The Life Chronicler
Project

My anticipated visit to Jacksonville never happened. Instead, I traveled to St. Augustine and am glad I did. My former Pfizer boss lives there and invited me to stay with her and her husband for four nights. They live in a beautiful gated community about a dozen miles north of the historic downtown. While there, I got invited to a Saturday brunch party that went well into the night. I met some great people, including my “billiards buddies,” Bill, Nick, Jim, Terry, Dave, Joe, Tony, and Jamie, a former NFL player. I interviewed Jim and Terry.

St. Augustine, as you may know, is the oldest permanently settled community in North America, having been established by Juan Ponce De Leon in 1565. The downtown has several roads blocked off to automobiles, making it an excellent tourist destination. The Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States and, in its heyday, protected the town.

The weather was great in February, and I remember saying I could get used to it. I never saw any alligators but was always on the lookout.