While St. Augustine is not the oldest city to exist in North America, it is North America’s oldest continuously occupied European-established settlement. History always fascinates me. And the history continues to unfold. What is present today has been orchestrated by decisions of the past. St. Augustine, Florida, is what it is today because of choices made the last 460 years. And tomorrow, choices made today will be the future’s history. I knew it was a city full of history, and tourism, but I really had no idea what to expect. I was blown away with the history of the area,…

Talk about a new adventure! I had never been to the Grand Bahama Island, nor had I ever stayed in an all-inclusive resort, nor had I ever ridden a fast ferry from Fort Lauderdale anywhere! It was a relaxing, fun, beautiful trip, though the rumbling stomach and dizzy head of motion sickness affected me on the ferry ride there. I took dramamine too late for it to help much! The fast ferry is just that – FAST! Traveling from From Fort Lauderdale to Freeport, Grand Bahama took only 3 hours! We were in the premier economy seats, which gave us…

Sea turtles have always fascinated me. Actually, all turtles! I had the opportunity when I was living in Lester Prairie to watch a small painted turtle dig a nest in which to bury her eggs. I missed her laying the eggs when my patience waned because the digging was taking so long. I stepped away for a minute to photograph something else in the bog, and when I got back she was already doing her tamping dance on top the closed nest. Though I missed the eggs, it was such a privilege to come upon her at that precious time.…

Those of you who know me well know how much I love visiting National Parks! I used to have a United States map hanging in my office with a pin in every national park I had visited, with quite a few more to check out! I also put stickers on my bike helmet from every visited park. I know, that is a bit extreme. Most people put stickers on their water bottle, or in a book or something instead of on their bike helmets! Anyway, i recently had the opportunity to visit the Dry Tortugas National Park and investigate Fort…

Wilmington, North Carolina, and the surrounding coastal areas are steeped in history. From the Historic Downtown of Wilmington, to the Fort Fisher State Historic Site near the mouth of the Cape Fear River, to the town of Southport located where the Cape Fear River meets the Atlantic Ocean there is a lot to discover. I have always been fascinated with history, and I love when history has been preserved. I don’t believe a person can pick and choose what happened in the past, sweeping things under the rug that you don’t agree with. Those things can serve as a reminder…