Thanksgiving at St. Mary's, then on to St. Augustine!

     This Thanksgiving was the most memorable and unique one I have ever had.

     We spent the holiday at St. Mary's, Georgia at the well renowned 'cruiser's Thanksgiving' that happens every year there. The tradition of the St. Mary's Cruiser's Thanksgiving started about eight years ago when bad weather forced a bunch of boaters to spend the holiday in the friendly little town. The citizens of St. Mary's generously donated space and some food, and the cruisers brought some dishes for a big potluck. It has grown exponentially in the years since, and this year there were about one hundred cruising boats that attended. The town donates the turkey, beverages, and space for this event.
     We got to St. Mary's a couple of days early anticipating that we would beat much of the crowd and get a good place to anchor. We were wrong. The river was already jam packed with boats of all shapes and sizes; it took us an hour to find a place to anchor. Later, we rowed in to shore and met a few boaters who gave us the scoop on the festivities: There was a girl's only tea time hosted by the lady on the three masted schooner at 3:30. Bring your own mug. Happy hour was at 5:30 that evening at Seagle's Bar and everyone was to bring hors d'oeuvres. We could arrange to get transportation to the grocery store if we contacted the woman in charge. There was a free oyster roast the next night at Seagle's, hosted by the delightful town of St. Mary's. Again, bring hors d'oeuvres. Thanksgiving dinner would be at 1:00 Thursday at Seagle's, and we were encouraged to arrive early to set up.
     My mother and I went to tea on the schooner that afternoon and met all sorts of other boat ladies, all of whom were about forty years older than I. The boat itself was absolutely amazing. It was over 100 feet overall. We had more fun at that tea party than I ever assumed was possible considering it was a tea party with middle aged women.
     The next day, (after going grocery shopping) I finally met some people my own age. It was fantastic. I spent most of the day walking around the park with them, chatting and laughing and getting to know one another. I really hit it off with one sixteen year old girl named Rachel, and we ended up hanging out at her boat later with her two little brothers. We both agreed that after months of social isolation, finally being able to make friends was great. It was a splendid day, I'm very glad that I met her.
     Thanksgiving dinner was positively scrumptious. The other kids and I had helped set up chairs and tables earlier, so we claimed the best part of the dining area as our turf. We loaded our plates with excessive amounts of delicious food then shared a really fun meal together. I think that everyone there agreed that after having eaten 'boat food' of abysmal quality for months, the dinner was beyond delicious. We spent that evening hanging out at the park and playground.
     Two days after departing St. Mary's, we arrived at St. Augustine. It is a lovely town, although it has been saturated with tourist shops. We visited the historic fort, which was built by some of America's first Spaniards in 1572. It was very interesting. My mom had a bit of a heart attack when the re-enactors shot off the cannon...
     Later on, my friend Rachel and her family pulled into St. Augustine, much to my delight. I had her and her brothers, Jake and Eli, over for brownies. Great evening. I convinced my dad to let us stay a couple more days to visit with them, and after much whining and bellyaching he gave in.
     We have spent the past two days hiking around and seeing the city. Rachel's family's friend managed to get us V.I.P. passes to the tourist attractions of the city so we were spared much of the expense. It was fabulous to be able to go to all of the places that normally don't quite fit in the budget.

     We walked around historic Lincolnville and read plaques about the importance of the Civil Right's Movement in this part of St. Augustine. We took the trolley across to the lighthouse and the alligator farm, both of which were tons of fun. (I thought that the albino alligators were the coolest things ever.) The four kids played mini golf at the course by the marina while our moms bought us pizza.
     I have had a wonderful time in the past few weeks. Having friends with you to share new experiences is so great. My parents and I are leaving tomorrow for Titusville, but hopefully I will be reunited with my new friends in a couple of days once we get there.
     I hope that everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

Two giant tortoises conversing at the Alligator Farm.

Looking down at Rachel in the inside of the St. Augustine lighthouse. 

My dad on top of the lighthouse. Who knew an old geezer could climb that high?