October15- 17, 2024

After our bike ride, we cleaned up, packed and hit the breakfast room and then made our way the short hour down to St. Mary’s, Georgia for three nights at Brittany’s Place Airbnb which we’d booked after our initial lodging choice, closer to Amelia Island, had to cancel due to flooding from a harsh storm that had passed through earlier in the month.  We would be joined here by my sister Bev, her husband Bill, oldest son Jed and Uncle Dale’s oldest daughter Judy and husband Phil.

As mentioned earlier, we were to attend the memorial service for my Uncle Dale, who passed a few months before his 100^th birthday, which we were originally going to celebrate instead of this service.  I’d assumed he would make it to that birthday, had counted on it as he had always seemed so robust.  It just goes to show that when it is your time, there is no turning back the clock. 

Arriving at the Airbnb we checked in and selecting our bedrooms (one for each couple and one for Jed) we unpacked and settled into the long conversation that would last almost our entire time together, with so much to catch up on for Judy and me.  I’d last seen her when I was a teenager and her family dropped by the house.  We had plenty of snacks and drinks and so for dinner we just got delivery from Yankee Pie Apizza, decent enough for take-out and at a reasonable $61 for three pies, a couple of salads and some drinks. 

The next day was the service, which was held at the Jacksonville National Cemetery, about thirty miles from the Airbnb.  It was a windy somewhat cold day, with rain threatening, but we would spend the bulk of the service under the roof of an open-air shelter. 

This would not be our first exposure to a Veteran Affairs service, the first being my father’s which we held at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in Point Loma.  This would be followed by one for my Aunt Shirley, who was buried with my Uncle Sam in Boulder City and later with Joanna’s Mom and Dad who are interred at the Los Angeles National Cemetery near Westwood.  All the males here served in some capacity during World War II, the greatest generation, all but gone from us now. 

After the service we all drove to Debbie and Marshall’s house for an afternoon and early evening wake, with folks who knew each other providing a common floor for those not that close to get to know all in attendance, tracing our collective history and sharing stories, not only of Uncle Dale and Aunt Almeda, but of our own journeys through life. 

The next morning many of us gathered again at Beach Diner for a farewell breakfast.  Joanna would enjoy a morning special, a Croque Monsieur while I did the same with a BLT, a nice change up from our usual omelet and pancake choices.  Conversation flowed, picking right up from the gathering the day before and later we all bid each other a fond farewell in the parking lot before those of us staying at the Airbnb drove to the Fernandina Historic District to walk the streets of this pleasant seaside resort. 

Fernandina Beach is the county seat of Nassau County, Florida and It is the northernmost city on Florida’s Atlantic coast, situated on Amelia Island.  The French, English, and Spanish all maintained a presence on Amelia Island at various times during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, but the Spanish established Fernandina.  In 1847 construction of Fort Clinch began in nearby present-day Fernandina. And this Third System fort was named after General Duncan Lamont Clinch who fought in the War of 1812 and the Seminole Wars.

Having visited Uncle Dale and family many times, we’ve grown accustomed to the area and have explored both by car and bike.  A nice place to check out is Amelia Island a part of the Sea Islands chain that stretches along the East Coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida; it is the southernmost of the Sea Islands, and the northernmost of the barrier islands on Florida’s Atlantic coast. 

My first visit here was many years ago as part of a leadership retreat hosted by ACUI and facilitated by the folks at Franklyn Covey, the author known for his popular book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  During this retreat we attended workshops and had an assessment done of our strengths, which I later found quite valuable.  And one night, I met up with Bob from Purdue, wild time at a local bar which we closed that night.  We were unable to secure a taxi ride back to the hotel and instead were ferried back by two police cars, causing quite the scene at the entrance when we arrived. 

Our more recent encounters with the island have been on bike rides from Debbie and Marshall’s house, located in a community just off Jimmy Buffet Highway.  From there you ride the highway onto a bridge which takes you over Kingsley Creek and down to Amelia Island Parkway where one turns south and rides as far as they would like.  We closed out our stay at the Airbnb, talking into the night and promising to see each other sooner rather than later, a promise we hope to keep regarding Judy and Phil and one we know we will with my sister Bev and husband Bill.  Moments like this remind one of the values of family and the positive role they can play in one’s life. 

Links

Brittany’s Place: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/15632480?source_impression_id=p3_1739637433_P3jTDcUymWPSiqF0

Yankee Pie Apizza: https://www.yankeepieapizza.com/

Jacksonville National Cemetery: https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/jacksonville.asp

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery: https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/FtRosecrans.asp

Beach Diner: https://beachdiner.com/location/fernandina-beach/

Fernandina Historic District: https://ameliaislandliving.com/fernandinabeach/historic-district/

Amelia Island: https://www.ameliaisland.com/