A Get A Way to St Augustine Sept 24th thru 28th, 2026

 We decided to take a week or so and head to Fernandina Beach, Fl before my quilting season got busier before Christmas. I had seen a YouTube video by Traveling Robert when he made a trip there to FB and it looked like a very interesting place to visit. It was about an hour and a half closer to Chattanooga than St Augustine and the drive wouldn't be 10 hours like the last time. I found a nice place that accepted pets and made the reservation for an AirBnB. It was about 90 miles from St Augustine, so I thought Ryan and family might meet us for dinner while we were there. Ryan texted me later and asked if we could come the week before, because the kids were in sports and they couldn't get away that week, but they could the previous week. Also, the kids would be out of school on the previous Friday. 

We decided to keep our reservations in Fernandina Beach and try to find something for 4 days in St Augustine and then move up to Fernandina Beach to our previously reserved AirBnB. It was our lucky day, because we found a house on the next street over from Ryan that accepted pets and had a screened in porch for the kitties.

In order to get all of our luggage and the kitty's stuff in the car, again we rented a large SUV that we could put the 3rd row seat down and use the whole back area for all of our stuff. I arranged to pick the car up 2 days before we left, so that we could get used to it and pack everything in the day before. The kitties, just add so much t what we have to take. At Enterprise they had a Grand Wagoneer and a Chevy Tahoe available. We asked for the Grand Wagoneer. I had heard from a friend that they were very spacious and drove great. I drove it home. It was a big, beautiful silver SUV.

We drove it around a bit, but to me it was very big in the front and hard to see over the hood It didn't drive easily or ride smoothly. When we went to load some items in the back, the liftgate wouldn't open. We tried everything the manual said to open it. Nothing worked. The next morning, I called Enterprise and told them the problem we were having and asked if we could swap it out for the Tahoe. They said, come and get it. So, we swapped it out. The Tahoe drove much better and it looked like we would have just enough room for everything. This one did the job for us.

We packed up everything we could the night before. In the morning, the kitties got their Gabapentin at 6am and we had everything ready to go by 8am so away we went. We packed a cooler with some water, snacks and chicken salad sandwiches. It was a long drive, 9.5 hrs. Riley and Molly rode in their carriers in the back seat and Abby was between us on the console in her booster seat. We decided not to harness Molly and Riley in the carrier since they were zipped up in their carriers---until Riley got his unzipped and crawled up to the front seat while I was driving. We stopped at a rest stop, put him in the litter box for a minute. He wouldn't go potty, so back in the carrier, ALL HARNESSED in. He was much better than the last time about crying for hours. He did some, but not much. When he did cry, Abby answered him and then Molly. It was like a chorus. But there weren't the long whining cries like he was being tortured like the last trip.

Going thru Atlanta wasn't too bad as it was past the rush hour, when we went through. We had our sandwiches for lunch. By the time we got to Tifton, I was so sleepy, so I pulled over and got a Starbucks coffee to keep me awake while I drove. We got to the FL-GA line about 2:30 and arrived at the AirBnB at about 5:30. We were exhausted. 

We unloaded everything out of the car. Abigail got out of her booster seat in the car & David was bringing in the front door. I wasn't there to open the glass door and Abby got out of her harness and bolted. I ran after her and thought I could catch her next to the fence, but I fell in the grass and she took off again. Luckily, the neighbor next doors fence stopped her, and I was able to grab her. Just what I needed, a heart stopping event.

The house was an older house, that had been remodeled. It looked very nice and it was very clean.  Ryan and family lived right around the corner.

The Main bedroom was very nice. It had 2 other bedrooms, but we kept the doors closed, so the kitties wouldn't go in there. There were 2 bathrooms.

The kitties loved the screened in porch. There were a lot of lizards to keep them entertained.

After we booked the house they said "No pets on furniture". Try and keep them off.  LOL We usually travel with a few quilts and throws so we don't leave cat hair on things. Riley decided he was going to bypass the throws. 

The couch was very uncomfortable, by the way. It had been pretty used and had no support. My back was hurting either from that or the fall, & chasing Abby.

After we unloaded, we went to Publix to pick up some groceries. It was good to get in bed that night. And of course, all the kitties joined us.

On Friday morning, we fixed breakfast at the house, and I went to Bealls to look for some shirts and pants. I didn't find anything for me but found 2 long sleeve shirts for David. 

Later, we met everyone at Salt Life for lunch. Ryan and Najla walked over to our place. It was nice to be so close so we could visit.

On Saturday, Trevor and Ryan had soccer, so we drove across the road to Connolly's Diner for breakfast and then to Talbots at the outlet mall. I found a couple of shirts. On the way back we stopped at 2 quilt shops but didn't see anything interesting.

Ryan and Najla had a birthday party to go to that night, so we just went to Culver's for hamburgers. We weren't really that hungry.

On Sunday, we had breakfast at the house. We needed a hand mixer to make a peanut butter pie, so we went to the Dollar Store down the road. It was next to the Paladar Cuban Cafe, so I went in and got a Cuban sandwich and a beef empanada to share for lunch. It was delicious. 

Sunday night Ryan did some chicken and ribs on the Big Green Egg, Najla made potatoes and salad and we brought the Peanut Butter pie. It was a nice visit.  It was nice to be so close to their house.

On Monday, we left for Fernandina Beach. We could not check in there until 4pm, so we booked the house in SA another night so we wouldn't have to leave until about 2PM to drive to FB.

OUR LAST 2 DAYS IN SA

On Saturday, the Meyers were busy with the kids soccer and volleyball. Also, Najla's niece, Emmerson was staying in town. She lives in Boulder, CO, so they spent some time with her. 

We hung out at the house for a while since it was raining most of the day. The house we rented thru AirBnB was an older house built in 1978. It was small and had 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and an open area with the living room, dining area and kitchen all together. The owner had done a nice job updating it and it was very clean neat and comfortable. This was our first time staying at an AirBnB and it was very comfortable. The kitties settled right in too. 

This was the outside. The house was in an older neighborhood, near the river, with walking trails and it was a very safe and quiet area.

This was the living area. The couch was very comfortable, and the internet was great as well as the ROKU TV.

                                            The kitchen was nice and open and bright.

                                             

                                              

     There were 3 bedrooms and we slept in this one because it had a TV and a bathroom. I guess it was supposed to be a kids room, but it worked for us. The house had a washer and dryer and a big screened in porch, but had to go outside to access it. The screen doors didn't lock, so I couldn't let the kitties out in it. They enjoyed watching the squirrels from the windows.

                                    They certainly made themselves at home.

For dinner we went to Aunt Kate's on Vilano Beach. There is a nice campground right next to it and we had eaten there a few times before. It was raining, so we sat inside. It has the river on one side and the beach across the street. Always nice views.

On Sunday, our last day there, the kids had sports in the morning, so Ryan and Najla invited us over for dinner at 5pm. They picked up seafood from Seafood Kitchen right up the street, and it was delicious. It was like a seafood buffet. 

                                      

Their cat Pippin was so cute. They started having her eat out of a feeder that was on a timer because she drove them crazy always wanting food. Pippin would just sit in front of the feeder and wait for it to drop the food. she sat staring at it for over half an hour. Poor baby.

                                                                                Pippin

                 Staring at the feeder, until it gives her her food. LOL

                                          They were teaching Pippen to give a high 5 for food.

They also introduced us to Sunflower, a young bearded dragon. They took her out of her tank and Trevor was holding her.

        

                                     The next thing I knew Sunflower was sitting next to me staring at me. ACKKK

      Then I looked down and she was sitting next to me. He was probably cold. I had to move my purse. I was afraid she would jump in and go home with me. The kitties would have loved that.

          

We had a great time. It was sad to have to leave, but we had to get back home.

 The next morning, we got up early. I dosed up all the kitties with their gabapentin. Waited a couple of hours while we packed up. We put all their harnesses on-- except for Molly. We couldn't find her anywhere. Finally, we found her INSIDE the box springs of the bed we were sleeping in. We had to take the whole bed apart to get to her. By that time, we were all worn out.

The drive home was 9 hours. Nine long hours. We were beat. The car drove so great and it was so comfortable, but it was just too long for a one-day drive.

The kitties were happy to get home and so were we.

 

                   

A Quiet Day

 On Thursday we just hung out at the house. Ryan and Najla w re busy working and taking the kids to soccer and volleyball and training. I don't know how they keep up with all of that. Emma plays beach volleyball as well as regular volleyball. She is at least 5'8" at 13 years old. She has some long legs and she's a great player. Emma is the one in the middle.

Trevor has become quite good at soccer too.

                                             

                                   This is all of them together when they were on vacation.

Najla is a runner. She runs 10 miles a day and met the criteria to run in the Boston Marathon next month, so they whole family is going with her to cheer her on.

On Friday, we met Ryan at Salt Life for lunch. David and I both had a big bowl of New England Clam Chowder. It's the best clam chowder we've ever had. YUM. They have lots of clams in it and they season it very well with bacon and who knows what else, but it is delicious.

I noticed on our way out the front door that they had fixed the edge of the floor going into the restaurant. The last time we were there, I stepped up to get in the door and my sandal got caught on the edge of it and I face planted right in the doorway. When I fell, I really injured my shoulder. It was bad for a long time, but OK now. They probably had other people do the same thing. But now the walkway is all flat and even.

After that we stopped at Une Autre Histoire, La French Bakery, for a couple of chocolate tarts. There were very, very good.

Back to the house to relax. LOL That's all we've done is eat, eat, eat, and relax.

For dinner we decided to go to Simones Wood Fired Grill. They are located in World of Golf, Murabell, near Ryan and Najla's first vet hospital. I had seen ads about their wood fired pizza and after eating so much seafood we needed a seafood break.

I ordered a small pizza and David ordered the meatballs with spaghetti. WOW!! They were both delicious. There were 3 huge meatballs plus pasta. David could only eat 1meatball. I ate 3 slices of the pizza. It was a very thin crust and not a lot of toppings, but very flavorful. We had plenty of leftovers for another meal.

 

After that delicious meal, we decided to go check out the new Publix grocery that opened at Silverleaf, nearby where we were eating dinner.  There were already 2 Publix groceries right across the street from each other. One was a brand new one with a lot of great new amenities. 

The new one that just opened the day before was 55,700 sq feet. It had everything you could think of. It had a POURS station where you could order a glass of wine, beer or a drink and take it with you while you shopped. The grocery cart even had a place to hold your drink. They had the usual great Publix Deli and Bakery as well as a salad bar, soup bar, taco bar, nachos, pizza station, and burrito bar. On the second floor was a dining area. You name it, they have it.

                                                           You can see the upstairs dining area.

                                                        Here's where you get your drinks to go.

                                                               Salad bar and pizza station.

                                                      Burritos, nachos anyone?

                      What a nice store. That whole area is building like crazy. Homes going up everywhere. 

                                        Well, we have just about eaten ourselves sick.

SHOPPING AT MY FAVORITE SPOTS

 On Tuesday, we cooked breakfast at the house. Sausage, eggs and toast. Very good. I washed a few clothes, cleaned up a little and just hung out for a while

One of my favorite stores is Bealls of Florida and they are ONLY in Florida. I like their store brand and often will just order online and have things shipped to me since I know they will always fit. I do like to go and shop there when I am in town, just to see what's new, in person. They were haven't a huge clearance sale, but nothing was of interest to me. I did find a couple of new tops. They seem to have less and less of the styles I like. 

After Bealls of Florida, we went to the outlet mall off of I-95. We used to stop there regularly for school clothes for Ryan when we went this way since he went to college in Jacksonville. Now, the only places I visit at the mall are Talbots and Vera Bradley. At Talbots, I always find tops that I like. I found a couple this time, but nothing else. It's always hit or miss at the mall. Then I did have great luck at Vera Bradley. I love their crossbody wallets and have been using them for years. They have lots of storage sections and fit nicely into my purse. Last time I was here, they had a couple, but the fabric choices were awful, so I didn't buy anything. This time, I found 3 that I liked, so I bought all 3. At least when one wears out, I'll have another to use until I get to another Vera Bradley store. It was a good shopping day.

The Meyers invited us over to their house for dinner. Najla made a one pan lasagna for dinner, and it was delicious. We had a great time talking and catching up. Ryan's hand was healing nicely, although still somewhat numb. We got to see their sweet dog Ellie and their kitty Pippin. Bob, their huge turtle was out in the yard in his underground bunker.

On Wednesday, we didn't do much. We invited Ryan and Emma over for dinner for country fried steak, with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, corn and orange cake for dessert. Trevor had soccer, so he and Najla couldn't come. It was a good time to have country fired steak since Najla doesn't eat beef. We had a good time. I showed Emma where we kept our stash of Cadbury Mini Eggs and our bag of Hershey's chocolate and she was all over that. She even filled her pockets when she left. LOL Even Molly and Abby came out of hiding to get their cat grass and treats. Riley was always in the middle of everything. 

Molly and Riley like to lay on the window ledges and watch the squirrels in the yard. This nice, quiet old neighborhood is full of oak trees and lots of squirrels. It is a really enjoyable place to stay.

Lunch with the Meyer

On Sunday, we met the Meyers at Crabby's Beachside for lunch. It was right down from Salt Life, one of our favorite places. We had never been there before, and it was similar to Salt Life with an upstairs deck so you could look out across the street at the beach. It was the last day of Spring break, and the road and beach were packed with people making the most of the beautiful day, warm sunny weather and the beach.

I had the fried haddock & shrimp combo, which was very good but just too much food. David had their clam chowder & he said it was excellent. 

The kids, posing and NOT posing for pictures, LOL

Emma, 13

                                                                             Trevor, 12

Ryan & Najla had concert tickets for that night, so that's why we met for lunch. We went back to the house to spend time with the kitties. We were so full of food, we didn't have dinner. 

Later, we took a ride over to the local quilt shop. I have been working on some petal hexies to surround a small embroidery, and I needed a few more fat quarters for variety. Unfortunately, this shop only carried big, bold fabrics like Kaffe Fassett and other modern, bold styles which didn't coordinate with the fabrics I already had.

On Monday, Ryan had surgery in JAX for carpal tunnel, and he had to be there at 5AM. Due to that we didn't see them. He was doing OK post-surgery but his hand was still numb that night.

David wanted to go to Metro Diner, for breakfast, his favorite breakfast place. On a Monday morning it wasn't busy at all.

Again, we both had too much food.

After breakfast, we went back to the house for time with the kitties and make sure they had food. I threw out some raw peanuts for the squirrels to enjoy and the kitties too. They loved watching them in the backyard as they buried their peanuts.

Later, we took a ride over to Palatka to Miss D's quilt shop. I was still looking for some small floral fat quarters and I found 10 there, It was about 40 minutes away, mostly highway, so the drive wasn't too bad. We passed lots of farms on the way and it was a pleasant drive.

Then we were back home for a quiet meal of stuffed baked potatoes and time with the kitties.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN TO ST AUGUSTINE

 Well, we are headed to St Augustine to visit with Ryan, Najla, Emma and Trevor. This time, we aren't in the motorhome but driving down in a car. We rented a Ford Expedition MAX for the trip since all 3 kitties would be traveling with us.

It is one big car, and it drives great. It's so comfortable. We have spent some time trying to figure out the features and how to use them or find them. Luckily, it has an owner's manual in the on-board computer, 12" screen to help you find what you are looking for. It has 3 rows of seating. We put down the third row which gives us a lot of storage space for suitcases and kitty items.

Molly and Riley rode in their carriers in the second row and Abby in her booster seat on the console, between us. She was loved on the whole way. Molly slept the whole way, and Riley whined practically the whole way. I don't know why he is such a whiner, but he talks and whines all the time.

The trip took 9.5-10 hrs. to go 500 miles. The trip was uneventful but the traffic coming out of Atlanta was awful. Then when we came out of Jacksonville it was about 9 mph all the way. It seemed like the trip took forever and we were exhausted when we finally got there. We stopped a few times to see if Riley was whining because he wanted to go to the bathroom. I had a litter box behind the passenger seat, so I could take them out of their carriers to go but Riley just wanted to lay in the litter box. At least he didn't poop in his carrier.

We rented an Airbnb in St Augustine, down the road from one of Ryan and Najla's vet hospitals. It is a convenient location from most everything.  It is an older small house in an established neighborhood. The owner has done a total remodel and updated most everything with white kitchen cabinets, countertops, new roof, new floors and comfortable furniture. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, but it is small. It has a fenced in backyard and a big screened in back porch which is why I rented it. Unfortunately, there is no direct access to the screened in porch from the house. You have to go through the garage, into the yard and into the screened in porch. The 2 doors on the porch don't latch so it has to be off limits to the cats. So disappointing. But they are having a good time anyway.

This is the house on Airbnb, BYO Boat, Kayak, Golf Cart, RV - Houses for Rent in St. Augustine, Florida, United States - Airbnb

They love looking out the front and back windows and of course sleeping with us.

                                                 Molly is helping to unpack.

They both have claimed their beds.

Abby loves her people time.

On Saturday, Emma had a volleyball tournament in JAX, so Najla took her there. Ryan and Trevor came over, and we went to lunch at Grouper Shack. It is a relatively new seafood restaurant on the water that has great reviews. I wanted to go there while we were here, so it was perfect.

You go in, order your food, find a seat by the water and they bring your food out to you.

                                            David and I had the lobster rolls and they were so huge. 

  The weather was perfect too and we had such a good lunch. Trevor took a walk along the pier.

                                                                              Fun times.