MN girls in Jax

Having the girls here from Thursday to Monday was wonderful! On Friday we spent an afternoon in St. Augustine visiting San Sebastian winery and taking the boat tour. The winery was awesome -- at the end of the tour and tasting our group sang me Happy Birthday (mildly embarrassing) and toasted champagne. I had to buy a couple bottles to take home! The boat tour ended up being not-so-pleasant when rain and clouds appeared about 10 minutes in, but it did afford some great views of the marina, Anastasia Island, the lighthouse and even some dolphins popping in and out of the surf. Other activities we fit in were dinner at Bonefish and PF Chang's, drinks at The Ritz and Fionn McCools, a movie at Tinseltown (finally saw Dark Knight!), a couple afternoons laying out and swimming at Jax Beach, shopping at the Augustine outlet mall, treats at Yogaberry, and lunch at Carribee Key up in Neptune Beach. It's fair to say that I had the biggest "tourist" mentality in the group. If I could've dragged the girls on more tours I definitely would have. ;-) Future visitors, beware...

We had to move from the roof deck to the main deck to hide from rain... we still had a pretty decent view during the whole boat tour, though! The cruise started downtown at St. Augustine's Municipal Marina near the Bridge of Lions. During the tour we saw historical landmarks including the Bridge of Lions, the St. Augustine Bayfront, the Castillo de San Marcos, the Cross where explorer Pedro Menendez landed, the St. Augustine Lighthouse, and Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth.

View of the Castillo de San Marcos -- once the northernmost outpost of Spain's empire in the New World. The fort was constructed in 1672 and is the most impressive of all the historical landmarks in St. Augustine.

At the San Sebastian winery we learned about the complete wine-making process (through a video presentation, a guided walking tour of the 18,000 square foot wine production facility, and a complimentary tasting).

In between tastings we could "cleanse our palates" with saltine crackers. My favorites were the Vintner's White and Red, as well as the Rosa. The Cream Sherry and Port dessert wines were way too rich, but would definitely be delicious drizzled atop a cheesecake. :)

Dinner at Bonefish Grill -- described as "interpretations of market fresh fish, grilled specialties and big city cocktails in a rich, sophisticated ambiance." I simply describe it as the best place in Jax for bang-bang shrimp and rainbow trout with mango salsa. Mmmm!

Birthday brownie! Complete with ice-cream, whipped topping and raspberry sauce (and zero calories, of course).

Smile, shades and a cooler -- pretty much all you need for an afternoon at Jax Beach.

Toe-writing at Neptune Beach, where we wandered around after lunching on crab and mahi wraps at Carribee Key. Dropping Kris and Tare at JAX Int'l on Monday afternoon... sad to say good-bye.

Tork stayed for a couple extra days, and wanted to take some pics of the grounds at Cape House. Here I am in front of the office and work-out facility... I love all the palm trees!