Staying Put in Jacksonville

Jacksonville Skyline

We're still here in Jacksonville and settling in for a while. We've gotten a grip on some of the unknowns, made some decisions and changed plans yet again, but we're feeling like we have a good alternative laid out-- at least for the next two or three months!

We've given up on having our paint work done here, which was a bit disappointing. Having finally gotten a reasonable estimate from a reputable yard, we found that it would likely be mid February before the work could be completed. That just seemed to long to be hanging here, so we've decided to postpone the deck work. We'll stay here until after New Year's, keep Paul's appointment at Mayo and enjoy life here while we tackle a few projects ourselves.

Mossy Canopy

The good news is there's much to enjoy about Jacksonville. According to the marina's handout, Jacksonville ranks number one among U.S. cities in gross acreage for parks, and in the top 10 in percent of acreage devoted to parks-- and yes, there seems to be a park every few blocks. There are lots of beautiful, very old oaks, lots of Spanish moss and acorns to crunch underfoot while I'm out on my daily walk.

The St Johns River winds through the city, and it's possible to see the downtown skyline from a little park by a drawbridge very close to our marina. We are in a lovely neighborhood with beautiful old homes along the creek where we're located, with a very lively center full of shops and restaurants.

More Moss

                                                                   

We've been delighted to find good bread and several good restaurants here, which seem to be supplied by a large number of sustainable farms. Who knew?

We also visited a huge produce market, open every day of the year from sunrise to sunset. While it wasn't really the farmers market we expected from its name, there were literally tons of fresh vegetables and citrus at incredibly low prices. We've since found another open air market close by, and we have a few more to explore-- our favorite Saturday morning preoccupation!

So we're happy to be just staying put for a while, living a dock side life and enjoying a quiet holiday.

Vegetables!