We came South to Florida, where we stopped at the Timucuan Preserve. It is a huge park spanning both sides of the mouth of the Saint John’s River, so we had to choose a section and opted for the historic Fort Caroline. It wasn’t until we got there that we learned it was a recreation of what they thought the fort looked like, located around where it probably was located originally, maybe. They’re pretty sure it was triangular. We were a little disappointed, but it was interesting to learn that the French had a colony here that survived with the help of the native Timucuan tribe until the Spanish came up from Saint Augustine and did as the Spanish did in those days and slaughtered everybody.

Onward and Southward, we drove across Jacksonville, which is a huge city geographically. At the bottom edge of the city’s suburbs we met our friends John and Jenn, who were kind enough to put us up for the weekend. We also finally got a chance to meet their daughter Emily, who is a delightful, kind and curious one year old.

Emily showed me how good she is at emptying a drawer and I showed her how to fold and wear pants on your head. She was more interested in the second part.

The fourth member of the family is little Lucy, who changed my mind about Chihuahuas. Kate was enamored with her as well, and plotted to sneak her out in her hoody and take her on the road with us.

We had a great, relaxing weekend catching up with old friends and getting the grand tour of their home and neighborhood. We watched the Super Bowl, increasingly paying more attention to the commercials than the game, and the highlight was that we watched it together. Jenn and John were great hosts, and we’re lucky to count them among our friends.