St. Augustine Beach

The St. Augustine Beach is located just East of downtown St. Augustine on Anastasia Island. To get to the St. Augustine Beach, you must cross over the Matanzas Bay on the Bridge of Lions. The beach consists of Anastasia State Park on the northern portion of the island, and the public beach towards the middle and southern portion of the island. Most of the St. Augustine Beach is car accessible and you can drive for many miles along the water.

 

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St. Augustine Lighthouse

The St. Augustine Lighthouse is a wonderful place to visit. It is located on Anastasia Island just across the Bridge of Lions and about 5 minutes from old town St. Augustine. The St. Augustine Lighthouse was originally built in 1874 and is still operational. For a neat perspective of the lighthouse, drive by it at night. You will see it in all of it's glory. After years of neglect, the St. Augustine Lighthouse was completely restored in the late 20th century. There is an interesting museum explaining the history of the area and the importance of this navigational aid over the past 125 years.

Note: Children under 44" are not allowed to climb the tower.

The entrance to the St. Augustine Lighthouse is located at 81 Lighthouse Avenue, St. Augustine, FL

The grounds area beautiful. Here are shrub oaks with spanish moss hanging from them. It is a nice place to have a picnic or read a book.

World's Worst Smelling Foods

Hungry? Then perhaps you won't want to read this lest we spoil your appetite! Or maybe you are an enthusiast of the following worst smelling foods and you find the rest of us as culinary nanny-panny wimps. Either way... Bon Appétit!

• Stinky Tofu - Ah, the infamous stinky tofu. A very common midnight snack in Asia, stinky tofu is made from fermented tofu and can be eaten cold, steamed, stewed or fried. So what does it smell like? A kinder description given by fans is a smell that resembles rotting garbage or manure. Yum!
  


• Durian - This fruit found in Southeast Asia is known as the "King of Fruits" but is probably the only fruit to be banned from certain public areas for its awful smell. Lonely Planet's World Food series main writer Richard Sterling describes the smell of the Durian best
  
  "... its odor is best described as pig-shit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock. It can be smelled from yards away. Despite its great local popularity, the raw fruit is forbidden from some establishments such as hotels, subways and airports, including public transportation in Southeast Asia."
  
  Nicely said!
  


• Century Egg - Also known as a 100 Year Old Egg or the 1000 Year Old egg is a Chinese delicacy made from duck, chicken or quail eggs. The eggs are preserved in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, lime, and rice straw for several weeks to several months. If you like eating things that smell like sulfur AND ammonia... the Century Egg is right up your alley.
  




• Natto - If you like ammonia with your Rice Crispies... you might like Natto. Natto is a popular and traditional Japanese food item most commonly eaten at breakfast. It is made from fermented soybeans and is typically eaten with rice.
  
  
  
• Limburger Cheese - Have you ever walked by someone who hasn't bathed in about a month and say "wow, if only they could make that smell into something edible!" Well, take delight and serve yourself some Limburger Cheese! Once you take a bite of this German/Belgium dairy delight, you will get even more excited when you learn that this cheese is fermented in the bachterium Brevibacterium linens; Oh boy... now if I'm not mistaken, that's the same bacteria found on human skin and partially responsible for B.O.!! Yummy, Yummy. Can't get enough of stinky cheese? You might also want to try these - Epoisses, Munster d'Alsace, Pont L'Eveque, Stinking Bishop, Taleggio and Brother Laurent.





• Hákarl - Oh boy... not only does this smell bad but those who have never tasted this treat will probably gag involuntarily. Hákarl (also known as Fermeneted Shark or Greenlandic Shark) is one of Iceland's national foods. The shark used in Hákarl is poisonous if not processed due to it's high uric acid content. The shark is fermented for about 6 - 12 weeks underground and then hung to dry. The smell of the Hákarl smells like ammonium based cleaning products and tastes even worst. Hákarl is usually served in small cubes on toothpicks with a shot of the local liquor, brinnivin to make the eating process easier. It's like an Icelandic Tequila Shot... only a hell of a lot worse. Anthony Bourdain, of the hit TV show No Reservations, calls Hákarl "the single worst, most disgusting and terrible tasting thing".
  

• Shrimp Paste - or Shrimp Sauce, is a common ingredient in many Southeast Asian dishes. It is made from ground shrimp that has been fermented, sun dried then cut into small blocks. The paste is meant to be used and cooked in meals but not eaten raw. The smell is repulsive, especially by many westerners.



• Surströmming - Also known as "soured Baltic herring", is a Swedish delicacy consisting of fermented Baltic herring. Perhaps the only food banned by airlines due to it's possibility of exploding in-flight, the bacteria used to preserve/ferment Surströmming causes an immense amount of pressure in the tin can. Cans of Surströmming can be found in Swedish supermarkets literally bulging at the seams. Surströmming is a mixture of some wonderful aromas including pungent propionic acid, rotten-egg hydrogen sulfide, rancid-butter butyric acid, and vinegary acetic acid.




• Lutefisk - Lutefisk is made from air-dried Whitefish that has been soaked in Lye (ewww... gross!) and water solutions for up to 14 days. Fans of Garrison Keillor might remember a passage in his book Lake Wobegon Days, about Lutefisk:
  
  "Every Advent we entered the purgatory of lutefisk, a repulsive gelatinous fishlike dish that tasted of soap and gave off an odor that would gag a goat. We did this in honor of Norwegian ancestors, much as if survivors of a famine might celebrate their deliverance by feasting on elm bark. I always felt the cold creeps as Advent approached, knowing that this dread delicacy would be put before me and I’d be told, "Just have a little." Eating a little was like vomiting a little, just as bad as a lot." "Every Advent we entered the purgatory of lutefisk, a repulsive gelatinous fishlike dish that tasted of soap and gave off an odor that would gag a goat. We did this in honor of Norwegian ancestors, much as if survivors of a famine might celebrate their deliverance by feasting on elm bark. I always felt the cold creeps as Advent approached, knowing that this dread delicacy would be put before me and I’d be told, "Just have a little." Eating a little was like vomiting a little, just as bad as a lot."
  
  Enough said.
  

Do you now of any other food that stinks? Let us hear 'em!

Hottest Christmas Toys for 2007 - Webkinz, EyeClops, Nintendo Wii, Hannah Montana, High School Musical and More!

If you can't believe that it's almost Christmas again, join the club. The kids in your life are probably making their lists (or maybe they already did it back in July like my daughter) for Santa but if not here is a list of the hottest toys for Christmas this year.

1. Barbie Girls MP3 Player - Barbie meets iPod in this Christmas must have. This stylish Barbie inspired MP3 player works just like mommy's iPod but is sooooo much cooler. Just like the iPod with it's music upload site, iTunes, girls can upload their favorite songs from, where else, BarbieGirls.com. Different models with different memory storage that begins at 512MB and goes up to 2GB. Prices begin at $59.99 (Circuit City).
   


2. Webkinz - The Webkinz craze has been compared to the Beanie Baby craze of the 1990's. With limited supply runs and 'retirement' of certain models, Webkinz are a phenomenon in themselves. Each Wbkinz animal is given a unique identifying code that can be registered online. Your registration gives you access to a virtual Webkinz pet that must be taken care of (as in being fed and giving them exercise). Prices begin at $7.00 (Amazon.com) but can be much higher on the secondary, collectors market.
   
3. Nintendo Wii - The 5th home video console sold by Nintendo is currently the most popular game system on the market. This is the first time that Nintendo has been the market leader since issuing it's Nintendo Entertainment System in the 1980's. With it's huge demand, Nintendo has warned that throughout 2007, consumers can expect not enough supply. $687 (Wal-Mart)



4. Jakks EyeClops Bionic Eye - In other words, a handheld microscope for your TV. Simply hook the EyeClops up to your TV and point it at an object. The object is magnified up to 200 times on your screen. $49.99 (Target)
   
5. Anything Hannah Montana - From board games to backpacks; T-shirts to dolls; Nintendo games to DVDs... anything with the Hannah Montana stamp is a sure winner for the girls the season. The Disney phenomenon (real name Miley Stewart and the daughter of country star Billy Ray Cyrus) has been a staple of the pre-teen set since 2006. (DisneyShopping.com)



6. High School Musical 2 - If Hannah Montana isn't enough for you, then how about Anything with High School Musical 2 stamped on it? The Disney Channel exclusive movie has spun of High School Musical 2 (not to mention the first episode) toys, DVDs, books, games, clothing and much more. (DisneyShopping.com)



7. Nerf N-Strike Disk Shot - This award winning toy is like skeet shooting for kids. A remote controlled disk launcher shoots foam disks into the air. The object is to shoot them down with your micro dart blaster. Get ready to practice your targeting skills! $49.99 (Hasbr0)
8. Rubik's Revolution - Another award winning toy, the Rubik's Revolution is the next generation of the 1980's phenomenon. This version runs on battery's and has six different games based on speed and strategy or a combination of both. Caution: Very addictive! $14.99 (Amazon.com)
   
9. Spotz Maker - For the younger kiddies (6+), the Spotz Maker lets you be creative in 3 simple steps. The Spotz are little buttons that can be used to decorate anything (e.g. backpacks, clothing, lunch boxes, etc.) Simply choose a picture, punch it out in the machine and twist out the colorful Spotz. Kids can make them, wear them or trade them! $24.99 (Toys "R" Us)
10. Fisher-Price Smart Cycle - At first glance, the Smart Cycle looks like an exercise bike for kids (The new way to trick kids into getting exercise!). The Smart Cycle plugs into your TV and kids pedal for speed and control the bike for on-screen action. There are multiple levels of play - from Alphabet Valley to Math Mountain. Kids can even hook up with other Smart Cycle players for multiple player competition. $89.77 (Wal-Mart)
    

Best Christmas Parades in North America

Tis the season to be jolly! So let's go to a Christmas parade! Also, known as Christmas Pageants, there are hundreds if not thousands of Christmas parades around the United States and Canada. Wanna go to the biggest, oldest, or the most popular? Here are some of the top Christmas parades in North America. Ho, ho, ho!

1. Toronto Santa Claus Parade - One of the best known Christmas parades is also the world's longest running Children's event. Begun in 1905, more than a half a million people come out today to watch the procession. The first parade had just one float. Today, there are more than 25 floats, 24 bands and over 1700 parade participants.
   


2. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - Though celebrated on Thanksgiving, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is very much a Christmas Parade with Santa Clause as the Parade Guest of Honor. Inspired by the Toronto Santa Clause Parade, the Macy's Day Parade was created in 1920. The parade is famous for it's giant inflated balloon characters such as Superman, Garfield and Shrek to name just a few. More than 44 million people watch the Macy's Day Parade on television.



3. Peoria Illinois Santa Claus Parade - The oldest Christmas parade in the United States began in 1887 in Peoria Illinois. The parade today consists of fireworks, live reindeer, circus wagons, and parade floats. Though certainly not the largest, it is fun small town/small city parade.



4. Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade - The happiest place on earth gets into the holiday spirit with their own Christmas parade. Located at Walt Disney World since 1983, the parade occurs and is taped for television 1 month prior to Christmas Day. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofey and other Disney characters parade down Main Street USA during this magical Disney Christmas Parade.



5. A Christmas Fantasy Parade - Not to be outdone by their East coast park, Disneyland has their own parade with just as much magic.



6. Hollywood Christmas Parade - Lights, camera, Christmas! It's Hollywood's Christmas parade version. Originally sponsored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to boost Christmas sales, the Hollywood Christmas Parade has been going on for over 75 years. Though nearly ending last year to lack of financial support, the city of Los Angeles has just breathed new life into one of California's oldest parades.



7. Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade - Who said parades had to be on land? For almost 100 years (99 to be exact), Newport Beach California has hosted an amazing assortment of "floats". From multimillion dollar floats, to tall masted schooners, the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade is a Southern California tradition.



8. Pathway of Peace - Though not a parade, people "parade" through this beautiful exhibit of Christmas trees representing the 50 states. The Pathway of Peace is part of the Peace Pageant in Washington DC on the National Mall. The centerpiece of the pageant is the National Christmas Tree.