Vacation Salvation/Resurrecting Fun

 

 

When our recent plan to return to Costa Rica for a much needed reprieve from a busy life and work was hijacked by a grumbling volcano there, I immediately felt devastated. I mean, I was already there in the lodge in my mind, sipping a Cuba Libre, the firepit blazing and teeming wildlife just beyond the rail that separated us from the cloud forest….ahhhh. What? Oh, yeah, the angry volcano Turrialba had been spitting out ash, unbeknownst to us, for about a month off and on and had escalated to devastating proportions by the time we finished the first leg of our journey, landing in Fort Lauderdale only to be told the flight was at first delayed, then cancelled altogether with no known rescheduled time available. 😱😮☹️😡😖😫😰😭😲😳😶🤔😏🙂

I do hope the icons show the appropriate range of emotions I experienced as I digested the news. On top of it all, Spirit airlines (you suck!) offered no help for us in getting redirected or even back to our origination point. We are not prone to letting grass grow under our feet so we got busy renting a vehicle to make our way back home. The ensuing five hours (or more) gave me plenty of time to mull things over. By the time we got home we were exhausted and hungry. Resolving to myself I was not going to be robbed of the relaxation getaway we both deserved I thought up an alternative plan. Nothing that required a lot of planning or arranging or even drive time, but that would effectively transport us away from the familiar.

What better place than America’s oldest colonized city? St Augustine is close, always welcoming and bustling; and with the holidays in our rearview mirror, things would not be so wild there. The Christmas lights were still up and made for a beautiful scene at night. Awhile back a friend of mine suggested we check out the Ponce de Leon Fountain of Youth Park which is located in the heart of the city but which transports you into historical St Augustine as you stroll the grounds with gorgeous peacocks and learn about the city’s rich history. There is a monastery, ancient burial site, a small planetarium and demonstrations on old world life there. There is The “Fountain of Youth” from which you can drink fresh spring water. No, we didn’t. I like feeling young but have no desire to revisit those days. 😉

To learn more about Ponce de Leon Fountain of Youth Park visit their website.

I wanted to share some of our fun and peaceful moments with you.

This little angel expresses very well my emotions over the last two days. Taking time to just be still and wait, you can begin to see the bright spots in an otherwise grim view.

The mock village site was so realistic and returned me to my vision for my novel. Don’t you think I could be visiting Mna and Fireann here Dan Antion ?

There were more than a dozen peacocks and they were not afraid of people. It was breathtaking to watch them. Have you ever seen white peacocks? They are gorgeous too!

 

And this one was preening and showing off for a mate!

I took so many photos! These are my favorites. Then we had a perfect sunset dinner overlooking the river before finding a hotel for the night. On the way we passed the town’s carousel and I just had to have a ride. Can’t kill that little girl in me that still loves the magic of a merry go round.

 

 

Hubby loved this airplane. I managed to catch it at just the right moment.

It was a great vacation, even though our plans had to be modified. Much like Dorothy I found some great things pretty much in my own back yard.

And our prayers go with those who were affected by the ensuing tragedy at the Fort Lauderdale airport, merely two days after we were there. It was such a needless tragedy.