Between Two Posts

So between the last two blog posts, I was able to escape the cold, dreariness of Oklahoma in favor of the sunny, balminess of Florida.

One day, after the work was complete, we had a little time to explore so we went to the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine.

The moats were empty...

The castillo is built out of a semi-rare form of limestone called coquina

It was interesting learning about the occupants of the castle at different times in history. And it was a gorgeous day for exploring. Too bad we didn't get to see the Fountain of Youth down the road.  I remember studying about that in the 5th grade when I live in Tampa. #nexttime






After we walked through every square inch of the castle, we wandered across the way for lunch. There were a lot of options, but we opted for some Cuban fare at The Cuban Bakery.

Caldo Gallego (not pictured, my huge Cuban sandwich that took me 2 meals to finish)

Loved the quiet patio area and hello, moss!

We walked around after lunch looking at the shops and what they had to offer on Hypolita Street and then we came across this place... an unexpected wine tasting...

Yes, please!

The tastes were very small compared to the tastes in Napa and the boutique wines were different too, but that was part of the appeal...



After I sampled the lime wine smoothie, I decided to take some home - a bottle of the Key Lime wine and Margarita Mojo Key Limen Wine Smoothie mix - to help the adults get through the cold, snowy weekend back home. Note: We still haven't opened those bottles.

Walking around we saw some interesting things. Like this outside space made me want to make more raised bed gardens in my smaller back yard.



Another interesting thing that I saw each day on our way to the work site was a bronze sculpture that looked - to me, anyway - like Medusa.  I "researched" it when I got a free moment and she is not anyone from Greek Mythology, but instead, she is Hoy es Hoy, a 13-foot bronze sculpture of a woman’s head. The artist, Javier Marin drew his inspiration from many different cultures—Mexican, Native American, and Asian. I didn't snap any photos of her but I did gank one from here.  See what I mean?

Picture at/from JIA Arts Commission

The day I flew back, weather threatened to delay our departure. Work and school back home were canceled. Luckily I made it back home as scheduled and was able to enjoy a little hibernation with my family.