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Monday, August 18, 2008

Show and Tell Monday at Make Mine Pink

It's Monday again and time for Show and Tell at Make Mine Pink!
Today, I think I'll share a little about our family vacation.


My family and I went to St Augustine Beach for a few days of rest and relaxation at the end of July. It is definitely on the vacation return list! When we arrived, we found that our hotel (which I had booked on the internet) wasn't up to expectations. Fortunately, we had driven past a Hampton Inn and stopped by to check their availability. We were fortunate that they had 2 large rooms left and took one with an ocean view and balcony. It was perfect! The ocean was just a few steps away... Here's the view from our balcony:

The beach was clean, uncrowded, and family oriented. The water was cool, but not cold, not clear blue like Pensicola, but not dirty. No Jellyfish (or sharks!). Just perfect!

We spent most of our time on the beach. I took a couple of books and finished both, so you know what I was doing... The kids swam, walked the beach, and napped on the sand. DH napped, read and generally enjoyed his downtime! Here are some shots of my family enjoying themselves:

Beach Bling? Tatoos?

No, just some of many starfish we found in the surf...

Body Builder Wannabee's!

It rained every afternoon for about an hour, but that gave us a good excuse to find some lunch. There was an abundance of restaurants to choose from nearby, so that was easy. We ate light at lunch--Subway, Quizno's, etc. so that we could indulge in the evenings.

And, indulge we did! Seafood was on our menu every night! My favorite? Harry's Seafood Bar and Grille--a New Orleans style restaurant that serves cajun and creole cuisine. We ate outdoors on the patio and it felt just like we were in New Orleans. Here's a picture in the courtyard:
As for some of the other restaurants, here are my recommendations: Best ambiance: Saltwater Cowboy's Restaurant, decorated like a turn-of-the century fish camp. Good standard seafood--OC Whites. (We ate outside and had live music to dine by--mostly 70's folk ballads and such.) No wonder I haven't been in the mood to cook lately!


St. Augustine is the oldest city in the US. The architecture has been well preserved and is a beautiful little town. We did take one day to do some walking tours and visit a couple of museums. There's more to see than we had time for, so DH and I are planning a return trip on a long weekend ;).
Here are a couple of shots of some of the places we saw:

Before I left, I promised to have a drawing for a little St. Augustine souvenir. To enter, you had to leave a post and answer a question. And the randomly selected winner is: Francie of The Scented Cottage. Your little package will be on its way to you tomorrow! Congratulations!




14 comments:

Shabby in Pink Boutique said...

Wow Karen, What a beautiful family. Looks like you had a fantastic vacation. I love the starfish. Hope you have a beautiful day!
Stephanie

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the mini vaction. Love the star fish...we don't get them up here on our beaches...
Susan *dutchrose*

Patricia said...

Looks like a lovely place for some rest and relaxation. The pictures are great, love the starfish. Your family definitely looks relaxed,
Pat

Inka Smith said...

Oh Karen,
I really want to go there. Glad you had a great time!
Inka

Carolee Crafts said...

Remember it well, sorry about the weather but it is a lovely resort adn I think overlooked.

gail said...

Hi Karen,,, Your vacation looks so beautiful and so much fun for the family. I am glad you were able to find other accomodations. The beach looks so nice. I love the starfish! Thanks for sharing. I hope that you are feeling better. luv, gail

Anonymous said...

Karen

What a beautiful place. I was in St. Augustine many years ago, as a child. I remember bits and pieces but sure did not appreciate it's beauty. Thanks for taking us along on your lovely vacation. Your family is perfect.

Lisa
www.palepinkandroses.com

Noelle Garrett Designs said...

Karen, it looks like you had a wonderful vacation. I just love the starfish, we don't really see those at the beach out here! Thanks for sharing.
Carrie

Michelle May-The Raspberry Rabbits said...

Too cool Karen! Man your husband is really tall or you are really short. Loved the starfish pictures. They are the neatest little creatures. So glad you had a great time.
Hugs,
Michelle

Miniature Patisserie Chef said...

Hi karen,

Thanks for sharing your family vacation photos. They look great and you all seem to have a fantastic time!

Pei Li

Silena said...

Hi Karen,
What a lovely family and such great pictures of your family vacation....it is always nice to hear about new places and dream of visiting some day. Looks like you had a wonderful time. Thanks for sharing your great pictures!

SoCal Helene said...

Hi Karen,
Wow, I love your pics from your vacation. I have never been to FL and its so fun to travel through your pictures.
Thanks for visiting my S & T, great to hear that you enjoyed the pics. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with the tablecloths yet, some of them are cutters and they were pretty nasty when I bought them…..
Have a great pink week!
Helene

Deb said...

Hi Karen....I'm glad you finally got to have your getaway and that you had such a nice time! I've never seen live starfish and I didn't know they were a dark color. Love the pic of you and your daughter in from of the rustic looking old building. :)

Pink hugs,
Debbie

Susie said...

Hi Karen! Thanks for taking me on a virtual trip to St. Augustine. Looks like you all had such a wonderful time. The star fish-wow! You and your DH make a lovely couple. Thank you for sharing your trip with us.
Susie ~ The Polka Dot Rose