Lutece was our Activities Director for the week in Florida. She is seriously good at researching and planning tourist activities (not to mention restaurants). On trips now, I just pass her my iPhone, she pulls up TripAdvisor and goes to town. She had a whole slew of activities planned for our afternoons in St. Augustine, and nearly all of them were successful.
We started the week off with the kids' top choice, Fort Matanzas. This was a favorite from last year and so naturally it would be on the docket this time around. Lutece, of course, made sure to ask for the Junior Ranger guide from the ranger station (since it is a part of the National Park system), and she started completing it on the (free!) ferry boat ride over to the Fort.
This is such a beautiful area of Florida, what with the ocean on one side and the Intracoastal and other waterways on the other . . . but the sun WAS bright.
Too bright to open eyes for pictures.
Phoenix even offered to take a picture of us. (This was the only normal one out of about ten. I can't help but think he had another motive for taking our picture.)
While Stayc and Phoenix played checkers in the guards' quarters . . .
Lutece chatted up the NPS ranger and completed her Junior Ranger badge. One down, only 3 more to go this summer.
In addition to Fort Matanzas, there are some short hikes through the Everglades that grace the area. Phoenix got his tree-climbing in, and Lutece got her walking in.
Everyone was happy.
On the way home, we stopped at a shave ice truck. The kids got marshmallow fluff on top of theirs, and Stayc got soft serve ice cream on the bottom of his. I took mine straight.
It was ok, but we all agreed that the ice cream we had later in the week from Cold Cow (a favorite from last year) was MUCH better. Worlds better.
Especially since there were no brain freezes involved!
