Northeast Florida Pleasant Surprises

Friends 

This has been a whirlwind 2 weeks of Northeast Florida pleasant surprises featuring history, places and people.

We met up with Marc and Pam Warwashana in The Villages.  Pam was a neighbor and classmate dating back to elementary school.  Lots of good catching up with Pam and "shop talk" with Marc who was a skilled tradesman in automotive engine plants in Detroit.  Below:

Met cousins in DeLand that we have not seen for over 50 years.  We were met with instant hugs and an assurance that family bonds remain strong even after so many years! Below:

The Gideon's International Conference in Orlando:  What a priviledge for us to attend the this event!  The dinner featured Gideons and Auxilary from 40 countries for the purpose of encouraging hundreds of pastors in attendance.  The Gideons distribute scores of millions of New Testament scriptures worldwide annually.  We are members of this movement and are distributing testaments in our travels to neighbors, truckers, basically anyone we meet along the way.  The pictures below show the conference and a camping neighbor who, after we give the free gift of a testament, gave us a pineapple that he and his wife grow in your home in Orlando. Below:

Daytona Beach History and Present:  John's family has a history of visiting Daytona Beach.  Below are pics of John's parents, John and Ruth from the 1950's and sons John and Mike from the 1960's.  So it should not be a surprise to see Linda and John at Daytona for a day!

Crystal clear spings and manatees.  Blue Spring State Park protects these marvelous gentle creatures.  Kayaking and swimming in this spring is a treat.  When a mom and nursing baby showed up all the humans were kept away.  Below:

Bulow Creek State Park.  This stop was simply to spread a picnic lunch under the branches of a 400 year old live oak, called The Fairchild Oak, named after a biologist who discovered it.  Below:

St Augustine, the nations oldest city.  We took a tour tram of the city and roamed through the famous George St. old town area.  While on the way to Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth, we travelled down gorgeous Magnolia St, named one the prettiest streets in the country.  Below:

Tomorow we meet with another cousin and hubby from the same extended family.  So we have lots of cousins, some we have not seen in many years.   All-in-all this 2 week period was capped off by a beautiful sunset.   Two weeks of pleasant surprises with people and places!

Soon moving on from Florida to Georgia and the Carolina's