Road Trip, April 7, 2012. St. Augustine, Florida, was my destination for the weekend, where I attended the wedding of one of the daughters of my college roommate. The weather had been unusually warm for April, but turned cool and windy on Friday and Saturday. My visit to the St. Augustine Pier found strong waves and so much wind that the smaller birds hanging out at the pier were having a hard time flying!! This pelican seemed to be hesitant to fight the wind or maybe he was just waiting for the fishermen to show up and share their catch with him! Surfers were having a hard time paddling out, but seemed to be enjoying the waves.
The architecture in St. Augustine and specifically the churches are unique and beautiful. More about that in my next post!
April 8, 2012. St. Augustine was founded in 1585 by the Spanish and the Spanish influence is still influential in the architecture in downtown St. Augustine. Henry Flagler arrived in 1880 and went about making St. Augustine the premier winter resort for the likes of John D. Rockefeller and other wealthy Northerners. Flagler also contributed to the building of several churches-one of which was Grace Methodist where I attended the wedding. Grace Methodist is made of poured concrete with brick and terracotta accents. Its hard to believe that the church is almost 125 years old. The detailing on the arches and windows is beautiful and shows almost no wear.
Flagler also contributed to Memorial Presbyterian Church, the most ornate of the churches and the first Presbyterian church in Florida. Memorial Presbyterian is also built of poured concrete with brick arches in the Venetian Renaissance style. Rising high above St. Augustine, the copper dome has turned to a green patina and is beautifully lit to show the details in the evening.
