We agreed with Jennifer this morning that we would return for another overnight stay here in St. Augustine after our visit up north to Jacksonville today. That way, we could break up the journey back to Davenport, giving me my best hopes of staving off World War III in the car again. One can only hope.
It’s only a half-hour drive to Jacksonville. We pulled into our former street shortly after noon. The East Hampton subdivision was as we remembered it from when we first lived here, back in 1998, although it was perhaps a bit more leafy, with many of the streets and greenery having matured significantly over the years.
We were here, of course, to see Carlos and Kristy, who lived three doors over from us in this very street all those years ago. We’ve kept in touch with them over the years. As a paediatrician, Dr Carlos has had several opportunities throughout our kids’ lives to pass on his expert advice and guidance to us whenever we’ve needed it.
Alex, Carlos, and Kristy’s middle son and his beautiful fiancée were also visiting, so it was a real treat to see them in person. Kristy laid out a lovely BBQ lunch, which we thoroughly enjoyed.
Nearby was a REI store, where we had theorised I might be able to secure some new sandals for myself. Due to a slight foot deformity, I wear a particular type of sandal called Chacos. These aren’t sold in the Netherlands, so I have to special order them each time, which can be pretty pricey. Since a single pair can last a couple of years or more, I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to grab a couple of new pairs, if at all possible.
We split up into two groups. We men went off in our rental car, while the women disappeared together in Kristy’s car, no doubt to scratch a retail itch of their own as well.
The expedition to REI to secure a couple of pairs of new sandals was executed with the sort of ruthless efficiency I’m sure any man would understand. We drove there, parked, walked in, found the section, tried on the sandals, took them to the register, paid, and then walked back to the car again. The entire operation was carried out in under five minutes.
Since Joey had some extra pocket money burning a hole in his pocket, that tension was also in need of relief, so we drove over to another nearby mall, where we perused a few places that sold toys. I suggested he hold onto the $50 he received from me, since we still had to visit Legoland and Epic Universe next week. However, he could spend the $30 he received from Sandy earlier today. Incidentally, he conveniently neglected to tell me that Sandy, unbeknownst to me, had given him another $30 at the time I was transferring another $50 to him.
My suggestion that Joey not spend all the money he now had was a difficult one for him to accept. Once again, it set up a scenario where he might find himself missing out on something he later couldn’t get, which is a scenario he struggles with.
We agreed with the girls that we would meet up with them at the beach, so we drove over to Mickler’s Landing, a favourite of ours from when we lived here. Sandy and I spent many an hour wandering up and down that section of the coastline, looking for fossilised sharks’ teeth, which the beach was famous for. The weather today was just about spot-on perfect. It was in the mid twenties Celsius with a clear blue sky and the gentlest of sea breezes.
We arrived at the car park at Mickle’s Landing before the girls. Joey, still reeling from the disappointment of not being able to spend all his pocket money, not to mention his disdain for beaches and sand in general, decided he would stubbornly remain in the car. Carlos and I wandered over to the beach.
Despite what I had been told, the shoreline at Mickler’s Landing was just about exactly as I remembered it. Endless stretches of white sand tapered out to the distance in a straight line in both directions. Set back from the shoreline were gently-sloping dunes a few meters high, beyond which were multi-million-dollar homes punctuating the view as far as you could see. The tide was on its way in across the shallows. I wasted no time ditching my sandals and wading in ankle-deep, allowing the cool Atlantic water to wash over my feet as I traced a path along the edge of the waterline. My gaze was fixed on the mostly clear sand with a slight mixture of broken shells here and there. Carlos had parked himself on the beach, as if recognising my need for a moment’s solitude to engage in one of my favourite pastimes. I immediately set to work wandering slowly parallel to the water’s edge, staring down at the path before me, looking for those telltale signs of small, triangular, black, fossilised sharks’ teeth. It’s a game of patience and luck. Is that a tooth, or just one of a gazillion pieces of shell broken into natural triangular forms? The fossilised teeth are incredibly strong. They resist being broken into smaller pieces if you dare try hard enough. Shells disintegrate more readily—one of the ways to distinguish between them. I continued wandering back and forth. Alas, the pain from my hernia became progressively more debilitating, leaving me with two competing urges—carry on enjoying my favourite activity, or sit down to relieve the pain. For the moment, I carried on.
By the time the girls arrived, I was nearing my physical pain limits, but I held out for a while longer, as Kristy joined me. For her, this was also a therapeutic activity, and one she takes advantage of whenever possible. I would have loved to spend the next couple of hours chatting with her as we walked back and forth, were it not for my body finally giving out and forcing me to sit and join the others. Note to self: Go back to the surgeon and have another conversation about whether an operation on my back might finally be on the cards.
I had high hopes the kids would understand my passion for Mickler’s Landing beach and the pleasures of wandering back and forth along the shore on a mission. Alas, Joey remained stubbornly in the car, and Jae chose to sit with Sandy and Carlos on the sand. Jae later told me she doesn’t like cold water. She’s less averse to sand than Joey, provided it doesn’t get onto her face and mouth. Despite wearing a light jacket, she found the sea breeze a little too fresh for her liking, but she enjoyed the waves and conversation. She was at least present, and I would therefore have a potential conversation partner on the topic in the future. That would have to suffice for now.
We made a collective and impromptu decision to join each other for dinner tonight. The girls were keen on the Olive Garden, so we piled into the car to make our way to the one nearby on Philips Highway.
Everyone enjoyed dinner, which was a lovely meal in great company. The meal started with a little musical chairs, as Jae directed various people—namely me—to sit in a configuration more to her liking around the round table. Jae has a low threshold for Joey when he’s eating, as he tends not to use cutlery. He also eats and chews in a manner she finds irritating. The kids often do things that irritate each other. I’ve learned to tune it all out over the years, frequently resulting in me being criticised for not understanding or reading the room sufficiently—usually by Sandy or Jae.
I had ordered the stake, although a misunderstanding resulted in a salmon dish being delivered instead. I probably could have eaten the salmon, but I really fancied that stake. The waitress apologised for the mishap and asked me to wait a while for a steak to be prepared. I put the poor woman into a bit of a state when she finally put the plate with the stake and fries in front of me, and I asked, “Didn’t I order the salmon?” Her double-take brought the table to tears of laughter, though I’m not certain how much the waitress truly appreciated my humour.
After some post-dinner chit-chat, we bade a sad farewell to our good friends, Calos and Kristy, before setting off south again back to St. Augustine.
Half an hour later, we rolled up to Dave and Jennifer’s, offloaded ourselves, and once again immediately converted Jennifer’s picture postcard display home into a lived-in mess. What can I say? It’s a talent.
I spent the remainder of the evening playing dominoes with Sandy and Jennifer, and later Jae, around the table. And by playing dominoes, I mean the girls all found creative ways to rib me, like it was an Olympic sport, with the dominoes being little more than the excuse to keep everyone together during the ribbing process. I was holding my own when it was just Sandy and Jennifer ragging on me, but Jae’s arrival brought the whole thing to another level. I’ve never seen a team come together and function so proficiently and quickly. No opportunity to point out any error on my part went unpunished. Ridicule and mockery of me were the objectives of the real game that was being played. I was the target in the middle of the crossfire. Jennifer and Jae were in their element, beaming each time one of the women around the table managed to get a slight or dig in at me, which was pretty much constantly for the three hours we were playing. Jae, in particular, has developed a sharp wit, utilising sarcasm and put-downs to significant effect. We have evolved a sort of Darwinian strategy among ourselves. Whenever one starts talking, the other quickly interjects as soon as there’s a sniff of anything that might not be entirely correct, causing us to verbally veer off course and change the direction the sentence is going. It’s almost like a ship or submarine avoiding an incoming missile by subtly changing course. It was pretty hilarious, not unlike when we used to play cards with Dave and Jennifer almost every weekend. By the early hours of the morning, we were all thoroughly exhausted—mostly through the comedic timing of all the insults and jibes crisscrossing the table—yet thoroughly relaxed with the dopamine hits from all the laughter coursing through our veins. I could tell this was a much-needed therapeutic exercise for Jennifer, but for us as well.