Where We've Been

It's been awhile (three weeks or so) since my last post right before we left home in Nashua, NH. (Thanks, everyone for the birthday well wishes). 

In the interim, we've visited six states (NJ, VA, SC, FL, AL, GA) with a couple more to come before we're back home. Unfortunately, there has been little sightseeing in most places. A couple of states were overnight stays; in others it rained nearly all the time (1-3) days we visited.

Fernandina Beach, FL

Anyone who has traveled knows that bad weather can dampen extended sightseeing. We try to explore as much as possible on road trips and often this requires outdoors time, definitely not enjoyable during downpours. Thankfully, there hasn't been any snow or ice but temps in FL, AL and GA were cooler than anticipated. The morning we left NH, the temperature was in the single digits. Daytime FL temps in the 40s and 50s were like springtime to us, but less so for residents.

The incentive for this road trip (aside from my birthday and Hearts Day) was Grenville's ham radio convention in Orlando, FL, which he called disappointing in that several major product vendors were no-shows. This event had been cancelled in 2021, apparently event attendance is not back to pre-pandemic levels of the 2020 convention he attended there.

We had anticipated the possibility of meeting fellow bloggers in FL and TN on this trip. However, after exchanging emails and phone conversations, we mutually agreed that this was not the best time because of you-know-what. We always enjoy meeting people, but would rather everyone be safe and feel comfortable. And, just maybe, we will have the chance to meet up on a future trip. 

Social distancing was recommended in most of our accommodations, which have all been Hampton Inns with the exception of the Orlando convention hotel. The least said about that one the better as it was like an oversized motel that featured outside facing rooms on six levels. Mask wearing was not required in, aside from when using trolleys in Alexandria, VA and Orlando, FL, where masks were required regardless of vaccination status. One hotel required guests to don plastic gloves at the in-house breakfast and had an employee positioned there to ensure compliance. While similar gloves were provided at a couple of other locations, their use was optional and I noticed that most guests opted not to wear them, myself included.

Weather and lack of sightseeing aside, the best thing about the trip was visiting family and friends who we saw three years ago when Grenville attended a convention in Dayton, OH.

Grenville has cousins in FL and AL and a Navy buddy in FL. I have a cousin and former co-worker in GA. We also visited my brother and his wife in NJ where we co-celebrated their January wedding anniversary and my February birthday. 

Architecture in downtown Fernandina Beach, FL

After two days of rain, we spent a sunny afternoon in downtown Fernandina Beach which is the northernmost city on Florida's Atlantic coast and located on Amelia Island, known as the Isle of 8 Flags because it has had the flags of that many nations flown over it: France, Spain, Great Britain, Spain (again), the Republic of East Florida, the Republic of the Floridas, Mexico, the Confederate States of America, and the United States.

While the French, English, and Spanish all maintained a presence on Amelia Island at various times during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, the Spanish established Fernandina named in honor of King Ferdinand VII of Spain.

Grenville posed with a couple of "new" but silent friends. The weather was warm and sunny on the last of our 3-day stay. The pirate on the left was standing guard outside the Palace Saloon, Florida's oldest bar; the one on the right was outside a gift store.

Fernandina Beach, FL, sunset

The day ended with a beach walk, and as shown by our outerwear, it was a chilly late afternoon. After leaving FL, our adventures continued, some highlights will be in future posts. 

This week we're headed home with a overnight stops for dining and sleeping only. There's a forecast of ❄️ snow by the end of the week and we plan to be home before then.

FYI — blog reading/commenting has been delayed during our travels; hopefully I will get to read your recent posts once we're back home in Nashua.