PART THREE OF FRIDAY'S OUTING

It was a full day on Friday, we left the church and went over to the Lightner Museum. 

Relics of America's Gilded Age are elegantly exhibited on the museum's three floors. Costumes, furnishings, mechanical musical instruments and other artifacts give you a glimpse into 19th century daily life. The Lightner collection includes beautiful examples of cut glass, Victorian art glass and the stained glass work of Louis Comfort Tiffany.

 

 

 

The entry way blew me away.  The tiled floor was so shiny you could see yourself in it and the chandliers and marble statues were so impressive.

The glass works were beautiful.

 

 

 

A Tiffany Dragonfly lamp, seen one on Antiques Road Show.  There is some real money.

 

 

I loved this painting of Highland Scottish cattle.  We had 6-7 of them in Remer on a farm across from us but they sold out and moved South of town.  Still in Remer but you don't see them everyday like we used to.   Miss the sight.

 

 

Their showpiece was a vase made of Malacite and it is huge.  Never seen anything like this.

The museum was so jam packed full of stuff it was almost too much.

 

 

 

The stained glass simply took your breath away.

 

 

I don't know if you can read this story above the painting but it's worth it so try.

 

 

The bath in the place which used to be a hotel made of marble.

 

 

 

 

I though this could be a useful gossip bench.

 

 

 

 

PART TWO OF FRIDAY'S OUTING

Well we drove from St Augustine Beach where the lighthouse is to St Augustine itself.  The city is so old and fun to walk in.  The second thing we stopped at was The Memorial Presbyterian Church.  This is a sight to behold.

Henry Morrison Flagler built this church to the glory of God as a memorial to his daughter, Jennie Louise Flagler Benedict, who passed away as a result of childbirth in 1889.   I think the amazing thing is, it took only one year to build. 

 

The window's were something to behold, Flagler wanted Tiffany to do the windows but he didn't have the time and has one of his other artist do them, a German fellow, and they are something.

 

 

Dome at night.                          Church from afar.         Their Baptismal Font carved of marble.

All the wood inside of the church is mahogany and hand carved,  above the Pulpit is an umbrella carved entirely of one piece of wood and it is massive.

 

 

 

 

I think he said the organ has over 6,000 pipes.  Amazing.

 

There were 1000 workman working two 12 hour shifts. The walls are built of coquina again (cement and shells), the dome is 100 feet overhead and encompasses several religious symbols. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John along wih the crown of thorns, the Trinity, and the Hebrew written letter for God (Yaweh.)

 

 

 

 

 

This is a double cross and at the top of it you can still see the jets from it being lit with gas.

 

The patio garden in the back of the church.  Just beautiful.

 

A FULL DAY OF SIGHT SEEING

Well the first thing we did Friday morning is go to The St Augustine Lighthouse and Museum.  It's 140 feet above the city and affords quite a view.  It was built in 1870 and their was a wonderful keeper's house next to it.  It became unoccupied in 1955 because it became fully automated, then a fire broke out in 1970 but the Junior Service League of St Augustine signed a 99 year lease for the house in 1980 and restored it as a museum.  It is really neat inside.  Has three floors. and in the basement has a cistern that holds up to 6000 gallons of fresh rain water.  I remember when we had a cistern in the basement of our farm.  I remember the stairs and dirt floor going down it.  Always full of spiders.  Enough about that.
The wonderful lighthouse was finished in 1874 and has 219 steps and the beacon could be seen for up to 25 miles away.  We climbed the steps, a lot of steps, what was surprising is the size inside.  It's huge inside, it is not the island's first lighthouse.  the first one built in 1737 was made out of coquina (a product of cement and shells, extremely strong) and Spanish wood, you could only see the beacon for about 3 miles and was build so close to the ocean it finally fell in to it due to beach erosion.  The beach kept changing due to hurricanes and tides.

It really is quite spectacular.  Your legs felt rubbery after the climb let me tell you.

The wind sure whipped around like crazy at the top.  Lots to see and of course the sea.

 

The restoration job is just beautiful.

As you can see theere were lots of stairs but also several places where you could take a break.  Thank goodness because if you had to lift the oil pails that kept it lit in the early years and carry them up the stairs I never would have made it, I barely made it the way it was and there was Jim just sprinting up.  He always has had good legs.

 

This is a photo of a right whale, they hang around the coast and actually have two blow holes.  Weird huh.

 

I needed him to take a picture of this picture because I just thought it was so beautifully done.

Inside the keepers house.  So cosy, Alexis has a oval marble table just like this one.  I'll just bet they got it at Sear's like I did.

HONEY HORN PLANTATION

 

Odd to think of how big this tree is and how I am half as big.  Oh well.  It was fun walking around here on Hilton Head.  It was only 2-3 miles from our camp ground.  They had a hunting lodge on the site behind me.  No mansion.

 

Some of the tree were just so beautiful.

 

Can you believe this tree is that old!

 

Now this we were surprised to find.  this tells about a rocket, the Atlas V Launch in fact and below is a peice of it that washed ashore in St Augustine and NASA didn't want it back.

Here is the peice that NASA didn't want back under a roof at the plantation.  Weird huh.

THE CATHERDAL BASILICA

 

This is the other church. I will add both here.

 

The distinction of being both is quite an honor.  This one is much more simple than the one we saw in St Louis.

WE ARE OFF AGAIN TO SEE CHURCHES.

There is so much to see and do I know I want to see some of the early churchs. 
Next is Flagler College which is blocks long. 

I love the fence.  This used to be a hotel.

 

Next is just a pretty building.  The Casa Monica, a hotel.  Lovely bathroom by the way.

I am trying to remember what this is, I think it is part of the Leightner Building.  Really pretty gounds.

 

This could be part of City Hall.

 

This is somebody.  Mendez or someone.  One thing that is huge here is haunted tours. 

Go figure.

 

No this was a beautiful shopping plaza, the stores are hidden along the outside.  We did stop in one little store.

As you can see they have jewelry in the window and since they let us bring in our dogs we took a look and of course Jim bought me a bable.  He sure can dicker.  It seems when we get jewelry it is always impromptu.  It can be anything it wants to be as long as it blings.

 

 

L