Spoiled in St. Augustine (Lisa)

Well, if our first night on the road is any kind of omen, we're headed for wonderful things! Our intention was to stop at a Motel 6-style motel near the interstate, and have a short visit with John and Sarah Zaruba - friends and coworkers from my Key West beach days. Well, the Zarubas pulled out all the stops, and rolled out the red carpet. They called in some favors and got us a comp room (yes, FREE) at the Casa Monica - an amazing colonial hotel in the heart of St. Augustine, built in 1888 (yes, that's it in the attached photo). This place rocks - absolutely gorgeous, luxurious as all get-out. Pool, hot tub, valet parking, and a matching his 'n hers set of Hugh Hefner robes in the room. (Did I mention it was FREE?)

The visit with the Zarubas was a lot of fun - though Anthony may have gotten tired of all the "remember when" Key West stories being shared! It had been about 8 years since I'd seen John and Sarah, and their kids Sydney and Jack (now in 7th and 3rd grades, and so grown up!). They are wonderful people. They run charters on a big, gorgeous sailboat called "Schooner Freedom". If you're ever in St. Augustine, you should look 'em up! (Check out the boat at http://www.schoonerfreedom.com)