Miles and miles on the truck

Monday Jim had doctors appointment at 0930 in St Augustine so we were up a little early, well Jim was, it was my normal rising time.  Quick cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal for me and we were off at 0830 for the drive into town.  Made it with 10 minutes to spare.  You just never know about local traffic and those who are rushing to their jobs.

Good news!  The tests came back negative but he still has some damage to his esophagus and has to remain on Nexium.  Matter of fact, for the next two weeks he's doubling the dosage to see if that helps with the symptoms (coughing, clearing his throat, etc) which seems to have gotten worse since we've been in Florida.  It could be just nasal drip that's causing him to do this.  He's also going to be keeping a food journal to see if foods are causing the symtoms...

After we left the office we headed to Cracker Barrel for some breakfast....Jim had all the items he doesn't get at home very often.....eggs, bacon,ham, sausage, cheesy potatoes, grits, biscuits and gravy and apples!  Oh some coffee with half and half....I must say he did enjoy it!   I had some blueberry pancakes and a glass of orange juice.

Then we headed to Gander Mtn to see if Jim could find a brimmed hat.  No luck and when we came out he noticed a side light on the fender of the truck was missing so we stopped at the Ford dealership right next door for the part.

Still on the quest for a hat we hit the outlet mall and hit a couple stores but again no luck, sooooooooo we just headed home.

During the drive to, from and during, we had rain showers.

Yesterday we had our coffee and some breakfast and it kept getting darker and darker and then the rains came...it poured for the longest time!  

When it rains we like to go to Barnes & Nobles to read maybe have a cup of coffee and just wait it out.  So that's why we headed to Jacksonville.  The drive is a lovely one and takes about an hour and a half.  Of course the rain let up and we could see blue skies ahead.

Once we got there we decided on Panera Bread for lunch.  I had half a Mediterranean Veggie sandwich along with a bowl of chicken orzo soup, both were delicious.  Jim had a turkey avocado blt with chips and a strawberry smoothie.  Because it was so nice we sat outside and enjoyed the gardens and listening to the birds.

We then listened to Ethyl (our gps) who said Barnes and Nobles was 250 feet away...She lied it was a Walmart!  Still on the quest for a hat Jim asked Ethyl to find us a Dick's Sporting Goods.  What luck!  Just a few miles away and across the river at the Orange Park Mall was just the very store we wanted.  Alas no luck with a hat, so after a bit of strolling we left.

Since we were on the west side of the ST John's River we decided to go to NAS Jax....This is where we got married and where I also had the surgery on my back.  We looked around the Exchange but no hat....They do carry Tommy Bahama clothing for men that costs 20-40 dollars cheaper than 'the outside world' and no taxes!  It's good to know in case Jim needs something before we leave Florida next March.

Back across the river we headed to Whole Foods Market, which is my favorite grocery store.  Didn't really 'need' anything but like Sonsearae said I did find some things to buy....spent less than 50 bucks!  Jim sat and enjoyed a latte while I browsed the aisles.

Then we headed home, but wait!  One more stop at Ace Hardware to see if they had hats....they do!  And Jim found one to his liking.  This store was huge and we liked every nook and cranny.  Found a couple of air plants and some bird seed.  Oh can't forget the free popcorn!  YUM

Then it was time to head home.  By this time it was pushing 1700 and I'm sure Boo was starving to death!

We did have more rain during the day and the drive home but we never did find the Barnes and Nobles!

And guess what?  It's raining as I type this...Jim was outside washing the rig and step mats trying to get rid of mildew....oh well maybe tomorrow, if it doesn't rain!