Doug Dillon's Blog, page 188
March 12, 2012
St. Augustine, FL: The Buildings Just Ooze History
Castillo de San Marcos
In America's oldest city, the past immediately comes alive as you enter its historic district. The place is like a municipal time machine within which you can lose yourself for days on end.
Anchored by the old Spanish fort on Matanzas Bay, the buildings here link visitors to the early twentieth, nineteenth, eighteenth and seventeenth centuries just at a glance.
Flagler College
Preservation is the key in St. Augustine as city, county, state and federal governments cooperate with businesses, nonprofit groups and religious organizations to keep things as they once were for generations yet to come. In this day of rapid change and the new replacing the old at breakneck speed, a visit to this small town has a way of calming the mind, feeding the intellect and satisfying the spirit.
St. Augustine Lighthouse
Click here for a general photo gallery of St. Augustine's buildings.
Listed below are more links to photo galleries on St. Augustine's historic district:
The Castillo de San Marcos
March 10, 2012
The Characters Are Great
Review of
The St. Augustine Trilogy: Book I
By Laura, All of Everything For You book blog
Sliding Beneath the Surface is a book chock full of supernatural elements, which is what first drew me to want to read it. It follows Jeff Golden in the historic city of St. Augustine, Florida, and he's been experiencing the strangest dreams lately. He confides in his friend Carla who brings him to Lobo, a shaman, for some answers. What they discover leads them on a frantic and exciting journey.
To top it all off, there was clearly a lot of research that went into this book and the history of St. Augustine and the real battle that took place there is richly re-imagined to fit into the plot— everything from describing the iconic cemetery monuments to the traditional battalion uniforms. It was pretty close to actually being there.
Sliding Beneath the Surface is a book that easily melded supernatural ideas like ghosts and alternate dimensions with the present day. The characters are great and ready to jump into helping each other. Check this one out if you can!
(See Laura's blog for the full review)
March 8, 2012
March 6, 2012
Coincidences as Paranormal Activity: Part 5
Have you ever been somewhere just at the right time when something happened? Later on, did you wondered how it was possible for you to be in that exact spot, at that precise instant? Just chance, some say while other point to fate, destiny or God's will. Take your choice, right?
Well, for me, the longer I live, the more interconnected I feel to All That Is. In my view, those unseen linkages sometimes suddenly become apparent in such startling ways that I simply can't chalk it up to "coincidence".
One such occurrence happened when I was visiting my mom at her home in the Melbourne, FL area. This was shortly before her death in 2007.
We were sitting out by the pool in her back yard having a snack and chatting. After having taken this picture, I put my camera down and for whatever reason, my gaze came to rest on the dock across the canal behind mom. You can probably just barely make it out behind the palm tree on the left.
As I looked, a woman came out of the house beyond the dock and walked out onto it. Just as she got to the end of the thing near a piling, that portion of the dock collapsed into the water. When the woman also fell into the water, I jumped to my feet, startling my mom. In that instant, I didn't know if that woman needed help, if I should dive into the canal to assist her, or what.
Seconds later, as mom turned to look where I was staring, the woman crawled out of the water onto that badly tilted portion of the dock not underwater. Dripping wet, she scrambled to her feet and ran into her house. In the blink of an eye it was all over.
"Oh my God," Mom said as she watched the woman climb out of the water and rush out of sight. As soon as I sat back down, with my heart racing, I told Mom how seconds before I "happened" to be looking in the exact direction of that event–right after having taken a picture of the scene where it would occur. We marveled at such a "coincidence" and I still do today.
My view is that when we experience such things, it's simply an indicator that shows us the deeper, wiser portions of our selves. It's a little flag that says, "Hey you! Don't forget that under all that flesh, you are spiritual being linked to everything in existence." Beyond that, we humans go wrong in two ways: (1) Ignoring such events and claiming they have no deeper meaning or (2) Trying to assign an immediate and definitive meaning to what happened.
Only now, after all those years, can I see a possible meaning beyond the wake-up both mom and I received reminding us of our true nature. Back then, I never, ever thought I would be blogging, writing an online newsletter, and putting things on Facebook and Twitter. How things change, huh? Well, now this blog post will go on the Internet and in postings to those other social media outlets. Just maybe that dock collapse was meant to be a wake-up call to others as well. Connectivity is an interesting thing, isn't it?
March 3, 2012
St. Augustine, FL: The Old Ponce de Leon Hotel
In 1888, famed Standard Oil businessman, Henry Flagler, opened his beautiful Ponce de Leon Hotel in downtown St. Augustine on King Street.
Created by using poured concrete, it was the first major building made this way in the United States. The structure's stained glass windows were the work of the hotels' decorator, Louis Comfort Tiffany and his company. Four Edison dynamos generated electricity, bringing artificial lighting to St. Augustine for trhe first time.
Catering to rich northerners escaping the frigid blasts of winter, Flagler's hotel was an instant hit. Presidents Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt and Warren Harding all stayed there.
Front of Flagler College with the statue of Henry Flagler
Eventually, the hotel fell on hard times and it became an educational institution. Restored and expanded, the Ponce is now Flagler College, a very respected center for higher learning.
College students give daily tours. It's well worth the small admission price.
Click here for a photo gallery.
March 2, 2012
Strongly Recommended for All Ages
Review of
The St. Augustine Trilogy: Book I (On Amazon.com)
By Thomas Reda (On Amazon.com)
After I read this novel, I started to relate Jeff's journey on this book to my own life. I believe a number of us might have had similar experiences at some stage in our journey on this earth. It is true that we are not immune from some kind of challenge in life. However, as it did in Jeff's, we usually get a guide or assistance how to in our life in some mysterious way or through magic when we are ready to experience to live each day at purpose and to defeat any encounter in life.
I would like to thank Doug Dillon for his hard work in putting together such outstanding book and I am looking forward to reading number II of this trilogy. Even though this book was written in the young adults, I would strongly recommend it to all ages.
Another Book Giveaway at Goodreads – Sliding Beneath the Surface
Setting up book giveaways is so easy at the Goodreads website, I decided to also include Book I in The St. Augustine Trilogy, my paranormal/ historical fiction series designed specifically with young adults in mind.
Just as with An Explosion of Being, my adult paranormal nonfiction book, copies of Sliding Beneath the Surface will be available in a contest from March 1 through April 1. Click here if you would like to enter for a free book.
Book Giveaway at Goodreads for An Explosion of Being
Yup, I'm giving away new edition copies of the true-life paranormal book my wife Barb and I wrote a number of years ago. The subtitle, An American Family's Journey into the Psychic tells the story in a capsule version. Even after all this time, what we experienced back in the day still seems to resonate with people.
That great book website, Goodreads, is sponsoring the giveaway. If you want to join the fun, click here to link into the contest. As of this writing, Goodreads has only advertised Explosion for a day and a half but already over 150 people have signed up. The contest runs from March 1 to April 1 so it will be very interesting to see how many people apply over a month's time.
March 1, 2012
Seafood Festival: St. Augustine, FL
Come to America's oldest city in March of every year and enjoy delicious seafood.
For 2012, it's March 16-18. Proceeds go to St. Augustine Lions' Club charities.
20,000 people attend annually.
Live bluegrass, folk and country music.
100 arts & crafts exhibits.
Rides, contests & raffles
Meet the St. Augustine Pirates.
Located at Francis Field at 29 W. Castillo Drive next to the Visitor's information Center.
Click here for more.
February 29, 2012
The Castillo de San Marcos
For over 300 years, the Castillo de San Marcos has stood guard over the city of St. Augustine.
Begun by the Spanish in 1672, the structure was finally completed in 1695. Because previous wooden forts kept getting burned down by invaders, this one they built out of native Florida stone called coquina.
This limestone rock consists of tiny, tightly packed sea shells. It served the Spanish well since the stuff absorbed cannon balls like a sponge. The fort was fired on many times but never taken in battle. In places, the Castillo's walls are 19 feet thick.
In the 1800s, the place served on three different occasions as a prison for Native Americans and was called, Fort Marion.
Run by the United States Park Service, the Castillo is open seven days a week and has periodic cannon firings Friday through Sunday.
For a photo gallery on the fort, click here.
Click here for more on coquina.
For a video tour, click here.
