It’s a bit of a quiet news week so here’s a photo for my colleagues. This is Jacksonville Beach City Hall, home of the local city council. It looks a tad better than the accommodation I’m used to at work back in the UK, and I might add, it’s just a block and a half from the beach.
Meanwhile back at the shack we’ve finally made use of the US government’s kind gift of a $40 coupon towards a digital converter box - America has turned off the analogue TV signals, and those who cannot afford cable cannot be allowed to go without TV over here. The boxes are like the Freeview ones in the UK, and have proved difficult to track down, fresh deliveries are immediately snapped up. The unit we “bought” was exactly $40 so we expected just to pay sales tax of around $2. But apparently so many people complained about paying the sales tax that it’s been removed on these items! Only in America.
Another “only in America” moment came when the box was finally set up (a new antenna is still required to get the full offerings). Tuning to one of the local news channels unearthed an astonishing story about a truck dealership in Missouri offering a free AK-47 assault rifle with every new vehicle purchased. Apparently Mark Muller had experienced an upturn in sales after a previous promotion offered a free hand gun, so he’s decided to offer a voucher worth $450 which customers can exchange at gun stores for a AK-47 or the weapon of their choosing. Unbelievable but true - here’s the evidence. I think I will stick with TV vouchers and supermarket coupons. Much safer.
The morning bike rides are not as frequent as I’d like these days and I’ve been reluctant to ride on the beach after a hefty repair bill to the now not so trusty steed, the initial issue being sand in the gears, augmented by my inept knowledge of bike maintenance. Much fiddling, sweating, and swearing later I conceded defeat and went to the experts with it much worse than when I started. Any how you do see some interesting things on the beach and here’s a few photos I took on one morning ride before the bike fouled up. This is the furthest south I have been down the sands and this is actually classed as Ponte Vedra beach, the posh end! There’s some properties down there well over the million dollars mark, and a large and luxurious golf course but I was more interested in these shattered wooden poles.
Friday 3rd July gave me a taster of what was to come. The neighbourhood was alive with fireworks of a volume I have never experienced, and these salvos carried on into the early hours keeping me awake until at least 2am. So I was not in the best of moods when I eventually rose, which added to my general dread about the 4th July. Patriotic banners and decorations had long appeared outside houses, (someone had even spray-painted the US flag on their lawn) while cookies with red, white and blue icing adorned the “specials” displays in supermarkets. There’s normally a large number of “Stars and Stripes” flags around the neighbourhood on any normal day, in fact if I saw those many Union Flags back in the UK I’d think I’d wandered unwittingly into a BNP convention. But as the 4th July approaches even more are unfurled. America tends to be far too self-congratulatory at the best of times in my view, so I was expecting an über expression of fervent patriotism. Thankfully Tina is open-minded enough to believe that America is far from perfect, there is much room for improvement, and shares my view that the outpouring of a pride bordering on arrogance in many cases on the 4th July is fairly over the top.
So therefore you might expect that our 4th was fairly low key and you’d be right. 
The day was dissected by a trip over to Tina’s employers’ to let their dog out for some exercise as they are away on holiday. There was fear that this trip towards downtown would mean crazy traffic and no parking when we returned to the beaches, the most popular gathering spot for the celebrations. But it did give some cause for some celebration of our own. During a visit to an Arlington thrift store, Tina unearthed a brand new dress with store tickets still attached (showing $140) for only $10. Meanwhile I found a shirt, again brand new with store stickers in place for just $4. Plus we found several CDs at $1 each. I was warming to the 4th July. Another bonus was that many of the shops were nearly empty of shoppers, so it was a good time to stock up on weekly food goods. (But not patriotic cookies!)
Back at the beach we had a traditional American meal of burgers and hot dogs (both vegetarian of course) in honour of the great day. But in an unpatriotic move we selected a bottle of Australian Merlot rather than a Californian red, and adjourned to the table in the apartment garden area. 
It was a sultry evening with no breeze, but enjoyable out there talking to some of our neighbours, and watching the increasing number of revellers staggering by on their way to the beach for the firework display. I enjoyed proffering the opinion that America might be a better place if Britain had actually held on to it. It was all taken in good heart. Just before the fireworks were due to start at 9:30pm we wandered down to the boardwalk to watch the spectacle through the waving sea oats in the dunes. It seemed most of the apartment block residents were there, joining somewhere around 100,000 other people. I left the “oohing” and “aahing” to the natives, I’m not overly fond of fireworks. I think they are in the main a waste of money, scare the animals, and if I wanted to be kept awake all night by loud bangs and flashes I’d have holidayed in Baghdad. However they do make an interesting and challenging subject to photograph. The majority of the photos I took were disappointing but here are the acceptable wheat from the chaff. Back at the garden seat we watched the traffic jam crawl southwards until well past midnight, and I stayed out further into the early hours drinking with the neighbours. An uneasy truce? Nah, good friends and willing parties to banter.
As mentioned in an earlier post, Tina’s mother Linda is getting married in October and the search is on for a suitable venue. On Saturday evening Tina was working so Linda and her fiance Shawn took me along to Castle Otttis in St Augustine, about 25 miles south of Jacksonville Beach. It turned out to be a remarkable and memorable visit.
We were met for our 6pm appointment by Rusty, the man who literally dreamed up Castle Otttis. The castle is a landscape sculpture in remembrance to Jesus Christ. Rusty recounted the story of the Castle Otttis: after experiencing reoccurring dreams about the castle, he revealed these dreams to his trusted friend and co-worker Ottis Sadler while working on a conventional construction site. Ottis’ matter of fact reply was along the lines of “We will have to build it then”. 
They started in May 1984, and the the masonry work was done by the men working together without the aid of labourers, helpers, elevation drawings, or models. The materials they used in the exterior were split-face concrete block, steel reinforcement rod, and poured concrete. In the summer of 1988 there was a feeling that the exterior structure was complete. However that was not the end of the construction. Interior woodwork was carried out for a further three years by the appropriately named Lee Carpenter, and what a fine job he made too. Utilising primarily cypress wood and some old southern heart-pine, he crafted eight different examples of staircases in addition to an altar, a pulpit, a Bishop’s chair, a choir loft, and pews. 
The design of the exterior was deliberately crude to capture the spirit of a 1,000 year old Irish castle, so one’s breath is taken when unexpectedly encountering the simple yet beautifully crafted wooden interior.
The castle had a very peaceful ambiance, and with no glass in any of its windows, enjoys shafts of sunlight which illuminate the interior perfectly. I imagine it would be a very special location for a wedding service. 
Rusty took us up on to the roof (the structure is around 50 feet high) which gave good views out to sea, and towards St Augustine. Here we chatted for some while about all sorts of subjects including rising sea levels, recent flooding in St Augustine, and music - Rusty played the bass in a Reggae band. Time flew by and I was surprised to find we had spent two hours at Castle Otttis. It was an enjoyable visit and an awe inspiring one too. It is remarkable to think that two men alone using simple techniques dedicated four years to produce such a wonderful structure which now enhances the local landscape. 
I asked whether the general attitude of the locals was a positive one. Rusty assured me that it was during construction and has remained so up to present day. It is a local curiosity, and but for a locked gate, many more visitors would wander into the courtyard, something that is solely by appointment. Somehow I think the NIMBY brigade in Britain would be employing every planning permission rule in the book to object. Thankfully Castle Otttis is likely to be around when we are all long gone.
Caught in the Act Part 1:
“This table may be out of bounds, you might remove me from it countless times a day, but up yours, I’m having a cat nap whether you like it or not”
Caught in the Act Part 2:
“Who knocked over my toy box? It wasn’t me Guv, I was asleep, honest”
“Never mind that young upstart, photograph me - I’m cute too!”
…not from above but from the local neighbourhood. Early morning bike rides along the beach often turn up something unusual or eye-catching so the camera is always packed in my rucksack. This post’s photo collection initially started as a practical moment, an attempt to record the warning flags that fly at the beach and advice about rip currents so I could avoid any dangers lurking in the ocean. But as I rode around the beaches area I spotted other signage that would be unusual to the British readers of this blog, despite being just part of ordinary daily life over here. It’s a chance to practice photograph composition too. Hope you enjoy the images of just another day around Jacksonville Beach.
How it all started - beach warning sign
Rip currents - if in doubt do nowt, stay on the beach!
People of North Staffordshire appreciate the importance of their oats too
Strict. Makes a change from “No ball games by order”
There doesn’t look much wrong with this way at all. Rather pleasant in fact
Ragtime Tavern Neptune Beach
A plethora of signs - including the Florida Times-Union newspaper known to some around here as the “Jacksonville Joke”
Don’t worry I always do
I’ve been here a month now and so far so good. The last week or so I’ve been mainly in the house doing DIY chores and spending a lot of time riding to hardware stores. It’s not all beach life you know. In fact since the day I was crab spotting I have not been back for a sunbathe mainly due to letting the sunburn recover! There are a few photos to upload from a few hikes and trips downtown, plus some more from around the beach. There’s no time for that now so I’ll just leave you all with this typical sofa scene - a good book and two doting cats.
Tina’s Mum Linda is getting married in October to long term partner Shawn. At the moment the couple are investigating suitably romantic locations for the ceremony. On Tuesday, which also happened to be Linda’s birthday, we all met up at the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens in Riverside. Tuesdays evening also happens to be free to the public due to a sponsorship deal, giving us the opportunity to appraise the gardens’ suitability without parting with a few dollars! The gardens were beautiful and included a 150 year old oak tree with a huge canopy. Sadly there was little time to examine the art treasures too (something to do another quiet Tuesday evening), and photography inside the building is forbidden. However here are a few photos of the gardens which overlook the St John’s River.
… or so it seems. A typical scene around 3:30pm most days is the postman arriving and filling up the mail box. This one likes his issue pith helmet, although most of the others don’t bother.
White (in some places light blue) sun helmets of plastic material but traditional design are still worn today by some mail carriers of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), when delivering the mail on foot in hot climates such as South Carolina, Florida, Southern California, Arizona, and Hawaii.
says Wikipedia. So it would seem. I like the foliage at the front of this shot giving the impression that Postie had a far more difficult delivery to make than actually occurs. However that said, during the floods a few weeks ago the post van had to mount the lawn to avoid Postie stepping out into several inches of water. The mail must arrive after all.
Finding reasonably priced and engaging entertainment for Tina’s two youngest boys can be a challenge, but a bit of internet research had turned up the option of Tree Hill Nature Center, so on Saturday we decided to try it out. Remarkably given that it is short distance from downtown Jacksonville, Tree Hill is home to 50 acres of trails through woodland, a Florida Natural History Museum, butterfly and hummingbird gardens and native animals. Furthermore, Tree Hill attempts to provide environmental and energy education to the local community, and has been doing so for over 3 decades. As a “Green” and someone who likes trails it seemed a good choice for a family outing. And the entrance fee was rather cheap 
After a picnic in the company of a rooster and a few hens, we visited the butterfly enclosure, got friendly with a pen of aimiable goats, and then headed off to do one of the longer trails. 
It seemed like it was going to be a fairly uneventful walk until an armadillo was spotted as it scuttled under a boardwalk leading to a small pool. Waiting quietly paid off and the armadillo eventually made a break for the undergrowth at some speed, but not quick enough to evade my camera. About ten minutes later when we paused for a rest another armadillo scurried its way behind us, too quick for me to swing round, switch on the camera 
and snap if before it became obscured. I enjoyed the trip to Tree Hill, and I intend to return probably on my own so I can sit patiently somewhere with my camera and see what turns up. There are meant to be raccoon and the occasional bird of prey. A remarkable nature enclave amidst the busy city, and Arlington district.
The trip ended as the skies threatened rain, and sure enough the drive downtown was through heavy rain as we crossed the St John’s River. The intention was to have a ride on the monorail, and at first a lack of quarter coins and the rain made it look unlikely. But in a scene uncommon in Britain, a friendly hot dog salesman changed some money without a grumble and we were away. The photos from the ride were disappointing because of the murk so I intend to dedicate another blog post to a repeat experience some point in the future.
More Photos
