More Than A Beach

Our return to Saint Augustine kicked off with a bang, literally. We arrived just in time to celebrate New Year’s Eve at the pier for Beach Blast Off. Food, drinks, live music and to top it off an amazing fireworks celebration all to say goodbye to an incredible 2014 and welcome in all the adventures that 2015 has in store for us. I know I mentioned in a previous post that St. Augustine and I are kindred spirits, the town even functions on my timeline; up with the sun and to bed with the sun. So imagine my delight when the fireworks happened at 8:00 at night! I was over the moon that I could send an epic year off at a fantastic celebration, still manage to hit the sheets early and wake up ready to take on 2015, fully rested and full of zest!

If Beach Blast Off wasn't enough to kick start an amazing 2015, Tom had concocted this unbelievable birthday celebration for me. That’s right, I turned another year wiser on January 2^nd, and Tom managed to outdo himself with a magical weekend escape to the Omni’s Amelia Island Plantation. Not only did we have a great room, but I woke to breakfast in bed, a morning at the spa, lunch in town, upon our return to the hotel the concierge had set up champagne and cake in the room and if that wasn't enough, Tom had one more surprise up his sleeve. He had arranged a private bonfire on the beach for us; more champagne and the makings for s’mores. It was all so dreamy and Tom made me feel like a complete queen, granted he does that on a regular basis, but an entire weekend of it was lovely and so appreciated.

With such an epic kick off to 2015 it got me to thinking about life, our last year and all the wonder that has come with it. I know we are living in this sort of dream world, the travel, the experiences and I am never for one minute not grateful for the opportunities that life and the universe has given us; for taking the plunge and saying what the hell, let’s do it. Life has a crazy way of presenting itself and I feel beyond blessed to live in this fairy-tale that I do and the gratitude I feel for those that have been there for us; to help us make it happen and for those that we get to share it with, our readers! Thank you to you all for growing, learning and living it with us. Okay, enough of my sentimental side, I’ll get back on task and reveal more of our crazy adventures.

Miss Ethel playing on the beach

Saint Augustine takes the holidays to the extreme and then they tack on another month of it, it is the Nights of Lights, which goes from Thanksgiving to the end of January. The entire town is draped in Christmas lights and this year was a little extra special due to the city celebrating their 450^th year anniversary has the oldest settlement in the United States. Of course being us we needed to add a little extra magic to an already enchanting experience, we decided to tour the lights by a private horse drawn carriage. We took to The Tasting Tours lobby, procured a bottle of wine and met with the beautiful Leo (our horse) and Laughlin (Leo’s handler) to hop on board our carriage. Seeing the city at a slower pace and a different perspective just added another level of beauty to the city; also, the sound of a horse trotting along the cobblestone streets, the click, clock and clack,  just made it that much more alluring. If you ever need a moment to feel like Cinderella, this would be the city and the mode of transportation to help you find your inner princess.

El Galeon is also parked in the docks of Saint Augustine until summer for the 450^th anniversary, the full-size reconstructed Spanish sail boat is open for tours and gives a great perspective of what it would have been like for those that crossed the ocean blue all those 500 years ago. A look into what it would have been like to been part of Ponce de Leon crew and the craftsmanship of what goes into building a man-made ship of this size, all truly remarkable.

We also happened to be in town during the “Enemy at the Gates” at Castillo De San Marcos and to be honest is was probably Tom’s favorite excursion upon our return to St. Augustine; he got to watch cannons fire at night, what manly man wouldn't love that! The staff and volunteers provided a living history tour by candlelight; the fort is dark, lit only by candles and we got to watch actors reenact scenes from battles past. Completely enthralled by the history, seeing the fort without electricity and the loud booms of the cannons echoing within the fort walls all added to that otherworldly experience of what it might have been like to have been there during the battles; minus the fear or our lives of course.

Besides adventures and copious amounts of time on the beach, Saint Augustine has this magical way of drawing family to us. Tom has another long lost cousin, Jean. In fact it is Tim’s sister that you might remember from the Ontario Outings post.

Stole this shot from Jean that she took while we were out walking on the beach

Jean and Tom looking through family photos

Jean and her husband, John, live over in Tampa and took the drive to St. Augustine for the weekend to meet up, get to know each other and share history on really the unknown side of Tom’s biological father's family. Jean and her husband were such a delight and it was so wonderful to spend time with them, getting to know them and hear stories about Tom’s grandmother, aunts, uncles and of course little tidbits about a man that helped bring Tom into the world. Jean was so thoughtful that she put together a photo album of Tom’s heritage and we spent the evening browsing photos, listening to stories and learning what life was like all things Lenny.

Sandi, John, Jean, Bonnie and Tom

And if just getting to meet Jean and John wasn't enough, we found out that Tom has another cousin, Sandy, that actually lives in St. Augustine and she joined us all for brunch the following morning and chimed in her stories and memories. Getting to know family along this journey has been such a great and wonderful experience for us and these moments in time that have made Project #Gonewanderlusting worth every mile.

Gavin, Sherry, Todd and Evie

A few days after meeting Jean, John and Sandy, and just before we hit the road for Texas, Todd, Sherry and the kids flew in to Saint Augustine to show Sherry’s parents a town that captivated their hearts as well when they were here visiting us in October (Click here for that visit). Neither Tom nor I had seen Todd and Sherry’s kids, Evie and Gavin, in over two years, so we were just ecstatic about the opportunity to spend time with them and just admire the young adults that they have grown into. The passage of time is mind boggling, days go by way to fast and before we know it the years have slipped by; thank God for Florida, because I am pretty sure we have seen Todd and Sherry more times since we’ve been in Florida than we had in the last two years in Utah.

Our breakfast send off  crew

Meeting up with Todd, Sherry and the kids made for an exceptionally hard send off from Saint Augustine, every piece of my being was dying to stay, to spend more time with them and also knowing that part of my heart was being left there on the beach. This place has captivated us and we can't wait to return again. Until then we have more shots that we took while exploring Washington Oaks, the museums and of course our time spent on the beach.

Lucky shot at Washington Oaks

Washington Oaks State Park

Coquina Beach at Washington Oaks

Lightner Museum

Ontario Outings

Oh, Ontario and your adventures. My favorite of course was that jaw dropping waterfall, but let us not forget perusing downtown Toronto, the Distillery District and the Belt Line. This post is directed at our Ontario based excursions and all the fun we had while pretending to be Canadian for one month.

Let’s start with my favorite, Niagara Falls! A-freaking-mazing! Granted driving into Niagara you feel like you've taken a detour and have suddenly landed in the Canadian version of Las Vegas. It is kitschy, full of casinos, Ferris wheels and total Niagara clichés, but in reality the city does need to provide some other form of entertainment, I mean one can only stare at a waterfall for so long, regardless of how remarkable it is. 

We had made plans to meet up with Tom’s long lost cousin, Tim and his partner Steve from Buffalo, while visiting Niagara, but first we needed to take in the fury of the river. We arrived a couple of hours before our lunch date, bound and determined to hike into the whirlpools; unfortunately heat and lack of adequate planning prevented us making it before having to turn around and head back into town. Feeling slightly defeated, but the excitement of meeting family members for the first time quickly overcast our brush with failure.

Tim is a cousin from Tom’s biological father side and since Tom was quite young when his mother said sayonara to Ralph, that part of his life has been minimal to say the least, especially since he passed about eighteen years ago. Fortunately though, Tom’s brother, Todd, did some genealogy research, looking for family members, medical history and what not and came across some long lost cousins, including Tim. Being able to connect with him, learn that part of their genetic make-up has been a great experience and learning what little was known about Tom’s biological father has been fascinating. Meeting up with Tim and Steve made for a wonderful afternoon; we spent hours chatting, getting to know one another, learning about that side of Tom’s heritage and it’s definitely one of the greatest treasures we've had on our journey. Thank you Tim and Steve for making the drive across the border and dining with us even though we were a little ripe from our hike; we did test that unconditional family bond by meeting up post exercise. 

Tom and his cousin Tim

On our way back into Toronto, we took a quick drive through the thriving wine town of Niagara on the Lake, of course part of me want to stop, taste the wine, but the urge to shower and crash had a greater pull. Although I would strongly recommend for those honeymooners or couples checking out Niagara Falls area to stay in Niagara on the Lake. The streets are lined with flowers, adorable cottage homes, a park as the centerpiece of the city and vineyards just around the corner; this is a city that exudes romance and full of so much more whimsy than Niagara Falls.  

Tom taking in the Distillery District

Toronto and our excursions here were pretty mellow, taking them a day at a time to peruse the downtown area, the urban beaches, the Distillery District and the Belt Line. All unique and each got their own day of adventures. Why? Because Toronto is the Los Angeles of the East, seriously! This town is so spread out and you literally have to drive everywhere and in horrific traffic; it was a quick reminder of my strong dislike of LA and why I could never live there. Although there was lots to see and do in Toronto, it was my least favorite city so far, and maybe it had to do with how spread out it is and that everything is at least thirty minutes away by car. Or maybe I have become accustomed to walking cities and having everything one could possibly need within a fifteen minute walk from our apartment, literally being able to run out for something is a true gem.

Locks of Love at the Distillery District

Although we were ready to head back stateside, there are a few things we will miss about Canada. Poutine for one, the delicious concoction of fries and gravy, I mean, what’s not to love!  Plus by the time we had left I was mastering the metric system and my ability to read directions in French, phenomenal! And, I am not going to lie, Netflix in Canada, awesome! Thanks for the adventures Canada, but it is time to bid you adieu. 

Family Tree

We played tourist big time in New York City, but does it really count as being a tourist when you’re researching for family member names on the walls at Ellis Island? Or does that make it more of a research mission? I’m going with research mission, because I really dislike looking like a tourist, especially when it means I feel like the cattle in a round up, being herded through crowds of people, the pushing and shoving because they want to be one person ahead of you. The boat was tough, the mass of tourists a little harder to handle and I don’t know if it was because I have my New York hustle on already or if I really just don’t like large groups of people, I’m going with hustle, my New York hustle, this city really gets my need for speed walking, tourists, not so much.

Taking the boat to Ellis Island was one of our “must do’s” while here in NYC and a win-win because it also meant we got to throw in Lady Liberty as well while out to sea. Lack of planning on our part and not knowing that we needed to reserve crown view tickets three months in advance only allowed us access to climb the stairs to the pedestal, but still the views of the New York skyline were spectacular.

Looking out from Battery Park to the Statue of Liberty really doesn't do her justice. She looks small, it isn't until you are there, clouded by her majestic shadow that you get the true experience and ambiance of what she represents; Lady Liberty casts spirit and hope into those that set eyes upon her. She is iconic Americana and I can only imagine what she meant to those immigrating to America as she came into view from their ship decks, after months at sea. The excitement and nerves bursting at the surface and then seeing her, having Lady Liberty as their anchor, a symbol of freedom and a new beginning to life; she possess such iconic symbolism, so much greatness.

Seeing the Statue of Liberty was just the prelude to exploring Ellis Island, experiencing a fraction of elation that the immigrants must have felt before touching ground on Ellis Island, their first steps as Americans. Today, 40% of Americans can trace an ancestors back to Ellis Island, somebody that stepped foot here on this country before them, enduring the medical and legal inspections before being sent on their way to their new beginning.

Tom’s great grandfather Salvatore Compagno came over from Sicily on one of these boats with his family, including his grandfather Anthony Joseph Compagno as a young child; both of these men have their names engraved on the walls of Ellis Island and searching them out was such a thrill. I only wish I could have known these men, heard their stories and the experiences of their great journey and their new start as Americans. It is something I wish they would have written down, to read what they felt and endured to experience it through their eyes would be such a great family history to carry down for generations. If only they could have had blogs back then, sigh!

Salvatore Compagno, Tom's Great Grandfather

Anthony Joseph Compagno, Tom's Grandfather

Watching Tom search out names, taking pictures and looking out over the wall was such a treat; I loved seeing him so excited to search out these men’s names, to document them for his parents and siblings, it was so worth the cattle round up and something I would happily do again, just to see that smile of his!