Under the Sands of Amelia

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Amelia Island Conservationist

Amelia Island Conservationist 130707

Thursday was the 4th of July and it was my first time on the island for this holiday. I've seen a lot of fireworks celebrations over the years and did not expect to see anything novel this year, especially since this is not a big city and fireworks shows cost a lot of money to put on.

I was wrong.

Just as dusk approached the booms began outside. As RS and I walked onto the sand, I saw fireworks exploding up and down the beach from Main Beach in the north to the Ritz-Carleton in the south. These were not just firecrackers either. They were the rockets that soared into the sky to explode in a glittery display. Some even had secondary explosions of light. For about 45 minutes the fireworks lit the sky. I would guess maybe ten or fifteen people had spent a considerable sum of money each to put on a remarkable display.

I loved it and so did the crowd of vacationers and residents.

The next morning RS and I were up early to walk on the beach. There before us was the downside of the celebration scattered on the beach ... paper rocket shells, plastic caps, empty water bottles, aluminum wrappers and assorted junk. In one evening a seemingly pristine beach was converted to a junky strip of sand.

That scene got me thinking about the city ordinance prohibiting fireworks on the beach and how it was not enforced. Maybe a better thing for the city to do would be to repeal the fireworks ordinance for the 4th of July and organize volunteer clean up crews the morning after to remove the junk from the beach. Both fireworks and clean-up seem to offer a way of being patriotic.

The following day (the 6th) RS and I took another walk on the beach. Since it was high tide, we chose to wear sneakers so we could easily walk on the shell hash. One of the characteristics of Amelia is that dogs are allowed on the beach. The city ordinance requires dogs to be on a leash, but like the fireworks rule, it never seems to be enforced. I have to say it's fun seeing dogs fetching balls from the surf or chasing each other in circles on the sand. Unfortunately, there is a downside to dogs on the beach and I found it on the bottom of my sneakers when I got home. It took a few minutes of scrubbing with a brush under the beach hose to get all the dog remains from the nooks and crags on the bottom of my shoes.

That got me thinking about how few dog owners seem to care about cleaning up after their dogs on the beach. RS, who is more observant than I, told me that most dog owners either leave the dog poop on the beach for all to see while others kick a bit of sand over the excrement. Either way, I don't like it.

This is where I began to think about conservation. Two days in a row something I liked had a downside that fouls the very reason why I choose to live here.

Today is Sunday the 7th and the final day of the July 4th weekend. Again RS and I were up early to walk on the beach. Almost the first thing I saw at the surf line was a crushed beer can. Someone had intentionally left the beer can on the sand and had crushed it so some sharp edges would stick out to cut a bare foot. Within about 25 feet from the beer can was something else that really surprised me. There was a half buried armadillo with its eyes poked out. Why would anyone do that?

As we walked on a balancing event showed up ... sea turtle tracks to and from a newly created nest. Wow! it was the first time we had seen that. Just hours before a large turtle with a leg spread of about three feet had been there to deposit eggs.

The July 4th revelers are now headed home and the beach is returning to the normal summer activity. But, here I sit thinking about whether I should become more active in keeping Amelia Island enjoyable and protecting this beautiful place. I suppose we all eventually face this conservationist dilemma.

- CR

Sunday, June 23, 2013

AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 013

AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 013

CLUE

A unique example on a street full of these

PICTURE

DIFFICULTY

Medium

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AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 012

AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 012

CLUE

The big pile.

PICTURE

DIFFICULTY

Easy

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AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 011

AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 011

CLUE

A concrete example.

PICTURE

DIFFICULTY

Medium

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AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 010

AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 010

CLUE

Trailhead to a high point

PICTURE

DIFFICULTY

Hard

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Tuesday, June 18, 2013

AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 009

AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 009

CLUE

You will get a charge out of this.

PICTURE

DIFFICULTY

Medium

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AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 008

AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 008

CLUE

On a high-traffic road

PICTURE

DIFFICULTY

Medium

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AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 007

AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 007

CLUE

You see the other side all over the USA.

PICTURE

DIFFICULTY

Medium

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AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 006

AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 006

CLUE

A view less seen.

PICTURE

DIFFICULTY

Medium

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Wednesday, June 5, 2013

AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 005

AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 005

CLUE

It's good you can read.

PICTURE

DIFFICULTY

Medium

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AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 004

AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 004

CLUE

A "main" attraction in Fernandina Beach.

PICTURE

DIFFICULTY

Easy

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AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 003

AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 003

CLUE

A link to the outside world.

PICTURE

DIFFICULTY

Easy

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AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 002

AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 002

CLUE

Gimme a break!

PICTURE

DIFFICULTY

Hard

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AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 001

AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 001

CLUE

There are not many of these on Amelia Island.

PICTURE

DIFFICULTY

Easy

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AMELIA ISLAND - Where am I? How to Play

AMELIA ISLAND - Where am I? How to Play

RS and I have been thinking of a way for us and the people who live and visit Amelia Island to have fun. We came up with a game which we are calling "AMELIA ISLAND - Where am I?" Here is how it works:

We make a blog post, for example, "AMELIA ISLAND - Where Am I? 001" and in the post we include a picture(s) and a clue(s).
You can use the picture and clue to figure out where RS was when she took the picture. All pictures are taken from public areas or private areas that allow public access on Amelia Island. This includes the bridges, piers and docks that are attached to the island, but not from a boat.
You can post a comment to the blog post telling the world where you found it. Anyone wanting to write an article about what is in the picture and how it happened or why it is where it is, can do so by contacting me (CR).

We will also post whether we think the specific item (picture and clue) is easy, medium or hard. This way visitors can play with easy games and long-term residents can play them all, especially the hard ones.

Have fun ...

CR

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Views of Amelia Island 121028

Friday, September 7, 2012

Living on an Island

Living on an Island 120907

Living on Amelia Island means that I am, well, living on an island. I've always considered that the restricted boundaries of an island would quickly lead to boredom and cabin fever. I've never been in prison, but I have been on cruises. Although the two are not comparable in terms of the activities, food and treatment, for both there is a severe limitation on how far you can move. On cruises one day at sea is about all I can stand before I want to be on land and see something new.

I was concerned that a small island would give me the same feeling ... TRAPPED.

This morning I was watching a lady from a nearby condo. I had talked with her earlier in the week and knew that she and her husband were here for a week or so. I could see she was getting bored today. She stood on the walkway to the beach and just stared at the sand and sea oats for 30 minutes. Her mind was a million miles away while her body was experiencing a blue-sky, not too hot, gorgeous day right on the beach. Cabin fever? Maybe so.

So, why was I not experiencing the same thing? I live here and spend a lot of time here with occasional trips away. So, here are my categorized thoughts as to why I seem to like it so much and am not at all bored:

Find something to do with a purpose - This blog, as simple and unimportant as it is, gives me a purpose. I don't have to work for a living any more (or not much). I'm not a volunteering type. But, exploring has always been fun for me. So, now I am exploring Amelia Island. The internet helps so much with this that the things I find here take me to unexpected places. If you have read previous blog posts these are things like Morocco, lighthouse passports and armadillos. I have a few other interests that are completely unrelated to Amelia Island, but can be done anywhere.
Share what you do - I am lucky to have RS. She has always had a good eye for seeing things I don't see and capturing them in photos. Over the years I have learned to see things a bit more her way, but she still surprises me. Her photos adorn this blog. Mostly, I take photos of hers and add them to the blog. Occasionally, she will want to replace one or remove one because she doesn't like the quality or it doesn't represent what she wants to show, but mostly, you get to see what she sees. The mundane ones like signs and maintenance sheds she takes at my request, but the others are her eyes. Putting her photos on the blog makes it our blog.
Open up to new things - I haven't worn shorts in decades. I haven't worn sandals in decades. I haven't fished in decades. I haven't ridden a bicycle in decades. The list goes on and on. I am trying new things and rediscovering things I have not done in a long time. An open mind helps a lot combined with a little bit of willingness to try new things.

So, now the days pass so quickly. There is no boredom. In fact it's becoming just the opposite. I have to go to Washington next week. Too bad for me. It's a lot more fun here even though I will see some nice sights, mix with lots of different people and enjoy a wider range of food in Washington. There I can't hear the surf, see the stars or watch the lovebugs.

-CR
Photos by RS

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Views of Amelia Island 120906

Views of Amelia Island 120906

Photos by RS

Ft. Clinch Maintenance Shack 120905

Sign on Side of truck 120905

Sponge 120906

Sand Cliff 120905

Sand 120905

Horseshoe Crab Shell 120906

Beach Toilets 120905

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

High Light

High Light 120905

The first and third Wednesday of each month a tour of the Amelia Island Lighthouse is offered by the city of Fernandina Beach. The tour takes about an hour, costs only $5.00 per person and is full of the history of the island. RS and I decided today to give it a try.

Amelia Island Lighthouse Sign 120905

We met with several others at the Atlantic Recreation Center just before 10 am. After paying our $5 fee we hopped on a van driven by Scott Mikelson. A short ride later and we were at the lighthouse. We entered a one-story, white building with the insignia of the Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 14-1 on the door.

Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 14-1 (120905)

Wow! The coast guard auxiliary ... another thing to research about Amelia Island.

Inside were two members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, Judy something (sorry I did not get the name) and Helen O'Hagan Sintes. Judy explained a bit about the history of the lighthouse to start. You can find info about the history at several sites (1, 2, 3). The interesting parts to me were that the lighthouse was moved in the 1830s in about a two-year period from Cumberland Island next door, it is a short lighthouse and one of only a few land-based lighthouses, and it is on the highest coastal land south of New Jersey (60 feet).

Next Helen took over. She is the daughter and granddaughter of the last two lighthouse keepers and grew up at the lighthouse. She is now 78 and recounted stories from her childhood. It was fun hearing about having the fastest boat on Amelia Island, swimming with the alligators in Egan's Creek, artesian wells on the island and what her dad had to do as a lighthouse keeper.

Helen O'Hagan Sintes 120905

Then, we went to the lighthouse. You cannot go up the steps of the lighthouse but you can look up. Here is RS' view.

Lighthouse Steps Looking Up 120905

Near the lighthouse is what we think is the highest point on Amelia Island. RS snapped this shot ... 60 feet above sea level and the place to go if there is a tsunami.

Highest Point on Amelia Island - 60 Feet 120905

At the end we again took the van back to the Atlantic Recreation Center.

Judy(?) and Scott Chatting 120905

One unusual thing I learned is that there is something called a lighthouse passport. You get one of these and, when you visit a lighthouse, you get a stamp in your lighthouse passport. Sounds like fun. The stamp is at the Atlantic Recreation Center.

-CR
Photos by RS