Spring Break Camping Continued

Hubby and I woke up just after dawn, I tried to convince him to go down to the bird watching deck with me but he was still tired so we cuddled back up and got up when my parents got up around 8:30. My dad made us all pancakes for breakfast, pancakes are even more yummy when camping. After breakfast we hopped on our bikes and rode to the bird watching area. A large great blue heron was guarding it's nest and we watched it run off several other herons. After it ran off the intruders it came and sat in a tree over us giving us a good stare. We decided to give it some room so we rode to the jetty.

My new flip flops, Hubby and I both got new pairs since his fell apart and the kitten mauled mine.

The weather was cool and cloudy so the beach was deserted. I burn like a red head so I was glad of the cloud cover. 

 I recently found these nice bike pants at Goodwill. They are amazingly comfy, well made, and don't ride up thanks to the grippie elastic around the calves. I love when I can find nice athletic gear used/secondhand because I have a hard time affording it new. You can't really see it but I also have a nice bike jersey I picked up at Salvation Army for super cheap. My whole outfit cost about $10.

Bandanna's are a great helmet hair saver. I think I picked up this cute one at a craft store.

The beach is covered with rosemary

Hubby and I sat on the rocks and watched boats go by while we smoked a cigar. St Andew's has done lots of work lately and one of the new things they added was a store at the beach. I was able to pick up some post cards to send to my niece, a patch to add to my collection, and ice cream.

Hubby got a classic ice cream sandwich and I got my very favorite, a strawberry shortcake bar.

 

 On the way back to camp we stopped by Gator Lake. The only gator we saw was this cute little 3 foot guy. We hiked the trails around the lake in hopes of spying some larger gators like we did last year but we didn't see any.

After our hike it was just about time for lunch so we returned to camp. After lunch we look a ride into town from the park, we did about 6 miles but didn't find anything interesting other than a pawn shop we picked up several DVDs at. After a nap and dinner we rode to the beach to try to see the sunset,  while we waited we watched the paddle surfers. We didn't get to see a sunset, the clouds were too thick and all we saw was a line of pink.

St Andrew's is known for it's beautiful emerald green water

 

Since the sunset was disappointing we rode still to watch deer. No sign of the buck but we did see several does.

Thursday night the wind picked up and tried to take our tent. We were staked down but we almost lost our fly, the wind kept picking it up like a balloon, it make it very hard to sleep. Early in the morning it started raining. Even though we have a pavilion we set up over our tent we still started getting water coming in through the zipper. Luckily we knew the rain was coming so the interior of the tent was already packed up. When the rain slowed we got out and took down the tent and folded everything up. We joined my parents for a quick cereal breakfast then packed up and headed out. We would have liked to have stayed through Friday and into Saturday evening but the rain chances kept fluctuating between 40-90 percent. 

On the way out of the park we spotted the fawn again. We stopped so I could hang my head out the window to get a quick picture.

When we got home Hubby had to pull out all our gear to rinse it off and let it dry in the sun before packing it up properly. I think I'm finally done with laundry and unpacking all the gear bags. This trip combined with the con really took a tole on my body, I'm still sore but I'm working through it. Next trip I must remember to bring sneakers to bike in, my ankles are mad I did 12 miles in flip flops.

Some Bunny Loves Ya!

Spring Break Camping

Every March my parents book a spot in St. Andrew's State park for a week and a half and are sweet enough to share their site with us. This year we joined them from Wednesday to Friday, we would have stayed into Saturday if it had not been such yucky weather on Friday. Heavy showers and wind are not good in a small dome tent.

See our adventure from last year
1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Wednesday when we arrived it was warm and sunny. We helped my parents set up then we put up our camp. After set up all four of us sat down for an early dinner, Mom heated up chowder in the electric skillet and we made sandwiches. After our stomachs were full Hubby and I took a stroll to the boat ramp and the turpentine still. The fog rolled in while we walked along the beach.

I loved my spunky little outfit I put together for Wednesday. I had picked up these sandals at Salvation Army in a $1 sale without even trying them on. I pulled them out the day before the trip and put them on to find that they are the most comfy shoes in the world! I had never heard of Bare Traps before these and I have already ordered another pair off Poshmark in a more neutral shade.

Sunnies- surf shop, old

Tie front shirt- thrifted for $1

Dress- Quarter Moon Imports

Shoes- Bare Traps, thrifted for $1

I don't have much of anything in this sea green but I'll be trying to find more so I can wear these shoes all the time.

I love North Florida beaches- sand, pine cones, and oak leaves.

These colorful kayaks are available for rent during the day. It would be fun to canoe/kayak in the park but the speed boats would probably run you over if you didn't follow along the coast. We almost brought the canoe but decided not to at the last moment because the weather outlook.

This beauty was resting on the rocks by the fish cleaning station. He let me get about 3 feet from him to take this photo. Great Blue Herons are so beautiful, they have always been one of my favorite birds.

My parents were on the pier when we arrived so we talked while we watched the fog roll in. When we headed back Hubby stayed behind for a few minutes. Back in camp we noticed we had a visitor, a marsh rabbit. The rabbit's den must have been at the edge of our camp because he kept us company the whole trip.

While I watched the bunny I got a text from Hubby saying he saw three does and a buck. Soon he returned to camp and told us one of the does walked up to him and slobbered on him then wanted to be petted. I was curious so I walked to the still with him. On the way we spotted two more does and a fawn grazing in the palmettos. I didn't get to meet friendly deer but I did see two more does and the buck walked right past us. It was eerie standing in the foggy twilight while deer appeared and disappeared into thin air.

That evening we sat around the fire and talked till our bodies told us it was time for bed. I woke up at one point during the night thinking it was raining but the fog was so thick it would condense on the trees then drip onto our tent.

Tune in soon for day two.

Some Bunny Loves Ya!

Battle of Natural Bridge

Florida has a long and interesting history. After all, it is the home of Eden and the Fountain of Youth. Well, maybe those don't exist but Florida was discovered by the Europeans in 1513 and lots has happened since then. This weekend was the 150th anniversary of the battle of natural bridge, a civil war battle that prevented federal troops from capturing Tallahassee, the capital.

 This is the original eagle from the monument. It was digitally scanned and recreated. On the table with the eagle were jars of glass and lead bullets removed from the original. 

Cannons being trucked to the battleground for the battle reenactment.

Reenactors set up camps that they stay in during the two day event. Camps are open to the public to walk through and learn about the life and times of the 1860s.

We toured the federal camp first. Ladies were tending the fires and cooking meals.

 Hubby and I were in awe of these lovely fire stand, we need to find something like that for when we camp.

The Doctor's tent 

After touring the federal encampment we grabbed a bite to eat then walked down to the river and the natural bridge.

 I made this dress on Friday. I got the fabric last year after the 4th of July when all the holiday prints were 60% off. The bolt only had 2 yards left on it so it had been sitting in my fabric drawer waiting for something small for me to make. Since this pattern had an accent layer it worked out perfectly. I had just enough pink and I like that since I didn't use a blue or a red this dress doesn't feel like something I can only wear on the 4th. I especially love that this fabric was coated in gold glitter.

 We walked up the hill and into the confederate encampment. 

We had a great time exploring and talking with some reenactors. We would have stayed for the battle but we had other obligations. Before heading out we listened to a wonderful talk from the John G. Riley foundation group.

Some Bunny Loves Ya!