4 & 5 Octoberr 2014 - Jacksonville Beach, FL

When we arrived here on the Third, after following the storm from Pensacola, we were able to stand on the balcony of our room and look east, out over the ocean, and watch a spectacular fireworks show of lightning in the clouds and flashing down to the sea.  It lasted a couple of hours and was so gorgeous, with the clouds illuminated with brilliant and varied colors. I was sorry we could not get a photo of it with our equipment.
The next morning dawned bright and clear, with blue sky and warm weather.  We went for a walk along the beach, almost flat, and firm footing, easy walking.  People were out on the beach before sunrise, walkers, fishermen, people with dogs and ready to play.

Our view was most inviting.  It is obvious that, even after Labor Day, this is a popular area, perfectly suited for beach and ocean fun.  We saw swimmers, surfers, people on kayaks and paddle boards, kids playing in the sand and overall, just enjoying themselves.   I am sure that during the summer months it might be near impossible to find a place on the sand if you did not arrive at the beach early.

As you can see, the beach slopes gently to the water, making it ideal for family fun.

Yet, not too far out and the waves increase in size sufficient to give surfers a good ride.

We can see a number of ships offshore when we look out from our balcony.  Most are cargo ships, some with containers, one that looked like a car carrier and, surprisingly, even an aircraft carrier that we watched steam off over the eastern horizon.

When we booked the room, which is large and comfortable by the way, we did not know that Marriott is the official hotel for the NFL.  We quickly found ourselves inundated by fans from Pittsburgh in support of the Steelers, who play the Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend.

These are diehard supporters, many of whom, I am sure, have season tickets and enough moo la to travel anywhere they wish to support the team. One fan hung out his banner as soon as he got situated in the room.  The black and gold Steeler colors were to be seen everywhere. They do like to whoop it up and party hard for these outings.





For us, we had planned on a quiet time in the room to watch General Conference on the computer.  It started out that way and was going well when the first session started.  It took a little manipulation to get the computer working right, but I succeeded and Conference was underway.  We were quite surprised to suddenly  hear a loud rock band start up under our balcony.

We determined that this was a large tour group from Pennsylvania and they had arranged a loud band, lots of beer and liquor, and an organized pool party.  The first number repeated the refrain "Pittsburgh's going to the Superbowl!", with loud and raucous cheers from a pool area full of fans.  We found it quite a contrast to be listening to and watching prophets and leaders with a background accompaniment of rock music, singing and cheering, not to mention the loud laughter and loud talk that always is associated with booze.   We set up a nice area to watch conference proceedings, complete with couch, table, computer, fruit and pillows.  It was a nice setup and comfortable.  We tried to enjoy the sessions and amazingly enough, I was able to be caught up in the spirit of the meetings and enjoy them a lot. Ronda enjoyed them also but was more annoyed at having to contend with the outside party atmosphere.

Sunday dawned just as clear, bright and beautiful but much cooler.  We went for another walk and it was a little chilly, but still so nice. There were just a few less people but still a number out on the sand.  By the time we got back to the hotel, the fans were gathered in the lobby, milling about, laughing and already starting on the beer.  Shortly two big buses arrived and the hotel rapidly quieted.  The tailgating was scheduled to start soon and the game at 1 pm.

After they had all left, I looked out at the beach and it seemed to have emptied for a while, leaving the lonely lifeguard to stare at the waves until other beach goers arrived and started to play.


I took a picture of the hotel so you could see where we stayed and its relation to the beach.  We stayed on the top floor of the left side wing and had the last arched windows and balconies on the end.

Today the conference sessions were quiet and wonderful.   We felt the Spirit and received important counsel.  It was uplifting to hear the messages and be encouraged to do better day by day and to feel the happiness that comes with doing what is right.



Between sessions, we went for another walk on the beach.  Mom enjoyed taking off her shoes and tickling her toes in the water, which is not cold.  She could feel the sand shifting under her feet as the waves came in and out.

I spied a starfish, cast up on the sand and had to memorialize it in picture.

This has been a nice day and tomorrow is our scheduled day to just hang out at the hotel and on the beach.  Some of the Steeler fans are back at the hotel for the night, but not nearly as many and not nearly as loud.  Tomorrow should be calm and lovely.