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Elise has decided pretty much that she likes reading after all. We got her a mystery chapter book based on the Biltmore House and she has been enjoying it, especially since she has been there and remembers most of the rooms they talk about. She doesn’t read as fast as she would like yet, but we figure, with practice, she’ll get there.

Elise earned her third Junior Ranger badge today at the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine. It was a ponderous process. The booklet was about 10 pages long and we weren’t told how much of it to do. So we did it all. At the end, the ranger who talked to us didn’t even look through the book! Oh, well. We learned a lot and that’s what counts, I suppose.

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Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fort in the United States. Its beginnings: In 1513, Spain claimed Florida through the expedition of Ponce de Leon, but France gained the first foothold there by establishing Fort Caroline in 1564. Spain was not happy with this and considered the French a threat. King Philip II sent an expedition to eliminate this threat. The expedition sailed to a harbor south of Fort Caroline (St. Augustine) and set up base. Almost immediately, the French set sail to attack. Their ships were blown too far south and wrecked in violent storms. The Spanish, realizing that Fort Caroline would be lightly guarded, marched north, captured the fort and executed most of the inhabitants.

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Now the Spanish were keeping their eye on the British. Sir Francis Drake had attacked and burned St. Augustine in 1586. This, along with the British settlement of Jamestown in 1607, another attack by the British in 1668 and the settlement of Charleston in 1670 prompted Spain to build the Castillo de San Marcos. Begun in 1672 and completed by 1695, the Castillo replaced 9 successive wooden fortifications that had protected St. Augustine since its founding.

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This is the hot-shot oven. Cannonballs were placed in this oven until they were red hot. Shot from the cannons at wooden ships, they would damage the ship and then set them on fire.

After visiting the fort, we were off to play putt-putt! Elise has been wanting to play since we started this trip and today we played a fun course. It was pirate-themed and Elise loved it! She even got a hole in one (with a little assistance).

Coming home, we spotted these herons roosting in a tree near the campground. This is a great place for bird sightings.

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Tomorrow we leave here and head toward Cape Canaveral. We’ll visit there Friday and then head to West Palm Beach to visit more family. This time, it’s my brother’s wife’s sister. We met Dana (the sister) at my brother Chris’ wedding to Caren in September. Dana has a horse farm and she and Elise hit it off HUGE at the wedding. Saturday there is a clinic for some kids her age and Dana invited Elise to do it, too. Elise is over the moon and can’t wait. Sunday we are in the Keys until October 26. Then it’s DISNEY-bound we are, just in time for Halloween!