This morning, we walked around the Castillo de San Marcos, an old Spanish fort in St. Augustine. It was built in 1672 and while it was attacked many times, was never taken by force. It was given away by treaty to the British and then the Americans. It stands guard over the entrance to the harbor at St. Augustine and the inland waterway. The walls are 14 - 20 ft. thick and are made of stone. It has it's own well to provide water for the soldiers during a siege. The design made it nearly impossible to attack successfully.
The city of St. Augustine was founded in 1655 and was the site originally explored by Ponce de Leon. The Fountain of Youth which is in one of the city parks may or may not be the real one. We didn't drink from it because the locals said we were probably beyond help and they didn't want to waste the water. We took a tour bus around the city after leaving the fort. It's a very interesting city and the architecture reflects the different civilizations who have inhabited it over the year. Since Spain held it for over 200 years, the Spanish influence is the most prevalent. There are lots of interesting old buildings and there's a story to go along with each.
That morning, we got a call from Tom Bohn. He was home after all, so we drove south for a few miles and got to see him after all. The Readers Digest used to have a feature entitled "The Most Unforgettable Character I Ever Met". Tom would be my contribution. He chose to be a flight attendant because he wanted to spend his life traveling and that's what he has done. He is one of the happiest people I've ever met. Always cheerful, a great attitude and a great laugh. He seems to have a huge gravitational force, when you spend time with him, you wind up living in his time/space. I can't keep up with him for very long, but it's fun trying. We met at his house in Ormand by the Sea and spent the night there. Adventures ensued. Around 4:30 am we finally turned in. More fun tomorrow.
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