We're HOME!

Okay... so we've been home for a couple weeks now, but we've been so busy it has flown by!

Crazy that our year lease here in St. Augustine is over May 12th and we're leaving even sooner than that... We've got to be in Gulf Shores, Alabama to set up for Hangout Music Festival by the 12th. Since we've gotten home we've been busy with Spunfest II (a local music shindig hosted by our very talented friends), having yard sales to get rid of all the things I (and Kyle too) have acquired living here for 2.5 years, working a festival at Suwannee called River Jam, and so much more. Before I get into all of that, we stopped THREE more places before we landed back where we started in sunny St. Augustine.

Where all the glass-blowing magic happens!

From Berlin, we drove straight to Asheville, NC, where Kyle's sister introduced us to two incredible glass blowers, named Sherm and Carla (a.k.a Gnarla Carla). We stopped through to check out their workshop and pick up a few pendants. Carla's "thing" is peaches and it just so happens that's my thing too!! So naturally, I love all of her stuff. Sherm specializes in swirly, staircase designs. I got a peach pendant and we got a Grateful Dead bear pendant for Shannon's birthday. Then Carla threw in a boognish pendant!! Did I happen to mention she also loves Ween?! I swear her style is so up my alley. I also got to see the PIECE OF MY DREAMS, which was a little water pipe with sparkly dichro rainbow tubing, a black and white staircase swirl, and then peaches on it. It was/is incredible. I might splurge and get a custom piece made after tour when I've got a little dough saved up... a girl can dream!

Sliding Rock when we were there, if you google older pictures
of it you can see how heavy the flow is right now!

After a quick stop in the studio, we had time left to check out a place called Sliding Rock, which is near Brevard, NC in the Pisgah National Forest. I thought I had been here when I was little, but it turned out there is more than one "sliding rock" in North Carolina. This one turned out to be great though. On the way, we drove by and stopped at a beautiful waterfall called Looking Glass Falls. When we got there, I definitely felt like it wasn't the place I had been to... Turns out, I went to the sliding rock near Cashiers, NC, which judging by pictures (and memory) is much less impressive than the one we just visited. In fact, when we looked up pictures of the place online, you could tell the water was much more powerful when we were there! It was fast!! Kyle tried going down like a penguin on his belly and pretty much broke his finger (or at least we think he did and it's STILL crooked).

Looking Glass Falls

Enjoying our King of Pops at Inman Park. 

Our next two destinations were short one-night stops in Atlanta, GA and Statesboro, GA to visit two of my oldest friends, Carol Ann and Bess. We arrived in Atlanta at Carol Ann's apartment in the evening, because we stopped for dinner first at one of my favorite Italian places, Ippolito's. I had been raving about their gnocchi and they didn't end up having it! We went to the Roswell location and I normally go to the Alpharetta location, so I am just going to tell myself they have it there and I will have it again one day!! All of their pasta is good, but get the Cardinale sauce, which is a mix of their homemade Alfredo and Marinara. After dinner, Carol Ann and I caught up over glasses of wine. The next morning, we got breakfast at a cute little joint called Highland Bakery, which we had coincidentally dined before when I came to visit. It was so good we went twice. The bakery is situated right next to the BeltLine Trail, which is a 33-mile path through the city. Not far down this trail was the Fourth Ward Skatepark, which is where one of Kyle's favorite skaters, Grant Taylor, often rides!! For being smack dab in the middle of a city, the BeltLine leads to some pretty cool stuff, I'd say. Plus, an awesome popsicle stand on the way back for when it starts to get hot. Carol Ann treated us to some King of Pops, which boasts delicious homemade flavors like thai iced tea and blackberry lemonade. Next stop on our Georgia tour, was to visit Bess in Statesboro, which is a very rural college town unlike the bustling city of Atlanta. We immediately went to get margaritas at a place called Retriever's. Later that night, we ended up at her boyfriend, Kyle's (yes, she dates a Kyle too!), land. The boys rode mules and four-wheelers while we reminisced and sang Elton John songs into beer bottles. It was definitely good getting to spend time with my best friends who I don't get to see very often!!

Freakin' sweet bowl at the Fourth Ward Skatepark.

This picture adequately captures Spunfest. 

When we got back to St. Augustine, we wasted no time planning a yard sale. Even though we had one on the same day as Spunfest II, we managed to get rid of most of our possessions. Spunfest was started by the members of a band called Hot Sauce Sandwich a couple years ago and the second edition just happened, which included a ton more bands including Hot Sauce Sandwich, Michael Armand Jordan, Earth House, The Cosmic Groove, The Greedy Lovers, What We Are, West King String Band, Jake Cox, Rob Langson, and MF Goon. All the bands are local St. Augustine musicians. Since some of my dear friends are in Hot Sauce Sandwich, What We Are, and West King String Band, I can say that those bands ROCK! I have seen them all multiple times and love every single show. Hot Sauce is kinda psychedelic rock, What We Are has grungy, girl-power vibe (two chick lead singers), and West King String is bluegrass. So there's something for everyone there! I've only seen Cosmic Groove like once and they didn't get to play 'cuz the fest got busted, but they are groovy as there name implies. Kyle used to work at a bar Jake Cox would frequently play at. He is a talented musician with a bit of a country twang. My favorite act of the night might have been Michael Jordan. It was my first time seeing him and wow... just wow. He completely blew me away. He's up there solo, just him and his guitar, and his voice is haunting and totally captures you! I didn't get a chance to check out the other bands, but this was a musical event at it's finest! There was fire hooping, a drink bar, and Planet Sarbez (the coolest local bar in town) was selling their gourmet grilled cheeses... what more can you ask for? 

Serving up the artist and production crew at Suwannee River Jam!

Right after Spunfest we had to get ready to work Suwannee River Jam, which was a festival of a whole different breed. When I go to the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, I am used to it being turned into a psychedelic hippie playground--- with sculptures, and vendors selling light-up gizmos, people on stilts, fire-hoopers, fractal artwork in every booth, tapestries decorating each campground. For Suwannee River Jam, they turn the park into a redneck haven--- vendors selling belt buckles, food trucks selling only sweet tea, lottery tickets for purchase, hell... even cars for sell next to the main stage, the roads are lined with supped-up golf carts everyone has brought from home. It was truly a new experience! There was even a daisy duke contest! I was working in artist catering the whole weekend with Outback Kate's (the company we'll be doing festival tour with this summer). I was serving up all the country celebrities, but had no idea who any of them were! I think I served the members of Alabama milkshakes though... pretty cool. Overall, the weekend was really fun and we kept getting compliments on how it was the best catering ever. I'd say that's a pretty big compliment coming from musicians and lighting crew who are eating ALOT of catering. Outback Kate's... the best vendor around, I'm telling you!! I can't wait for the next festival (Hangout Festival in Gulf Shores, AL) and the next festival and the next festival when things really start to pick up. 

You can feed the gators at the Alligator Farm dog food and they go nuts!

We made the best of our last few days doing all of our favorite things and even doing a few things I have never done before in St. Augustine. Of course we hit up all our favorite eateries and bars. We went to Taco Shop beachside on Cinco de Mayo and it was packed, but delicious as always. We ate at Flavors because I still have money on my account there! Flavors offers an option for students (or anyone really) to put money on an account and then they just take it off your tab. I have no idea how I have any money left 'cause I feel like we ate there all the time, but I ain't complaining!! One hot day, we biked downtown and got gourmet, homemade popsicles from The Hyppo. They never disappoint. When my dad came to visit, he took us to one of my favorite restaurants, Blackfly, that I don't get to go to very often 'cause it's a little on the pricey side. BUT SO GOOD! I went there to get their parmesan risotto and mussels, but neither were still on their menu. I was disappointed, but I got lobster mac and was happy again. I crossed a couple things off my St. Augustine bucket list by biking over the Vilano Bridge to the beach and visiting the Alligator Farm for the first time! Biking over the Vilano Bridge makes the Bridge of Lions downtown seem like a piece of cake, let me tell you! I was winded by the end of that uphill battle, but it felt so good cruising down and having the beach RIGHT there. The Alligator Farm lived up to all the good things I've heard about it. The park was founded in 1893, making it one of the oldest zoological parks in the United States. They have every type of crocodile and alligator from all over the world, even albino gators! Pretty cool stuff.. 

Me and Momma Jill... have to post this picture
even though I look hideous! I love her!

At night we hit up our favorite bars, Nobby's and Planet Sarbez. I got to visit with the best bartender, Shanna, and the owner of the Nobby's, Jill, who is like my momma! It was so good catching up with them and I was SO impressed with all the renovations they've been working on. The girl's bathroom looks like you just walked into a 5-star hotel. They are getting new floors, new paint, new everything! Jill is working on serving food from 4pm-8pm every night, which is also during their happy hours. Jill is from Greece and knows how to cook, so definitely go grab a bite and a drink! We played a few games of Galaga and PacMan at the Planet. We also ordered one of their delectable grilled cheeses. Normally, we get the Green Ranger which has apples and caramel. It is just the right amount of savory and sweet! We tried a different grilled cheese with pineapple on it, but I definitely still like the Green Ranger the best. The Planet is in trouble though! Ryan, the owner and a Flagler graduate, barely had enough money to start this beautiful hangout spot to begin with, but now that the lease needs to be renewed he doesn't have enough capital. Even though business has been doing well, music has been constant, and renovations and sick additions are being made daily... it may not be enough. If you've been to the Planet, you understand how special a place this is. If you haven't been, you don't want it to disappear before you get a chance to check it out. So if you have ANY money to spare (if 100 people gave $10, that'd be $1,000 and that kind of money makes a difference!!), please donate to Ryan's gofundme. I can assure you, it is a good cause. 

As my time here in St. Augustine is dwindling to an end, I can't help but feel nostalgic. It truly is bittersweet to be leaving this place: traveling across the country makes me realize just how special a place this is and what great people inhabit it. I am excited for the adventures ahead and to find out where the next place I call "home" will be, but St. Augustine will definitely be missed.