We've been going to St. Augustine for years now. It started when I was looking for a Pilates certification program and the most suitable one I could find, in a city where I had any connections, was in St. Augustine, Florida. My connection is a family that I grew up baby-sitting for, who have let us stay in their quintessential beach home so many times. Every time we go, we fall in love with St. Augustine a little more.
Here is a view from their backyard which is on the bay. During this visit, we chatted with the neighbors more and for the first time realized that the next door neighbors home, is also an art gallery! So I treated myself to some pottery for my birthday.
The beach house is perfect...the vintage mirrors with painted flamingos, the cute play-doh sea-creature figurine gallery that Suzan and her daughter Amanda did years ago. Everything is so casual yet filled with love.
Here are a few pics of Lucas's first moments on the beach (about a 5 min drive from the house.)
The water was chilly so we played in the sand most of the time. Lucas was pretty rebellious during the trip and didn't want to be made to do anything he didn't want to do. At one point, I took a towel to wipe off all the sand that was on his face and mouth and mentioned I didn't want him to eat sand. So he picked up a handful, shoved it in his mouth and acted as if he liked it.
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Other than that, he was in his element on the beach. Sand castles, construction vehicles, shovels... Lucas loved adorning the castle tops with fallen reeds, spearing them like a mini-Mohican.
Almost as fun as going to the beach is riding bikes to the lighthouse. It's fun looking at all of the colorful florida homes with their lush tropical gardens. (I wish asparagus fern was perennial in Atlanta!) It's genuine Florida. Many are overgrown and need some TLC. Several have too many wind chimes and garden statues. But that is what I love about it!
On the lighthouse grounds, Lucas found some moss that he entertained himself with for quite some time. And on the way home we found a turtle in the middle of the road that we helped to cross the street.
One day my mom and I took a (LONG) walk into town. It was a beautiful, warm and breezy day. The Bridge of Lions, over the bay, is a sight in itself. But the views from it are indescribable. We even saw a dolphin playing in the water very near the docks and shore.
The last night, my handsome boys had a daddy-lukey evening on the beach...
