History Lesson...

 

It's payback time, all right...  

All those times my parents took my brother 

and me on trips to see majestic mountains 

and witness historical places.. 

I understand why they turned the car and pop-up trailer abruptly around 

in Cheyenne, Wyoming when my response to a gorgeous vista was, 

"Ya seen one mountain, you've seen 'em all..." 

Don't they say that youth is wasted on the young?  

Clearly, our dear youth care more about IPods 

and Sponge Bob on the car DVD player 

than the grandeur of Mt. Rushmore...  

So, today I decided to shake up 

the pool/beach routine for a little history... 

Down the road a piece is Fort Clinch State Park...  

It is a fortress built in 1847 at the mouth of the Amelia River... 

The fort was seized by the Union forces from the Confederates during the Civil War... 

The buildings were refurbished so visitors could see the uses,

such as a kitchen, barracks, officers rooms, etc... 

There was even a guide dressed 

as a Civil War soldier on premises. 

He looked oh so excited to be dressed in a wool 19th century uniform...

It was cook an egg on the brick drawbridge hot... 

There weren't pop machines every 35 feet... 

The park had the nerve to not have 52" flat screen TV's around every corner...

And the vista of the sea from atop the fort, 

flanked by huge cannons was SO boring!  

You'd have thought I had shackled my children, 

dragged them to this site, 

only to dehydrate their poor souls 

on this barren state park wasteland...   

 

The park was crafty, too... 

The only access to the fort is through the information center, 

replete with soda machines, maps, and trinkets at all prices... 

My son's true weakness is a gift shop.. 

It doesn't matter if the shop is in the MOMA, 

Disney or a truck stop in Effingham, Illinois...  

He becomes crazed to buy SOMETHING.... 

Cost is not the issue... 

He just wants to walk away with some talisman, 

knowing full well that his interest in said trinket 

will fade before we have left the park... 

Drives me to distraction...  

If I was smart, I would have set aside a five dollar budget 

for these visits to preserve my sanity... 

After barely surviving the gift shop drama....

(Jack did not get anything, because I was penniless...)  

I suggested a quick hike in another section of the park.  

The kids seemed excited to embark on a hike, 

that is until we viewed the flora and fauna plaque 

a few yards into the trail...

The plaque indicated that we might be lucky enough 

to spot various birds, fluffy animals, alligators and snakes on our stroll...

Yes, Aunt Sarah....snakes....

At this point the interest level dropped dramatically 

as Kate clutched onto me 

and Jack declared that he was phobic of spiders...  

Lucky for him, we had to duck the webs 

with much regularity...

Saw some doozy spiders, too... 

Perhaps I should have thought ahead 

and slathered the kids with bug spray... 

We were fresh meat 

and were attacked with relish 

on the steamy, hot, airless trail...   

Instead of enjoying the meandering nature stroll, 

we trucked it through the swampy wood 

as if gators were nipping at our heels...  

My city kids seem to lack the nature gene... 

I might confess my preference for the Four Seasons 

over the canvas tent may have been passed to my offspring...

  I had to laugh when my son declared 

that he loved to camp while whimpering 

about spiders, boring trails and the heat...

Perhaps I shall send him to Outward Bound... 

After the state park trauma, 

I had to salvage the day with a good lunch... 

What better way to  do that 

than to enjoy a burger at a gas station?  

T-Ray's is well known to the Fernandina locals 

for the best burgers in town... 

Situated in a converted former Exxon gas station, 

this hole-in-the-wall serves up a great burger, 

with big, fat steak fries, no nonsense and a do it yourself attitude... 

Place your order, get your own drinks 

and bus your own table is the deal...  

The old guy who owns the joint walks around 

and dishes with the folks, 

telling stories about his beloved Georgia Bulldogs 

and Green Bay Packers...  

Yep, this Southerner is a Packer fan...   

Maybe some day, 

my kids will remember this piece of Civil War history, 

or perhaps the steak fries at T-Rays will be more memorable... 

All I can do is keep the history coming 

and hope some of it sticks...