This old Spanish fort is right in the heart of St. Augustine--overlooking the bay.
It is surrounded by a moat and a draw bridge...
These funny little towers are overlooking the harbor....
So you can spy on the party-ers on the sailboats.
Luckily there is not a pirate in sight....
There is an inner courtyard...
For marching around and looking threatening....
and of course, here we have the latest in weapons of mass destruction.
I could not figure a way to get into one of these beds and photograph it too--but I wanted to show how short they all were--no more than 5 feet long! I wonder if the Indians of that time were also short. Were they drinking too much coffee as well? Hogwash! I wonder, are we evolving into a race of giants? Will we become behemoths like the dinosaurs and mammoths? What will the average height be in 100 years? I'll let you know.
LOL, I often wonder where some of the facts stated at these places come from, keep on exploring and reporting. I am enjoying your posts.
ReplyDeleteOOPS- I AM ONE THAT WAS LEFT BEHIND (STILL PRETTY SHORT)
ReplyDeleteI LIKE YOUR COMMENTS.
JUNE
I've read in many places that until recently (20th century), Europeans slept sitting up, propped up with cushions. So the Americans too inherited this practice. So the beds only need to be long enough to support your lower half. The reasons aren't very clear. But some explanations are (1) they felt that sleeping flat would let too much blood sit in the brain causing damage. (2) That lying flat was reserved for the dead.
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing the bed that Lincoln died on in Wash. DC. It is very short. Lincoln was 6-4. I am 6-3, and I remember thinking that there was no way I could have fit on that bed. So how did Lincoln manage?
i've also noticed that old art from Europe and the US from the 1700-1800's that show someone in bed, they are often propped up. I appears they slept that way too.
True, we are taller now. But I don't think they were that much shorter in the past. Otherwise everything would be much, much smaller. Clothes, tables, chairs, etc.
Ron, I have asked several docents about how those people slept in the beds--and I'll keep asking as I explore the museums. They all tell me they never heard about the 'sleeping sitting up' idea but it might have some credence. I have also checked out the clothes and most of them are much smaller as well as shorter than the current average. (that isn't so surprising) I don't know how the docents knew Ponce de Leon was only 4'11" but they did say he was 'average' in height. I also read somewhere that Lincoln may have had Marfan's disease and that was why he was so tall. Anyway, it's interesting. MOM
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