I am fortunate enough to live in the beautiful and warm state of Florida, and had the pleasure of meeting up in St. Augustine with a friend from our days in elementary school, which was not far from Vancouver, Canada. Sixty years have passed and we both have lost our husbands. Jacquie now lives in Phoenix and came to visit this week.
Old Town of St. Augustine
As a special outing we drove to the magnificent old town of St. Augustine, the first European settlement in the United States, founded in 1565 by the brave and bold Spanish explorers. The beautiful and stately architecture was influenced by the founders—but who discovered the land first?
Pedro Menendez de Aviles was sent to Florida by King Philip of Spain in order to establish a center of operations from which to attack the French. Pedro may have the fame and glory, but in reality, he was not the first to discover this piece of land. Let’s give credit where credit is due.
La Florida is claimed
The first European known to have explored the coasts of Florida was the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon. He ventured in 1513 as far north as the vicinity of the future St. Augustine. He believed it to be an island and named it “La Florida,” claiming it for the Spanish crown. Others had attempted to colonize the land before the founding of St. Augustine. But all attempts had failed.
So yes, I’m confused. While both men are recognized for being the adventurous explorers, Pedro seems to have the most credit. I won’t bore you further with the history, but I will let the photos speak for themselves. It truly is a wonder and gorgeous to see.
Here we are at the Christmas Night Lights at St. Augustine 2022.
Patrice Wilton knew from the age of twelve that she wanted to write books that would take the reader to faraway places. She was born in Vancouver, Canada, and had a great need to see the world that she had read about.
Patrice became a flight attendant for seventeen years and traveled the world. At the age of forty she sat down to write her first book—in longhand! Her interests include tennis, golf, and writing stories for women of all ages.
She is a mother of two, has four lovely grand-daughters, and a wonderful man at her side. They live in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he teaches her golf, and she teaches him patience.
Her best selling books are the CANDY BAR series, SERENDIPITY FALLS series, and most recently PARADISE COVE and A CHRISTMAS COLLECTION series. She is a New York Times best selling author.
