It was probably chilly that day and I know the water temperature hovered around 61 degrees yet somehow, it still looks warm and tropical.

Since cold, blustery weather has decided to interrupt our “summer” this weekend, I’ve decided to share some photos I snapped earlier this winter. Hard to complain about the temperatures when it’s this beautiful!

A good friend visiting from North Carolina was the extra incentive needed for me to make my first trip to St. Augustine. The warm and sunny weather was perfect for wandering the historic city’s streets.

While we only had part of a day to explore, we covered a lot of ground and it was a great overview. More importantly, we had a lovely time catching up. I know I’ll return someday for a more thorough exploration, though definitely not on a weekend (talk about crowded).

This sign caught my eye earlier today. Though it remains unclear if he was visiting from another planet when his spaceship broke down or if he built one with the intention of leaving Earth (if the latter, I can’t say I blame him).

Today’s cool and breezy weather chased all the tourists off my beach (which was perfectly fine by me).

This past weekend I bid adieu to my trusty companion of the last ten years. After traveling 164,000 miles across this country (through all of the lower 48 states excepting New York and the ones up in New England) the house battery in my 2012 Prius finally gave up.

After careful consideration, I decided not to spend the several thousand dollars to replace it. Instead, I purchased a new hybrid. I’m hoping my Kia Niro will be as reliable and long-lived.

And yes, for those of you who know me, she does already have sand in her. That’s life at the beach for ya…

Took advantage of the sunshine this past Monday and wandered through the Manatee Village Historical Park in downtown Bradenton. Thanks to the foresight of Manatee County back in the 1980s, this site preserves 14 historic buildings along a stretch of brick-paved Manatee Road.

Only the visitor center, which occupies the old Wiggins Store/Hotel Dixie Grande, is original to the site. All the others were relocated from various locations across the county.

According to their signage, the town of Bradenton owes its existence to a storm. In 1865, Captain John Fogarty’s fishing vessel was beset by wind so he turned up the Manatee River for protection. The natural harbor and thick woods enticed John to move his entire family from Key West.

The family claimed 132 acres and established the Fogarty Boat Works. Boats were in high demand at the time for two reasons; the consequences of the Civil War and waterways were Florida’s highways. The rest, as they say, is history…

Thankfully, warm weather has returned to Florida. According to the forecast, we’ll be in the 80s for the next two weeks.

Spent yesterday afternoon watching the sun dance across the water. Not a single thing to complain about…

So nice to be back out on the beach again after the weekend’s cold snap. How chilly was it? The thermometer at my house was in the low 30s Sunday morning. Even more telling, my grass is brown and I may have lost a few plants in the freeze. Time will tell.

The Gulf of Mexico was so calm tonight, I could’ve skipped a stone across John’s Pass. Yet another beautiful evening here on the west coast of Florida.