Fernandina beach on Amelia Island

There were fresh baked goods, crab cakes, hydrangeas, wines, coffees and a plethora of other goods. One particular vendor had pitas he had just made earlier that morning, I regret not purchasing any, and they looked so good. The crowd was a mix of young and old, many of whom had ridden their bicycles to the market, contributing to the small town ambience of the morning. Greetings of “Good Morning” and “Hi, How are you?” filled the air.
After we had perused all the offerings of the market we decided to walk through downtown along Center Street. The road was lined with large trees giving everyone much appreciated shade and framing a picturesque downtown.
There were plenty of little shops and boutiques. Some we have seen many times before and a few that were new to us. We struck up a conversation with the proprietor of “Go Fish” about the area. We inquired whether this area was a tourist destination or just a small town. She confided in us that there are many tourists visiting now but that in the off-season they depend on the locals to make ends meet. I can’t say that the area felt like a tourist destination at all, it felt like Anysmalltown, USA.

(The photographer that took these pictures is getting better and better at her craft)

Outside the bookstore on Center Street there was an author selling/signing his book “Peter the Pelican.” Jerry “Pop” Bishop, the author, was one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. He shared with us that the inspiration for his book, Peter, has visited him every winter since 2000. The book contains a picture of Pop and Peter on their dock. What a wonderful little find this was. We do not have any children but decided we wanted a copy of the book anyway. He signed his book and posed for multiple photos

We had a refreshing lunch at “Brett’s waterway café” overlooking the Amelia River. The water taxi from Fernandina to St. Mary’s Georgia is running now and while we were dining the water taxi pulled in with quite a few passengers. Next time we will plan on taking the water taxi for an evening ride. We will be sure to make it on a Friday evening when there is all you can eat crab legs at Langs seafood in St. Mary's.

The houses in the downtown area had so much character; there was a little bit of Savannah, New Orleans, and Charleston.
"These folks looked so comfortable and content"

With a bit of sadness we decided it was time to leave. We drove out to the beach to say goodbye. The beach there rivals anything you would find in our area and the people were out in droves enjoying the sunshine. More than once I heard the words, “I would love to live here.” I have to say I agree it would be a wonderful place to call home.