DC to PP

Penelope Gordon

P DC and VA

(See Virginia DC PA post.)

  • Jul 23 Wed P arr DCA 4:15pm. Stay at Avalon.
  • Jul 24 Thu Stay at Avalon.
  • Jul 25 Fri Amtrak, dep WAS (Union Station) 8:15am, arr CVS (Charlottesville) 10:40am. Dave pick up at CVS. Stay at Dave’s.
  • Jul 26 Sat Stay at Dave’s.
  • Jul 27 Sun Dave drop off at CVS. Amtrak, dep CVS 7:01pm, arr WAS 9:28pm. Stay at Avalon.
  • Jul 28 Mon Pack and disassemble. Stay at Avalon.
  • Jul 29 Tue Move belongings into Uhaul Hyattsville, MD storage unit. Stay at Avalon.
  • Jul 30 Wed Clean Avalon, pack car, and final walk through by 11am.
    • At Avalon packing car and cleaning until noonish. Waited 45 minutes at Xfinity to return router. Dropped off Rob at his office with Staunton leftovers. Made last trip to U-Haul storage unit. Repacked car. Got gas. PoGo’d. Picked up Rob at his office, dropping off duffel to carry next time. Dropped off Rob at DCA Terminal 1 and picked up Bob.

P and RMF DC to FL

(See private Timeshare post and public Atlantic Coast and Florida posts.)

  • Jul 30 Wed 11am check out of Avalon. RMF arr DCA 4:55pm. Drive 3:40 to Clarksville. Stay with Harold and Liz in Clarksville, VA.
    • Dropped off Rob at DCA Terminal 1 and picked up Bob (who purchased ill-advised food substances while waiting). Pulled off in Crystal City and ate leftover lasagna and shortbread from the Staunton Farmers’ Market. Drove to Clarksville. Visited with Harold. Crashed.
  • Jul 31 Thu Visited and stay with Harold and Liz.
    • Slept in.
    • Breakfast at Harold and Liz’s.
    • Rode on their boat to see the Roanoke River waterfront.
    • Lunch at Buggs Island Brewing Company, Clarksville with a view of the water.
    • Stopped at Grumpas Craft Connection (located in what was once the Patchwork House) and, next door, at the Virginia Avenue Mall.
    • Dinner at Harold and Liz’s.
    • Geneaology with Harold.
  • Aug 1 Fri Drove 6:00 to Hilton Head Island (HHI). Stayed at Island Links Resort, 1 Coggins Point Road, an HGV property. (4400 HGV points.) Check in after 4pm.
    • Gas and cherry popsicle and strawberry cheesecake ice cream bar for Bob at the Stovall Quick Stop in Stovall NC.
    • Harris Teeter in Cary, NC looking for cats’ ears batteries; bought beverages at Starbucks.
    • Buc-ee’s in Florence, NC for fudge for Bob and a failed attempt at using the restroom for Bob.
    • Tried Victor’s in downtown Florence, NC for lunch but closed for renovations but P used restroom at encompassing Hilton.
    • Lunch at Julia Belle’s, Florence, NC – yummy.
    • Stopped at Carolina Cider Company, Yemassee, SC to sample peach cider and muscadine cider. Bought puzzle, postcards, and a peach pie.
    • Stopped at Walmart for cats’ ears batteries.
    • Drove along Edisto Island National Scenic Byway.
    • Stopped at Marsh Hen Mill, Edisto Island, and bought Sea Island Blue Grits, Jimmy Red Grits, Carolina Gold Rice, and other colors of grits, cornmeal, and popcorn after a nice provenance explanation by Heather, originally from Wisconsin.
    • Stuck a finger in the Atlantic at Edisto Beach on Edisto Island.
    • Bought Gas on Edisto Island.
    • Leftovers at Island Links Resort.
  • Aug 2 Sat Visit HHI and Savannah, 1:00. The Olde Pink House Restaurant, Open Table reservation at 10pm. Stay at Island Links Resort.
  • Brunch at Bad Biscuit, HHI.
    • Toured the Mercer Williams House Museum. Bought a lemon scarf in the gift shop. Got to car just as the skies opened up. Waited out the rain a bit while PoGo’ing.
    • Completed the first half of a self-guided driving tour.
    • Strolled and shopped along the river on River Street – which is still paved with cobblestones. Bought pralines and other sweets at two of the candy shops (Savannah’s Candy Kitchen – River Street and River Street Sweets), bought a unique scarf for P at Gallery 209 (a gallery representing 30 local artists), and stopped for a couple of dances at one of the bars.
    • Presto-chango in the parking garage in time for our 10pm dinner reservation at The Olde Pink House Restaurant.
  • Aug 3 Sun Check out by 10am. Visit HHI and Savannah. Drive 3:00 to St Augustine. Stay at HIE (Holiday Inn Express), 140 Vilano Road, St Augustine. (HGV certificate + $59.50 in taxes.) Check in after 4pm.
  • Aug 4 Mon Visit St Augustine. Stay at HIE, 140 Vilano Rd, St Augustine.
    • Bob slept in.
    • Brunch at Blue Hen Cafe. Fried Green Tomato BLT with salsa (and with the B on the side for Bob) and a side of grits for Pen; corn beef hash with eggs over easy and a biscuit for Bob; and OJ for both.
    • Fort Mose – 2pm tour just us and a Fort Mose expert.
    • NPS fee free day at Castillo de San Marcos.
    • Rehydrated at Big Island Bowls.
    • Walked through the Old Spanish Coquina Quarry at Anastasia State Park.
    • Bonnie, Anastasia State Park employee, confirmed gopher tortoise burrow and live sighting; not so sure about tortoise tracks. Discussed sea turtle nests and shorebird nests. Walked along the beach checking out the nests.
    • Treylor Park for dinner.
    • Strolled St George pedestrian alley, danced last song at Pierre Bar?
  • Aug 5 Tue Checked out by 11am. Drove 1:20 via A1A Scenic Byway to HVC The Cove on Ormond Beach, North Tower. (480 HGV points.) Checked in after 4pm (could have done morning pre-check-in).
    • Breakfast at Odd Birds Cafe, St. Augustine, near Vilano Beach.
    • Visited the Lightner Museum and had a good chat with Melissa, one of the docents. Bob bought a vintage short-sleeved button up shirt and a t-shirt, P bought four postcards.
    • Rehydrated at Reflections Bistro in the Lightner complex, got introduced to kratom leaf soda, and had a good chat with Megan, our server. She referred us to Captain’s BBQ for dinner.
    • Purchased Minorcan Mike’s Datil Pepper Sauce at the Ximenez-Fatio House gift shop (house tours were closed for the day).
    • Dinner watching the rain at Captain’s BBQ.
    • Drove the A1A Scenic Byway through an hour of rain and a fabulous show of lightening bolts. Stopped at Flagler Beach and P walked to the sand. Bonnie at Anastasia Beach said that reconstruction of the pier (walkway? bridge?) has been halted due to sea turtle nests in the area.
  • Aug 6 Wed
    • Attended one-hour presentation at HGV Daytona Beach property at 9:15am.
    • Walgreens, Daytona Beach for hydrocortisone cream.
    • Quick browsing of the photos at the Ormond Beach Historical Society at the MacDonald House Welcome Center.
    • Brunch at Wild Rabbit Bistro, Ormond Beach.
    • Toured The Casements (also The Casements) and Rockefeller Gardens Park.
    • Late lunch / early dinner 3:45pm Third Culture Kitchen, Titusville with Kyle. Veggie Spring Roll starter, Vegan Crispy Tofu Bao (very yummy – including the leftovers) meal with vegetable teriyaki side for P, Curry Bowl for Bob?
      • Visit Daytona Beach, 0:20 south of Ormond Beach.
  • Aug 7 Thu Checked out by 7am (regular checkout is 10am). Drove to Rob’s. Stayed at Rob’s.
    • In position at Playlinda Beach ($25 entry) to view the scheduled 10:01am SpaceX launch from Cape Canaveral, but the launch was moved to August 8 due to lightening out over the water.
    • Browsed Barberville Yard Art Emporium and bought two small Talavera ceramic pots and a crescent moon from Mexico.
    • Late lunch of all-you-can-eat DIY pancakes at the Old Sugar Mill Pancake House at De Leon Springs State Park. Spotted a chompy cruising in the non-swimming area.
    • Continued on FL-40 through the Ocala National Forest to Astor Park, then headed southwest to I-75 South through the Withlacoochee State Forest / Richloam Wildlife Management Area, I-275 South, State Road 60 West over the North end of Tampa Bay, and finally South to MLK Jr, St Pete.
    • Dinner at Island Timez (across from the Enclave on MLK Jr, St Pete). Goat curry and red beans and rice for Bob and Veggie Patty (hand pie) for P.
  • Aug 8 Fri Drive 0:20 to St Pete Beach. Stay at Rob’s.
  • Breakfast at Rob’s.
    • Shoe shopping at Skechers, Pinellas Park.
    • St Pete Beach and the Secret Garden
    • Playa Bowls to rehydrate with a Mucho Mango bowl with chia seeds and with an almond butter drizzle for P and an acai bowl and a smoothie for Bob
    • Fort de Soto
    • Mullet’s Fish Camp and Market, St Petersberg, for a dinner of blackened grouper and pasta Provençal with blackened tofu and a “refreshing and tangy” mocktail.
    • Dessert at Twistee Treat, Pinellas Park – Bob got a large chocolate soft serve ice cream cone double dipped in butterscotch and chocolate. Pen had one bite and then the cone with a little ice cream after Bob ate what he wanted.
  • Aug 9 Sat Drive 2:00 to Fort Myers. Stay at Rob’s.
  • Aug 10 Sun RMF dep TPA 5:30am, 0:30 via Hwy 60.

P in FL

(see Pinellas Park post)

  • Aug 10 Bob to TPA, slept in, puttered and packed, dinner with Rob’s family, unpack and clean at Villa.
  • Aug 11 Villa.
  • to Aug 14 P stay at Villa.
  • Aug 15 P dep TPA 6:55pm.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *