clang, clang, clang went the trolley!

i guess we should all just assume from now on that it will take me at least a week after coming home from a trip to post pictures. :) my ideal would be to unload the car, walk in the house, upload pictures, and share all my memories that very evening! maybe one day that will happen, but probably not for the next 20 years!

the big excitement for ethan about going to st. augustine was riding the trolley!!!! i don't know if he remembered riding it last year, but he knew that it had wheels and an engine and somewhat resembled a train! so this boy was ready to ride!


on tuesday, the first day of our trip, we'd planned to be downtown most of the day, which meant we'd be on the trolley a good amount of time. so we all pumped ethan up about riding the trolley that day... a lot. well, i had not planned on it being 60 degrees, overcast, and WINDY! while our past experience with the trolley had been a shady and breezy haven from the sun-scorched streets of downtown st. augustine, the shade and the breeze were not welcome guests this day. it was COLD. and i was in capris and flipflops. poor ethan's goal was to ride the trolley as much as possible that day, and after about 5 minutes of chilled tourism, my mission was to get off that trolley as soon as possible to find a sunny place to warm up! by thursday, i got my wish, and it was nice and sunny and 80 degrees. that was more like it! we did ride the trolley a good bit more that day, so i think ethan got his trolley fill.


above, you see the trolley on one of the most beautiful streets in st. augustine, and really, anywhere. i love love love canopies of oak trees... especially when i am not responsible for clearing off the leaves. :) my favorite memory of riding the trolley this year was watching ethan enjoy it so much. as the tour guide highlighted historic landmarks of the city, he inevitably said "st. augustine" every 30 seconds or so. ethan noticed evvvvvvverrrrrrrrrytime! he turned to nana and exclaimed, "HE said st. AUGustine!" and 30 seconds later..."nana! HE said st. augustine AGAIN!" he had everybody around us laughing.


i was really counting on caroline falling asleep and resting a little on the trolley this year, but uhhh, who was i kidding? she takes after her momma and does not want to miss a thing! caroline thrilled on having the wind blow in her face, and she also loved smiling and waving at everyone. here are a couple of shots of her as we rode. brian thought i was NUTS for putting my favorite hat on her on an open moving vehicle on a windy day, but it was worth this picture, i think. :) and for the record, we still have the hat. :)





well, i have plenty more to share, but it's already past my bedtime... so stay tuned for more adventures from the old city!