as long as I am near the sea

One of our favorite things to do is tour the A1A,

Florida's Scenic Highway.

This highway meanders along the East Coast of Florida.

It is sometimes there,

sometimes not.

It beckons by being a ribbon of road

right next to the ocean

which, of course,

intrigues me to the utmost.

Driving along, 

catching glimpses of the ocean

 between the sometimes thick vegetation,

takes my breath away every time.

Rolling through quirky little beach towns, we see a mixture of

 grand and  funky beach houses,

surf shops, 

tourist houses,

along with glorious hotels,

and the regular "run of the mill" motels.

There are restaurants and bars,

"hole in the wall"beach shacks selling conch meat

and who knows what else,

surfers and bicyclists,

every type of "beach people" that you could ever imagine

scantily dressed, or dressed up like cowboys,

unconcerned about anything

 but the turn of the tides.

Two of our most favorite restaurants are along this route.

Our trip along A1A always enables us to take the 

Ferry over the St John River in Jacksonville.

The smells of the sea,

the pelicans,

the dolphins, following after....

it all makes for a leisurely trip experience that never fails to satisfy.

Bubba and are are just back from a little getaway

that included a short hop on this highway.

*Doesn't take much to thrill me,

as long as I am near the sea and not "too far" from home