The best travel experts suggest that whenever possible to eat and drink locally. Whatever the reason for travel, it is a great reminder to seek out cuisine from the most original and unique eateries you can find. My perfect weekend began with a mimosa, red fish tacos and the promise of non-stop girl talk. Of course, how could it not be perfect when visiting my daughter who lives in Fernandina Beach?
It was almost comical how many times our itinerary changed over the weekend. We didn’t accomplish all of our objectives, but somehow managed to have a terrific time. The best stroke of luck was going to the famous Annual Shrimp Festival on Amelia Island. As with most open street celebrations, many booths featured trinkets and t-shirts. Catching my attention this time was the exceptional art work and junk dealers. As we dug though the detritus, my daughter found some glass bottles covered in barnacles, while I spied a petrified whale vertebra. Now this is my kind of shopping.
Relaxing at the Amelia Tavern was a treat for our exhausted feet. I studied the menu getting more thirsty by the second trying to decide on which local brew to try. I finally followed my daughter’s lead and ordered a pint of Buzzin Bee. The coolest aspect of their beer selection was that all their choices were from local Jacksonville breweries. The pint of Buzzin Bee was definitely the boost that I needed to finish my junk shopping. Before buzzin along to our next destination, I snapped a photo of the cool wall at the end of the bar. I would love to return for lunch or dinner and enjoy the high-spirited vibes and comfortable atmosphere.
I could have hauled in a lot more, but was limited by the size of my carry-on suitcase. So much for the ship lanterns and rusty pulleys. However, I did have room for some fishing corks.
As hard as it was to pass by my favorite ice cream spot, I was quickly distracted when I entered Nana Teresa’s Bake Shop. For once, I had no trouble deciding what to order. “The honey lavender cupcake please!” Then my brilliant daughter picked out three more cupcakes to try; Triple Chocolate, Nutella and Red Velvet.
Beautiful colors of Marzipan.
Continuing my perfect weekend was a walk on the beach. I’m still like a little kid and not satisfied until I look at every shell. The dark blue and black are still my favorite. We passed a tortoise on the beach who looked rather out-of-place. Maybe he was on his way to meet a distant sea turtle relative.
An interesting rock I found on the beach has little sea shell impressions on all sides.
I managed to snap one selfie on the beach.
Before leaving, I took the opportunity to snap a few photos of my daughter’s family room. What kind of mom would I be if I didn’t do some rearranging? One of our objectives was to find a new coffee table. Since we failed miserably, I moved her old table out and improvised with the chair ottoman. It’s more the size needed for the space, and will do until we find something better on our next hunting excursion.
The green bottles on the mantel are the ones we found at the Shrimp Fest.
The most perfect weekends always end too soon. Mine ended with a sweet hug at the airport.
Cheers!