Rough Draft for “The Gideon Plan” is Ahead of Schedule

I’m ahead of schedule for the rough drat of my novel The Gideon Plan. I’ve been feeling it all this week. I have an uncontrollable urge to start linking my bursts together and finishing the story! I have about 50 more pages to write before the rough draft is finished. That’s great news and it actually surprised me I was that far ahead. If I write 10 pages a week, I’ll be done in 5 weeks. If I do 5 a week, it will be ten weeks. This puts me anywhere between one to two months ahead of schedule all things depending.

For those who have been following my writing journal, you know I’ve had a goal of five pages a week. Lately, I’ve been hitting @ 10 or more. This has put me ahead of schedule. This week, I had over eight. Not bad. I was worried I wouldn’t get that much in because I had the kids most of the week for spring break. There’s always life’s obstacles to get in the way. Speaking of which, I’m moving in 28 days. That may put a crink in my writing. I sure hope not (but it probably will).

Here’s something to share. I have been keeping track of my scenes (remember I write in bursts, so they can be all over) and today I placed them in the order of appearance. Looks like I have been neglecting the second half of my story! Not surprising. I did this for Bronze Raiders as well and in the past, I have a tendency to stumble on the end of any story I write. If I concentrate on the second half for the next 5-10 weeks, I’ll be in good shape for a rough draft.

How about my writing friends out there? Is there any part of the story that you have difficulty writing? Which part and why do you think that’s so?

One more thing, I finally nailed my Rose character. Turns out she is the daughter of a former South Carolina Senator, a fire-eating secessionist. She lives a double life. On the outside, she is the paragon of a southern belle, committed to the south and for what it stands for, but in secret she is a defender of the rights of slaves. Should make for some interesting conflict. Her burst is here.

 

Le Pavillon

So . . . you are interested in taking your honey to that special restaurant for your upcoming anniversary. Well, this isn’t that place. My wife and I went to Le Pavillon a couple of days ago for our eleventh anniversary. Though we were not necessarily disappointed, we weren’t all that impressed either. Here’s a run down of our experience . . .

The restaurant is a little north of the city near all the antique shops and is inside a cool, old Victorian house. You can see its bright yellow neon sign two blocks away (not a big fan of the sign, by the way). Le Pavillon specializes in European conteinal food: French, Swiss, and German to be specific.

I’d thought the guests would be a little more upscale in their dress, but a lot of folks were more casual. Admittedly, the place does advertise itself as elegant casual. That’s probably a good description. When you go in, Sinatra’s playing and they have Victorian decorations all over. There are several different rooms where you can eat. We sat in the front room, which almost had an upscale country dinner kind of feel to it. There were two more rooms behind it that seemed much nicer and more intimate and would have been preferred. I went up stairs to check out the other rooms. They kind of reminded me of a retirement home where people sit around and play bingo. Bottom line—if you go, try to get one of the rooms on the bottom floor—the ones in the middle and the back are the coolest.

For the meal, my wife got the sauerbraten and spatzel. I got their “Famous German Platter.” I’m not so sure why its famous, honestly. Mind you, the food was good, but we weren’t overly impressed. We’ve certainly had better German food elsewhere. I wasn’t impressed with the bread either. It was chewy and the baked cheese on it tasted overpowering to me. I was disappointed that they didn’t have more of a beer selection (they seem to be more of wine place). After all, if you have a German dish, you gotta have beer! I did like the deserts, though. My wife had the chocolate pecan torte and I had the caramel custard. I’d probably go back just for their deserts. Prices are about what you’d expect for a place like this. for the two of us, we spent around $80-$90 for appetizer, beer, entrée, dessert, and tip.

My biggest gripe may be the servers. They seemed to be in such a hurry! They never made small talk. They’d come by and extend their arms as if they didn’t have time to slow down. They didn’t seem engaged. The service wasn’t terrible, not at all, but their tempo made me me feel like I wasn’t wanted. It was weird.

Dan’s Recommendation: I guess if you were going to give Le Pavillon a grade, I’d give it a B or a B-. If you go, you won’t hate it. You may even like it. It just isn’t going to blow you away. I’ll keep looking for that special place to bring your significant other for that special occasion. When I find it, I’ll let you know.

http://www.lepav.com/

 

Writer’s Diary: Tales of Triumph, Sorrow, and Occasional Insanity

This blog has two main parts to it: my reviews for places in St. Augustine and to let everyone know about my writing goings-on. To be truthful, I would like to write more about my writing life than I have been, but in actually there isn’t much to . . . er . . . write about. I write, but its not typically in any form for anyone to see. I thought I’d go ahead and start a writer’s diary. This will just be an update on what I’ve been working on. I’ll add to this post periodically (my goal is once a week), so come back and check it out from time to time.

March 8, 2012

I’ve certainly had better weeks, but I’m confident that this one wasn’t wasted. I wrote probably around 3 pages this week of narrative for the Gideon Plan (I need to bump this up to hit my goal of 5 pages a week). I’m letting my muse take me where it will, but I’m trying to point it in the direction of Rose, my story’s love interest. She is a spy. Today I checked out a book called ‘Spies and Spymasters of the Civil War’ to get some ideas. Pretty good book! I will stew on it for a few days and see what pops up.  I also finished Richard Cromwell’s “Rebel” (color me unimpressed). Not much there to inspire except, “gee I can do better than this.”

For some reason, the thought of bringing back another point of view character into the story appeared in my head today (James Braxton). Its not a thought I relish. It just means more work, but I’m getting the feeling he is needed.

Also, believe it or not, I still have not figured out the story’s protagonist. Isn’t that weird? Traditional writing takes the tack that you take a character and throw them into a crazy situation, but I’m not quite sure who that character is supposed to be. Originally it was Braxton, then I was certain it was Locke Bowens. Now I’m wondering if it might actually be Rose! If I use reverse logic, by asking who it is the antagonist antagonizes, I can only say “all of them!” Oh well. I know I’ll figure it out. Interesting conundrum to say the least.

I created the story’s first outline today. This usually comes along after I have written quite a few bursts and I have a better idea of the direction the story is going. For me, right now, its just a gauge to see if the story is emerging instead of an actual direction the story should go. The story is definitely there, but has lots of holes. The outline will give me some ideas on where I need to fill them.

My biggest accomplishment was to come up with some goals for story completion. My first big milestone will be August 3 when I should have my rough draft finished. Its also my birthday. I’ll have a first draft for people to read by October 1. Like all goals, these don’t always pan out, but they look doable. For Bronze Raiders, I consistently exceeded my goals, but we’ll see.

My word count estimate is between 150 and 200 pages long. That’s somewhere in the region of 102,000 and 135,000 words. Write now I have somewhere between 40 and 50 pages that may or may not make it in.

I do have my fears and concerns for the Gideon Plan. This story is quite the undertaking compared to Bronze Raiders. It is much more involved as far as research goes. It also has multiple points of view (I’m up to three, possibly four if I bring Braxton back). That’s three to four characters that need a lot of time to develop. That’s a lot of work. To do it all right . . . egad. Its daunting sometimes. But, its so much fun!

March 15, 2012

I exceeded my goal of 5 pages a week by over six pages (total of over 11 pages). From personal experience, this is an exception rather than the rule. Life too often just gets in the way. Boy, wouldn’t it be cool, though, if I could write that much every week? Gee, I’d be done with my rough draft by the middle of May. Oh well.

This week, I primarily wrote about the union detective tracking down Gideon. I also wrote about Rose, the love interest of the story. Both are starting to take a shape. Neither are as fearless as I thought them to be. Both have genuine fears and insecurities but do what they must despite the odds. That is a good thing.

So, I’m not going to lie. Being a writer and having a family is not often conducive to one another. I set aside one day a week where I know I will write (Thursdays). It gives me about 4-5 hours of uninterrupted writing time. Unfortunately, the muse doesn’t always work on a schedule. It may appear other times of the week (it did this week, actually). What I try to do when this happens is write down a few bursts just to get it out on paper and then come back when I have more time. Unfortunately, when that happens, all I’ve succeeded in doing is prime the pump and the muse won’t turn off—more ideas flow and my need to write peaks. However, if the family is around, this is often impossible. The kids want something to eat, I have to cook dinner, I need to clean the house, there is laundry to be done, the kids are being noisy and I can’t concentrate, my wife wants to talk etc. When I try to come back and write later, I find the muse is gone.

Yeah, I know– “wah.”

For those of us who write, you know this is a very painful and often frustrating experience. Anyone else out there have this problem? How do you get around it?

Here is a sample of this week’s bursts. This is Lucan (final name is still pending. I called him Joshua Lawrence in this setting of bursts). He’s gone to Natchez, Mississippi, recently captured by Union forces. He is looking for the home of Gideon. In tow is Mr. Wesley, a member of the Knights of the Golden Circle turned informer. You may notice most of my bursts are dialogue (I’m sure there is some type of psychology as to why I do this). Also, you’ll see its a little more raw than the Percy example I gave a couple of weeks ago. This is a little more in line with most of the bursts I write.

March 22, 2012

This week I wrote almost seven pages—so again I exceeded my goal.

This week I wrote primarily about the team’s missions at Fort McHenry and the Springfield Armory. Writing about these things is very difficult. Its a struggle getting the specifics of historical places with limited resources. For example, Gideon has a blockade runner that is captured and the team needs to get it back. So, question #1. Where would the Union take a blockade runner after it was captured. I don’t know. I couldn’t find anything. I chose Baltimore. It has a port near the southern states. Ok, so questions #2. If the team is in Baltimore, what was the city like during the Civil War so I can describe it to the reader? I spent a lot of time on the web, looking at maps and finding (few) photographs. OK, so I got some basics and I might be able to fill in some details that are missing to make it sound real. Question #3—where would they put the ship? I don’t know. I chose a place near Fort McHenry. Sounded reasonable. Question #4– Where would the crew be held prisoner? I read that Fort McHenry was a place where prisoners were processed during the war. Ok. So, #5: Gideon’s team has to get them out. How was fort McHenry fortified? I found photos, a couple of maps, some information. Not much to go on. Again, I figured I could fill in some details.

Regardless, I’m going to have to go back and revisit these areas after doing more research. I’ve already ordered some books from inter library loan. Gee, its a lot of work. Fun, but certainly daunting at times. Especially if I want to do it right.

How about you guys? How do you handle research that goes along with your story? Do you research first then write or research as you go? What if you can’t find what you are researching for?

March 29, 2012

Good week overall. The family was gone for a few days and while I couldn’t spend all my time writing, I did get more than I would have normally. I wrote about eight pages this week. Not bad at all. (current overall count is over 75 pages)

Rose is still the character that remains somewhat elusive to me. Strangely, I have a good idea where she goes and what she does, but I just don’t have a good bead on her personality yet. I also do not have the details of her role in the story. I have been reading Mary’s Chestnut’s diary to get some ideas. Its helped some, but this character still remains somewhat elusive (about all I’ve really gotten useful from the diary so far is a running list of Civil war era slang and terminology). Also finally decided that James Braxton is going to be a POV and major character in the story. Welcome back, James!

I’ve reached a point where I know which parts of the story has holes in it (the outline I made a few weeks ago helped pinpoint these). Not surprisingly, its the ending. I always have a tendency struggling with that part of the story, though I admit when I get it figured out, I nail it (at least my readers I did for Bronze Raiders). Also have been reading Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy to get a better feel for Special Ops units in fiction. I decided I needed to get some more info in the Lincoln Assassination. I picked up April 65: Confederate Covert Action in the Civil War. Jesus. This book just may become my Bible! Tons of things in here I can use.

Here’s a burst I wrote this week. Gideon begins to do things that the old team members find reprehensible and this eventually leads to them defecting to the Union. This is the beginning of that break. The two characters in this burst– Locke Bowens, former Texas Ranger and leader of the original team and Whitman, a mountain man and the original team’s sharpshooter.

April 5, 2012

The family was out of town this weekend so I was able to write more than my usual. I wrote over 11 pages. I probably could have done more, but there is this thing called a ‘job’ that has a tendency to get in the way.

This week was spent looking into possible missions for the team. Primarily I was interested in finding clandestine operations or the destruction of property presumed to be caused by accidents that the team could take credit for in the story. I came up with a small list. It includes the destruction of the Allegheny Arsenal and the capture of General Edwin H. Stoughton (attributed historically to John Mosby.)

Mosby captures General E.H. Stoughton. March 9, 1863.

The tricky part was to figure out why these operations were important strategically to the southern cause (when in reality, they were not). I went with the whole “the real reason was never disclosed or discovered.” For the Arsenal, there is a legend that there were underground tunnels under it. In my story, those tunnels are the secret facility for a secret Union weapon—a rocket that could be fired up to 100 miles (and would be aimed at Richmond!) The team destroys the facility, executes the inventors, and steals the plans (hence the legend of the Confederate rocket). For Stoughton, I went along the tack that Stoughton was Hooker’s first choice for the head of the new Bureau of Military Information. This was basically the spy service for the Union. The team captures him and seizes information about Union spies and their networks within the south. This gives the Confederacy a leg up in the war’s clandestine battles. (Don’t worry Mosby history buffs, Mosby is still involved in the actual operation).

So, the trickier part will be to figure out how these operations actually fit into the whole story. They just can’t dangle out there by themselves. I think they will end up being backdrops for important plot points.

Lots of work to do . . .

April 12, 2012

I’m ahead of schedule! Check it out!

April 19, 2012

Little bit of a rough week this time around. I was able to squeeze out about 3 pages this week. Life just kept getting in the way. I had a 50+ hour work week, sick kids, and was behind in my sleep in general so when I did have time to write, I spent much of it napping (yeah, I know excuses, excuses). I also spent my writing time reading up on Vicksburg (see image to right–great book btw). Like I said in my last post, it looks like I need to beef up the second part of my story. Things start to go sour for most everyone right around Gettysburg and the fall of Vicksburg, so I am researching that area to figure out how my characters had a hand in those historic events.

Only thing I can do now is keep plugging along. How about you guys, how do you deal with everyday things distracting your writing time?

 

 

April 26, 2012

Over twelve pages this week. Much more than anticipated. I’m now at a total of 114 pages. I spent a lot of time reading the Vicksburg book (finished it, it was awesome). I have a pretty clear idea what Gideon was doing over there and how the siege effected him. Here is the burst on it. In the end, this will probably be more like three or four scenes. General Joseph Johnston makes an appearance.

I also am really starting to figure out what makes Rose tick and how she fits into the story. Her story is becoming a little haunting. All good stuff.

Overall, the plot is really starting to come together. Whew. Its about time.

I expect things to slow down over the next two weeks. I’ll be lucky if I make my 5 page goal. We are moving and my spare time will be sucked up by packing. Sucko!

 
May 3, 2012

So ends the week of May 3. Despite what I thought I’d do, I ended up writing almost eight pages this week (a total of over 122 pages overall). Despite that, I don’t expect I’ll write much this week as we are moving Wednesday. I’m going to try and write at last one page. I also expect my routine to be off the following couple of weeks after the move as I try to settle into my new digs. After that, it will be summer break and my routine will be further thrown off. The kids will be home and that will disrupt my ability to write. No more Thursdays for my day of writing. I’m going to have to grab time when I can. I have a feeling I’m going to be very moody over the next four months because of it.

I’m also a little concerned that the second part of my story is still not very well fleshed out. Though I am writing some scenes that fall in the second half of the story, I still am writing parts that are in the first half. Its pretty lopsided. My feeling, though, is that my estimates may be off and that many parts of what I think is in the first half of the story may actually be in the second half.

May 10, 2012

Move is complete and I did indeed hit my 1 page goal. Hey, every little bit helps. I fleshed out Lucan’s Legion, which is an elite Union company of mounted infantry that pursues and ambushes Gideon’s men. They in turn are latter ambushed themselves. They are a special detachment of the 66th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, “Western Sharpshooters” and veteran guerrilla killers. The leader, Captain Emmanuel Lucan, is modeled after Custer. Hopefully, I will get back to my 5 page goal this week if I can get some type of semblance of normal (I can only hope! And I have my concerns!).

May 17, 2012

As expected, I didn’t get as much writing done as I would have liked. 5 pages was certainly pushing it. I got about 4, so that’s not too bad, I suppose. The move has thrown things out of whack and we also have house guests, which has disrupted my routine. Additionally, I’m having to research Stuart’s involvement in the Gettysburg campaign and that takes time (Jeb Stuart’s Controversial Ride to Gettysburg by Whittenburg and Petruzzi). Unfortunately, I believe I may have just chased the wrong rabbit down a hole (not sure if that’s the correct phrase). I think I may be reading the wrong Gettysburg account. It may be more plausible or better if the team was actually involved with General Ewell’s attack on the Susquehanna and not Stuart’s ride around the Union army. This means more research and of course, more time. Drat!

At this point, I see two major holes in the overall story that still need to be fleshed out before I can consider the rough draft done (perhaps a third). The first is Gettysburg. The second is the Lincoln assassination and the final showdown between the two teams (this is a biggy!). The third, if needed, is Chambers’s adventures trying to find Gideon. Regardless, things are slow moving right now and that can be a little frustrating. I need to just plod along, a little at a time, and remember things will work themselves out. I just need to be a little patient. I can’t rush it!

By the way, if you are reading this, will you give me a ping? It’s quiet out there.

May 24, 2012

Looks like I was making up for lost time here. I wrote over 18 pages this week and I felt like I had not written enough. There’s still a lot left in me. This actually brings me up to my 150 page goal (I’m technically at 149.55 I think, but . . .) but I’m not prepared to call the story rough draft ready, though. I still need a little more Gettysburg and a little more Lincoln assassination first. In all, I feel I have around 10 pages left between those two before I dub the story a rough draft.

Lots of stuff written this week, but most of it revolved around Rose. Also included in this week is a new POV character ( a minor one–Rose’s father). He’ll help fill in some political gaps I am missing. He also is important to a couple of plot twists and points. Also, wrote the sex scene and the sexual tension scenes leading up to it (thanks to the novel “Souless” for inspiring me!)

Sorry, my burst this week is not the sex scene (its good but not as delicious without the build up scenes). Instead I’m including the scene where Rose rushes to Washington to warn of Lincoln’s assassination and also her husband’s discovery of her being a spy.

 

J.P. Henley’s

“Where should I go to get a beer in St. Augustine?”  Let me turn you on to a place I went to with a couple of friends a few weeks ago: J.P. Henley’s.

First off—this is not exactly for the Miller Lite crowd, but if you love to sample all kinds of beer and you consider yourself a bit of a beer snob, this is the place for you. J.P. Henley’s has 50 beers on tap and over 120 bottled beers from all over the world. They also have 24 different wines on tap. Unlike a lot of other places who offer large selections of beers, J.P. Henley’s staff is knowledgeable of their different types of beers and are able to recommend something that will fit your palate. They offer samples if you can’t decide.

The place itself is casual, though classy. Its not your flashy club type. This is a place where you can sit down and talk and enjoy a beer. There is a bar area in front and some tables and chairs in the back. When we went, it was not overly busy (we went on a Friday on President’s Day, which is a busy weekend in St. Augustine). The staff are friendly and personal. Our server’s name was Jessica and she was phenomenal! My friends, who are big beer snobs, loved her and were able to communicate with her freely in their beer jargon that left me a little in the dark. Though the food selection is not large, it is quite adequate. I’d best describe it as high class pub food: appetizers, salads, and hot and cold sandwiches. My friends had the Matanzas and the J.P. Reuben. They said they were really good. The grill is open until midnight. They also have a kids menu, so you can stop by and have lunch or dinner with the family. Yeah, its that kind of place.

Dan’s Recommendation: This is a good place for beer drinkers. Like I said, my friends loved this place. My wife also enjoys it and goes their often with her friends. So far, it has been my favorite bar in town. I’d definitely recommend it as a place to check out.

http://www.jphenleys.com/

Thanks to Jamie and Steve for their contribution to this post! I hope you enjoyed your stay in St. Augustine!

 

Gideon Plan: A Different Way of Writing

One of the hard parts of being a writer is coming up with a writing process that works for you. Some writers come up with a story outline and then write. Some create interesting characters, throw them into a bad situation, and then sees what happens. Me– I write in bursts.

Let me explain what a burst is. When I start out with a story, I only have a general idea of the plot, characters, and setting. Then I start doing research. I find pictures, books, movies, and other things that inspire me with settings, characters, and plot. When these little inspirations strike, I write them down. I call them bursts.

Bursts are usually short bits of prose that have no connection to a whole butt sounds like something that would be in the story. For instance, the burst might be a line of dialogue one of my characters say. It might be part of a situation that I see in my mind that I see unfolding in the story. The important part to understand is that bursts just kind of hang out there with no true context, however, they are often strong, fresh, and have a good honesty to them. When I get a whole bunch of them, I link them together and the next thing I know, I have a rough draft of a story. I then go back, fill in the details, flesh out areas that are a little lean, and ax things that don’t belong. This gives me my first draft.

I stumbled upon this process by accident. I think it may have evolved from my video game experience where I like to develop by iteration. Basically this means you take a good idea, add a little that makes it better, add a little bit more, add a little bit more and then eventually you got a great game. Some call this Miyamoto’s Box (of Nintendo fame). 

I’m attaching here an example of some bursts. This particular group has to do with Percy, one of Gideon’s Rangers. Percy is a British adventurer who recently joined the team when they were in Italy, just before the Civil War. Percy poses as a war correspondent for London’s The Times and travels freely between Union and Confederate lines. This allows him to spy for Gideon. A bit of an arrogant ass, he is highly trained and dangerous, and carries specialized equipment for his espionage missions. While behind lines, he uses the alias“Archibald Strickland.”

When I first wrote these bursts, they were not in order. I cleaned them up a little so you can read them easier. My bursts are not usually this easy to read and I’m about the only one who can decipher them.

How about you? What’s your writing process? I’d love to hear how you create!

Note: Thanks to Brian McNamara and Kathleen’s McCormick’s input on Percy!

 

Georgie’s Diner

I love diners. To me, its just a great slice of Americana. If you have visitors coming from another country, the diner is the way to go for them to experience the down home, earthy eating experience of the every day American guy. The most well known diner in St. Augustine is probably Georgie’s, located to the west of the historic downtown area.

Georgie’s plays up to the whole diner era of the 50s. It evokes the look and feel of a streetcar (it isn’t one, but its got that chrome look down), its got the 50s rock and roll playing in the background, it has those bright red upholstered booths, and a counter where you can sit. My kids really like coming to this place. Its got a fun feel to it. What sets it apart from other diners is that in addition to the typical diner style food, Gerogies also serves Greek food. The owners own several other restaurants in town including a Greek Restaurant, Athena’s. My wife likes getting the gyro here.

So, quick question. What defines the good old fashioned American diner. Anyone? Its the burgers of course! Every diner has great burgers (I’m sure its a law somewhere). You know the kind I’m talking about—thick meat dripping with grease—the kind that will give you a coronary. Well, Georgie’s isn’t anything like that. This burger is a thin thing thats on the dry side. This is not a diner burger and to me, that speaks volumes about the establishment and its claims to be a diner. As far as fails go, this is epic, to say the least.

Another thing—Georgies is over priced. Most things in St. Augustine are, but I’m willing to pay a little more for quality. Georgie’s falls short. Sandwiches are $6-$9 bucks. That’d be ok, but side items like French fries are extra. I mean—c’mon. Diners are supposed to be less expensive because they cater to the local and every day guy. Entrees are in the $12-$17 range. And the deserts—tastes like something out of a box. Sad, sad and probably criminal for a diner. In the end, for my family of four, with tip, we spent $57 here. My eyes bulged when I saw that. What the heck did I just pay for? Hey, if the food was great, I wouldn’t care, but I really felt like I wasted my money. I won’t be going here again.

Dan’s Recommendation: My feeling is that Georgie’s is posing as a local diner to trap tourists. Food is sub-par and over priced. Skip it. I’ll post if I find a better diner. I’m on the look out.

http://www.georgiesdiner.com/

 

Fort Menendez at Old Florida Museum

I know what you are thinking: “Oh great, Dan. Another stuffy museum post.” For one, get over it, and second, this isn’t a stuffy museum. If anything, this is anything but a stuffy museum. Its the most interactive museum in town.

Fort Menendez at Old Florida Museum is located north of St. Augustine—about a five minute drive from the Castillo (aka ‘The Fort’). First things first, there never was a fort here called Fort Menendez and second, the museum is not old having been here for only a few years (what they really mean is that its a museum that features old Florida. It confused me a little-duh). The site bills itself as a hands-on experience that allows visitors to re-enact the past. I really dig this concept and I wish more museums would follow suit.

When you first arrive, a worker dressed in colonial costume tells you that you are setting off to the new world and asks your trade: soldier, baker, carpenter, etc. They then give you an item that pertains to your job. I was a soldier, so I got a pike. I was told if someone approached the party, I needed to put my pike out and say, “Who goes there? Friend or foe?” Cool, but no one ever approached so that was disappointing. My girls chose baker. They didn’t get anything, which was also disappointing (perhaps give them a spoon or a ladle?) In the end, I felt like there was no incentive to be the profession I chose. I wonder if its even necessary. The staff also give some tokens which you can spend in the store like money later on.

You walk around the site with a guide and you can explore a soldier’s barracks, a Timucan village, etc. There are plenty of replicas for people to pick up, examine, and play with. There are historic games, candle dipping, rope making—lots of things. You can sit on the chief’s throne or lie down on a bear skin bed, bang on a raw hide drum, pretend to be a soldier, or the governor of the province. The idea behind this educational concept is to get people to ‘play’ to learn. I really dig the idea.

I appreciate what this museum is doing, but I’m not quite sure its realized what its set out to do. I brought my kids once and they haven’t asked to go back again (I think they have even forgotten). I think there is a disconnect for the visitor and what the site wants you to do (i.e. play). I could be wrong, but I think what is missing here is that ‘extra’ something that inspires people to play. The site reminds me a little of Tom Sawyer’s Island at the Magic Kingdom where kids can run around in a fort and play soldier. This place could be like that, but I think it is missing a little of the ‘cool factor.’ Why not have a fort to play in? The “fort” that is there now (pictured above) is a wooden palisade that acts like a wall for the site. They have parts of a ship (they have masts) why not make it more like a real ship so the kids can play on it? I think the museum should experiment a little and see what inspires kids to play (its actually not unlike making a video game–one always has to find the fun factor, which can be elusive). Once they got that figured, this could be a really innovative museum.

Dan’s Recommendation: If you got kids and you are coming to St. Augustine, I think you ought to give this place strong consideration. Almost everything can be touched and interacted with. The adults will enjoy the interaction as well. The staff are friendly and helpful. The price is on par with most places in St. Augustine at $11 for adults and $8 for kids. Family packets and other discounts are also available.

http://www.oldfloridamuseum.com/index.htm

 

Dow Museum of Historic Homes

This may be your last chance to see this cool old museum. On May 1, 2012, it will be turned over to the Children’s Museum who plan on making this their new home.

A lot of people don’t know about this museum (including, to my surprise, some locals). Maybe that’s because it has been a little bit like the red headed step child of St. Augustine. The Dow Museum is actually owned and maintained by the Daytona Beach of Museum of Arts (MOAS). From the looks of the place, it seems MOAS has not given this cool old site the love it needs. This makes the history nerd in me angry.

Let me tell you a few things that I love about what could have been a beautiful gem for St. Augustine. First of all—the grounds are gorgeous with its brick walkways, old moss covered statues, fountains, and rusted iron fencing. Its gives the place a very old and rustic setting. Gorgeous. The houses are very cool. My favorite is the 1910 house, which is mostly furnished. Kind of looks like an old farm house that my grandparents would have lived in. One house holds rotating exhibits made by local artists. Inside the gift shop/ticket building there is a painting and two dioramas of what the site would have looked like in the colonial and Victorian eras. These are very, very cool. I hope another museum gets these.

Now, the bad. MOAS should be ashamed of themselves for not taking care of these buildings and not bringing them to their full potential. None of the houses are fully furnished (most only have the bottom floor finished). Worse, the Prince Murat House (named after Prince Murat, nephew of Napoleon, who lived here) looks to be disintegrating. I fear for this house, which is a significant piece of history. I see what may be repairs to it, but it looks really rough.

Maybe I shouldn’t be casting stones. I know how hard it is to take care of a museum with limited resources. I also understand that MOAS had some type of unique legalities when it came to trying to sell the site in the past to someone who could take care of it (apparently they weren’t allowed to sell it!). Hopefully, when the Children’s Museum takes over, they will be able to make this place shine like the diamond I know it can be.

Dan’s Recommendation: Go see this before it closes. I’m not really sure what the Children’s Museum will do to it. To make the site more child friendly, I’m sure things will have to be torn down or replaced. Regardless, the character will change. You need to see the Dow in its rustic glory before that happens. Its not much to go in: less than $9. Its worth it. Go check it out.

http://www.moas.org/dowmuseum.html

 

Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grill

The first time I heard of this place was back when I was (briefly) training to be a driver for a horse and carriage. One of the guests asked, “Where’s the best place to eat in town?” Without hesitation, the driver said, “Harry’s.” Over the next couple of months, I heard this repeated by several other locals. Harry’ became #1 on my list of restaurants to visit, but for various reasons, I wasn’t able to make it. This Valentines Day, I finally got to it. I was not disappointed.

Harry’s has this great way of mixing a classy restaurant with a casual atmosphere. This historic building looks top notch with soft lighting, colorful tile embedded in plaster walls, and photographs of old St. Augustine. Jazz music plays in the background. There’s a brick courtyard outside under lush trees. But I still felt like I belonged in my t-shirt and blue jeans and my kids did not seem out of place.

Service is friendly and everyone is smiling. They seem like they are having a good time. My party sat upstairs, but seating is also available in the courtyard. We got there around 6 and didn’t have to wait long. When we left around 7:30, though, there was a line.

Before the meal, they serve this bread with a butter spiced with some herbs. It was delicious. The bread was soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. The kids loved this as did I. I probably could have made a meal of it. For my entrée, I had the shrimp and grits. The presentation was fantastic and looked gourmet. Best of all, there was plenty of it. Some places charge you a lot and then you starve afterwards. I was full afterwards and barely finished.

My meal was delicious—very reach and creamy with bits of bacon. The grits were sprinkled with Parmesan and had a texture to them that was almost like rice. There was a little bit of heat from the hot sauce, but it wasn’t overpowering—just enough.

Though I did not have any, Harry’s has a good selection of New Orleans style beers. I’ll definitely have to go next time and sample some.

Only negative I have is that Harry’s is not unique to St. Augustine. Its actually a chain. However-it is a Florida chain. There’s a total of five in the state. In this regard, its still unique.

Dan’s Recommendation: If you’re coming to St. Augustine and are looking for a place to eat for a nice dinner, I’d put this high if not the the very top of your list. The food is delicious, service friendly, great atmosphere, and its also right in the historic district. As far as price, its in a mid to high price bracket. Most meals I saw were in the $12.99 to $18.99 range. Side dishes are a few bucks extra. Kids have plenty of “kid-like” options. Mine had chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese.

http://www.hookedonharrys.com

 

 

O’Steens

Everyone I meet in St. Augustine has the same question: “Where’s a good place to eat around here?” Well, let me recommend a little gem of a place called O’Steen’s Restaurant. This may be a St. Augustine institution. In business for 47 years, every time I pass O’Steen’s, its got a line going out the door. Its a favorite with both our guests and our locals.

O’Steen’s is known for its shrimp: the fried kind. Now, for those of you who are a little hesitant to hear this, this isn’t your typical southern-fried seafood. No, these shrimp are delicate, soft, and light. They are not your stereotypical greasy bits on a plate. They pack lots of flavor and are a joy to eat.

The same cooks have been working on their recipes for 25 plus years, so they have brought these shrimp to near perfection. I also had some of their tasty Minorcan soup, delicious hush puppies, and OHMIGOD–their home-made banana cream pie. That pie is enough to make me want to go back again and again.

Service was some of the best my wife and I ever had. Friendly and always there with a refill or “is there anything else I can get ya?” The atmosphere is diner like and down home. I wouldn’t say this is a place you and a friend can lounge, though (no beer either). They have a lot of people that come through the door and they want to get them seated and out again. Admittedly, I was a little put off when I was told they didn’t like me sitting down and waiting for my wife to arrive (only true negative I have for this place.)

Dan’s Recommendation: Put this on your list of things to do in St. Augustine. O’Steens is just across the Bridge of Lions on Anastasia Island, not far from the Lighthouse. There is ample parking. Prices vary, and are reasonable–$10 and up are the norm, though I had the Shrimp Special for $7.95 which came with a hushpuppy and two sides. Note that they are closed on Mondays and Sundays and they DO NOT take credit cards. Get there a little early. They always have a line.