St Augustine Full Day

So, after a back and forth on Facebook, my high school BFF and I had agreed to meet in St. Augustine. We intended to get there after lunch but first we had to stop at a bike shop before leaving Tampa. (We planned on bringing our bikes with us to St. Augustine.)

The night before, we went on a ride through a wooded bit on the Air Force base. Apparently, sand spurs can wedge themselves in between the tire's tread and can cause a slow leak. (Nicholas had two flats and Summer had one.)

All told, we weren't able to leave Tampa until after lunch. So, it wasn't until dinner time that we arrived in St. Augustine. 

We checked into our hotel, The Cozy Inn.

Our "room" was a two floor unit. The downstairs had a sitting area with a pull out love seat sofa bed and slip covered chair arranged around a rectangular glass top coffee table. Beyond that there was a kitchen with a full size stove and cooktop, double sink, refrigerator, and a breakfast bar with four stools. 

Upstairs was a loft style bedroom and bathroom. 

The place was quite cute!  We had agreed to stay here for three nights while we visited with Mandy and toured ourselves around a bit. 

Summer had been to St. Augustine on a fourth grade field trip. I had visited by myself a few years ago, but neither Shawn nor Nicholas had been here before.  We were all excited, nevertheless. 

Finally, we arrived at the restaurant and I got to see Mandy and meet her son. We ate and drank wine and got all caught up on our lives. It was like no time had passed. There was no awkwardness. We just picked up where we left off. Our kids got along well and after our meal, we wandered up and down St. George Street, stopping at Kilwin's for some ice cream. 

We had so much fun that we encouraged  them to stay the night in the unit next door. That way we could continue our visit a little longer. 

The next morning, they had to start the long drive back to Kentucky. Mandy and I had a lovely hug and we wished them well on their journey. 

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After they were off, we hopped on to our bikes and rode into the town, specifically to tour the Castillo De San Marcos which was only about a mile away. By the time we got there on our bikes Shawn had discovered that he, too, had a flat tire. 

So, he and Summer walked their bikes across the Bridge of Lions that led to the nearest bike shop. 

Nicholas and I stayed and took ourselves for a walk around the castle. 

It was a typical Florida day and Nicholas was wilting in the unrelenting heat. So, we left the blazing sun and took refuge in the Visitors' Center where we looked at the displays and read some ghost stories in the gift shop.

The gates to the city.

Shawn and Summer returned, joined us for lunch, and a little window shopping. 

I'm a little obsessed with finding typos and errors. This sign was in the bathroom at the restaurant. Just wash one hand. Hopefully, the employees will wash the hand used to...(It's too revolting to type!)

And this "typo" was on a tile in a shop. Wouldn't one proofread before glazing and firing?  Furthermore, why did the shop owner accept the flawed goods?  I pity the ignoramus who buys this object d'art.

We ended up our day, returning to the castle to collect our bikes from the rack where they had been secured. 

But before leaving, we were lucky enough to have a visit from a sea turtle who was enjoying a snack along the wall of the castle.