Pippi's Big 2021 Adventure: Jax, or Anchors Away on the St John River

May 10-12, 2017 Jacksonville, FL Pelican Roost, Mayport Naval Base

Mom and dad had their mojo working as soon as we got to the camper. Dad doing his bit on the outside, while mom stored away the last of our groceries and freezer items.

Mom not only shared a bite of her yummy Arby’s sourdough breakfast sandwich, but she let me run along the airport fence line. I always get so excited there with all the new critter smells. Delightful!

Thanks to Don’s help with the trailer hitch system our ride feels more stable. Obviously, this glamping is always going to be a learning experience!!! It definitely keeps M & D on their toes. It’s a beautiful, sunny day and we have said our prayers for another successful adventure.

This view reminded M & D of all the lowlands they went through on the loop...JAX is divided by numerous islands and these type of lowlands...

Mom was just reading to us about Jacksonville or “Jax” from this Wikipedia account:

“Jacksonville is centered on the banks of the St. Johns River in the First Coast region of northeast Florida, about 25 miles (40 km) south of the Georgia state line and 328 miles (528 km) north of Miami.[12] The Jacksonville Beaches communities are along the adjacent Atlantic coast. The area was originally inhabited by the Timucua people, and in 1564 was the site of the French colony of Fort Caroline, one of the earliest European settlements in what is now the continental United States. Under British rule, a settlement grew at the narrow point in the river where cattle crossed, known as Wacca Pilatka to the Seminole and the Cow Ford to the British. A platted town was established there in 1822, a year after the United States gained Florida from Spain; it was named after Andrew Jackson, the first military governor of the Florida Territory and seventh President of the United States.

Harbor improvements since the late 19th century have made Jacksonville a major military and civilian deep-water port. Its riverine location facilitates Naval Station Mayport, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, the U.S. Marine Corps Blount Island Command, and the Port of Jacksonville, Florida's third largest seaport.[13] Jacksonville's military bases and the nearby Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay form the third largest military presence in the United States.[14] Significant factors in the local economy include services such as banking, insurance, healthcare and logistics. As with much of Florida, tourism is important to the Jacksonville area, particularly tourism related to golf.[15][16] People from Jacksonville are sometimes called "Jacksonvillians" or "Jaxsons" (also spelled "Jaxons").”

Mom told me that I will have a dog park to enjoy at Pelican Roost, so I’m really super excited to see that! I couldn't believe it when we got there with a front view of St John's River...even at the dog park. There was grass everywhere with lots of campers dogs &... feral cats for me to smell...So wonderful! M & D took me to the park to play while they watched all the various ships going by...

I got a treat while they enjoyed a beer for all their hard work

Dad captured this sunset our first night here...pretty awesome!

The office, clubhouse, restrooms and free laundry

Views from the dog park

This morning Mom and I walked down to the dog park. Mom enjoyed watching the St John’s River traffic while I had so much fun playing with Jax, an Australian shepherd.

When we returned to SA, we saw a Coast Guard cutter pass,

followed by a large dredging barge being pushed by tugs.

As we drove around the base; we saw an Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer, USS Jason Dunham DDG 109. Dad was on the USS John King DDG 3, gives you some idea how many variations have happened since his days on a destroyer. Dad told us the new, matte, grey paint they use now, makes these ships appear invisible on radar.

Before we headed to Fort George’s Island we had a wonderful brunch at Ellen’s Restaurant on Neptune Beach. I loved mom’s North Coast omelette and grilled biscuit. Delicious!

I’ve never been on a car ferry before, but we had to take one from Historic

Mayport, FL established in 1562 to Fort George Island

I was more interested in these pelicans riding with us

It seems there are numerous islands, beaches and preserves all around Jacksonville... We drove to Little and Big Talbot Islands, and drove the southern part of Amelia. M & D visited Fernandina Beach there when they were on the Loop.

Ribault Club house was originally built for the wealthier owners on the Island; but is now used for a museum and various activities like weddings and special events.

The lovely carpenter gothic Episcopal church built here in the 1890's

On the way to the plantation we traveled this rough dirt road

And, look what I spied on the side of the road

Dad did a great job of shooting this photo

Kingsley Plantation

Here’s what mom found about it:

The Kingsley Plantation is an extremely interesting historical site for many reasons. 1. it offers an in depth look at the operation of a southern slave plantation 2. the people making up the social classes on the plantation and 3. the buildings including the owners house, the overseer's house, and the slave quarters.

Looking out from the back of the house

The plantation comprises many buildings including the original tabby slave quarters, displays of slave life, and the owners house built between 1797-1798. Unfortunately we were not able to see the owners house as those tours are only available on the weekends, and we were there on a Wed.

The stables were very large; as was the separate kitchen with the attached breezeway to the main house

From the kitchen it was an easy walk down to the docks

The Kingsley Plantation is located on Fort George Island and is part of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve managed by the National Park Service. The plantation was originally 1,000 acres and was purchased by Zephaniah Kingsley along with the owners house and other buildings in 1817.

Dad enjoying the view from their front lawn, the house was built to catch the breezes off the water

Before Covid-19, there was an audio tour of the plantation you can take at your own pace, or you can sign up for ranger narrated tours at specific times.

The tabby slave cabins that remain

Kingsley was an interesting man, a slave trader and shipping magnate who owned several other plantations in the area. He married a former slave named Anna (she at age 13) he had purchased in Cuba. Anna managed one this plantation and owned slaves herself; after he gave her, her freedom along with her three children. He maintained relationships with three other African women. His relationships with multiple women and his interracial family made for an intriguing family history. He got so fed up with all the rules and regulations about slaves and free blacks that he took his family to Haiti, so they could have a freer life there. He sold the plantation to his nephew in 1839 and died in 1843. Anna and her children returned to the Jacksonville area after he died as free blacks.

This home next door was built as another clubhouse for the newer island owners. Once slavery was no longer allowed the Rollins family who later owned the plantation went into development and the tourism trade because they could no longer make a profit from agriculture without the slaves.

The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens

One of the places that M & D went without me, but they left me dog treats and QVC to listen to, so I was not happy, but survived! Here's what mom found on Wikipedia about this charming museum:

"The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens is a museum located in Jacksonville, Florida. It was founded in 1961 after the death of Ninah Cummer, who bequeathed her gardens and personal art collection to the new museum. The Cummer Museum has since expanded to include the property owned by Ninah's brother-in-law, but it still includes her original garden designs and a portion of her home with its historic furnishing. The museum and gardens attract 130,000 visitors annually.

The permanent collection of the museum currently includes over 5,000 works of art dating from 2100 BCE to the twenty-first century. The museum's collection is especially strong in European and American paintings and also includes substantial holdings of Meissen porcelain. The museum also has an award-winning education center, Art Connections, which possesses a number of interactive educational installations and serves underprivileged and special education students with its programs.

I couldn't believe how well the colors were showing up still

They didn't have a lot of ancient work but what they had was exquisite

I loved Elizabeth Catlett's artwork along with Eugene Savage. In the background is a Damien Hirst work made from flies...I like the butterfly one better...

This quote cracked me up!!!

"There are three flower gardens on the museum grounds, the oldest dating back to 1903. These gardens have preserved their original layout for over a century and were designed by landscape designers such as the Olmsted Brothers, Thomas Meehan & Sons, and Ellen Biddle Shipman. The Cummer Gardens are on the National Register of Historic Places."