We've seen some familiar sights, things we passed while heading south. Some of those days were thick with fog, so we're now seeing new things as well. Here are a few tidbits we've learned along the way:
The area of New Smyrna Beach(just south of Daytona Beach)was named by a Scottish physician who secured land grants totaling 60,000 acres. The birthplace of his wife was Smyrna, Turkey, so hence New Smyrna. Assuming that people from the Mediterranean area would survive well in Florida's sub-tropical climate, he arranged for indentured servants from Greece and Italy. His plantation initially succeeded, but shortages and mosquito-borne disease eventually took their toll and led to the fall of the New Smyrna Colony.
At the Matanzas Inlet, just south of St. Augustine, are the ruins of Fort Matanzas. The fort was built by the Spanish in 1782, to guard the Southern Approach to St. Augustine. The name Matanzas means massacre in Spanish, and commemorates the Spanish slaughter of the last of the French colonists in Florida.
We were also lucky enough to be in the area of Cape Canaveral when Discovery was launched on Sunday evening. The launch went off at about 7:30, and we nearly missed it. Scott happened to look out of the front windows, to see a huge plum of smoke across the sky. It was a sight to see! We took some pictures, along with the others we have of the past few days.
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