R & R

Because  the day job is so taxing and stressful, we had to get away from it all.......

Besides Pickleball daily and dealing with a stressful golf game, we also had to spend way too many hours waiting for the launch of the newest Space X rocket.    Many nights, we consulted the clouds, measured the winds and hovered over the live updates on the laptop.   But time and time again, the launch was cancelled at the very last second.   One time the countdown had reached ZERO and then they cancelled......must be like stopping your golf swing right before you hit the ball and about wrenching your arm.    But, we were finally rewarded with a spectacular sighting as it lifted upward at sunset.   Now, you'd think if we'd waited this long for this spectacle, I would have stepped beyond the lanai to get a picture sans screen.....but I am basically lazy and the grass was wet. 

 

I am totally frustrated by my inability to find a working can opener.    And I've tried.    I remember way back when, there were the electric can openers and they got all gooey and messy but they worked.   A few years back, well maybe 10+ my mother raved about the battery operated one at the top of the pic.    It worked amazingly well... I set it on the can, it zipped around and the lid came off.   It lasted a long time without frequent battery changes and when it did give up, I went to Target and got another.    And then it started slowing down and we started eating differently and apparently it isn't made anymore.     Cans  needed to be opened.... beans, beans, beans and veggie broth and tomatoes and ROTEL.    So, I tried a couple of different manual openers....they all failed quickly or became too hard to operate.   I even tried different colors hoping for a miracle.    Nada.      Then, at Christmas, I wandered into Williams and Sonoma and there it was.... a smaller black battery operated gem.    I bought 3, convinced it would make a good gift in a stocking.  
 

Well, it worked about once !   I changed batteries, shook it, cleaned it and occasionally, it moved at a snail's pace half way around the can and then would die....forcing me to wrench it off the can with fury.    I hope the gifted ones have had a better life.....    Last week, I found the white one at Publix.   It was $16.95 and it turns easily.   BUT, altho the lid is cut off, it won't lift off without brute force, often causing the contents to spray about and once, it left a tiny metal spear which sliced thru my thumb and caused a mingling of my blood and tomato sauce so I didn't know which was which....nor did I much care at that point.      Finally, there is the one at the bottom.   This belonged to my grandmother and I remember her using it.    It worked slowly but efficiently as she nudged it around the can lid.   Notice how the paint is worn from where her thumb would be.     It is a bit rusty and I'm not sure if that is healthy but at this point, it can't be worse than my stress and my lacerated finger and it cleanly lifts off the lid.  

And that is why our escape from the bubble was imperative.  
 

We headed over to Anastasia St Park, a couple miles south of St Augustine.

The beaches are vast and vacant.
    

The gulls are quiet and relaxing as well.

We wandered over to St Augustine ..... if you haven't been there, we recommend it highly.   Very historic, many many B&B's and interesting restaurants.     Flagler College was once  the mighty Flagler Hotel, built for the rich and famous to stay in as they traveled down to FL by train.    It is impressive in its opulence.
 

The entry was designed to impress the millionaires.

The dining room, with copies of the original hand carved chairs, is now the student dining hall.
 

Mostly, we hung around the campground and walked a lot .    The nature trail was quiet and cool and the only wild beasts that we saw were the birds.

We spent our days walking, reading, lounging at the beach and de-stressing around the campfires.   It was quite lovely.   

 My efforts to even out the golf tan..........( Yes, I know about the sun and aging but I think I've passed that point and I saw the dermatologist last week to see if there was anything growing on me ...and there wasn't so it was back to the hard work of tanning.)

We did go to an excellent Farmer's Market on Saturday, right next door to the campground.   We found good vegan food ! and enjoyed vegan tamales and bought some Korean kimchi to add a bit ( or a lot ) of spicy goodness to our burgers and burritos when we get home.    We also bought a wonderful red lentil soup that is now frozen and will make us happy when we are on the road.

We came home yesterday.    It is getting hot over here and more humid.    Life will get much busier in the next couple weeks.   Lizzie and Becca will be here in a few days to make us very happy.    And they will be happy getting their Disney fix.      Then, it's last minute stuff to get done and in about 2 weeks we head WEST !!      Stay tuned............