Ever since our trip to the North Carolina mountains, we had been staying close to home. That meant only going to the grocery store, or maybe Lowe’s, Target, or the pharmacy, always wearing a mask and gloves per science-based recommendations. For meals, we prepared most at home and only went out to get take-out from our local restaurants.
Jeannie’s birthday was coming up in January, and she wanted a change of view, and this time she wanted to be near the Atlantic coast. After a bit of searching, she had picked out an AirBnB on the Intracoastal waterway near Crescent Beach, on Florida’s northeast coast. About half-way between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach it was a perfect place to enjoy nature and avoid any crowds.
For a week we had mostly beautiful, cool weather with views of sunsets over the waterway It was a short walk to the ocean, and short drives to Washington Oaks State Park and its beautiful gardens and the unusual (for Florida) rock formations on the beach. There were also several nature preserves nearby with some excellent hikes.
Food and wine were all packed, and Jeannie had prepared and froze several meals to take with us to reduce the need to shop. In fact, we never went to a grocery while we were there.
It turned out to be a great getaway for a birthday, and for icing on the cake, on the drive home we were treated to a whale and calf sighting just offshore from Flagler Beach.
Harmani
22 Jul 2021Revisiting this post. It’s raining and had the time for guilty pleasures. ❤️Harriet
Evelyn
6 Mar 2021Lools like a wonderful way to spend a BIRTHDAY! I see lots of familiar sights, and I always enjoy the Chris view of the natural flora and fauna!
Linda Tisdale
5 Mar 2021We love Washington Oaks and the Beach, such a wonderful getaway!
Cathi
5 Mar 2021Ahhh, birthday celebration prelude of continuing travels at home and abroad! So good to see the blog in my email! <3
Tom Punzak
5 Mar 2021Beautiful pictures, we stopped at Washington Oaks Park in December 2019 and really enjoyed our visit there. Happy birthday to Jeannie?
Missy Ortega
4 Mar 2021I’m glad that y’all were able to enjoy a nice time near the Washington Oaks Park. It’s really a beautiful place. Phil and I used to drive down there just to walk around and enjoy the scenery.
What a great way to celebrate Jeannie’s birthday. Beautiful photos, also.
Susan
4 Mar 2021Your photos are always so beautiful!
Wayne
4 Mar 2021Thanks for Florida memories. My admin assistant just got back from that very area for her family vacation. She really enjoyed Washington Oaks state park.
Robin
4 Mar 2021Great pics!
Sarah Segal
4 Mar 2021Love the photos. Just this past weekend we discovered Washington Oaks state park Great find .
Glad to see the Slow Nomads online again
Linda
4 Mar 2021Great to see a Florida blog. Spectacular pictures. Roses in bloom in January!!! Had to chuckle at the chain-snake. 🙂
Alice Mathias
4 Mar 2021What a nice way to spend a birthday. Thanks for sharing!!