Sunday, November 29, 2009

What Fort Was That In Yesterday's Post?

I always get nostalgic when I go home for the holidays and hit the beaches I grew up on. Beach sand brings back so many memories of surf fishing for whiting, camping with my grandparents, surfing, learning to drive in Dad's old Scout, girlfriends, beached whales, beached ships, storms, and countless summer days ... (which gives my perky dermatologist some measure of job security).

It was nostalgia that pulled me back into the Fort Matanzas National Monument on Black Friday. Besides a youth spent on the surrounding beaches, I had lived inside the park as a Ranger back in the 80's.

As usual , the NPS is still doing a good job of allowing visitors, while still protecting the resource.

A few commenters asked about the identity of the fort in my new banner pic.
This is Fort Matanzas.
It's really just a fortified watchtower.
There is an inlet here that allows you access to the inland waterway ... and a route to St. Augustine. Previous to this fort, the Spanish settlers at St. Augustine used wooden watch towers to guard this back entrance to town. The idea was, you spot sails from the tower, then you slip into a small boat and slip upriver (14 miles) to warn the garrison at St. Augustine.

The problem with those wooden towers is simply that they were easily taken by British pirates like Drake, Searles, and Morgan. The Spanish got tired of having their town burned and looted by the terrorists of the day and finally funded this strong tower in the mid 1700's.



The boat ride over to the fort is a big attraction at Matanzas, but there is also a nice mix of forest, nature trails, oceanside beach, and inland waterway beach.
Having lived there for a few years, I can attest to the fact that is a VERY fishy area with lots of good bites to be had.

Flounder like to lay out at the tip of these rock groins on a moving tide.

I walked out onto the dock, looked up and got a lump in my throat. I worked with John Harley when I lived there as a Ranger. He was a good man and an excellent coquina stone mason. He's gone now.
Nice that the NPS honored him with this small tribute.



I lived upstairs, over the visitor center when I Rangered here. The new Ranger told me that is now their offices.
Offices?
Maybe so, but it will always be one of my many homes and one of the more special ones ... my daughter Emma got her Earthly start just above that archway.

heehee

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi FC,

Well, if Emma wasn't sure of her beginnings there is no doubt now!! Heehee indeed.

What a great place to live!! Any good stories to tell?

Patti

Anonymous said...

P.S. Can I please send the sand snowman photo to a friend who is in the real snow? Thanks.....p

cinbad122 said...

I am SOOO sure that she appreciates that comment! :)

S N B said...

Loved this post. The nostalgia came through. We really enjoyed visiting Matanzas last year.

Anonymous said...

TMI

Carol said...

havn't been there yet...guess i need to go.

www.alwayslingerawhile.blogspot.com

MamaHen said...

Yeah, I feel a certain nostalgia for a few of the jobs I've worked on! some buildings bring back good memories. ;D

Kathy said...

What a lovely place to live and work. And to get your Earthly start at as well. haha I have been to St. Augustine many years ago but never to this place. Will have to check it out. My next place to visit in FL is closer to your neck of the woods, though. I seriously want to visit Cedar Key. The closest we've been to there would be St. George Isle.

lisa said...

That had to of been a great time in your life! So, nice to be able to go back to happy memories!

Thunder said...

Too funny! Hey thanks for the pics from your trip, including the Black Friday shopping! ;-)

Miz S said...

Nostalgia without a trace of the maudlin. I love it.

Bill said...

FC,
I Love Ft. Matanzas and take my children there often. The nature trails are cool but there are way too many banana spiders for me.

Billy