some people actually bask in the warm sunshine while vacationing in Florida. Obviously nothing but tourist propaganda from my experience. Here was my first clue that I might have packed abundant unsuitable attire:

Hotel landscaping covered to protect against freezing temperatures.

 

And my second.

So what is one to do when it is freezing in Florida? If you’re anything like me, heave a sigh of relief that no pool time is on the schedule and trot off to the nearest historical site. We chose beautiful St. Augustine, our nation’s oldest permanent city.

Settled by the Spanish 450 years ago, St. Augustine was home to the first Catholic Parish church, the first city government, and the first free Black settlement.

If not for freezing in Florida, we might have missed all of this:

Flagler College rotunda dome

St. Augustine Presbyterian church

Lightner Museum

Lightner Museum glass finial collection

Lightner Museum lace collection

Presbyterian church facade

Spanish moss-draped live oak

LIghtner Museum coral collection

And the supremely Floridian kitsch seen on the secondary roads:

And you know how I love a good ruin. In New Smyrna Beach, where nobody was on the beach, there resides a sugar mill plantation which was destroyed by Seminole Indians and black slaves in 1835.

If it were not for freezing temps in sunny Florida, we might have missed some tremendous sights.

The same holds true for Virginia, sadly, as we learned upon our return:

 

Zero degree temperatures and 100-year old houses are not a compatible duo. BH gave me very specific instructions of exactly how to shut the water supply off and drain the taps. And I followed said instructions to the letter….except I added my own special touch by deciding to close the taps just before walking out the door. Seemed liked a good idea at the time.

Remember my post a few weeks ago about what our choice of luxury might be? I amend mine to this:

Luxurious indoor plumbing!

 

Hope to be able to catch up a bit with you and your blogs very soon. But there’s some clean-up to do around here first. Last night this happened:

Thinking Spring,

Barbara