Tree Lighting Day

I was unable to make it down to the tree-lighting ceremony in town this evening but here she is, ready for the spark. There were kids' choirs and much merriment. Sorry that I missed it.

Pajama Party!

And the winners are..... Rob and Rebecca Fouse of Woodstock, Georgia for their Texas Longhorn/ Betty Boop combo. Thanks for the fun, everyone.

Thanksgiving

Another exceptionally good-looking crowd has gathered at Fairbanks House for Thanksgiving. Here they are just before we walked out the door to Beech Street Grill for dinner. They're all in their rooms now contemplating which pair of jammies they'll be wearing to breakfast and to the party on Centre Street tomorrow. Or, like Bill and I, they're laying there like fattened calves just waiting for the Alka Seltzer to kick in. Either way, we'll see them in their pj's for breakfast.

Almost PJ Time

We're getting ready for the Friday morning PJ party on Centre Street. Our guests are prepared so it should be a good time. Can't wait.

Fernandina Wreath Options

The double door.


The double window.


The double door swag.


And the single gate. More to come...

Philosophy

This one from the Green Turtle Tavern seems to be a good one by which to live.

Cookies!

Today was the Cookie Tour of Inns and the weather cooperated in a brisk but sunny way. Everybody got to wear their Christmas sweaters which is something that we get pretty excited about around here because it's an infrequent occurrence. The turnout was also brisk and much cookying ensued. We made Hello Dollies, a layer cookie made with a graham cracker crust and lots o' good stuff on top. Since we were pretty tied up in our own house we didn't get to go on the tour but from all indications everyone had a good time. And we're finished decorating for Christmas! Whew! Twenty-one trees and many thousands of lights. But it's all worth it because the place looks very festive and makes us smile every day. You should try it.

Now That's More Like It

Some of you may have noted in one of my earlier posts that I am not a fan of preschoolers driving. I think that they should be pumping those little legs building strong bones and muscles. This would be an excellent means toward that end. Just my opinion.

Last of the Scarecrows

The last signs of fall will soon be replaced by Christmas decorations on Centre Street (and at the Fairbanks House. We kick off the season on Saturday with our Cookie Tour and a host of other activities. The island really is festive during the holiday season. You should try to make time for a getaway while the decorations are up. We'll leave the lights on for you.

Holiday Finery

For little girls. Twisted Sisters' children's shop, Twisted Kids, always has really cute stuff in the window. Sometimes it's just so cute that it can't be contained. I'm assuming that this is for Christmas but it could be left over from the Georgia/ Florida game weekend with all of that Bulldog red.

Decorating Diversion

Somehow, Jordan and Alissa got the instructions wrong when they were directed to put the lights on the trees in the foyer. They put lights on in the foyer with the trees. Perhaps I wasn't clear. In any event, have no fear, we'll get things straightened out in time for our Holiday Cookie Tour of Inns this weekend. We'll even get the cookies baked... again... and we won't sample as many this time... Hope to see you here.

Early Bird

Although the sign doesn't say it, I believe that it refers to the restaurant with whom the attorney shares the building. And there's an apostrophe missing in bird's unless they're referring to actual birds that have returned and put on a show at 5:30 each evening.

Wanna Buy a Bike?

Eight Flags Antiques is selling this "Vintage English Raleigh Bicycle" for $125. Not sure if the pumpkin comes with it but I bet you could get it thrown in with the deal. Nice folks - I get some of our dishes and glassware that we use at the inn there.

Friday Night Lights

Baseball version. Fall baseball is big around here. I grew up playing softball in Baltimore and it was strictly a spring and summer sport, unless you were really good and you got to play on the fall travelling team. In Florida, baseball - and probably softball - is played pretty much year-round. Another difference that I've noticed is that in Baltimore the fall sports were football, soccer and field hockey, and by November you'd moved inside for basketball. In Florida, football ended last week and soccer started today. Of course, it was 80 degrees today so there's no reason to move inside.

Sunny and Breezy

Two forgotten friends of Snow White, or today in Fernandina?

Lulu's is Closed

In a sad sign of the times, our beloved Latin-inspired restaurant, Lulu's Bra and Grill, has closed and is awaiting new ownership - maybe you? It's tough for the little guys to hang on when things get slow because there are no reserves built up for sustained "quiet times". Don't forget to patronize the little guys in your travels and at home. We're counting on you...
In the meantime, Lulu's bras are still blowing in the breezes tempting potential new owners to join our island lifestyle as we've come to know and love. We'd love to have you as a new neighbor. The natives are friendly.

Fernandina Still Life

On the sidewalk on Centre Street in front of French Market Antiques - one of my favorite stores downtown.

New ATM

With all of the comings and goings of bank branches these days, our downtown ATMs have experienced much of the same. As an antidote to that, our Visitors' Center on Centre Street now has its own ATM inside. It's quite convenient since most of our visitors are already making a stop there to pick up brochures, ask about tours, lunch spots, etc so it's a good fit. And, to answer the question of those who have been here before, there is still an ATM just up the street from us at 7Th and Centre. You can hit that one first and by the time that you make it to the river end of Centre you'll be out of money from the shopping so you can refuel at the Visitors' Center. Thank you Spokesmodel, Emmy Lou.

Boomer's Beard

Boomer, everyone's favorite carriage horse, is quite the black hole when it comes to eating; in fact, he'll eat just about anything. He's pretty happy when I've just gone to the grocery store when he stops by for his treats, but if the cupboards are pretty bare at the end of a long weekend, he's just as happy when I clean up the yard and feed him Spanish moss. As you can see, he's not very dainty with it - or anything else that he eats - and he grabs so much of it that he frequently has a pretty good beard of it as a result. I try to always have carrots ready for him but if I don't I just grab the Spanish moss before he drags the carriage up the front steps looking for me. Anyone who's taken a carriage tour from here knows what I'm talking about. He's actually been known to steal ice cream cones and lattes out of people's hands when they're not looking. But he's a big boy with a big stomach so we all love him.

Lining Up for the Veterans Day Parade

So I was walking downtown to a meeting that I had today and started photographing people who were getting ready for the parade.

And I intended to go to the meeting and then photograph the actual parade. But....my meeting went a bit (lot) long so I missed the parade. But everyone looked festive, didn't they?

Found Some Guests

Wandering around town (post massages at Magna's) last night but couldn't put them on my blog because I couldn't upload anything. Has anyone else been having trouble with slow internet access over the last couple of days? I've been able to get on but it's been too slow to do anything. Sorry for the delay Sue and Tim. And Happy 20th Anniversary! Thanks for spending it with us.

Distracted From My Walk

Banana Spider

Frequent visitors to the area - scary looking but good guys. A much-appreciated clean up crew. They're generally high in the trees so you don't even know that they're there unless you're looking for them, which I do because they make amazing webs.

Schooner Ahead

If you click on this photo to enlarge it, you can see the Schooner Voyager under full sail just about to clear the fishing pier. There's something really beautiful about these double masted ships with all of their sails up. We have lots of sailboats at the marina but they're always under power by the time that they get close in so it's a treat to see one sailing in the distance. Ask us about sailing options if you're interested in partaking while you're here, including lessons. Or just watch them go by like me.

Gift Certificate Winner

Congratulations to..... Brenda Weston of Chicago, Illinois for winning the drawing for the $50 Fairbanks House gift certificate. Brenda correctly identified my location as London, England in front of the horse guard - as opposed to the papal bull as someone guessed. We did have a few correct entries so we asked a guest to draw the winning name. Didn't want that responsibility. Hurry down soon Brenda, it's cold up there. Thanks to everyone for guessing. We'll have another gift certificate giveaway soon.