Today is Christmas... and, while nearly 70degF, is darned cloudy and rainy. That's OK: I will relax, listen to music, nap, eat, and prepare for departure tomorrow or Wednesday. Monty can join in for some of that.
A few days ago I finally left the mooring field at St Augustine Municipal Marina and the anchorage right in front of the fort and moved a couple miles north, just south of the next bridge. I've been here two days and am delighted. The biggest reason is that, while I'm here with some traffic noise and loads of little boats, at least I don't have cannon fire on the weekends and the incredible amount of light pollution of the city center... AND I have a little beach where Monty can run around without a leash!
A hundred yards away, people are in a stop/start traffic jam on the bridge coming home from Vilano Beach in the late pm while I watch great egrets and listen to bird song and feel hard sand (and sharp oyster shells) under my feet. Pretty nice.
At sunrise, I can row across the river to the Vilano Beach fishing pier, walk a half-mile to the ocean side, and walk the ocean front beach with many other dogs and their leashed people. And there is a Publix supermarket at the 2/3 mark. I'm sure it is all horribly crowded by 10am most days, but early mornings belong to me and a few others....
I hope all is well with all of you on this Christmas day, my friends. May you get all the joy, love, and sunshine you deserve on this day and every one to come...
