When we arrived at Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, they asked if we wanted an upgrade to DV (Distinguished Visitor) quarters! So reluctantly we agreed! ;-)
Not quite as nice as what we had in San Diego, but still pretty nice!
King bedroom -
adjoins a nice living room/dining combo. Small kitchen with pass thru to the right -
and a KILLER VIEW of the St John's River. The room faced east so the sun woke us up every day - at about 8 AM. :-)
FDR Mini-Reunion
Tuesday, we drove 45 miles to Starke, FL for a mini-reunion of shipmates from the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, CVA-42. Russ Sandbak, Bill Bierce, Harold "Butch" Jonas, and Bob had a great time reliving the days on the "Rosy" and swapping sea stories.
The wives - Theresa, Maria Sandbak, and Peggy Bierce enjoyed getting to know each other and watching the "boys at play." Unfortunately, Butch's wife Ginger was not feeling well and stayed home.
Timucuan Historic Preserve
On Wednesday, we headed out to the Timucuan Historic Preserve where at one time many thousands of Timucuan natives lived in peace. Then the French & Spanish arrived!
The Timucuan's lived simply in an agrarian society.
The Ribault Monument atop St. Johns Bluff, commemorates the 1562 landing of Jean Ribault near the mouth of the St. Johns River. Ribault erected a stone column bearing the coats of arms of his French King Charles IX to claim Florida for France. From the monument, you can see the Atlantic Ocean, river activity, wildlife, and marshes below.
A reproduction of Ft Caroline sits upstream below the Monument on the banks of the river.
The simple wooden palisade was not sufficient to protect the French from an attack by Spanish troops. The fort was taken with only one Spanish casualty. After the "battle," the Spanish murdered 143 French men one by one. About 40 men escaped in to the swamp. One related "the Spanish vied with one another to see who could best cut the throats of our people."
A short drive brought us to the ferry at Old Mayport.
On the north side of the St John's River is the Kingsley Plantation, a former cotton plantation.
These are what remains of the slave quarters, simple, small stone huts.
A short distance is the plantation main house. The difference between the lifestyles is an appalling reminder of the inequities of a bestial system.
Not far away is the Ribault Club. Built in the 1920's, the idea was to attract wealthy families from the North (ala Jekyll Island, Georgia). The timing was unfortunate however in that the Great Depression upended the plans. The building has been restored and now hosts weddings and special events.
Next: Silver Lake Resort in Kissimmee.
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