2009 USA Tour : March 10th, day around Jacksonville Beach

Restoring Breakfast

The word that strikes me this morning is “Pride”, a beautiful quality that is so much part of the psyche of the USA people and it was very much in evidence with the people and presentations we experienced today.

After a stunningly relaxed and comfortable sleep in our gifted beachside apartment, listening to the waves crash as we both entered and raised from our slumbers, it was off to Ponte Vedra Inn for breakfast. 

The Ponte Vedra Inn is a traditional 1922 built resort golf club Inn. Regrettably I thought, why take a camera to breakfast. I wish I had. The building and breakfast room was beautiful, of a world past yet so much in the present and needed now. It was a place of starting the day with peace, calm and complete refreshment.  Much of this wonderful experience was due to the cheerful, helpful, professional service by all of the staff along with snippets of wonderful colourful conversation. Again, their theme and tone was pride in themselves, their work and their lives.

Off To The Harp

We were hoping to follow up breakfast with a lazy morning on the beach, but have just found out this is the only available time to pick up the harp for the tour, so that’s what we are doing, and pick up a phone too.

Its currently 72 F degrees and sunny, no wind, forecasted to go to 77 F this afternoon and a bit haze. Tide is going out so we may catch it coming in this afternoon, may be a good time for a dip if the warm sun warms the beach to warm the incoming tide water.

Arrived at Kayo and Richard’s harp center and received a warm welcome from Kayo. Claire tried out some harps and decided that for this tour she would like one of the antique peddle harps instead of the troubadour harp. As Kayo had a busy itinerary of appointment we could not stay long, and we were eager for some beach time, if we could.

On the way back to the apartment called in to get a pay as you go phone from a very helpful AT&T store. We also took the opportunity to shop in Publix, next door, for supplies to kick off our RV travels starting tomorrow.

Onto The Beach

Still a lot of preparation and arrangement work needed for this tour, but this is our only anticipated time in warm weather on a beach, so a couple of hours on the beach it was, including a salad and smoothie lunch. Alas, the water was not as warm as when we were here last March, so no swim for us but, indeed a good paddle. It was fascinating watching the various sea birds. I got quite close to them and look forward to seeing how the pics came out.

Into The Evening

I still have not prepared myself for the folk drama part of the show tomorrow, but often this is normal. Robin Williamson recently said that all the old bards were inspirational bards who did not rehearse but shared what they were inspired to perform at every event. Robin does this often and I know I do this sometimes.

Claire is away on a walk so I’ll get down to rehearsing some ideas now.

In a couple of hours we are off to have dinner with William Ramouter, a popular local DJ with his Sunday show called Irish Ways, along with his lovely wife, Julie.

If there is any more news of this day I will share this evening or in the morning. After then we may not get a moment to share our journal with you until Thursday evening near New Orleans.

Meanwhile hope to see some of you in Ormond Beach tomorrow evening.