Pirates! Oh My!!

Oh No! Sock Monkey has been kidnapped by one of the local pirates! He's shaking in his imaginary shoes with fright, waiting to see what this dasterdly pirate has planned.

*Stop by the Pirate Shop on San Marco (next to Ripley's Believe It or Not) to meet this great local pirate. Tell him that Sock Monkey said he'd teach you how to blow the conch shell:-)

A Splendid View

Sock Monkey stood, looking across the harbor at all the sailboats achored there. He truely hoped that he would see a sailor rowing in to use the steps, but saw none. At least until he was spotted by a...could it be?!?! A PIRATE!

The Steps to No Where

Sock Monkey was intrigued to notice the stes leading into the sea. "Why?", he wondered. A passing local explained that the steps were there for the convenience of the ships in the harbor. The sailors can row their dinghies up to the steps and have easy access to the city.

A Surprisingly Soft Landing

Sock Monkey was terrified as he flew through the air. His ears were ringing from the loud cannon blast and he was positive that his tail was singed. Surprisingly, Sock Monkey came to a reasonably soft landing (with only a few minor bumps and bruises on his little behind) right next to the sea wall. Since he had landed in such a beautiful place, he decided to take a closer look.

*UPDATE*

For everyone starting to follow the blog, I wanted to give you an update of upcoming scenes.

Sock Monkey with the Pirate on San Marco

Sock Monkey with Tiger Lee

Sock Monkey with the local street musicians

Sock Monkey and Gorilla Sailing

Sock Monkey at Mary's Bayfront Cafe (the ONLY place for breakfast! Menu to be posted)

Sock Monkey at Expressions

Plus SO much more!

"Fire at will!"

Sock Monkey is forced to crawl deeper into the cannon to turn himself around. He's finally able to get a breath of fresh air, but now he's good and stuck. How will he every get out of this tight squeeze?!?

"It's awful dark in there!"

While taking a closer look at the "inner workings" of the old Spanish cannon, Sock Monkey found out that his head was just slightly larger than a cannon ball. He was wedged in tight! He soon realizes that there's no way to back out gracefully. How will he ever find his way out??

Sock Monkey Checks out the Cannon

Sock Monkey was surrised to see some of the original annons lined up outside the fort. There were cannons of every size. He went and examined each one carefully until he found one that was just the right size for him. He decided to take a closer look...

A Closer View of the Castillo

Sock Monkey, being extremely curious (like some "other" monkey's) decided to take a closer view of the Castillo de San Marcos walls. He was fascinated by the tiny shells imbedded in the walls of the fort and intrigued by the amount of Coquina that it took to build the Castillo de San Marcos and the fact that it was all mined by hand across the Matanzas Bay.

Next time: Sock Monkey's view of a a cannon...NOT to be missed!

*Coquina is an incompletely consolidated sedimentary rock found in coastal Florida. Coquina was formed in association with marine reefs and is a variety of "coral rag", and is technically a subset of limestone.

The stone makes a very good material for forts, particularly those built during the period of heavy cannon use. Because of coquina's softness, cannon balls would sink into, rather than shatter or puncture, the walls of the Castillo de San Marcos.

When first quarried, coquina is extremely soft. This softness makes it very easy to remove from the quarry and cut into shape. However, the stone is also at first much too soft to be used for building. In order to be used as a building material, the stone is left out to dry for approximately one to three years, which causes the stone to harden into a usable, but still comparatively soft, form.

Sock Monkey at Castillo de San Marco National Monument

Sock Monkey's first stop was the Castillo de San Marcos. This historic old fort has been the main (and best known) landmark in St. Augustine since 1695. Check back to see exactly what trouble Sock Monkey can get into on the fort grounds!

Sock Monkey was intrigued to see the original architecture the has survived hurricanes and storms, invasions by pirates, armies and even a few tourists (the most dangerous of all!).

*The Castillo de San Marcos has well over 300 years of history in it's walls. It was under construction for twenty-three years and was completed in 1695. It was known as Fort Marion from 1821 until 1942 and Fort St. Mark from 1763 until 1984 while under British control.

A bastion of the largest empire ever created, the Castillo was built to protect and defend Spain’s claims in the New World. Though caught in the whirlwinds of colonial warfare and intrigue, it was never defeated in battle.

The Castillo de San Marcos is made up of a locally mined stone called Coquina and the walls still stand proud.

Sock Monkey Rolling Into St. Augustine

Sock Monkey, trying to escape the cold weather of Illinois, hopped on his new Harley Davidson Trike an headed south for the rest of winter. Upon arriving, Sock Monkey was rather pleased with the mild weather, beautiful scenery and local attractions. Sock Monkey decided to set down roots for awhile and see what St. Augustine has to offer. Stay tuned for Sock Monkey's Adventure!

*Thanks to Terry Johnson of Nebo, IL for allowing his Harley to be used for the above photo. Hope you enjoyed your visit to St Augustine!

Introducing the Adventures of Sock Monkey

Who doesn't remember sock monkey's from when you were a child? That loveable little stuffed toy made from socks.

Wikipedia states: The genesis of the sock monkey came about when the craze of stuffed animals swept across Europe and into America, where it met the burgeoning arts and crafts movement in the United States. Mothers there took to sewing sock monkeys as toys for their children, and sock monkeys soon became a fixture of American nurseries.

My brother, Graham and I have decided to take Sock Monkey "on tour" so we can re-visit our childhood and share our adventures with you.

Sock Monkey Adventures is available on Etsy with each addition being limited to only 50 available 8x10's. Along with the photo, you will get the installment of Sock Monkey Adventures, which includes a little history and the story of his mis-adventures. Every istallment, once put together, will be the total Adventures of Sock Monkey which can be bound into a book. Once the Adventures are over, we will make the Adventures of Sock Monkey, in a bound book form, available for purchase.

This blog will let you know where Sock Monkey is, what he's up to and who he's met. There will be Blog exclusives, as well as Sock Monkey's local recommendations and reviews.

Sock Monkey resides in St. Augustine, FL with Graham and Pam.