Shannon's visit

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Shannon's visit

This entry covers 3 days of fun filled activities.

I had to get up for sunrise this morning. I made it just in time to see the sun come up out of the ocean only to disappear in the clouds on the horizon. I did wait for it to reappear but it had lost it's magic.

I took Watson down the road for a walk and he headed for the gate that leads to the beach. How could I deny him that pleasure. We walked a long way and he enjoyed the smells and air and seemed to dance on the sand.

Back at camp, I had several chores to do but it was too beautiful a day to spend working. Made a sandwich again, grabbed my chair and water and Watson and I headed for the beach. We spent the afternoon walking and enjoying the beautiful day.

When we got back it was time to say goodbye to our neighbors Patti and Mike who live in New York state. They have an A frame trailer and I've included a picture.

The next day I met Shannon in the town square in Flagler to go to the farmer's/craft market. Shannon is going to college in Flagler College in St Augustine and it was about a 40 min ride for her. We enjoyed the many vegetables and fruits, honey, maple syrup, peanuts and a few jewelry venders. We headed back to the campground and decided to hit the beach, another beautiful day. Shannon's mom had given her a beach boat or banana boat and she inflated it by pulling it through the air. The wind really helped and she secured the end and sat in her comfy seat. There were several people that came by to ask about this strange boat and marveled at it. Very comfy.

About 3 pm it started getting a little cool so we went back to the camper and hopped in the car and headed out in search of birds to photograph. Wrong time of day so we went to 2 other state parks sightseeing. Bulow Plantation is the sight of a sugar cane plantation that is now in ruins thanks to the Indians during the second Seminole wars. Pictures.

Then we went to Bulow Springs and saw one of the largest and oldest live oaks in the country. There are pictures but they don't show the real size of the tree. It is truly a great grandfather.

Back at the camp there was a program about the full moon at 5:30 so we hurried to get there. It was very interesting and the best part was to witness the full moon coming up over the ocean. There was a little cloud cover on the horizon so we had to wait to get the full view. Pictures.

We came back home and Shannon cooked dinner with the spices she had gotten at the market. It was delicious.

The next morning we got ready to go on a kayak adventure. Peter was our guide and he had a single kayak and a double waiting for us at a boat launch near Palm Coast about 20 min north on A1A. We got in and headed across the Inter-coastal Waterway into a small channel that lead to the back waters. It is an area with grasses and clumps of palm trees, looks like a haven for birds. We didn't see many but did see 3 bald eagles, a first for Shannon. We got out on a small sand island and walked around a little then got back in and headed back to the boat launch. The trip was about 1 1/2 hrs and very enjoyable. We did see where there are oyster beds starting to grow, something I've seen lately here in FL.

There is a B B Q restaurant on site so we stopped there for lunch and had a great one. I had pulled pork sandwich and Shannon had a brisket and kielbasi, we both enjoyed very much.

It was home and to the beach again, the weather was just too beautiful to spend anywhere else than the beach. Watson got to go too and met several dogs his size. I took him to the water where he followed me in until a wave gently rolled in and splashed his face. That did it, he turned and walked out and rolled in the sand. Oh what a mess he was...

We stayed til almost 3:30 then headed back. Shortly it was time for Shannon to head back to school and I waved and Watson cried.

It was a fun visit, glad we could share the time together.

Don't forget to scroll down for additional pictures.

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