From arid to balmy, from desert to sea. Our trip continued with a visit to St. Petersburg, FL, to spend some much needed time with daughter Hillary and son-in-law Bruno.
Viewing entries tagged
Florida
After a year of planning, imagining and anticipation, the big day was finally upon us. Family from across the U.S., Peru and as far as Spain, gathered in Tallahassee to celebrate the wedding of Hillary and Bruno.
Dorothy B. Oven Park was the idyllic setting, and miraculously, the weather was perfect—lush, green and tropical.
Hillary with her beautiful bridesmaids. Photo courtesy of Lizzie Robilliard
Bruno’s mom Ada and I spent the morning with the bride and bridesmaids, along with some very talented hair and makeup artists. I can attest that for me, they were miracle workers. But it wasn’t until I crept downstairs to sneak a peek at the progress, that the enormity of the event finally hit me. My only daughter was getting married. Wow.
Shortly after starting graduate school at FSU, Hillary met the love of her life—Bruno Chiurliza. And it seemed that Dave and I were about to become part of a much bigger picture, full of love and adventure.
So this is really about family, love and celebration. A snippet that we hope captures the wedding’s true essence. A most splendid garden party.
Hats off, and many thanks to Emily Chandler of Poppie Studios, for the gorgeous wedding photography and to Amy Forman of Papaya Wedding Planning, our talented, meticulous and epic wedding planner. And especially, to all of our family and friends who helped make the celebration so memorable.
April in Tallahassee is pretty, pretty nice. The mornings are cool and damp and the real heat hasn’t quite settled in yet. A great month for a wedding—Hillary’s and Bruno’s that is. Dave and I arrived early in the week, to spend some time with our only daughter and future son-in-law. Time to chill a bit before the big day—and help put the couple at ease (or at least try to!).
Lizzie, Oscar and Dave ham it up before class.
Our first couple of days were well spent. We explored FSU, attended one of Hillary’s Abnormal Psych lectures (eye-opening), drank Lucky Goat Coffee (so GOOD) and visited Proof Brewing Co.
St Marks Lighthouse
However, by third day, Dave and I decided it might be helpful if we disappeared for a bit. So we made the short 16-mile drive to St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge for a visit.
This refuge was established in 1931 and is one of the oldest in the National Refuge system. It’s initial purpose was to provide a winter home for migratory birds. It encompasses over 70,000 acres, and 43 miles of gulf shoreline. Our plan was to visit the lighthouse, followed by a five mile walk along some of the salt marshes and bayous in search of wildlife.
I’m not gonna stop him…
On the way to St. Marks Lighthouse, Dave saw a rather large gator lounging in the middle of a sandy road. We parked and crept towards him (not too close) to take a photo. He wasn't interested in us, it was the warmth of the early morning sun he was after. It still freaked me out. Later, Hillary told us the way to get away from an alligator is to run in a zig-zagging motion. It seems that an alligator can only move forward, not diagonally. Good to know.
Southern Bald Eagle
Within minutes we spotted a bald eagle sitting stoically in the pines. Would have been a good time to have a zoom lens—which we did not have.
Dave on the shore.
The lighthouse and path along the shoreline was rugged and full of life. Hundreds of tiny crabs scattered in all directions with every footstep. The beach was narrow and overlooked a large bay. To the south, nothing but ocean, its immensity giving us both an overwhelming feeling of insignificance.
We headed back to the Stoney Bayou pools in search of alligators and a lone pink flamingo, which had relocated in the marsh, following Hurricane Michael. The pathway ran along dikes built between man-made pools, once used for sea salt production during the Civil War. Eagles, osprey, and waterfowl were abundant.
Dave, where did you put the zoom lens????
We did end up seeing the lone pink flamingo (definitely a Where’s Waldo moment), along with at least seven alligators. Not bad for a day in the swamp.
Good news! The bug spray we purchased at the visitor’s center was very effective. Unfortunately, it‘s oiliness combined with abundant sunshine turned us both a lovely shade of red. Undaunted, we capped the day with another visit to Proof for some EightFive-O and talked about the crazy, joyous days to come.
It was the perfect way to unwind prior to the big wind-up.