for a nap as well. He slept in my arms. Nick and Ozzy stayed busy exploring the park (and found a crab) while I was with the other two in the van. Once everyone woke up we all took a walk along a sidewalk path and over a bridge to the end of a jetty. Lots of people were fishing and catching all sorts of fish. One guy showed us his catch. It was a sheepshead fish. It was very windy out there so we started back. When we were about to cross the bridge again we heard a man yelling at some teenagers in the water below, “Go that way! There’s a shark!” And sure enough we saw the fins of a large shark swim right by the kids and back out to the main inlet. It was crazy to see because we were swimming with our kids in that same water area only a few hours before. It didn’t seem deep enough for anything like that to be a worry. Everyone was okay, but the water was cleared out for a few minutes before people started swimming again. We got in van and headed back to camp. Our way home was pretty slow because we left during rush hour and had to stop to wait for a draw bridge we needed to cross over. But everyone did great and when we got back we made dinner, showered, and then went to bed. It was a fun and exhausting day. The only kind of Florida day we know!
smooshed in between my three sleepy boys loving every second and dozed off myself. I woke when Enzo started stirring so i quietly took him outside and we took a rainy/ humid walk together while the other boys kept sleeping. Later when they woke up and Nick was finished working we suited up and went to the pool. Ozzy has turned into a little fish in the water and Fitz and Enzo both love the water too, so we had a great time. Nick had one more call to make so we all went back to the van about an hour and a half later and I dressed the boys while he had his meeting. Then we all hopped on the van headed to do a few errands. We grabbed dinner first and then stopped for groceries at Winn Dixie followed by a quick stop at Target. Back at our campsite we turned things over for the night, brushed everyone’s teeth, and all three of the boys were out as soon as their heads hit the pillows. I finished my nightly chores. Mostly a few dishes left over from the day (because we ate out tonight ?) and cleaning up camp a bit. Then I tucked myself in bed too! I loved the slower pace of today. Another lovely day in the Sunshine State.
haha. We are having so much fun though! After leaving the campsite we went to a car wash and then stopped for a homemade lunch at a park. We chatted with quite a few people there about our travels and “van life.” We have people talking to us everywhere we go honestly. People are so interested. We stayed at the park about 2 1/2 hours. The kids played and Nick reconfigured things in the van… again. It’s just not quite right yet. When we left we drove to an ice cream parlor for a treat and then started driving south. We have one “free” night before our next campsite reservation so we thought we’d go easy on ourselves and grab a hotel. But our plans changed. We already decided to go to the Cocoa Beach area but as we drove down we talked ourselves out of a hotel and decided that we could find a place to boondock for the night. We ordered Thai food. Ate it at another nice park and played there until bedtime. Then we drove down the road to a . . . Walmart parking lot! There were signs posted forbidding overnight RV’s and truck parking, but Nick talked to the manager inside and they said it was just the city rule and that they didn’t care. We decided to take the risk and get our sleepy kids to bed. I feel like this is an experience every van family needs at least once. So far so good! ? Goodnight.
I knew we all had to go back to the van and that was a struggle. But we made it there and back (with the tote) and could finally relax and enjoy the day. And what an enjoyable day it was! Beach days are the best! Enzo took a great nap under the sunshade again and while he did I was able to play in the surf with Ozzy and Fitz. We had so much fun jumping over waves, running away from the waves, and playing with the surfer dude toys. When Enzo did wake up I held him in my arms back at the sunshade and he fell asleep for another 45 minutes! Half way through that second nap Nick showed up. He had hitch hiked over to us. He had a work call to take, so me and all the boys played in the waves again. Then we had a lunch together and played some more. We left the beach at around 4:30 pm exhausted. It was so fun! One of my favorite days together as a family so far. We came back to camp cleaned everyone up and had dinner then tucked the kids in bed. Because it’s our last night here, Nick and I cleaned and backed up camp. A storm rolled in during this with a misty humid rain. We will head down the coast tomorrow on our way to our next spot in the Jupiter/ West Palm Beach area.
We really enjoyed our time in Saint Augustine! 
The Castillo de San Marcos national monument is the oldest masonry fort in the United States and the only standing 17th century military construction. Built of coquina, a soft limestone composed of broken shells, this native material gave the Spanish an advantage. Instead of cracking or collapsing, coquina walls absorbed enemy projectiles allowing Spain to guard its possessions and keep its people safe.
which gave us the access to the beach we were hoping for. It was so beautiful! There was sand of course, but more of the visible ground was covered in crushed up seashells! We spend several hours there and it was just perfect. Enzo napped under the sunshade. Ozzy and Fitz played in the sand and waves. We brought some surfer dude toys that Oz was especially entertained by. We ate snacks and then jumped off mini sand dunes. It really was perfect and in that moment I knew every challenge leading up to this moment was well worth it! After leaving the beach we drove a few miles away so we could go grocery shopping. We were getting pretty low on food. Fitz and Enzo fell asleep so Nick stayed in the car with them while Ozzy and I shopped at Publix. After leaving the grocery store we decided to go to a fishing shop for some ocean flies. While Nick was inside, me and the boys ate lunch in the van. Then because we were all fed and rested, we decided to stop in downtown Saint Augustine at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. It was really cool. We walked around the outside and stayed for about an hour before heading back to the campground for dinner, showers, and then bed. It was a fun day!
Fitz napped. Nick stayed back with Fitz to get some work done. Ozzy, Enzo, and I came back to put Enzo down for a nap and while he and Fitz napped, Ozzy and I did some pages out of his workbook. We ended up not leaving the campground at all. Everyone was content and it was nice to slow down for a day. We needed the reset. I did laundry, we had spaghetti and salad for dinner. The kids had showers before bed and they were all asleep by 8:00. Nick and I finished dishes, cleaned up camp, had showers of our own, and we’re in bed by 9:45 pm. We’re planning on a beach day tomorrow!
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purposeWe set off on a 31-day, 7,000-mile journey east and around the Florida Keys. We are mostly seeing the world. ArchivesCategories |
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