Greetings all. Now that winter is in full swing, I thought I'd share some warmth and joy from last summer's trip to St. Augustine, FL. If you've never been, it's an amazing little city with wonderful history (the oldest city in the U.S., in fact) and culture. In particular, St. George Street is a pedestrian street that has a great deal to offer in the way of restaurants, shops, and a variety of entertainment. Among the many lovely places to indulge one's sweet tooth is Kilwin's Chocolates, right there on St. George. They've got everything you could imagine, and their ice cream is second to none.
It was on a particularly hot and humid summer night (What summer night in St. Augustine isn't hot and humid?) that my wife and I, tired after a long day of exploring the city, decided to throw caution to the wind and fill our children with sugary goodness right before bedtime. So, at roughly 8:30pm we purchased one Kilwin's cone for each walking kid thinking we were providing a nice, leisurely treat for them to close out the day. We had no idea of the creamy carnage that would ensue. Well, okay... perhaps we had some idea.
Our older boy, despite the ice cream goatee, made pretty short work of his cone.
Our middle daughter, affectionately known as the Sugar Queen, devoured hers with gusto.
After enjoying her cone, our oldest daughter took on baby duty... she's quite the big sister, even when the little one is not the happiest of campers.
As we stood outside Kilwin's enjoying our cones (or babysitting), it became apparent that one member of the family was fighting a losing battle against his ice cream.
Simeon appeals to his mom for help, but to no avail. "Is there any way to keep this inside the cone?"
It appears that Simeon has his own theorem, and it goes something like this:
Despite his best efforts, he couldn't keep up with the meltdown occurring in between his hands. Initially, being the clean freak I am, I began to put the camera down to go for napkins and attempt a massive clean-up effort. But, it quickly became apparent that it was best to allow the creamy chaos to unfold and document it all for posterity. And, so I did.
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more... with some ice cream gloves.
Yep, that's ice cream in his nose, and a chocolate chip perched on the edge. I wonder if that enhances the experience...
And so, once he could do no more damage to the cone (or once it had done sufficient damage to him... I'm not sure which), my wife bravely took him into the rest room and proceeded to bathe him in the sink. Then, we went on our way toward Flagler College campus.
All in all, it was a lovely time and I'm certain we'll remember it fondly for many years to come. You'll also be relieved to know that Simeon's ice cream eating prowess has improved markedly since this harrowing experience.
