Friday, April 19, 2013

Quaint Cottage Reflections

This is a hidden garden behind a store on St. George Street. The store is a gift store full of wind chimes, garden decorations, wall hangings, coffee mugs, jewelry, etc. You wouldn't even notice this garden and quaint cottage in the back unless you walked into the store (or you're a local).

Quaint Cottage

I love being a local in a tourist town (well, sometimes) because I know about all of the city's secrets and hidden spots. I know where to park without having to pay, if I have to use the restroom I know which ones to go to that are nice and clean, I get into various tourist attractions for free and when I pass by certain places I am flooded with wonderful memories.

Like this quaint cottage located at the back of a small garden. My husband and I come here sometimes and just sit and take everything in. One day, we sat in the garden for a while and listened to Celtic music that was playing across the street.

There's a small park on the residential end of St. George Street that most people never see. I think many people walk by without even noticing it. This is where I got married. It looked very different when the walkways were lined with vases filled with water and floating candles and sprinkled with purple rose petals. There were candles and twinkle lights everywhere - it was very beautiful. Sometimes, I go to the park to reflect on my marriage and my amazing husband.

When walk on the grounds of the Castillo de San Marcos (or what locals refer to as "the fort"), I don't think about the battle that took place almost 450 years ago. I think about the night my husband proposed to me. I think about the fort being my dog's most favorite place. He used to play in the grass and run up and down the hills when he was a puppy. There's a point that looks out over the water. You can see the Atlantic Ocean and the Bridge of Lions (a beautiful historical drawbridge). My husband wants his ashes sprinkled here when he dies. It's one of his favorite places.

These are quaint places for me - they feel cozy and bring me good thoughts. They are full of beautiful memories and I am very appreciative of their ability to foster moments of reflection.

*I'm participating in the 2013 A to Z Challenge. Every day in April (except for Sundays) I will be posting according to a letter of the Alphabet. To read more about my theme, click here.

26 comments:

  1. Nice post! I lived in a tourist town for a while. It depends on the town whether that's good or not, I think :)
    Happy A to Zing!
    Jemima at Jemima's blog

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Jemima. It probably does depend on the town. I'm pretty lucky b/c ours still has that "small town" feel:)

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  2. What a charming blog you have. Glad I found it. Am visiting from the Challenge. Will be back! It's peaceful here :)

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  3. Apparently I already follow this blog! Maybe I found you last year during the challenge. Well, I definitely need to come back more often. I enjoy your thoughtful posts.

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    1. No worries:) I have the worst memory ever. Thanks for stopping by again!

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  4. I love the pic of the cottage and those secret places in a tourist town that only the locals know. :)

    Happy A-Z!

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    1. This garden is such a relaxing place. I love sitting on one of the benches with a cup of coffee and my husband. Enjoy your Friday!

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  5. Thank you, Arlee. I really appreciate your support. Have an amazing Friday!

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  6. Yes, most of the times we past by beautiful places, because we are so busy "looking" for something, instead of "being" where we are in the moment.
    Your blog is a very charming place to sit, read and be. Thank you!
    With great respect!
    A.

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    1. I love that you're cognizant about being in the here and now. I wrote about this for my "B" post. Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. Hi, Jaime,
    Quaint is a good description for that cottage. I also like restful.

    J.L. Campbell writes Jamaican Kid Lit

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    1. Restful is a good word - especially for a Friday evening:)

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  8. Visiting thanks to Arlee's post on Blogging from A to Z.

    What a beautiful post. I understand how a place can hold a lot of special meaning for you that is very different from how others see it. My "L" post was in a similar vein, as I'd been at my 10 year college reunion and was doing a lot of reflecting.

    Lyre @ Lyre's Musings #atozchallenge

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Lyre. I'm looking forward to checking out your blog this weekend.

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  9. Hi there! I really enjoyed this post and was surprised when I realized you were describing a spot in St. Augustine! I lived in Palm Coast from 2000 to 2009, so made many trips to St. Augustine. And yet, I know none of the quaint secrets of the city.

    I'm glad I've found your blog through the A to Z Challenge and I look forward to reading more!

    -Cristyl @ www.mychillthoughts.com

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    1. If you ever come back, let me know. I'll share lots of great places to visit!

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  10. Oh, my goodness, I never realized you were from that part of Florida! Our daughter and son-in-law live in Ponte Vedra Beach and love St. Augustine. I have got to go there the next time we visit them and look for this Quaint shop! These are the kinds of places we always try to search out when visiting a town but they can be hard to find as they're usually not near the interstate. Thank you for conveying the atmosphere of this little shop.

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    1. It's such a small world! I go to PVB pretty often for work. St. Francis Park (on the corner of St. George & St. Francis) is the park next to the Llambias House - this is where I got married. It's a beautiful park - one that you really should visit:) Then, you can go to the Alcazar Café in the Lightner Museum and have lunch. They have really yummy crepes:)

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  11. That is such a charming cottage. If I was in the area, I would so go.

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  12. Very wonderful little cottage, makes me want to visit.

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    1. St. Augustine is a wonderful place to visit. There's history, culture, southern charm & coastal life:)

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  13. This is a great post as I can feel your emotions in it. You really are a smart women as not having to pay for parking and knowing where the clean restrooms are, are an absolute must in my world. The cottage is absolutely beautiful. Thank you for sharing your great memories with us.

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    1. I admit, I paid for parking last night - just enough to get us to 5:00 (45 cents).

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  14. Well, Well, Well Jamie!
    Nice to meet you! I'm doing the A to Z blog Challenge and I'm a "local yocal" from St. Augustine who is now living in Atlanta! I graduated from St. Joe - when it was on St. George St., attended St. Johns River Jr. College when there was only one- in Palatka and one of the first classes at Flagler College. I knew the Ponce when it was wintered in by Yankees and knew it as a college of just females when it first opened! St. Augustine is an amazing place to live and my Mom still lives there, so we go "home" quite often!!

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    1. It really is such a small world. I had no idea St. Joe was on St. George Street - I bet you have a ton of your own history in this place. Thanks for stopping by!

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