We are working our way back East. We are planning to be back in Pennsylvania by April 1st. After leaving Gulf State Park in Alabama, we made a quick stop at Tallahassee East in order to get some shopping done before heading out to the back of the beyond - Kenansville, Florida. Why Kenansville, you might ask. Well, it was as close as we could get to our friends in Stuart, Florida -- George and Nan Finlayson and Jim and Nancy Tidball -- and still be able to turn north and make it to PA by April 1.
The first time we ran into George and Nan Finlayson was the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta in 2015. For several years after that, our paths managed to cross at least once a year. We even hop-scotched with them up and back from Alaska in 2016. Two years ago, George and Nan decided to get off the road so that Nan could take care of some health issues. They decided to settle in Stuart, Florida. As they were looking for condos, they ran into Jim and Nancy Tidball, who also decided to give up the full-time RVing life after 12 years, and also settled in Stuart. It is because of George and Nan that we stayed a month at Betty's RV Park in 2018 and spent many a fun evening with Jim and Nancy that year.
On Wednesday, March 11, 2020, we arrived in Kenansville, parked the RV and drove into Stuart to meet our friends at a music-and-drinking joint named Terra Fermata, which reminded us of some places we've frequented in Key West. George insisted we would love this place. Once we saw the giant red chair, we knew this place was the perfect setting for a reunion. From left to right in the photo below: George and Nan, Jim and Nancy and Dave and Kathy!
The boys walked across the street to an Asian Fusion restaurant and brought back takeout, which we enjoyed while Nouveaux Honkie entertained us with their unique brand of country blues or blues country (depending which direction you want to go).
After a late night, we agreed to get together again for lunch at the Stuart Boathousethe next day. The Boathouse sits right on the St. Lucie River. On the way, we stopped to check out the amphitheater where Sunday Concerts in Stuart are performed.
After a scrumptious lunch, we all drove over to Gilbert's Bar House of Refuge. George has recently been trained as a docent for the museum and was eager to share his knowledge. Ten Houses of Refuge were built by the U.S. Life Saving Service between 1876 and 1886 to help shipwreck survivors. Of the 10 built, Gilbert’s Bar House of Refuge in Stuart is the only one still standing. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places and is preserved as a museum.
The original house has been moved back 30 feet from the shoreline, a boat house was added and the U.S. Navy built a spotting tower during World War II to spot the German U-boats that were sinking U.S. ships.
The narrow strip on which the house sits is only a few yards wide, but it has withstood numerous hurricanes. The bedrock is part of the Anastasia Formation of limestone that extends along the east coast of Florida from St. Augustine south.
The bedrock is coquina, a sedimentary rock that is composed either wholly or almost entirely of the transported, abraded, and mechanically-sorted fragments of the shells of mollusks, trilobites, brachiopods, or other invertebrates. The term coquina comes from the Spanish word for "cockle" and "shellfish". This stuff is stronger than concrete.
After our tour, we had a little beach time to pick up some shells for Kathy's collection. We then returned to the St. Lucie riverfront in order to walk the Riverfront Trail and meet some of the locals. This tri-color heron is a frequent visitor.
We stopped to watch this Great Egret do a little fishing in the rocks next to the Riverwalk.
We walked all the way over to Gilbert's Coffee Bar, before returning to our starting point. All that walking builds up a powerful thirst, so we soon found ourselves at Vine and Barley. This unique establishment offers a self-serve wine tasting experience along with 24 rotating taps of craft beer. The Yuengling Hershey's Chocolate Porter was a surprise favorite.
After enjoying the beer and wine, we ordered some pizza and retired to Jim and Nancy's new place to spend the evening swapping tall tales and RV adventures. We plan to be back in Stuart sometime in January and look forward to additional adventures with George and Nan and Nancy and Jim.
Until then, stay thirsty our friends!
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