Saturday, January 12, 2013

In Palatka - 2

Paddling trips sound laid-back enough, but dozens of other tasks need to be accomplished in the process.  Day 6 say us doing the last of the laundry, checked the fluid levels in the RV batteries, unloaded and repacked everything in the truck to double, triple, or quadruple check every piece of gear.  I don't care how many trips I make, I always spend a couple nights before laying awake all night wondering if I have enough of my prescriptions, maybe the VHF batteries should be topped-off again, make sure the trip descriptions, route and charts are all in the truck, and, oh yeah, I should get some other snacks to mix with the big can of mixed nuts I got for Christmas to make day-snack bags.

Then David and Margie took us to lunch at the Kings Bistro.   That was neat.  Michael Barfoot is a retired chef that cooked aboard Air Force 2.  The president has a dedicated crew that travels with him on Air Force 1, but Mike took care of several vice-presidents, visiting heads of state, such as Queen Elizabeth, or any other government dignitaries.  After retiring, he and Judy Patrick opened the Kings Bistro.  If you want to eat like a king that's on an office clerk's salary, that's the place to go.  A coupe of us had steak, and I enjoyed a blackened grouper sandwich with a creamed crab bisque that was too mouth-watering to even try to describe.  It's nice to be back in an area with real seafood dishes.  If you happen to travel to St. Augustine, you'll find the Kings Bistro at King Street and U.S. 1 (6 Mackey Lane, St. Augustine, FL., but only open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  (904)687-3963)

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