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There's Still a Place 1/28/2018 2:24:08 PM
There’s Still a Place
Amelia Island Florida:
My biography states that I divide my time between upstate New York, and Amelia Island Florida. My heart is in both places because of the beauty of each, and the feel of community of both. The first time I came to “the island” in 1990, A1A/200 was a two-lane road from Interstate 95 to Fernandina Beach. I had never heard of it until my sister moved to Waycross Georgia in 1989. Just over the causeway, as one drove onto the island, Curtiss Lasserre’s Real Estate billboard advertised, “There’s Still a Place”. There was, and there is.
That was before the Ritz Carlton came into existence, and The Plantation was seven miles to the south with few resort condominiums in between. Sliders, a dark brown, single story restaurant on the beach was a place to go on Saturday night to eat seafood, and hear good music, and T-Ray’s still pumped gas.
The thirteen-mile-long island offered a dozen miles of uninterrupted beach for sunning, walking, and shelling, a colorful history, having been under the rule of eight flags, charming shops, and some of the best shrimp you will ever taste. Two paper mills, Rayonier, and West Rock, have manufactured paper products and provided employment for more than a half a century. These things are still here, and yes, one can still ride horses along the beach at water’s edge.
Each March classic car enthusiasts from around the world gather for the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance where thousands of guests view some of the most beautifully restored automobiles in existence. The first weekend in May 2018, The Shrimp Festival will host its 55th annual celebration.
Like me, others have found this place and fallen in love with it. Its ambience is more than just quaintness, and beauty. It has a feeling of community—connection. Each day brings the anticipation of a new experience, an unexpected synchronistic encounter. I look forward to sharing some of them with you.
