Granny's Letters:
We camped in south Jacksonville Sunday night bid the town goodbye on Monday and got back to St. Augustine Monday P.M. Stopped as we drove into town and visited an old cemetary, though not the oldest one it was old, the oldest one is a catholic one, one man was buried in 1811, he was a U.S. senator, Charles Downing. On most of the stones it told where they were born and if they had been at collage, and where. Then we went to the fort. That was the greatest place of all. The guards took us through the different rooms, there was 3 rooms full of relics, one of guns and swords, it had a fire place in it with an old chair in the fireplace, it was the wishing chair. Frank and I sat in it, we got some post cards in there and went out on the top and on up in the tower. We had to come away as it was getting night and we had no camp. They have a tent at the post office, inquire and they tell you where the camp grounds are. We crossed a small bridge to new Augustine to the free camp ground they have a nice place here, they had a big camp fire and everyone went and the new campers were taken into the order of the Tin Can Tourists. We all joined, it was free also. We tie a tin can on our machine to let people know that we are members, it is quite funny. This morning we got on a car and went over to the beach and to the light house, we gathered shells and everyone of us took our shoes off and waded in the water on the 30th of November. We did not get in the light house. Frank and Carrie went on to the alligator farm, it was so far that Osie could not walk so we came on home as did Mr. and Mrs. Bitner. We walked around town a little bit and then on to camp. We are waiting for the men to come home, they are to bring fish for supper. We had our fish, went to the Tin Can meeting, one man had a banjo, Frank took his fiddle and everybody sang, we had a fine time. The meeting was in the tent of an Illinois man, it was too cold to be out. Next day we went to the alligator farm, we drove over, it cost 35¢ there and back. We went to two different beaches, one place a man had driven out on the beach and got stuck in the sand, the tide was coming in and he was almost scared to death. We got out and pushed him out, he was from Urbana O. There was over 6000 alligators at the farm, they had snakes and birds, coons, squirrels and all kind of domestic fowls. It was a great thing to see but nothing nice. We were over there all day, came back and had some more fish and walked back to town. There was a man preaching on the street, he had a fine car, we stayed and heard him preach then walked around town down the narrow st. and through the old slave market. Next day being Thursday December 2nd we broke camp at St. Augustine, bought a new front tire. Carrie had his dust pan put on and we got started at 12 o'clock, got over to Holly Hill, 2-1/2 miles from Daytona, 70 miles that afternoon. We had brick paved road part of the way, but it was very poor, then we had some sand that was very bad and then we struck some paved road that was fine. Miles and miles of forest, palms and palmetto, it was a most beautiful drive, some farming land around Hastings. They raise Irish potatoes there, they are getting ready to plant them. After they dig them they have time to raise a crop of corn on the same land. We are now where there are orange groves, things look a little better again. Holly Hill where we camped last night was a beautiful little town on the banks of the Halifax river. The houses are all on the west side we had our tent just on the river bank. We went to the Tin Can camp. They were just organizing a camp. We were the only old members outside of the organizers. We had a nice time and went on to Daytona this morning, rode around over the city, there was nothing to see but fine houses and fine things for the rich. They have a fine beach to hear them tell it but we did not go over you have to pay for every thing you do. We have stopped and ate our lunch. We are just through New Smyrna Beach, the roads are good, they are shell roads, they have pits of oyster shells just as we have gravel pits, they haul them on the roads whole and you crush them as you drive, that is the way they repair. I think when they make new roads that they crush them before they put them on. This is the 3rd of December at noon. Frank and Carrie are in the orange grove talking to some men, when they come we will get on our way. We are bound for Miami, we are well up on our schedule, we have had no fishing and very little hunting, we have followed the main roads too much. The roads are full of tourists. We have not reached the town where the Coletown people went. We got oranges at New Smyrna, 8 for 10¢ out of the orange orchard. We had a lot of swamp to come through again and the roads were not so very good again. We had to stop and fix our right front wheel, the pin had come out and three of the balls were lost, we fixed it so we could get to the next town, a place called Mims. They worked at it and charged us $1.75 then when we got to camp Frank fixed it himself. We camped at Titusville it was a very damp place, not nice at all. We went up town to an open air concert by the band. How was that for the 3rd of December. The band was all dressed in white, there was five women. I did not count the men. We left Titusville about 10 o'clock made a good drive.