January 2022: St. Augustine, FL

From NC, we made our way to Jacksonville, FL for two nights where we completed a few RV projects. It turns out we had extra time to play too! We rolled up our pants, got our toes sandy, and Ashley looked for treasures.

This made us thirsty, so off we went in search of some cold refreshments. Found this cool brewery in Jacksonville!

After a short hour plus drive, we arrived at our first RV spot on St. Augustine Beach, Ocean Grove RV Resort where we would be for seven nights.

This resort had lots of full timers who were here riding out the winter. And you could see why – there were lots of great amenities including a heated pool and a restaurant.

Addie would sit in the pool and read all day if we let her.

The dog’s big Christmas gift was literally BIG! We were tired of having them steal our chairs or try to get up in our laps. We can all sit outside in comfort now. They are just a tad spoiled!!

Ella came to visit for the week. We were super excited to have this time with her.

It was a very chill week. We spent a good amount of time just hanging out.

There was even time for some drill work and creating.

During Ella’s week we enjoyed numerous dog walks on the beach.

The dogs had a blast running in the water, chasing birds, and eating the foam.

Half way through Ella’s stay with us, we moved to a new spot on St. Augustine Beach, Bryan Mawr RV Resort. It was just a mile down the road. Our spot here was beachfront and backed up to the sand dunes, which made our dog walks even easier.

Sunrise over the water is an amazing way to start the day. Shannon and the dogs are usually the only ones who see this.

We were super excited that Mikaela and David came up to visit for a couple of days! We had BBQ, walked through the shops downtown, and checked out a few breweries. Our favorite was Old Coast Ales. Can’t wait to hang out with them again!

After a fun week, it was time for Ella to get back to ASU for her last semester. The next time we see her, she will be a college graduate. We are so very proud of Ella!!

We moved to our third spot on St. Augustine Beach, North Beach Camp Park. This was a much more rustic site, tucked in the palm and pine trees surrounded by dirt. Addie got big surprise when Mel showed up to celebrate her special day with her.

The RV park was on a narrow part of the peninsula that is surrounded by water with the inter coastal on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other side – all within walking distance of our site.

The temps felt good for putting your feet in the water, but not much more. The dogs kept a close eye on us to make sure we were not swimming without them.

Addie’s in the shade with her nose in a book, while Ashley and Mel scour the beach for shells.

Today’s treasures are a little different, but always fun to see what can be created.

After a big lead up, it was finally here: 18 years old on January 18 -Addie’s Golden Birthday!!!

Hard to believe that we have three adult daughters. How in the world did that happen!!!

Addie had a great birthday. She gots lots of fun gifts!

One of her favorites was a google watch, which she asked for to help her be more active and drink more water. Love that amazing smile!!

Happy Birthday Addie! Cheers to you!!

In true Addie fashion her choice of activities for the day involved food. It started with having her favorite all American breakfast and her first mimosa.

On to a tofu taco, which was super cool, as it was Addie’s first taco!!

Then she got gourmet popcorn, fudge and fancy popsicles.

Next was a cotton candy macaroon. We rounded the day out with a movie at the theater, A Man Called Otto, which included buttered popcorn and candy. Then dinner at an Asian restaurant for some lo mein and fried rice. Not sure how she did not get sick!!!

On Mel’s last night we had dinner at Cap’s on the Water. Shannon has been reading books written by Cap Daniels and they often reference this exact restaurant in his books. It was a super cool coincidence that this restaurant was practically attached to our campground.

We had a wonderful meal here enjoying being on the inter coastal with a super sunset view.

We missed Don on this visit, but are glad Mel got to come and help us celebrate this big birthday! Here’s Shannon saying a long distance hi to Don in his Bird Song brewery shirt (a fun brewery in Charlotte NC).

After taking Mel to the airport, we left the RV and made the 4 hour drive to Charleston SC for the weekend. We waited to meet Mak and Gavin at a brewery on Daniel Island.

We met up with Mak and Gavin to do some exploring of the area for the weekend.

Most of our time was spent apartment hunting. Mak and Gavin both have jobs on Daniel Island starting in June.

It was a very productive trip. They got the apartment they wanted and it is in a great location with fun stuff almost in their front yard!

After a fun weekend, we made our way back to the RV in St. Augustine and packed up. It is time to start heading west!