Mui — Mouse Catcher Extraordinaire

Friday, December 28 (wee hours)
Pelican Roost RV Park — NS Mayport, Florida

I KNOW — IN MY MIND — THAT IT IS IRRATIONAL to be scared of field mice, but there you have it — I’m terrified of them, and the experience I had in the wee hours of this morning isn’t going to do anything to change that.

The eeks and squeaks that issued from my mouth upon seeing a mouse scurry out of a dark corner when I reached for some TP (yeah,TMI) were not loud enough to wake the dead, but they did get Mui out of bed pretty quickly.  He managed to keep the mouse cornered in the bathroom, while I threw on some warm layers and went outside to get the mouse traps out of the basement.  I had no hopes that the critter would be quickly trapped — I mean, how stupid to take such an obvious bait, but within minutes of Mui sliding three set traps through the gap under the bathroom door, we heard one of them snap and the subsequent thrashing about — shudder!  You can be sure the traps that we removed after moving into the motorhome will now be set and sprinkled around in nooks and crannies — permanently!

As I admitted above, I know the fear is irrational.  I also know that the problem of mice is not specific to living in a motorhome — in fact, we had one in the house we lived in Salt Lake City many, many years ago.  I know this won’t be the last time we have an uninvited guest; I don’t have to like it, but I’m resigned to that fact.  Luckily I have Mui — mouse catcher extraordinaire — to deal with them!

The silver lining to this episode — despite careful scrutiny, we found no evidence of droppings anywhere, so the mouse did not go a-wanderin!  Something to be grateful for!

Needless to say, even though it’s only 3:30a, going back to bed is not an option; too wide awake for that.  So, I’ll write about yesterday’s outing since I neglected to do that last night, preferring to watch the Turkish soap opera that we’re following via WebTV.

Thursday, December 27
Temps: Lo 38F / Hi 58F (3C /14C)

I’m not sure when the crazy wind that plagued us all day Wednesday finally stopped blowing, but it was a noisy night with the slide-toppers flapping into the wee hours.  I know we could bring the slides in to minimize the noise, but we’ve not reached that level of irritation yet.

Waking up to a calm, cold morning that was forecasted to have full sunshine, we decided to set our plans for the day in motion.  Destination: St Augustine, which was founded by the Spanish in 1565 — the city bills itself as the oldest continually occupied European settlement in North America.

The 38-mile (60 km) drive to St Augustine is a straight shot down Route A1A, which seemingly runs right down the Atlantic coast.  But views of the ocean are hidden by building after building; and where there are no buildings, by dunes.  We made one pit stop at a beach access somewhere along the way to see if we could spot any of the North Atlantic Right whales that come to these waters to calve during December-March.  No luck; not surprising either, since we didn’t dally long.

(On a sad side note, on December 19 a dead Right whale washed ashore at Flagler Beach, south of St Augustine, reducing the already highly endangered species by one more animal.  According to the signage at the beach we stopped at, there are only 300-350 of these whales remaining.)

We had no real plans for our day in St Augustine — just a quiet wander and a quick look-see on a winter day was what we were hoping for.  The crowds that greeted us came as a surprise.  We should have expected them of course; what with it being between Christmas and New Year, this is, after all, a holiday week.

The temp was a coolish 58F (14C) while we were wandering about, but once the light breeze died-down, it felt quite warm in the sun.  So, we parked the car ($6 for 4 hours at a metered lot), skipped the museums, and spent most of our time at Castillo de San Marcos (Fort of San Marcos) National Monument, overlooking Matanzas Bay.

Aerial photograph of Castillo de San Marcos showing the basic square shape, which is
surrounded by diamond shaped bastions on each corner connected with coquina stone
walls.  This design eliminated blind spots for the guards in the garitas (sentry boxes).

The Castillo was constructed between 1672-1695, replacing the nine wooden
fortifications previously built to protect St Augustine.

Since it was noon when we arrived, the first order of business was to eat our packed lunch.  What better place to do that than on the seawall below the San Agustin (St Augustine) and San Carlos (St Charles) bastions.  Walking on the tabby filled walls was a little tricky because of the uneven surface created by hundreds of years of wear and tear, but we managed to do so without mishap by sticking close to the stone edge.

The masonry castillo, built on the orders of Queen Mariana, allowed the Spanish to hold Florida against pirate attacks as well as their arch nemesis in the New World — the British.  It survived an unsuccessful 50-day siege by the Brits in 1702, as well as 27-days of bombardment in 1740.  Later, during the American Revolution, it served as a British stronghold (after the Spanish ceded Florida).  Eventually, it became a battery in the US coastal defense system.  Though it’s gone through many renovations, today’s fort is as it would have appeared in 1756.

The dry moat that surrounds the castillo was not only a defensive measure to trap enemies that managed to breach the outer defenses, but during sieges, it was used as a pen for domestic animals.

Outside the fort is a glacis — a manmade embankment.  It was designed to shield all but the top portion of the walls of the fortress from enemy cannon fire.  Good defensive measure, but it means that the best way to photograph the castillo is from within the moat.  So, before going inside we walked around outside, stopping to check out the shot furnace and study the sentry boxes perched high atop the walls on the corners of the four bastions.

The shot furnace was used to heat up cannonballs for the purpose of setting fire to
the enemy’s wooden ships.  This furnace was added when the water battery was built by
the US (1842-44) and guns were mounted behind the seawall.

Wandering around the outside of the fort is free, but there is a $7/person fee if you want to go inside.  Since we have a National Park Pass, we didn’t have to pay the fee, and we also by-passed the long line at the ticket booth.  (The ranger at the entrance did verify ID against the pass before we went in; a first for us.)

Once inside, we walked through the guard room and the storage rooms that rim the center court — aka the Plaza de Armas.  The rooms, which once held food and other staples essential for surviving a siege, today hold minimalist displays about the history of the fort.

Crossing the drawbridge that spans the dry moat, visitors enter the castillo through the sally port; the only way in and out.	Because St Augustine was a garrison town, no one lived in the castillo; the guard room was used by those on duty to sleep and prepare food.

A small portion of the Plaza de Armas and the storage rooms and chapel (behind
the closed doors on the right wall) as seen from the gun deck.

Once used to store staples such as rice and flour, the rooms around the
perimeter of the courtyard now house exhibits, such as this old cannon …

… and this model depicting the blockade of the port and the bombardment of the
fort by the British in 1740; the Spanish kept the enemy at bay for 28 days until
reinforcements and supplies arrived from Cuba.  Only two men in the fort were
killed during the 27-day bombardment.

Sprinkled throughout the castillo are Spanish cannons emblazoned with coats of arms.
the big gun pictured top right had a range of 3½ miles (5.6 km) and is inscribed
rayos de un Rey Ofendido — roughly translated as “the rays of an offended king.”

In the midst of our meandering walk, we stumbled upon a ranger program that was about the start in the courtyard.  These programs are usually very interesting, especially if the ranger is really into his topic.  This one was very enthusiastic; and had a funny bone, too.  His animated narrative on the reasons why this Spanish fort never fell to the enemy drew listeners not only from around the courtyard, but from the gun deck as well.  Even prompting one young boy to applaud with abandon and yell out, “that was so good.”  We agree.

Dressed in period costume, a National Park Service ranger (left) presents an
animated program, while volunteers (right) prepare for a demonstration.

Oh, and what were the reasons the castillo never fell?  For one, its construction — low profile walls protected by a glacis made for a small target; diamond shaped bastions jutting out in the corners eliminated blind spots; a wide dry moat trapped the enemy and made them sitting ducks for the soldiers on the gun deck.  Also playing a major role was what the ranger described as ‘technology’ — cannons with a range of 3½ miles (5.5 km) on the far end.  The fort was also well supplied, with rooms around the courtyard providing plenty of space to stock provisions — food and armament — for at least two months, or until reinforcements could be brought in from Cuba.  Finally — and most importantly — the soldiers were not defending a piece of land just because the king ordered them to do so.  St Augustine was where they lived, and they were defending their own homes and their own families.

As the enthusiastic applause for the ranger died down, another one announced the imminent demonstration of a cannon firing on the San Carlos Bastion on the gun deck.  Goody — a “two fer” for us.

A gun crew consisting of volunteers prepares to shoot the cannon …

… which has a range of 1½ miles.  As the ranger in charge put it, in deference to the
residents living across the bay, real cannonballs are not used for the demos.

We really enjoyed our two hours at the Castillo de San Marcos.  It was too crowded for me to get the kinds of photos I would like to have taken, but that is easily remedied — we’ll make an early morning visit to the fort the next time we find ourselves in St Augustine.

We concluded our visit to St Augustine with a meandering stroll that took us through St George Street, a pedestrian-only road lined with shops and restaurants that were doing brisk business.  We were satisfied with getting a couple of ice cream cones from a place called Kilwin’s — good but we’ve had better; and pricey to boot.  We concluded our walk by following the waterfront path.  With no breeze, plenty of sunshine, and temps that felt much warmer than the 58F (14C) the mercury was showing, it was a very pleasant way to round out our afternoon.  The dolphins playing (feeding really) close to the shore in Matanzas Bay were a bonus.

This monument marks the spot near which Juan Ponce de Leon — of "Fountain of Youth"
fame — landed in 1513; thus becoming the discoverer of Florida.

Plaza de la Constitucion decked out for the holidays.

And of course, I can’t not take a photo or two of …

… a tile mural we come across on our stroll through the Old City.

The return drive home was on Route 1; not as scenic perhaps, but definitely faster.  St Augustine and environs have plenty more for us to explore; we’ll be going back.