There’s a new phenomenon that is fascinating to watch when my little pack of children shift from their shower-less, outdoor, barefoot, one-with-the-season, weather perceiving, bird knowing existence, to a city.

At the playground, they get distracted by lizards, a squirrel nest, and an inchworm. The soccer field just outside the playground was covered with weeds, clover, and the kids ran towards it with glee, asking if we could pick flowers to hang upside down or press. And Townes interrupted me in the bathroom to tell me I had to see this moth and then reminded me that moths look like owls’ or other predators’ eyes to keep predators away from them. And, a few cities in a row, Townes has described them as “Nice. I like it. A little too fancy but I like it.”

• We stayed: Anastasia State Park
• We explored: in addition to the great beach within the park, we took ourselves to St. Augustine and explored the Colonial Quarters, got our NPS passport stamps at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, compared coquina to tabby in the architecture of this stretch of the east coast, visited the Pirate Museum, and discovered a new favorite city park playground.
• We read: Their Eyes Were Watching God
• We ate: The Donut Experiment
• We drank: Old Coast Ales
• Wish we had: biked and made it to the top of the lighthouse