Following QuiltCon, but before returning to The Villages, we spent another night and day in St. Augustine, Florida, making our time away from The Villages a total of nine days/nights.
We stayed in the Best Western-Historical Inn, and though the place looked older from the outside, the interior was a pleasant surprise.
That bathroom was top-drawer! Note the rainfall shower head, and no bathtub either.
This was the second time for me to visit and tour Flagler College, and the Lightner Museum which is directly across the street from the college. Both facilities were once hotels, built and owned by Henry Flagler, a New York railroad magnate. The "rich and famous" stayed at the place that's now the college, built in 1888 as the Ponce de León Hotel. A three month stay from January through March was $4,000. Thus, Flagler is credited for creating the Florida "snowbird" syndrome. Overflow guests, and those with less disposable income could stay across the street at the Alcazar Hotel.
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| Flagler College, formerly Ponce de León Hotel |
I very much admire Tiffany's stained glass. He also designed the chairs in this grand room.
After our college and museum tours, Di and I headed to the pedestrian-only street, St. George. Lunch was a Cuban sandwich, with flan and Cuban coffee for dessert. It was simply delicious!
Then we walked around the big fort, Castillo de San Marcos, and through the neighborhood of Water Street that's on the Matanzas River. That may have been the most entertaining thing we did! Since Di and I both admire the style and character of old homes, we discovered lots to appreciate in this neighborhood. And perhaps because we were still in the thinking-of-quilts mode, we couldn't help but notice quilt designs everywhere! How about these different shingle designs?!
The main part of this house is very old, with newer additions. We had a chance to speak to a friend of the owners who told us how this house is being updated. It now has air-conditioning.
This was the front gate to the house.
It was apparent that a number of properties were being updated, as we noticed this new fence.
Check out the colors of this house!
And how about the colors of this one?!
Garish, but definitely makes a statement! I do love a house with a front porch.
Even the parking space in front of the house induced thoughts of quilt designs.
When I saw this house, I just wanted a quilt to hang over that white railing! Can't you imagine it?
Apparently the owner of this place is considering new paint colors.
The day after returning home, on Wednesday, March 1, Di and I went to Daytona Beach to QuiltWeek, an AQS (American Quilter's Society) event. Though we may have felt "quilt showed out," there was no way we would miss seeing Di's quilt in this show! Besides having her "Out of the Square" juried into a prestigious AQS show, Di got to wear a "contestant" name tag and ribbon.
Di's quilt is her fabulous interpretation of Cathedral Windows done as squares using a rainbow assortment of Blueberry Park fabrics. Be sure to notice her skirt too. It's a skyline of Sydney, including the Opera House! Di adapted it from a Shannon Brinkley quilt pattern. Both Di's quilt, and Di herself were show-stoppers!
I didn't take many quilt photos. Though the quilts were phenomenal workmanship, I found the majority of them fell into the traditional category.
This happy-colors third-place winning quilt by Shirley Gisi struck an improv chord with me.
Another AQS show highlight was getting to meet Martha, a quilter I've followed on Instagram (MarthaBriese) for several years. Though she lives in Oregon, she and her husband were in Daytona Beach for the Daytona 500. Martha is a gal after my heart... a domestic machine quilter. She blogs here as QuiltToTheEdge.
You're probably not surprised to know that the three of us got on so well that we sat in the food court and talked for at least an hour. It's great to have a new friend! Linda
Fun to see another cool place on the Di and Linda Do Fun! trip. I think all those colors would fit right in out here in California--we like our colors bright and clashing and eye-popping. My husband loves Tiffany, so we'll have to add this one to our list of places to see; thanks for the travel tip!
ReplyDeleteYou gals certainly got around! I'll just bet Di is a showstopper wherever she goes! Her quilt is a stunner! What fun for her to have the opportunity to see it hanging in a show in Daytona! Um, Martha is a fantastic FMQer! Thanks for the introduction. I see a lot of inspiration there! XO
ReplyDeleteWhat a grand tour you have had!! I love St. Augustine and have done the Flagler tour. The Lightner is still on my list of places to visit. Di's quilt is wonderful, as was the entire AQS show. I was there for a class on Friday and thought it was very well done. Di surely had a memorable time in the States thanks to her phenomenal tour guide!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the travelogue! St. Augustine is a part of Florida we have not visited but would like very much to experience the history there.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun trip to St. Augustine for you and Di. Thanks so much for telling about the Tiffany connection. I did not know any of this and when I was in college, my aunt took me to St. Augustine just because it was the oldest city on earth.! No not really, but we went to the beach and that's all I remember. So glad to know there is much more -- if I ever get back there!
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