I’ve long been trying to convince Jade to join me in Nashville. Oh the fun we’d have drinking all the whiskey, eating all the biscuits, seeing all the shows. And while I’ve been pretty close to swaying her and Bob in the past, she always tells me: “I just can’t imagine being so far from the beach.” After I joined her for a romp around her childhood stomping grounds in Jacksonville and St. Augustine, I can see why.
I’ve spent decades visiting the beaches of the Florida Panhandle, but the Atlantic side is relatively new territory to me. And while the water may not be as clear, there’s still such a charm to this coastal area that other beach towns simply don’t have.
Though it was cold while I was visiting in early March—low-60s, which is pretty much Arctic temps for Floridians—we still moseyed on down to the coast in Vilano Beach, where Jade’s parents live, and spent some time soaking up the fresh air, thick with moisture and heavy from the salt.
Jade was so worried about me being entertained while in her care; little does she know as much as I’m always on the go, sitting on a picnic blanket on the beach with zero plans is actually my favorite way to spend any day.
Even though it was a weekend in March—and Vilano Beach is not even 10 minutes from downtown St. Augustine—it was pretty deserted nonetheless. We had long stretches of shell-scattered coastline all to ourselves. It was perfect.
I’m working my hardest to get a return invite to her family vacation next year, because who wouldn’t want a lazy weekend in Florida with this squad?
Maybe if I continue to offer my photographic services as the family documentarian, they’ll oblige me.
Looking for other trip ideas to Florida? I’ve got a few:
- Swimming with Manatees in Crystal River
- 4 Ways to Explore Jacksonville
- Taking Your Dog to South Walton
- Planning the Ultimate Vacation in the Florida Keys
- Getting Your Water Park on at Volcano Bay
- Exploring the Elegance of St. Augustine
- Planning a Gulf Coast Bachelorette
- Experiencing the Magic at Wizarding World of Harry Potter
- Going Wreck Diving in the Gulf of Mexico
- Swimming with Dolphins in PCB
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You know you are welcome anytime- and not just for the photos! 🙂 Next time, bring Scott and we’re going to try all the cute outdoor restaurants and Hippo pops we can fit in our bellies. xo
I think we still have about 497 Hyppo flavors to try!
Haha I was about to say that you took such amazing family photos, you could make them a photo album; until you said it yourself 🙂 I’m loving the sea shell photos the would look gorgeous on a wall in a beach house somewhere!
They’re an adorable family to shoot! I’m drawing up the adoption papers and going to trick them into letting me join their clan 😉
Baby bathing suits FTW! That seriously warmed my heart. Looks like the perfect way to spend a chill(y) day at the beach.
Right?! My bathing suit collection pales in comparison to the four month old’s.
Awesome pics! Only downside to that weird, wonderful, peach-colored sand Vilano Beach has in common with Bermuda: it is rather hard on my sensitive feet to walk in. Ouch! Haha!
Right?? Our feet were a bit sore after padding across the shells. I’ve never been to Bermuda, but would LOVE to go!
I love your posts, and I particularly love the photos accompanying this post…
I don’t know whether it’s yours or your hubbies, may I ask how you post-process them..
I tend to saturate my images and yours are just perfect…
Maybe you just boost exposure or brightness but the blue skies are gorgeous…
Many thanks in advance
Angela Seager
Hi Angela! I take most of the photos. Lately, I’ve been shooting in manual (I use a Canon 6D) and try to get the exposure as close to perfect that it doesn’t need any post-processing; obviously, that’s a tall order. I use Lightroom for post and usually just bump up the shadows a bit when they’re too dark and play with the contrast, highlights and blacks. Occasionally, I will use a preset but not always, and I rarely touch saturation much as it can really give a natural-looking photo an overly fake quality to it. Hope that helps! For my iPhone, I use Snapseed mostly but occasionally ColorStory, too.
GREAT photos, as always!! You could totally rock taking family photos as (one of your) profession. 🙂
oooh looks like a lovely day!! i am stuck with horrible rainy weather!
X Malena
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