Sunshine & Summertime

Located at the north end of St. George Street, the Old City Gate still stands, a remnant of the past, a reminder of the turbulence the city has faced in the past. At one time, the gate was the only entrance into the city. In 1702, British Governor James Moore and his English forces attacked the city. The residents had advance notice and took refuge inside Castillo de San Marcos for safety. The British were unable to breach the walls of the fort, and both sides sent for reinforcements. The Spanish reinforcements from Havana arrived first, and Governor Moore was forced to retreat. However, before he left, he and his forces pillaged the city and burned it to the ground. Though the residents had survived the siege in the fort, and the city had been attacked in the past, the residents of St. Augustine saw this attack as "the straw that broke the camel's back." In 1704 construction was begun on the Cubo Line, an earthen and wood wall that ran from the Castillo to the San Sebast...

 As with all things in the architecturally stunning city of St. Augustine, the Bridge of Lions is more than just a way to get from downtown to Anastasia Island. It's a work of art in and of itself, and that's not by accident. St. Augustine and Anastasia Island sit on the Matanzas Bay, and in the early 1900s the crossing to the island was a wooden trolley bridge, alternately called simply "The Bridge to Anastasia Island," or "The South Beach Railroad Bridge." At that time, the beach on the island was called South Beach, and people took the South Beach Railroad to get to the beach once they had crossed the bridge. This bridge could be opened up to allow ships to pass through and were charged a toll. This bridge was prone to breakdowns, however, so in the 1920s, a man by the name of Henry Rodenbaugh stepped up to design a more reliable bridge. The Florida land boom was erupting by then, and with the advent and popularity of more affordable automobiles, tourism ...

 When my fiance and I stay in St. Augustine, we always stay on Anastasia Island, where St. Augustine Beach is actually located. We love being within walking distance of the beach and the pier. In fact, St. Johns County Ocean & Fishing Pier is often one of our first and most regular stops. There's a lot of personal history for my fiance there, as his grandparents regularly visited and had their photographs posted up in the pier gift shop for many, many years (it actually might still be there, I forgot to check on our last visit). There's also a lot of history in general regarding the pier, just as there is with everything in St. Augustine. In the 1800s, Anastasia Island was actually known as South Beach, and from the city of St. Augustine, beachgoers would take a ferry over the Matanzas River to the Island, then a donkey cart over dirt roads to the lighthouse. Later, a wooden bridge was built over the river, and visitors took the South Beach Railroad from the bridge to the b...

  I'm sure your first question is, "What's a love tree?" Well, that's not too tough to answer. Love trees are formed when two different species grow in the same place, interlacing their trunks and branches. They are particularly common in more humid climates, and the city of St. Augustine boasts seven of their very own love trees. You can see here how the palm tree is growing inexplicably through the center of the live oak. Local lore actually says that if two lovers share a kiss beneath the branches of a love tree, they will be blessed with an everlasting romance.  It can't be documented for certain that this is the case, but stories abound of couples who shared a kiss beneath one of these trees returning year after year to the same place on their anniversary to share another kiss below the boughs of the special tree. Old Senator, shown above, is one such love tree. It is a live oak, intertwined with a palm tree. A live oak is not to be confused with a standa...