I am Civilization

Juan Ponce de León was an ambitious conquistador.  He is the European explorer credited with discovering Florida in 1513 (though it is likely that one or two Spanish slave expeditions reached Florida prior to his arrival).

Though finding Florida must have been a satisfying achievement, I wonder it was enough to make up for Ponce de León not finding the Fountain of Youth (believed to be on Bimini in the Bahamas) which was what he had been searching for on his journey.

A New World or an antidote to aging?  Which would you prefer?

Ponce de León gave Florida its name, calling it La Florida ("flowery land") because he landed there during the Easter Season which is known as Pascua Florida ("flowery Easter") in Spain.

There are now many things named after Ponce de León including a town, an avenue, a boulevard and at least a couple of hotels.

The Hotel Ponce de León in St. Augustine is a U.S. National Historic Landmark that now serves as the main hall of Flagler College.  This beautiful building was built to be an exclusive luxury hotel, and renowned architects, artists and designers were involved in its construction.   It was completed in 1888 and was one of the first buildings in the U.S. to be built out of poured-in-place concrete.  One of the architects' brothers worked for the Edison Electric Company, and the hotel also holds claim to being one of the first buildings in the nation to have electricity.

The Ponce de León Hall at Flagler College

Built in Spanish Renaissance style

During our visit to the hotel turned college hall today, we were able to admire the ornate rotunda ceiling, painted by noted muralist George Maynard.

Around the dome are painted eight beautiful figures representing the four elements - Fire, Earth, Air and Water, and the four stages of Spanish exploration - Adventure, Discovery, Conquest and Civilization.

The girls immediately started finding themselves on the ceiling.



As I have discussed in an earlier post, names and their meanings and associations are very important to us.  A few months after Skye was born, we realized that without having planned it, each of the girls had a name that matched one of the four elements.

Phoenix - named after the magical and fiery bird that rises from its ashes = Fire.

Indigo - named after the deep blue color of the ocean = Water.

Sage - named for the definition of sage which means 'a profoundly wise person' also has a connection with sage, the fragrant herb, and thus = Earth.

Skye - named for the freedom and limitless boundaries that we associate with the sky = Air.

"There you are, the one with the white dress," one of the older girls showed Skye.

"I'm that one," another said.

"Which do you think are mom and dad?" I asked. "You can choose from the four left -- Adventure, Discovery, Conquest, and Civilization."

I thought they would connect at least one of us with Adventure or Discovery.

"Dad is Conquest, and you are Civilization," declared Phoenix.

There it is.  I am Civilization.

Which do you most associate yourself with?

Thank you, Phoenix!  I consider this association a compliment. 

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WHAT WE DID TODAY: We had originally planned to leave St. Augustine today, but stayed an extra night as we had paid for the full week at the marina and we thought we had run out of diapers.  We ended up finding a pack of pull-ups and after doing some schoolwork, we walked to the SWING playground again.

Enroute to the playground, we pass by a chocolate store and a post office.  We were able to send off some thank-you gifts and cards. 

Family photo! We hardly have any of these.