The antidote
Sunday was a good day to be a Floridian. Taking note of a day of complete atmospheric beauty -- low 70s, not a cloud to be seen -- we packed up the minivan and headed up State Road A1A to beautiful St. Augustine, one of my favorite places on the planet. Yeah, A1A is the long way, but it's well worth it. The tackiness of A1A in Daytona Beach gives way to a clear, unfettered view of the Atlantic out the passenger-side window through most of Flagler County. Then it takes you through some old-Florida overgrowth before taking you over the Bridge of Lions and back into time.

St. Augustine is the United States' oldest continuously inhabited European settlement. It dates back to 1565, when a guy named Pedro Menendez de Aviles claimed La Florida for the Spanish crown and then turned back a French effort to take it. He, of course, thought there was gold and stuff there. Imagine the disappointment at the Spanish royal castle when they received the letter: "Sorry, no gold and stuff here. Just tourist schlock. Couple of citrus stands, an alligator farm. Weather's nice, though, and the fishing's good. Think we'll stick around for a while. Later, Pedro."

Having decided to stick around, they built a big fort in the late 1600s. It's still there, and it's a tremendous antidote to Florida tourist schlock. It's a source of endless fascination for the oldest daughter, who first visited when she was 5. She traces her interest in history to that visit.

We checked out the fort, walked the narrow brick streets of town, had some high-quality ice cream and not-bad seafood. It was a good reminder of why we wanted to come back to Florida in the first place.

For a day, there was no newspaper, no impending war, nobody getting trampled in a nightclub. Just me, the family, a beautiful day and 400-some years of history. Wouldn't dare ask for anything more.