While we’ve been here in St. Augustine, Mr. MT Nest and I have enjoyed outings to several nearby state and county parks, usually for a hike/photo safari and a picnic lunch. The first park we visited shortly after we arrived in January was one of our all-time favorites in this area, Washington Oaks Garden State Park. I took A LOT of photographs on the magnificent sunny day we visited. They’ve been just sitting on my computer since I downloaded them. I decided that before we head home at the end of March, I should share some of the lovely sites of this park.
We had a lovely day on St. Patrick’s Day yesterday. We kicked off our celebration at our favorite Irish pub in St. Augustine, the Barley Republic. They were serving a full Irish breakfast which we enjoyed on their porch. Later I prepared a corned beef and cabbage dinner and we finished with after dinner drinks of Jameson Irish Whiskey. Now that St. Patrick’s Day is in the rear view mirror, I changed the crazy leprechaun on our door for this cute little bunny. I cannot take credit for this idea. I ran across this video that shows how to make it and thought it was so cute!
St. Patrick’s Day is almost here. This year there will be no parade, no Celtic Music Festival, no party for us. But, we will still celebrate the holiday with a homemade dinner of corned beef and cabbage (although in Ireland they’re more likely to eat lamb or pork on St. Patrick’s Day.) This cute little gnome couple will be our dinner companions. As I mentioned here, I may be late to the gnome party, but nonetheless, I’ve jumped in wholeheartedly. These little guys just feel happy and, heaven knows, we all need more things that feel happy during these pandemic days. I made this little couple earlier this month to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. It took longer than I expected to get them made, create the pattern and instructions (that’s attached below), and get the photos taken and edited. But, there’s a fun reason for the delay. We’re still in Florida, and since the end of last month, we’ve experienced GREAT beach weather, so I’ve been spending more time sitting on the beach. Also, we made a quick trip back to NC last weekend to celebrate our grandson’s fourth birthday. Yes, I’ve been slacking off the crafting a bit and just having fun! But I’m here now to introduce Mr. and Mrs. O’Gnome.
On to the next holiday to celebrate! Valentines Day and Mardi Gras are past. Next up is St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick’s Day is actually one of my favorite holidays because it’s a time for light-hearted fun with very little preparation necessary. Both Mr. MT Nest and I have Irish heritage, so that means it’s also “our holiday.” But I always say that “Everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.” St. Patrick’s Day is actually about honoring the life and contributions of St. Patrick, a Catholic Bishop who converted pagan Ireland to Christianity, but over the years it has also been expanded to include celebration of Irish heritage and culture. We usually would be attending the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in St. Augustine, as well an all-day-and-into-the-evening musical celebration hosted by a local Irish pub. Of course, THIS YEAR IS DIFFERENT,
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