Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Texture, Patina.. Oh, My!






if you adore texture...
like I do, then
St. Augustine
is 
a place you would want to put on your
list.. 







this is one of the oldest cities in
the country..
it was continuously inhabited
from 1565
though not with Brits
so it doesn't count
officially...

but oh, my..
dear readers, it has so much to offer..






the beach was pristine...
and the weather was splendid...







the blue sky
was dreamy...





and we enjoyed our stroll...







collecting shells 
and deciding to go into town...









Old St. Augustine...
and dear reader...
I will apologize for falling in love with a tree...

believe it or not, not the oldest tree...
I saw that Live Oak too...
but this one is spectacular...








and I took a few ...ok... 
many 
photos of the tree...







I admit, that they have stolen my heart...






and the church wasn't bad either...







these trees, 
become ecosystems
where all manner of species thrive..
ferns, Spanish moss, bromeilads, squirrels, air plants, and in this case a rubber plant ..
and of course bugs of all kinds...








we stepped across the street and found the gates to the 
old city...
and as I said, there was so much texture and age...









such patina, that I couldn't keep myself from touching
walls and gates and stones...






the town bounced back and forth in time
with French and Spanish ownership...

imagine waking up one day to find that you are now a subject of 
Spanish Rule and you must convert to 
Catholicism  or loose your home and lands...


so the city looks like both
New Orleans, and Santa Fe...






This great photo was taken by Mr. LDV... I stole it from his phone.. 



there were hidden gardens and courtyards...








and did I mention texture?

this is a wall of a building.. below..






it was a paradise...


Old City Wall, photo Caterina Giglio






for this artist
anyway...


I have so many photos that I will have to split your travelogue
into at least 2 parts...

hoping that if you are freezing
somewhere north of us, that you find warm photos appealing...


C4N!