Three Down. . .

Our day began quite late after sleeping in (shame, shame) and then having to move to a different spot within the park for the last three nights of our stay. We started off, quite by accident, with the Old Jail, a guided tour that was quite entertaining but also horrifying. People who committed crimes, but also black people who had the audacity to register to vote or try to own property, were treated in an incredibly inhumane way. Chain gangs were loaned out for public and private projects. We have noticed in several places in the South that convict labor is used for road repair. I am sure that they are treated much better than in the old days. This old jail has quite the story. It was built to look like a hotel at the behest of the railroad mogul who didn't like having the original jail across from his fancy resort. Inside, it is stark and redolent of human suffering, except for the wing that was built to house the family of the sheriff. Outside, a gallows reminds us of the end of some sentences.

Laura had told us that the one place we had to visit in St. Augustine was Ripley's Believe It or Not because that was the place that Campbell and Quinn liked best of all. We dutifully attended and, of course, immensely enjoyed it. It reminded me of the Grevin Wax Museum in Paris in that it inhabited an elegant former residence/castle. Take a look at the South Dakota story and you will see two South Dakota stories. Jim didn't believe that the Great Plains were submerged under a great ocean 23 million years ago. Those fossils came out of rocks of 70 million years ago, give or take a few. The mummified cat and largest known feline hairball are for all my cat-loving friends and relatives.

Our last stop of the day was at the Fountain of Youth Historic Archaeological Park where we had some water from the fountain. . .of youth? They should sell this stuff because I feel pretty darn good tonight. . .wait, I think that might be related to my last story. It was a pleasant stroll around the beautiful grounds in a living history museum and then down the walkway to observe the bird and animal life in a marsh setting. This is the area in which Ponce de Leon first landed and also where the first Catholic Mass was recited; today a large cross marks that spot.

Back at home, I did the laundry before we ventured down to Aunt Kate's where we enjoyed a Low Country Boil (didn't compare to Pat Clanton's--they didnt' even spill it down the table) and a sweet-sounding singer serenading us into the sunset.

Tomorrow--St. Patrick's Day Parade in town and more museums. Bring it on!
.