Day Three

Lets be honest.....Have you ever felt like your a stranger in your own life? Like your looking in from the outside? Wondering??????????? How did I get here? Where does the time go? It feels like just yesterday I was a little girl, hiding behind my father, looking for protection from the wrath of my next oldest sibling, my brother John. I am sure he started it, and I am sure I probably deserved whatever torture he had in mind.
It seems like I blinked, and now I am almost 50 and a grandmother. And I am wondering....Have I done enough? Have I been a good person? A good friend? A good mother? A good daughter? Why am I really here? Is there a greater purpose to my life?

Maybe I should have called this blog, How to deal with a midlife crisis on the road with a shoestring budget.

Day three brought with it a full day of travel, and lots of time to think. I wondered......How is Chelsea? Will she be alright without me? How about Elaine and the Baby? Who will answer all her questions? My boyfriend, will he wait for me? Or, will i arrive back home to find someone else sleeping on my side of the bed? Will my friend Sarah forgive me for leaving right after she arrived to live at my house? Will my other friend Sarah forgive me for leaving right after she got back from breaking ground on her farm in Kentucky? Thank you both Sarah's. I couldn't have done this without your help. Sarah C. for encouraging me to start my own eBay store, and Sarah B for holding down the fort while I am gone.

 Part of this catharsis of mine is to stop.....Stop analyzing everything i do, Stop doing and being everything for everyone around me. Stop Planning everything I do everyday, and rushing around like a chicken with it's head cut off ( sorry, I hate that saying, but it really works here) In keeping with this theme I decided not to travel from St Augustine to Savannah via I 95 but to take A1A.Stop trying to get from point A to Point B as fast as I can, but to try and enjoy the journey. Stop as many times as I want, and take the back roads thru the heart of this amazing country of ours.
Great Choice.
The scenery was lovely. There were times when I was driving just yards from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Beautiful Homes strung along the beach with Architecture ranging from old sedate sprawling ranch's to Stilted Ultra Modern ones. All with incredible views.
It crossed my mind as i was admiring the millions of dollars wrapped up in these beach front homes,  that these are the @%^&$#@ that are the reason my Homeowners Insurance Premiums are so @#%^* High in Florida!!!! (so much for leaving it all behind. LOL) Reality has a funny way of creaping up an you at the oddest times.

Bonus!!! I even got to take a Ferry ride across the St John's River. It was short, but a memorable part of my journey thus far.

 

 

Day Two

I awoke to the sun streaming thru the window heralding the start of another beautiful day. I tried pretty hard to talk myself out of going for a jog, but I really need to loose the 10 pounds of sympathy weight I gained while my daughter was pregnant. So, I donned my gear, and out the door I went.

St Augustine is beautiful and the downtown area is very assessable by foot. One gorgeous old Spanish style home after another. And then WOW!!! Henry Flagler's Old Hotel "The Ponce De Leon" which has been turned into Flagler College. An absolutely Stunning Campus.

I ran back to Casa Yallaha, and instead of the knife and fork, I enlisted my hands to polish off the left over pizza from yesterday, shipped a bunch of EBay Items out at the local post office two blocks away, and with anticipation, excitement and loads of enthusiasm i grabbed my camera and headed back into town.  I met up with Peter my tour guide and set off to explore and learn.
This 1st photo of the Hotel/Campus I cut and pasted, but the rest are mine

So rich with history that you can almost feel it. How incredible it must have been to come down on Henry Flaglers train, walk thru the 30 foot Iron gates of the hotel's outer wall into the quiet peaceful gardens, and finally up the stairs, to step into the most magnificent Lobby ever. Louis Comfort Tiffany himself designed the interior of this hotel.

There is a wall that goes around the entire Hotel/Campus with chains strung between the posts. Century's ago when pirates and locals alike wrecked ships offshore for there Booty, these chains are what they used. Nasty looking aren't they? Solid Iron!!

The tour lasted a little over an hour, and was really great. Peter had a wealth of knowledge. He painted pictures of what it must have been like in the 1500's as he showed me everything from the oldest street in America to the most photographed one. The later has been on the cover of several magazines. 

This pic is taken where the Spanish first landed, lived for a while, and held their first Mass.

The end of the tour got a little scary as the Skies darkened and lightning flashed close by. We raced back to Casa Yallaha. I jumped out of the cart, ran full blast across the parking area, and just made it up to the porch when the skies opened up and the rain came down in buckets.

The afternoon and evening have been spent working on EBay listings, and planning my day tomorrow. I am off to Savannah Georgia.

I will miss St. Augustine. I learned a lot about it's history, and a little more about myself.

It is late. I will continue tomorrow.

Sweet Dreams!

Day One..

I have a confession to make....This Blog isn't just about how to sell things on EBay while on the road. It's really about the road itself. The journey.... EBay is the catalyst, but I am the Driver.

August 20th 2012.
My first day on the road. I Kissed my boyfriend goodbye at 7am and headed out thru the Florida Everglades towards my first stop on the East Coast, St Augustine. The sun was just coming up, kissing the damp palm fronds and sea grass giving them a radiant sparkle. Around the bend in the road a low lying area was covered with a soft misty blanket. I was overcome with a peaceful feeling and have carried it with me all day.

As I headed further north, the interior of Florida's topography changed from flat swamp to rolling hills filled with Orange Groves. Hundreds and Hundreds of miles of beautiful Green Trees lined up in rows. Small young Trees planted alongside Great big ones filled with Fruit, Still green now, but it won't be long till the stands on sides of the roads will be bursting, selling orange everything. Orange Jellied Candies, Orange Hard Candies, Orange Lollypops. There is even a stand that sells Orange Ice Cream!!! Delicious!!!

I arrived in St Augustine at 1pm and found the Hostel (Casa Yahalla) without a hitch. But before I was even settled in, the afternoon rains started. It's now turned into the afternoon and evening rains. No worries......I had work to do. I got busy listing items to sell in my EBay store. My plan is to List everyday, ship everyday, shop everyday, and sight see. I am also trying to find the restaurant's Guy Fieri from the food network has highlighted on his Diners, Drive Inns and Dives show. Nothing in St Augustine, but I did find a little place off the beaten path.

 Thru the downpour I ran to a place called Flavor's. The restaurant is located in an old Mechanic's garage.  The usual items on the menu, soups, salads, pizza, and sandwiches. I chose a Pizza. Personal size. When the very nice waitress set my order down in front of me I was surprised by what I saw, and a bit skeptical. The Pizza was round, but there the similarities ended to all the other pizza's i had ever eaten in my life. But I couldn't deny the incredible aroma that was wafting thru the air. The ingredients were piled at least 3 inches high. Portobella's, Chicken, Spinach, Roasted Red Pepper, Sharp Cheeses, and there own special sauce. It was served with a Knife and Fork, so in I dug. The flavors were incredible. Fresh, Smokey, sharp, Sweet, Savory. The crust was a little hard to cut, Thank God. If there wasn't work involved, I would have inhaled it. I can't wait to go back tomorrow and try something else.

Anyway, I am tired, and ready for bed. I will post again tomorrow, and I promise more Photos. Sweet Dreams to everyone out there. I am living mine :)

I encourage your interaction, and I am happy to answer any questions.
Sincerely
Nancy