Florida, 2015
Okay, so more like Florida, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. Not sure I'd ever want to spend Christmas in Florida (at least not in such a quiet, gated community) again but it was an experience at any rate.
On the way down, we stopped in a small town called Morgantown, PA. We didn't expect much but it turned out that night was a big 90's party at a local bar including a pretty talented group of guys covering 90's alternative and rock. Even though I've always liked taking photos of live music, this was the first time I had a nice camera and actually decided to try properly.
Next stop on our roadtrip was a night outside Savannah, GA. I'd heard a lot about this city and it really was a gorgeous little place... even if it had an odd sort of ignorance of racism that surrounds the city for anyone who doesn't live in the South. Included in some of these shops were strange books from 50 years ago that were clearly and overtly racist. It's like they don't even notice.
Surf in Jacksonville was up! Not much of it, but tehre were a few diehards out catching some anklebiters.
Look at those stars.
It turned out that this was the last show ever from The Clintones.
The house we rented was in a gated community right on the beach. This was the private path to the shoreline. Strangely, they don't heat any of their pools and generally they are in the shade so they're freaking cold! The ocean was actually warmer...
On the drive home, and after our speeding ticket in Georgia, we took a slightly different route home through a different part of Tennesee and Pennsylviania.
The Wormsloe Historic Site is another example of the complete denial of slave ownership in Georgia. It is one of the best preserved plantations in the Savannah area and yet there isn't a single word about all the slaves that clearly worked the land. Instead, the information centre is full of all the landowners' military history and business successes.
The lead guitar player of The Clintones.
Pelicans! So many, many pelicans everywhere on Amelia Island and especially here at Fernandina Beach.
Sunset from the edge of American Beach.
There was a fairly strong rip current out in that water.
Joe's Crab Shack in Jacksonville was absolutely PACKED. We had hoped for some fresh crab whilst down south and on the ocean but it was not to be.
Savannah's beautiful parks with Spanish moss everywhere.
Standing in the whitewater.
St. John The Baptist Cathedral in the centre of Savannah was gorgeously decorated for Christmas, inside and out. The Spanish nativity display (or belén) inside was massive! Check out Orlando Cuadra who has been designing the display since 2006.
A mother and son cycled leisurely along the shore in Jacksonville, FL.
Welcome to the land of geckos. This male Brown Anole is an example of one of many introduced species to Florida. Brown anoles arrived from Cuba & the Bahamas, thrive in disturbed habitats, and are considered an invasive species as it competes with the native Green Anole. It has also been known to eat green anoles.
The glow of Christmas Eve in Florida.
The Ritz-Carleton was were we decided to go for Christmas dinner and it was pretty good. Still, for a Canadian like me, looking out over a warm beach and palm trees at Christmas was a strange experience.
Near the riverside in Savannah.