Treasure Beach News

Hello Treasure Beach! Treasure Beach News Dear Neighbors: We experienced a week of sustained freezing temperatures the first week of January. Nothing like the long, long snowy, cold and freezing winters up North when I was younger. I'm sure like me, you had to protect some of the more sensitive plants in your yard from the cold. For me personally, the cool 'nippy' air was rather invigorating. I might even go as far as saying "delightful". My blood's a little thinner now after being in Florida for twenty years. Now that the holidays are over for another year, have you wondered what you might do with the Christmas cards you received? I have two suggestions you may want to consider. First, you could donate the card fronts only (without writing on them) to a local organization "Haven Hospice" (attention: Kathy G.) located at South Park Blvd near St. Augustine Imaging. Office phone: 904-810-2377. These card fronts will be recycled and sold for the benefit of Haven Hospice. Second, the St. Jude Ranch for Children is accepting all type of greeting card fronts only (without writing on them). The recycled cards are then sold, with all proceeds going directly back to abused, abandoned and neglected children at the three ranches. Card fronts can be mailed to: St. Jude's Ranch for Children, 100 St. Jude's Street, Boulder City, NV 89005-1681. The following appeared on the editorial page of the St. Augustine Record on January 2, 2010. Some things to think about for the New Year... In 2010, 'I resolve to....' • Get fired up about St. Augustine's 450th Commemoration of its founding, 2013 - 2015. Join in "Discover First America -- Legacies of La Florida," a series of educational and entertaining programs, free of charge. There are still three programs left: Feb. 5 - "The Great Southern Cracker Road show"; Apr. 13 - "Palaces in Paradise: Flagler's Age of Opulence"; May 18 - "Road to Freedom: African-Americans in Florida". All programs begin at 7 p.m. at Flagler College Auditorium. Plan to arrive any time after 6 p.m. in order to get a seat. Previous programs were filled to capacity. You can also learn more about how to be a volunteer. • Explore Paradise, St. Johns County style. Make time for yourself, family and friends to enjoy this little corner of Paradise, the beauty of its parks, beaches and rivers. Make your own maps and plans for weekly or monthly walk-a-thons. Have a contest. See how many places you can visit in a month, six months, a year. • See St. Johns County like a visitor. Pick a local attraction or museum and see what visitors see. Again, make it a fun event sharing with family and friends. Many attractions have a local resident rate, too. Call ahead of time or ask at the admission desk. Be sure to bring your local ID with you. We had visitors over the holidays. We were able to ride the red train for three days that also included a free game of golf. Enjoyed some great Philly steaks downtown at the South-A-Philly at 1 King Street. Also tried soft pretzels and a pretzel dog from Der Pretzel Haus at 100 St. George Street. Recommend both experiences. Toured the Mission of Nombre de Dios, Lightner Museum (spectacular and can't wait to go back) and St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum (even climbed the 219 steps all the way to the top). What a view. Visited the Alligator Farm. So many places to visit. Couldn't see them all. • Visit one of the county's six public libraries and see what's free on their shelves to check out. Go to www.sjcpls.org for more information Why not join St. Johns Reads, the library's annual February book event. Each year, the county invites readers to read a selected book and participate in special programs in February about it. This year's book is "March," a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Geraldine Brooks. It tells the story of the Civil War through the father of Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women." Why not gather people you know and form a book club? Who knows? One book may be the start of lasting friendships too. • Help others by volunteering. Check out the St. Augustine's Record's Volunteer Spotlight that appears on varying days in the Lifestyles section. Or, go to www.staugustine.com. In the search field, type volunteer spotlight, and look over recent listings. Make up your mind today to resolve to do something special for yourself and others in the new year. From what I read in the paper, it looks like the new River House Community Center on Marine Street is open. It's across from the Council on Aging Coastal Community Center administrative offices. If your down that way, stop in and take a look. When Evelyn Delaney was writing this section for the journal, she always liked to remind us of some important dates in history. The St. Augustine Record does this on a daily basis but if you happen to miss them in the paper, here are a few to remember for February:Page 11 • Feb. 2, 1653, New Amsterdam - now New York City was incorporated. • Feb. 3, 1924, the 28th president of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, died in Washington, D.C. at age 67. • Feb. 4, 1861, delegates from six southern states met in Montgomery, AL, to form the Confederate States of America. • Feb. 6, 1952, Britain's King George VI died; he was succeeded by his daughter, Elizabeth II. • Feb. 8, 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was incorporated. • Feb. 14, 1859, Oregon was admitted to the Union as the 33rd state. • Feb. 14, 1912, Arizona became the 48th state of the Union. • Feb. 18, 1546, Martin Luther, leader of the Protestant Reformation in Germany, died in Eisleben. • Feb. 18, 1564, artist Michelangelo died in Rome. • Feb. 21, 1885, the Washington Monument was dedicated. • Feb. 22, 1959, the inaugural Daytona 500 was held in Daytona Beach, FL • Feb. 23, 1848, the sixth president of the United States, John Quincy Adams, died in Washington at age 80. • Feb. 25, 1836, inventor Samuel Colt patented his revolver. • Feb. 27, 1801, the District of Columbia was placed under the jurisdiction of Congress. And finally If you have any news – baby news, wedding news, church news, events, birthdays, anniversaries, a class reunion, a school event, someone is sick, visitors recently, club news, if I forget something, etc. let me know. Remember that all news or any news is most welcome. You can contact Sharon by phone at 461-3397 or by email: smcilhenneysphr@bellsouth.net. Continued on page 12