Back from Florida

 Enjoyed 3 days in St. Agustine; our first day was spent on an hour-long bike ride along an old train route converted into a bike trail. The trail was outside the city, moving from the city's outskirts and snaking along trees, wide open spaces beside the highway, houses, and small towns. We reached the city in the afternoon after a six-hour drive from South Carolina.

The second day was spent on the beach in Anastasia State Park, biking along the shoreline escaping the crowds near the entrance, and reaching the deserted stretch where crowds of sea birds walked near the surf I drove my bike through them and watched as the birds flew up in all directions then coming together to flow in format together. After our ride, we returned to the car to get our umbrella to shield us from the sun and go into the cold water for several minutes before returning under the shade. 

Lunch at Harry's with crab and fish over rice and two beers. Then, we walked to the old Hotel Alcazar, which had been converted into a museum. At sundown, we took a cruise out in the ocean, enjoying the city's views from the sea until sundown. The next day was spent first in Ponce Deleon's Fountain of Youth park, enjoying the different shows about the early Spanish colony with cannon shots, arquebus rifles firing, and a giant globe showing the routes of the conquistadors into the Americas. 

Afterward, we visited the fort near the shoreline, watching the exhibits and walking along the walls staring at the sea and the city beyond. We envisioned the history of burning towns and fights with the British coming down from South Carolina. The old Spanish city offered a different narrative of the country's history. Spanish conquistadors were the first Europeans living on the continent rather than the prevailing narrative of Plymouth ships coming from England.

Lunch at Columbia - an excellent Spanish or rather Cuban restaurant where I had pork chops and rice. After lunch, we visited the old Governor's mansion and the Villa Zoraydo - an interesting house built with a Moorish design with intricate carvings and an internal courtyard. The Spanish presence feels like Intramuros in the Philippines. We left the next day having discovered a different perspective on the country's history - more familiar with the Spanish Catholic influence as compared to the existing English - Protestant story.

I worked remotely for the next two days, logging into the network and trying to get work done, re-forecasting and closing the month in the electronic books, replying to emails, meeting with colleagues, and explaining my project. Next week will continue the work on my project, preparing the project report for June, and meeting with the business teams and IS teams to review the report before officially publishing the content. Announcements of leadership changes will mean a different experience in the coming years with new management.