It was 7:30am when we dropped Lucy off at her favorite boarding facility, Lange Animal Hospital. She likes it there, most likely because they give her treats, and we do not. Not that I'm against it, but we just never got into the habit of buying them. After dropping off Lucy, we settled in for our drive to Florida, which took us through Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina until finally arriving on the Island of Amelia. After 8 hours and 45 minutes we pulled up to the Williams House, our home for the next three days.
The Amelia Island Williams House
The Williams House is one of the oldest and most historic homes in the town of Fernandina. A Boston banker built the house in 1856, then sold it to Marcellus A Williams in 1859, whom the house is named. Surrounding the front of the Williams House still to this day stands the original iron fence. William, who worked for the surveying firm of Lawrence Washington, a nephew of George Washington was active in the Underground Railroad, offering a safe house for slaves. There is a secret room in the dining parlor where Byron showed me that they hid the slaves until it was safe to leave.
For over a 100 years, The Williams family occupied the home, but for the past 10 years Deborah and Byron McCutchen have owned the Williams House.
Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies
As we entered the foyer, there were freshly baked chocolate chip cookies sitting on a side table just waiting to be tasted. The aroma hung in the air as Byron checked us in, giving us some information on where to eat, things to do and the direction of the beach. After all the information had been given, we were taken to our room, Emma's Guest Suite, which was located in the Carriage House.
Cinnamon
As Stone and I were settling in, we left the doors open to let in the cool breeze. Sometimes, even though you do not hear a sound, you are aware someone else is in the room. I turned around and we did indeed have a visitor, only it had four legs and was quite adorable. His name was Cinnamon, the proprietors cat. He roamed around our room, checking things out before stretching out on a rug with the sun shining in, enjoying all the attention he was getting. Lucy would had been very jealous.
At 5 o'clock each evening there is a social hour with complimentary wine and hors d'oeuvres. Stone and I joined the others as they gathered on one of the many verandahs. As we were walking out the door, I overheard a young man stating more than once, "you are so pretty." I thought, how sweet is that. He is telling his woman that she is pretty, and more than once. As we made our way to the opposite side of the verandah and sat, I glanced at the young couple only to realize the young man was actually speaking to Cinnamon the cat, not the young lady who happen to be his wife of two years. I should have known.
Our first night on Amelia Island we met up with Leann, Kevin, Robin and Craig at Lulu's at The Thompson House. Lulu's, a casual but intimate outside courtyard dining, offers fresh local seafood, poultry, pastas, and meats with a Creole flair prepared by Chef Brian. With tiki torches surrounding us, we chatted and consumed our food, eventually closing down the place. The food was delicious. I ordered the Love On A Plate and it was so good I ate every last bite. I was told the blueberry cobbler was fantastic, but I did not try it. Being the lover of sweets that I am, as soon as it was mentioned I thought, I'm getting that. But then, I started thinking about the fact that we were going to the beach the following day. Therefore, I had to make a decision between blueberry cobbler or wear a swimsuit. The swimsuit won out, but I still think about that cobbler I did not have.
Confederate Jasmine
Our first full day on the Island began with Stone and his coffee and I with my diet coke gathering on the verandah with the sun shinning and a cool breeze blowing and bringing with it the scent of Confederate Jasmine which was all over the island.
At 9:00 am a delicious gourmet breakfast was prepared by our hostess Deborah as all those staying at the B&B settled around the table. Two courses were served while we chatted with others and making new friends. Full and content, we took a stroll through the eclectic shops of the historic district before finally making our way to Fernandina Beach, just a short stroll from our B&B.
Stone and I at Fernandina Beach.
With the sun high, Stone and I find the perfect spot to lay our towels. We quickly applied our sunscreen then settled in, soaking up the rays as we read our novels. Stone, Absolute Power by David Baldacci and I, A Time To Kill by John Grisham. Although there was many people at the beach, few were in the ocean including myself. Stone on the other hand made it all the way up to his ankles. The water was still a bit chilly.
We had dinner plans at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation where we enjoyed a glass of wine on the outdoor patio before going in to enjoy a mouth watering filet. Our table soon became pretty lively with the tales of how we and our lives will change with the arrival of grandkids if that should happen in the future. It made me realize how things have changed through the years since I raised mine. All I can say is, if anyone wants me to baby sit, they better have disposal diapers, I'm just sayin!!!
Our last full day was spent roaming and taking a few pictures prior to the rain starting. It wasn't a fierce rain, but slow and steady, lasting only a couple of hours before clearing out and becoming a perfect evening.
Green Turtle Tavern
The night before we had noticed on our way back to the Williams House, the Green Turtle Tavern which had outdoor music and was most defiantly the happening place. As much as I wanted to go, I just couldn't. Number one we were over dressed for a tavern and number two the night air was pretty cool. I do not do well with cold if I am not prepared. I could tell Stone was disappointed. He was ready to get his moves on. So we planned to return the next night which we did. Stone spent hours that night swinging me all around the dance flour at the Green Turtle Tavern and The Courtyard Pub And Eats. The night before, when we had driven by the Green Turtle Tavern, the music was exactly what we were looking for. Unfortunately the night we ended up there it was iffy. There appeared to be numerous regulars, among those was Liberty, a sixteen year old retired cattle dog, who posed as I took his picture.
Liberty
Later in the evening I met Liberty's owner, James, who was very chatty. You could tell Liberty had been coming to the Tavern for years as he was very comfortable with all the people. With the music to slow, we left and ended up at The Courtyard Pub And Eats, a piano bar with Don on the keyboard. One song after another he played with the dance floor full. Stone and I kicked off our shoes and joined in. We did the two step and when the beat picked up we did the swing. We met a couple from Canada, and wow, they could dance. I could have watched them all night. Next thing I knew, the gentleman had me dancing the Jibe with him. Talk about a work-out, it had my heart a pumping and had me sweating. Although it was fun, I think I'll stick to the 4 count swing. We stayed and danced until Don played his last note.
The night was warm as we walked back to the Williams House, bringing an end to our stay here on the island. I hated the thought of leaving this quant little island with moss filled trees and the smell of confederate jasmine, but as someone once said, "all good things must come to and end."
With the rise of the sun, we gathered up our belongings and set them aside as we took one last walk around the island.
Rain Lilies
Hibiscus
The Historic Bailey House
We then made our way to the dining room for a farewell breakfast and joined the others as Byron served the fabulous breakfast that Deborah had made. We chatted with those who had gathered at our table. The talk turns to where are you from, what to you do, ect, ect. Many like us were leaving and heading home.
Maybe one day we will make it back to Amelia Island, but if not, I will alway's have these memories.
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