Saturday, February 1, 2025

Back To School

St. Augustine   

Rain showers rolled through the area overnight. I awoke at some point to the soothing sound of raindrops hitting the roof and quickly fell back asleep. The sunrise was a monochromatic transition from dark to light. A few hours later the clouds had moved out to reveal a deep blue sky. Noticeably different from yesterday was the drop in temperature. We pulled the jackets back out and bundled up for a chilly dinghy ride the marina. This morning was laundry time. Two washers were available and we quickly filled them. Two hours later we were back on Crossroads for lunch. As the afternoon warmed (only slightly) we headed back to town to walk around. The Treasury dominated the view on the approach to the dinghy dock. The streets were full with weekend visitors and St. George Street was crowded. It was definitely a day for people watching. 

We circled back on Cordova Street and decided the weekend was a good time to go back and check out the campus of Flagler College. It was a wise decision. No one was around as we went through the main entrance with the signage referencing the Ponce de Leon Hotel, the Flagler statue, and the the lion mascot faces carved on the pillars. The clouds cooperated for some nice photos. A grand courtyard awaited on the other side of the gate. 

No one can dispute the beauty of central campus. I concentrated on spotting the smaller details such as the gargoyles on the downspouts, the frogs encircling the fountain, and the lamp post banners reading, "Where History Greets The Future."

In the benchmark rankings published by US News & World Report, Flagler is ranked #3 out of 131 Regional Colleges South and #14 in Best Value Schools with an estimated cost (after receiving grants) of $32,682 per year. It is also ranked #2 in Best Undergraduate Teaching. Happy that we'd explored some new areas, we returned to King Street in time to see attendees assembling for a wedding at the Cathedral Basilica. I ended the day reading in the warmth of the pilothouse as once more the sun set, current switched, and bridge opened all within minutes of each other.


1 comment:

  1. I enjoyed reading a bit about Flagler College, since I wasn't previously familiar with it. Love the beautiful pics as always.

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