Misty morning

Sometimes the obvious has a tendency to escape one. Such was the case this morning when we realized we really have only a few days left to enjoy this amazing, unseasonably warm weather. Part of the reality check resulted from Jim checking the weather forecast which predicts 5 to 8 inches of snow for our hometown when we return on Saturday. But we are not focusing on that right now. We are focusing on making the most of the remaining 3 days.

So, this morning, we once again rose early to watch the sun rise. The morning was a “soft” one, as they say in Ireland, misty and cloudy. This resulted in quite a different sunrise than the one we witnessed a few days ago. The colors were muted, like a portrait in pastels. Birds flew through these soft colors and disappeared quickly into the mist. The sun was well into the sky before we actually saw it peaking through the clouds.

Behind us, the moon was still visible in the sky. We lingered, sipping our coffee. It is amazing to me how the growing light influences the colors of the landscape. Each minute of additional sunlight changes the color of not only the sky, but the water, the sand, and the plant life. Truly, this is the day that the Lord has made. (Psalm 118:24). New every morning.

To continue our day, we returned to the camper for breakfast and spent the morning reading. This is a luxury for us. We find very little time to read in the fast pace of our lives, so reading on vacation is a treat. We both finished a book today – I’ve been reading “In this time” by Karen Kingsbury, and Jim has been reading Mike Rowe’s new book, “The way I heard it”. Both were excellent.

I have been very enthralled with the idea of swimming outdoors in January, so today we decided to give it a try. The weather is sunny and 80 degrees with little to no wind. We were surprised to find we had the pool to ourselves, so we mustered our courage and waded in. I’m not going to lie – it was COLD. That water couldn’t have been more that 65 degrees and it was hard to catch my breath. But we acclimated to it, and swam around for about half an hour. The sun felt great when we got out and we just lounged around, soaking it in until about 2:00.

We then showered, dressed and went into St. Augustine for an early dinner and some more sight-seeing. For dinner, we visited Harry’s Seafood. The restaurant is located in a beautiful home built in the 1800’s – we sat outside on the side court. Tropical plants surround the courtyard, including a giant Japanese orchid.

I haven’t posted much about food in these blogs, but this is going to be an exception. The food at Harry’s is outstanding. We started with Scallops wrapped in bacon – they were served on a grits cake, and topped with a creole sauce and spring greens. It was as delicious as it was beautiful. For the main course, I chose baked shrimp, stuffed with crab meat and finished in a creole beurre blanc. Jim chose a cajun rib eye steak, served with a side of horseradish sauce. Everything was just delicious.

After dinner, we walked around St. Augustine, and found a French Patisserie where we purchased some gelato. We walked to the park and sat on a bench enjoying the fabulous treat. In the distance, a carillon played old hymns of the faith such as “Let us break bread together” and “Take it to the Lord in prayer”.

The sun started to set and white lights came on all over the city. Near the large gazebo, poinsettias were blooming among the other tropical plants. We walked across the street and strolled past the harbor and the entrance to the Bridge of Lions. Sailboats and dinghies filled the marina. On the street side, horse-drawn carriages were returning for the night. The setting sun once again painted the sky and surrounding waters with soft colors.