Addison On Amelia Innkeeper's Journal

Thursday Night is Wing Night Again!

2012-01-27T06:24:00.002-05:00

We used to go to O'Kanes Irish Pub for wings on Thursday nights after the Addison's Happy Hour. The wings were good and cheap on Wing Night but we mostly went to see the bartender, Mark. He is a big, pleasant man who could always make your day better. Mark left O'Kanes and we tried Wing Night a couple more times but it just wasn't the same without Mark behind the bar.

I have found our new spot for Thursday Wing Night. I had wings the other night at Halftime Sports Bar that were just wonderful. Big, meaty wings that were moist inside and slathered with a tasty sauce. Bretta was tending bar and, as you can tell by the smile on her face, she loves what she does.

Bretta and Jon bought Halftime a few months ago. They upgraded the menu and added some theme nights like Trivia Wednesdays. They both quit their day-jobs and have embraced the life of a small business owner in Florida. Any small business has it's ups and downs but Bretta and Jon are optimistic that they have made the right move. I'm glad they did. Those wings are great!

On Being Left Without Adult Supervision

2012-01-25T15:21:00.000-05:00

We frequently get asked by our guests about our down-time, those chances to get away from the inn and relax. Truth be told, we don't need that much away time from the Addison but we have had the inn closed for the last couple of days.

Shannon and Lee are off at the Professional Association of Innkeepers International (PAII) conference in Little Rock Arkansas. We think it is important to keep up with current trends, learn about changes in our industry and just hang out with other innkeepers for a few days. The seminars cover a wide range of topics including marketing, food preparation and presentation, financials and keeping your sanity in a 24-7 environment.

So what have I been doing while left without adult supervision? The fire alarm system has been tested (a noisy annual event), I had some contractor work done that was best done without guests in the house and we did some extra deep-cleaning. But mostly, I have been relaxing. The weather has been gorgeous with 70+ degrees and sunshine each day. I spend a little more quality time with Maggie Doone and One-Eyed Louie which is always a good thing. The phones keep ringing with Spring reservations and there is always a constant task list of gardening work to look after but mostly I have been sleeping in (until 6:00 today!) and exhaling a little more than inhaling.

The sun, she shines. The birds, they sing. I live on an island in Florida and am, for the most part, a master of my own destiny. Can it get any better than this?

Amelia Island Restaurant Week Coming Up Fast!

2012-01-17T15:35:00.000-05:00

Amelia Island Restaurant Week starts January 22nd and runs through the 29th. The Fourth Annual Amelia Island Restaurant Week will feature three-course price-fixed menus at 23 participating restaurants. Make your plans today to enjoy an old favorite restaurant or try something new, or both, during Amelia Island Restaurant Week!

We have a new restaurant in town and I'm really looking forward to trying their Restaurant Week Special. The standard format for the restaurants is a $19 or $29 price-fixed menu option. Our new restaurant? Tasty's Burgers. The burgers are great and I love their fries but how are they going to come up with a $19 or $29 meal? This new restaurant could really surprise us!

Be sure to ask for the Restaurant Week menu wherever you go for dinner this week. We dine well on this island and we really dine well on Restaurant Week.

Going Sailing on a Bonus Day!

2012-01-07T08:34:00.000-05:00

Whenever we get days with weather like this I call them Bonus Days. It is the first week of January and the sun is shining and the temperatures are in the 70s. Days like these are why people move to Florida.

We took full advantage of a Bonus Day yesterday and went sailing. Our two sons, Matt and Dan, are visiting the Addison for the first time and we thought a sailing trip might be a good way to see some of the waters around the island. We booked a half-day sail with Captain Tony of Windward Sailing and away we went.

We sailed out the Saint Mary's River, past Fort Clinch and out into the Atlantic where the wind picked up and we headed south along the Amelia Island. We weren't far enough off shore to see the Right Whales that are here this time of year but we did see lots of dolphins. On the way back to the marina we sailed along close to the Cumberland Island shore looking for wild horses. We had a great day and Lee even got to steer the boat!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T06:04:00.000-05:00

Another year over and another year of opportunity ahead. Nothing says "New Year" like champagne so at the Addison Happy Hour on New Year's Eve we popped open several bottles and had a champagne tasting. We started off with a sweeter pink champagne, moved on to a dry champagne and a California sparkling wine and finished off with the very dry Louis Roederer that we sell here at the inn. The two big favorites? Surprisingly, both ends of the taste scale were favored with they were the sweet and the very dry being the two most popular.

What to do with the champagne that we didn't finish last night? Mimosas for breakfast!

We at the Addison hope you all had a great New Years Eve and that 2012 is a good year for you.

A Lasagna To Remember!

2011-12-25T16:25:00.000-05:00

Christmas is finally here after so many weeks of having the inn decorated and the Addison kitchen has been cooking! This morning for Christmas breakfast we had White Chocolate-Cherry Muffins, Fresh Berries with Lemon Cream and Banana-Walnut Belgian Waffles. We have had a buffet of light snacks and baking on the the side board in the dining room all afternoon with even more food ready for Happy Hour. Our guests have been eating well all day and our turn comes this evening.

Lee assembled a tremendous lasagna this afternoon. Layers off her delicious meat sauce, lasagna noodles, fresh mozzarella, Havarti, Parmesan and cottage cheeses all topped off with more cheese. This thing is huge. I tried to weigh it on our kitchen scales but they just wouldn't handle the heft so I brought our the bathroom scales. The photo you see here is the lasagna sitting on the scales. Those numbers you see on the little blue screen are the uncooked weight. That's right, 17.1 pounds. We will be eating this beast for weeks!

From all of us at the Addison, to all of our friends, family, fans and followers... Happy Holidays! Eat well, hang out with family and look forward to another great year ahead of us all!

Four Year Anniversary of Owning an Inn

2011-12-21T21:27:00.000-05:00

Four years ago today Shannon and I bought the Addison. It was a fast sale and, after five years of looking, almost anticlimactic. Shannon had visited the inn and had fallen in love with it. I hadn't even seen the inn when I was at the bank, pen poised over paper, ready to sign my life away. I asked Shannon "Are you sure?" and she said yes. We signed a bunch of papers and the Addison was ours.

The Addison was a bank foreclosure, a distressed property, that hadn't had a lot of maintenance or investment recently. Wallpaper was hanging off of the walls, towel rods were hanging of off the walls, light fixtures were iffy. I couldn't figure out how to turn the courtyard lights on. I looked for timers, light sensors, I walked around the courtyard clapping. Nothing worked. It turns out all of the light bulbs were all burned out. We replaced over 100 lightbulbs in the first week.

We didn't have the usual business turnover procedures that occur when you buy an active business from someone. We didn't have pass codes for the computers, I knew nothing about the mechanical systems and there was nobody who could explain how the hot water system worked. The file cabinets were empty. On top of it all, we had no idea how to run a B&B!

Jan and Rick from the B&B Team were a great help. Jan spent a week at the Addison discussing amenities, linens, towels, breakfasts, menu planning, vendors and everything else to get us started. Rick was here for a few days and we worked out a marketing plan, basic budgets and a path forward for the inn.

Four years later we have no regrets. Shannon and I just got back from a great dinner and we both agreed that what we did was a good thing. We originally thought we would be doing better financially but who knew, back in December 2007, that an alleged recession was about to knock the wind out of the economy. On the bright side.... People may not be able to afford to go to Europe or Mexico for two weeks but they can still afford to stay in a top-rated B&B on Amelia Island for a few days.

Four years ago. No regrets. We live on an island in Florida. We run our own business and people like what we do. What isn't there to like? As my daughter likes to say "Nobody on this island has it better than Bob". As I like to say, "I've never smiled so much in my life".

Behind The Scenes Goings On

2011-12-18T16:55:00.000-05:00

I took Maggie Doone and One Eyed Louie for a walk this morning down to the marina and back through town. It was a great morning with plenty of sunshine and a bit of fall in the air. The kind of morning where you walk on the sunny side of the street. A shrimp boat was pulling in and the picture as I saw it in my mind didn't quite transform into the picture you see here. It is hard to get a great photo, capture the whole marina feel and frame up a shrimp boat nicely when two dogs are pulling in opposite directions because they heard a train whistle. But you do get blue skies, and expanse of water and a glimpse of a shrimp boat in the river.

Meanwhile, things are happening behind the scenes in our sleepy little winter seaside town. Businesses come and go and it seems like more are coming than going this winter. We lost Indigo Alley, a popular music spot and wine garden last fall but the bar will be reopened in January as an extension of O'Kanes Irish Bar. They will offer a different menu but share the full liquor license of O'Kanes.

The Fernandina Beach Dinghy Club will be reopening in March after years of closure, under new management and possibly a new name. The building isn't in the best spot, right on the railway tracks behind the Marina Restaurant (another local's favorite) but they have an incredible waterfront view from the second floor bar.

Cafe Karibo is expanding into a vacant spot just a few doors down and they will be opening a fresh fish shop. Kind of like fish and chips but much better. I'm really looking forward to that opening.

The biggest potential for a great, historic property downtown is the old Post Office building. The Post Office wants to sell the building but nobody seems to want to buy it. I think it would make a great B&B. A beautiful 3-story historic building with original windows and woodwork inside. Even a freight elevator. The county's original courtroom is on the second floor and that would make a great lounge with a couple of pool tables. We could call it the Old Post Office. Is there anyone out there with $10 million looking for a place to spend it?

So, as out town makes it through another winter it is nice to see that people see the potential of the town and are willing to invest in it. We saw the potential four years ago, invested in it and haven't looked back. Have a great Christmas and we hope to see you again soon!

Maggie and Louie Visit Santa

2011-12-11T07:38:00.000-05:00

Well, its that time of year again and Christmas is just around the corner. The inn is all decorated, outgoing gifts are in the mail and the Christmas cards are still on the coffee table waiting for someone to write them. The only other thing left to do is take the kids to see Santa!

Santa was down at the old railway station yesterday. It was a bit of a handful between two dogs. a line up of children and a camera but we managed to get a decent photo. Neither dog wanted to get up in his lap or really showed much interest at all. The dogs both just had birthdays and Louie is 7 now and Maggie is 5. Maybe they are getting too old for Santa?

Days Like These...

2011-12-07T06:17:00.001-05:00

Days like these remind us why we moved to Florida. Sunshine every day, highs in the mid to high seventies, lows overnight in the mid forties. Low humidity. Cool enough to sleep with the windows open but warm enough that we still run the AC in the afternoon. Still nice enough weather that I can paint outside in the afternoon.

Shannon took Maggie Doone to the beach yesterday. Shannon loves walking the beach when the weather is like this and Maggie just loves going to the beach at any chance. She is a complete idiot (Maggie Doone) at the beach with running in circles, throwing stuff around and digging holes.

I walked Maggie down to the marina last night and back up through Center Street. The town was quiet and the moon was hanging low at the end of Center. The moon looked like it will be full in a couple of days. There was a light breeze blowing, with a bit of beach smell in the air and I thought to myself "Days like these are why people move to Florida".

PS: There will be a full moon this weekend, just in time for the Lighted Christmas Parade. The Parade goes right in front of the Addison so we'll move Happy Hour out onto the front porch to watch.

White Chocolate Chunk Macadamia Nut Cookies

2011-12-02T06:06:00.002-05:00

We keep getting positive comments on these awesome cookies that we featured during the B&B Association Holiday Cookie Tour in November. The cookies were a big hit. They are best fresh out of the oven so Shannon baked 500 of them on the morning of the tour and we only had a small bag of cookies left at the end of the day.

WHITE CHOCOLATE CHUNK MACADAMIA NUT COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:
• 1½ cups all purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup salted roasted macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup pure white chocolate chunks

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350F.
In medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, cream together butter and two sugars until fluffy. On low speed, add egg and vanilla. Slowly add flour mixture until just blended. Stir in nuts and chocolate.
Line the baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.
Drop tablespoonfuls on cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Bake in batches in preheated oven until lightly golden at edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely. Eat 'em up!

Only 27 Shopping Days Until Christmas!

2011-11-28T07:03:00.001-05:00

Wow, that was one great Thanksgiving. We had it all with friends, family, food and guests who enjoyed it all. And what great food! However, Thanksgiving is now nothing but great memories and leftovers so it is time to move on to thoughts of Christmas.

The big tree at the end of center Street is lit, the Addison is all decorated and there is a pretty good line-up of events coming our way. Here is a brief schedule. Full details can be found on our Local Events page.

December 1st through the 17th. Amelia Community Theatre's performance of A Christmas Story.

December 2nd and 3rd, 2011. Holiday Home Tour. Tour five of Amelia Island’s loveliest, private homes in Fernandina Beach’s historic district during the Amelia Island Museum of History’s fifth annual celebration of the holiday season. 10am - 4pm on both days. Tickets are available through the Museum at www.AmeliaMuseum.org

December 3rd, Parade of Paws. Watch as our local pets show off their holiday finery in our annual parade up Center Street.

December 3rd and 4th, 2011 Union Holiday Encampment at Fort Clinch. The Fort Clinch State Park Holiday Encampment is a gathering of re-enactors decorating the fort for Christmas. Volunteers in Civil War era costume place fresh greenery on the mantle, put up and decorate a period Christmas tree, and portray daily life as it was in the winter of 1864. The ladies string berries and popcorn on the tree while cheerful fires burn in the fireplaces and soldiers answer questions about what it is like to be stationed at Fort Clinch. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday.

December 10th, 2011. Lighted Christmas Parade. After the Addison Happy Hour we will move to the front porch to watch the lighted Christmas Parade as it passes in front of the inn.

December 10th, 2011. Artrageous Artwalk. Amelia Island holds an exciting Artrageous Artwalk with numerous galleries participating. Visitors can peruse photography, pottery, copper, metal, stained glass, watercolors, acrylics and more. Visit more than a dozen galleries in downtown Fernandina and two on the south end of Amelia Island. Held on the second Saturday of each month, 5:30 to 8:30PM.
Every Saturday. Farmer's Market with homemade pasta, breads, jams, jellies and lots of last minute gift ideas.

This all leads up to the main event; Christmas at the Addison with carriage rides, mulled wine, seasonal treats and gifts all topped off with a traditional English Christmas dinner with roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings.

There's plenty of things to do in Fernandina Beach this season and the weather is gorgeous. We're even offering a Stay For Three, Pay For Two Winter Escape Special that offers great savings. See you soon!

A Peck of Pickled Pepper Eggs

2011-11-20T15:45:00.000-05:00

The Amelia Island Bed And Breakfast Association, of which the Addison is a member, just launched their new cook book. We contributed several recipes, mostly egg based, to the cookbook. When I say "we" I mean Shannon. Shannon does most of the creative work at the inn including menu development and recipe testing so she was a natural for contributing to the cookbook.

I personally did not contribute a single recipe to the cookbook but would like to share one of my favorites with you. Pickled eggs are easy to make, taste great and keep forever. The bars back in Ontario used to keep jars of them on the bar unrefrigerated for months.

Start with hard boiled eggs. You can skip this section if you know how to hard boil an egg. Fill the bottom of a pot with chicken eggs still in their shells, cover them with water, put the lid on the pot and turn on the gas. As soon as the water starts boiling move the eggs off of the heat and just let them sit, still with the lid on, for 20 minutes. At the 20 minute mark pour out the hot water and add cold water a few times. This cools the eggs down and stops the cooking. Peel the eggs.

Put the peeled eggs in a jar. Cover the eggs with half white vinegar and half water. Cover and refrigerate for about a week before eating. The batch I just made (see photo) has some dill from our herb garden and a sliced jalapeno pepper in the jar as well. I've also added garlic in other batches. You can herb it up as much as you want or just leave in plain vinegar and water.

PIckled eggs make a great snack day or night. Maybe you could experiment with some spices (crushed red peppers?) or herbs and let me know how it turns out?

Randy, Oksana and Jules.... A New Family

2011-11-17T05:54:00.001-05:00

I posted a few weeks ago about Randy and Oksana coming to get married at the Addison. It is done. They arrived Sunday with their son Jules (pronounced Yulee, just like the local town), got married in our courtyard on Monday and now, Thursday, they check out of the Addison and head to Disney World for a couple of days.

The wedding service was nice and easy. They picked up their license at the courthouse just two blocks away and I read the service in our courtyard. Jules managed the photography with a certain flair, scampering about the courtyard like a monkey, taking photos from every angle.

They had a great few days here. Jules got to drive the Amelia River Cruise boat under the supervision of Captain Pajama Dave. They went on the Segway tour of Kingsley Plantation yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed that. The fall weather has been so nice they even managed to get some beach time.

Jules just loves Maggie Doone and really wants to get a dog of his own. The attached photo is of the new family sitting at the Green Turtle with Jules sitting next to Maggie Doone. This isn't a great photo what with the back of Maggie's head and the blurry edges but don't they all look happy?

Petanquers Petanqueing

2011-11-12T06:11:00.000-05:00

The third annual Open International Petanque Tournament opened yesterday. That is pronounced pay-tonk. It is from France so throw a little French accent in the pronunciation. The game is like Bocci with a lot of balls being thrown around but different.

And what a lot of balls! Last year there were 80 two-person teams entered in the competition. This year there are 130 teams. This competition, she grows! (That sounds better with a French accent too). Competitors are coming from 23 states, Europe and even Canada. We have a couple staying at the Addison from California who are in town for the competition.

What is the appeal of this game and why is it growing so? A certain level of skill is required and a bit of agility is needed to play but this is not a full contact game. Anyone can play regardless of age and gender and everybody can have, with practice, a reasonable chance of being competitive. Also, this is one of very few games to which you can wear a beret and nobody will bat an eye.

The practice pits are open year round down in the park by the marina. Grab your balls and head on down there. With a little practice you can represent Fernandina Beach in next year's Open.

Gas Fireplaces at the Addison

2011-11-09T15:51:00.000-05:00

Just in time for the cooler fall weather....

Cooler weather is on the way and we have added a nice touch to the inn to help our guests get through the winter. We had gas fireplaces installed in the living room (pictured here) and in Rooms 3 and 4. The fireplaces in the guest rooms have timers so you can snuggle in bed with the fire going and not worry about getting out of bed to turn them off.

Happy Hour in the winter? In the living room in front of a (not quite) roaring fire! Rooms 1 and 2 will have the gas logs installed next and all of our fireplaces will go from "decorative" to "working".

In Which Bob's Mother Comes For A Visit

2011-11-04T12:52:00.000-04:00

We have been running the Addison for almost 4 years. We don't get out much and haven't been back to Canada since buying the inn. We were sure that our relatives would be visiting us more often as we are in such a nice part of Florida but that has not been the case. My mother (thats her on the left) and sister Judy came to see us this week, their first visit to see us and the first time I've seen either of them in over 5 years.

They picked a good time of year to visit. The weather is cooler and the humidity has all but disappeared. Judy has had a couple of opportunities for some beach time and is going horse-back riding on the beach this afternoon with Lee. Mother has been hanging out at the inn and going for lots of walks through the Historic District with Maggie Doone and myself.

And, of course, we have been eating. We had a fabulous dinner at Le Clos on Wednesday night and ate pizza and salad from Arte's last night. Shrimp salad sandwiches from the Happy Tomato and soft-shell crad sandwiches at Cafe Karibo. And breakfast! Nothing starts off a full day of eating like a full breakfast at the Addison. Judy has been here for 4 days and says her pants are getting a little snug. That happens in this town with so many great places to eat.

They are off to the airport tomorrow morning to head home. The only immediate family on my side who has yet to visit is our son, Dan. He and Matt are scheduled to arrive after Christmas for 10 days and this will be the first time we have all been together in maybe 6 or 7 years. There is a lot of catching up to do and food to eat.

October Shovelling

2011-10-30T16:55:00.001-04:00

Much of the northeast has been hit by an unusually early winter storm resulting in snow up to a foot deep in places. While I sympathize with those of you who have to shovel out your driveways this early in the year I would like you to know that I have had my own shovelling to do as well.

Our herb garden was kind of scattered all over the courtyard until I consolidated it in one sunny spot yesterday. I stacked up some bricks, laid out a couple of timbers and potted / repotted our herbs.

The basil we use in the bruschetta for Happy Hour. I use the oregano and the basil in sauces that I make for our dinner. Shannon even used basil leaves as the form for chocolate leaves with which she garnished the strawberry shortcake we served at breakfast the other day. The rosemary we use for meat dishes and the parsley and chives are used for garnishing the savory dishes at breakfast. We still have the bird bath full of mint in the courtyard. The mint certainly does like that spot, there must be just the right amount of sunshine.

A minor bit of shovelling I admit, compared to digging out a driveway from a snow storm, but it was a nice way to spend an hour or so on a sunny afternoon.

Jeff and Tina Get Married

2011-10-25T15:10:00.001-04:00

Jeff and Tina got married at the Addison last weekend and it was a fun event. Just look at the expression on their faces and on the faces of the people on the veranda. Jeff married Tina at 6PM, just as Happy Hour was winding down. The ceremony went well and everyone enjoyed it. Their friend, Brad, read a few verses in Hebrew after my part was done and then the big finish. Jeff did a good job (nobody was injured) of breaking the glass as he stomped it. I called out "Mazel tov!" and they were married. After the ceremony Jeff and Tina shared a wedding cake and champagne with the rest of the group at Happy Hour but nothing is finished until the paperwork is done. Brock and Caroline, whose smiling faces you see on the veranda, signed the licence as witnesses and the deed was done. Brock and Caroline were with us for a couple of nights and were on their honeymoon.

As with all weddings performed at the Addison, Jeff and Tina are covered by the Addison guarantee on their marriage. If they ever doubt the wisdom of what they have done this weekend they can come back to the Addison for a week of king-sized beds with luxurious linens, oversized jetted tubs, romantic carriage rides and superb dining. We'll get the romance back on track for them. Regular rates apply.

Oki goes to a Wedding

2011-10-18T07:26:00.000-04:00

The Addison hosted another wedding this weekend, a wedding with a difference. The ring bearer was Oki the Weimaraner. Aaron and Keri got married at the Addison and there were about 30 people for the service in our courtyard. The service was held after Happy Hour and several of our other guests gathered in the galleries to watch. After the service a horse-drawn carriage carried the happy couple to Kelly's Courtyard Cafe where they had a great celebratory dinner. Oki looked handsome in his tuxedo and boutonniere. Thanks to Keri and Aaron for staying with us and thanks to Tania of Clear Skies Photography for the photos!

New Champagne at the Addison

2011-10-14T06:42:00.000-04:00

We are always looking at ways to improve the inn and our offerings to our guests. Yesterday we took a big step in improving our wine list and our Romance Packages that we offer to our guests. It is a tough job but somebody has to do it.

Enter Liz. Liz is a wine rep and part of her sales technique is to do wine tastings. Look how happy Liz is at her job. Yesterday afternoon, in this beautiful 80 degree sunshine, we sat out on the verandah and polished off 4 bottles of champagne. At least that is what it looked like to any casual observer. Actually, we carefully compared two champagnes that Liz brought with her to the two sparkling wines that we now sell. We sniffed, checked the size of the bubbles and the color of the wine, and tasted carefully checking for dryness, fruitiness and finish. And we chose a new champagne for the inn. Then we polished off the rest.

Keep an eye out for our new Romance Packages. One will be an improved version of our current Romantic Getaway Package and the other will be a real knock-her-socks-off package. Featuring our new champagne, Louis Roederer Brut Premier. It is from France, brought to us by Smiling Liz.

When Friends Marry Friends

2011-10-05T06:55:00.001-04:00

We have had a lot of weddings at the Addison over the last three years. 110 to be exact. Most are elopements or small gatherings of friends and family but we have had up to 70 people for a wedding in our courtyard.

I just heard from a friend and ex-coworker (yes, I used to have a real job) and he is coming to stay at the Addison in November to get married and he wants me to do the service!

I met Randy (on the left in the photo) in the far east of Russia on a project on Sakhalin Island. We worked together again on a project in Rabigh, Saudi Arabia. He has bounced around a it since working in Oman and a few other places but has settled back in Virginia. Oksana, his fiance, comes to us from Russia. This photo was taken in Aswan, Egypt, when they were boating on the Nile.

It is always fun to have friends come to visit us at the inn and I'm really looking forward to seeing Randy again and meeting Oksana. Maybe some of the other project team members will show up for the service. Allison? David? John? Beuller? Anyone?

Amelia Cruizers Car Show Coming Up!

2011-09-30T06:44:00.000-04:00

Jim was out cruising in his 65 Corvair the other afternoon. He has this car in such great shape he's thinking of entering it in the Amelia Cruizers Car Show that is coming up on October 15th.

There are two car shows on the island and the Cruizer show is by far my favorite. The main reason is that I can actually attend the event! It is held right downtown, just a block away, and I can walk through the show with Maggie Doone. The other car show? You have to drive to get there and the tickets are $45!

Early Saturday the 15th you'll hear the cars coming to line up along Center Street. Some are trailered in but a lot roll in under their own power. There were 280 cars in last years show. There are some classic cars but mostly cars from the 60s and 70s that guys have restored or customized on their own. That is another reason that I like this show. Most of these are cars that I could own some day, they aren't $6.3 million Ferraris like at last year's Concours auction.

Food vendors will be lining the street and there will be a DJ playing music from the 50s. The car owners are usually with their cars and they are happy to answer any questions about them. The show goes until late afternoon when trophies are awarded, engines are started and the street empties.

As Sand THrough The Hourglass Flows....

2011-09-23T20:44:00.001-04:00

Where has September gone? It seems like just a few days ago we were looking at September from a distance and now it is almost slipped away. The month started off with a full house over the Labor Day weekend and it feels like we haven't slowed down since.

The big event of September was the Amelia Island Blues Festival. We had several guests head down to Main Beach to catch the music and we even hosted the official photographers for the event. Maggie Doone and I didn't get a chance to head down there but our guests reported having a good time and enjoying some top notch entertainment. International Talk Like a Pirate Day has also come and gone. (photo courtesy of Lovin Touch Photography out of Atlanta. Guess where they stayed while in town?)

There is always something to fix or improve when you own three wooden buildings in Florida. I have been kept busy with a little something I like to call "Where is this water coming from?" I figured out where the water was coming from and now just have to fix all the holes in the walls.

We also had gas lines run to all of our fireplaces in the main house. The gas logs have been installed in the living room and as soon as I get the chimneys blocked in Rooms 3 and 4 we can install the logs in those fireplaces. Rooms 1 and 2 will get theirs later in the year, just in time for that cool fall weather.

September has been a quiet month for weddings at the Addison with only three elopements. I still get a kick out of performing these wedding services. The people we unite are such a diverse group in age, origin and beliefs.

Florida Travel and Life, the magazine and on-line Florida source, is putting together an article on Amelia Island and the Addison that will be in their January edition. We had their travel editor staying with us last week and he was so impressed with our island that he sent his photographer for a three day photo shoot of the downtown and the inn. The travel editor from Points North, an Atlanta publication is coming next week. Hopefully she will be just as impressed.

Our Dog Days of Summer Free Night Special expires at the end of September but it will be replaced by our Fall For The Addison Special starting November 1st. Before you know it the Holidays will be here and a new year will be upon us. Where does the time go?

Bob Takes a Day Off

2011-09-09T06:54:00.001-04:00

South end of Amelia Island

I took a day off from my regular activities at the inn yesterday and went for a bike ride. It was a perfect day for cycling; sunny, not too hot or humid and very little wind. I rode down to the beach and turned south following A1A and kept going. My end destination was Little Talbot State Park, one island to the south of Amelia.

Kayaks ready to launch

A1A follows our beaches all down the east coast of Amelia Island. It has been repaved recently and they added bike lanes on both sides of the road for the whole length of the island. That 3 foot wide strip of asphalt makes a big difference to a cyclist. The lack of hills makes a big difference too. There are a couple of hills on Atlantic Avenue near the inn and a bridge to cross between islands but other than that it is pretty flat.

Kayaks and stand-up boards

I stopped in to see the crew at Kayak Amelia. Ray gave me a tour of their facility which is on Simpson Creek in Big Talbot Park. They were just headed out on a guided tour tht would last about three hours. That three hours includes a break in which they eat the big box of home made chocolate chip cookies that Ray was packing. They do guided tours, rentals and now even have stand-up paddling.

Talbot Island beach

The beaches on Talbot Island are pretty rugged. This is what our Amelia Island beaches would look like if not for the beach replenishment projects.

I finished the southward part of my trip by riding through Little Talbot State park and then headed north, back along A1A. When I got back in Fernandina Beach I stopped in to see Artie the One Man Party, daytime bartender at Sandy Bottoms. It is important when exercising to re-hydrate. Artie helped me out with that and served me a really good bacon cheeseburger as well.

Another mile and a half from Sandy Bottoms to the Addison and my ride was done. 40 miles averaging a little over 10 miles per hour. A nice, easy ride. Not as exciting as Ferris Beuller's day off but a thoroughly enjoyable day anyway.

Amelia Island Blues Festival

2011-09-03T06:42:00.000-04:00

There is always something going on here on Amelia Island and this year we have a new music festival! The Amelia Island Blues Festival officially starts on Friday, September 16th but the unofficial kick-off was last night. The Beech Street Blues Band played a free concert as part of the Sounds on Center concert series. These free concerts are played on the first Friday of each month and draw a good sized crowd of locals and tourists alike.

On Friday the 16th the festival really takes off with warm up performances by the Beech Street Blues Band, Julia Nikki Savage and the Shuffle Junkies. The Friday night headliners are Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and Conrad Oberg. The Saturday line up is equally impressive with music all day leading up to a performance by Albert Castiglia. You can check out their website for the full schedule and ticket information.

The next big event following the Blues Festival is the Jazz Festival in early October. That is followed by my favorite car show on the island, the Amelia Cruizers Annual 8 Flags Car Show on October 15th. In between the major events we have regularly scheduled events at Fort Clinch, the local Museum of History, the Sounds on Center concerts, the Saturday morning Farmer's Market and the Artrageous Artwalks. Visit our Events page for full details.

If you take advantage of our Dog Days of Summer Free Night Special and visit for 4 nights (one of them is FREE!) over the Blues Festival weekend then you can stick around for one more event. Monday, September 19th is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! It will be observed in Fernandina Beach on Sunday the 18th with plenty of pirates downtown. Stop in at the Palace for a Pirate's Punch and meet some of the local pirates who add so much personality to our town. Arrrr!

Twilight Cruise on Amelia River

2011-08-24T12:13:00.002-04:00

Amelia River Cruises now offers a 2-hour BYOB Twilight Cruise. The boat leaves the Fernandina Marina and goes over to Cumberland Island and up Beech Creek to where the ruins of Dungeness Mansion lie. That is me in the picture with Maggie Doone as we set off on the cruise. Maggie loves going on the boat.

The big difference between this cruise and their other cruises is that there is no narrated history on this cruise but there is live music being played by local musicians. And you can bring your own bottle of wine or 4-pack of cold PBR. We shared the boat last night with a bunch of people who were celebrating a birthday. That is Captain (and owner) Kevin McCarthy driving the boat.

The cruise left the marina and headed up Amelia River to Cumberland Island. We went up Beech Creek looking for dolphins but got a spectacular look at the sunset instead. Shannon, Maggie Doone and myself love getting out on the water but don't get out often enough so this was a real treat. The weather was perfect and the sun set right where it was supposed to. There were just enough clouds in the sky to make the sunset interesting. Check out our Facebook page for the full photo gallery.

Hurricane Irene Coming To Visit

2011-08-23T09:54:00.000-04:00

Hurricane Irene will soon be churning up the coast of Florida. The current projected path has the center of the storm well off-shore as it passes Amelia Island. This storm is 700 miles across and still growing so we're still going to have a wet and windy weekend but let me put my usual positive spin on things.

What to do on such a weekend? Head down to the beach! Walk the beaches with the wind in your face. The surf will be pounding and churning up the beaches leaving behind a whole new collection of shells and shark's teeth. Stop into Sandy Bottoms and have a cold beer at the bar while watching the surf through the big picture windows. It is a little hard getting their door open in a 70 mph wind (been there, done that!) but it is nice and cozy once you are inside. Once back in town you can cruise the antique stores or spend an hour or two in the Amelia Island Museum of History.

The wonderful restaurants in town will still be open so you can enjoy a nice dinner after the Addison's Happy Hour. Then it is back to the Addison to curl up under the covers and watch a movie out of the DVD library in our front hallway. There is nothing quite like falling asleep, snuggled up to the one you love, with the sound of rain on the roof.

There is always something happening on Amelia Island

2011-08-20T16:07:00.000-04:00

We are coming up to a great time of year for festivals and food on Amelia Island. Although it is very much still summer here we do start thinking about Fall weather. The evenings are cooler, the humidity drops and there is always something going on! There is the regular schedule of Farmer's Market, garrisons at Fort Clinch, the monthly Artrageous Artwalk and the Sounds On Center free concert series but the events listed below are the bigger events. See the full schedule of all events.

August 26th and 27th, 2011. Great Southern Tailgate Cook-off. Join us for the 2nd Annual Great Southern Tailgate Cook-Off to be held at Main Beach. Barbecue cooking teams from across the country will compete for cash and prizes and of course, bragging rights! There will be live music all day both days and one of the competing teams will be staying at the Addison which means we'll be having some great BBQ for Happy Hour on Saturday.

September 4th, 2011. Welcome To Fabulous Fernandina Pub Crawl. Another in the popular series of pub crawls! This one takes place on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend and has a Las Vegas theme to it. Your $10 ticket gets you drink specials at 8 of our favorite local pubs, and a T-shirt. The after party will be at the Palace Saloon. This is usually a well-attended event with 200-300 pub crawlers. Let us know if you want tickets and we'll pick them up for you!

September 16th and 17th, 2011. Amelia Island Blues Festival. Come experience Amelia Island and get your Blues on! The Inaugural Amelia Island Blues Festival includes two days of outstanding music great food, beer, wine and more... all with the amazing Atlantic Ocean in the background.

September 25th through October 2nd, 2011. Women’s Tennis Championships. Enjoy great tennis during the Women's Tennis Championships at Omni Amelia Island Plantation Racket Park. Qualifying rounds are September 25-26, with the main draw matches on September 27-30. Tickets are free for matches on September 25 - 30. Tickets are $10 per adult or $5 per child for matches on October 1 & 2. For more information, contact the Tennis Pro Shop at Omni Amelia Island Plantation at 904-277-5145.

October 2nd through 8th. Amelia Island Jazz Festival. The Amelia Island Jazz Festival will once again light up the island with a week-long series of events celebrating the diverse all-American art form, jazz. Under the creative direction of renowned jazz drummer and bandleader, Les DeMerle, the festival will feature world-class jazz artists in a wide variety of styles including Dixieland, Smooth Jazz, Bebop, Big Band, Blues, Latin and more at St. Peter's Church Courtyard and several other charming venues on beautiful Amelia Island.

October 8th and 9th, 2011. Amelia Island Autumn Festival Fine Arts and Creative Crafts Show. Exhibitors will be located in historic, downtown Fernandina Beach. This street festival will have up to 200 exhibitors. The Fine Arts juried showcase will feature creative crafts in adjacent areas. Creative Crafts will also be juried to assure that all craftsmanship is original and handmade.

October 15th, 2011. 15th Annual 8 Flags Car Show. The Amelia Cruizers Car Club is hosting its 15th Annual 8 Flags Car Show on historic Centre Street in beautiful downtown Fernandina Beach. At the 2010 show there were over 280 cars and 10,000 spectators that came to Amelia Island to view the cars in our beautiful seaport city. The show cars line both sides of beautiful tree-lined Centre Street from the waterfront to 8th Street and last year’s Best of Show and People’s Choice cars will be directly in front of the Historic Courthouse.

November 11th through 13th, Petanque America Open. Visitors can join close to 200 petanque players on Amelia Island as they compete in this simplified version of an older outdoor bowling game. The goal is to toss or roll a number of hollow steel balls as close as possible to a small wooden target ball. Players take turns and the team that ends up nearest to the target ball when all balls are played, wins.
That takes us through to the beginning of the Holiday Season which brings another whole schedule of events! Get your blues on, eat some award winning BBQ, catch Bob's favorite car show, listen to one of the free Sounds on Center concerts, get a free history lesson at one of the garrisons at Fort Clinch or just stroll the beaches and relax. The Fall is a great time in Fernandina!

Day Trip to Jekyll Island, Georgia

2011-08-17T20:49:00.000-04:00

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Shannon and I took a rare afternoon off together and drove to Jekyll Island, Georgia. The island is famous for being the playground of the rich and famous back in the 30s. Some of their beach cottages (huge homes with interesting architecture) are still on the island, river side, next to the Jekyll Island Club Hotel.

The island is largely undeveloped with the hotel and cottages in the historic district and a few small subdivisions of homes scattered about. The beaches are nice but access appears rather limited. Their Historic District with the hotel and cottages is considerably different from our vibrant little downtown full of restaurants, shopping and art galleries.

We had lunch (the whole purpose of the trip) at Fins on the Beach. As promised it was right on the beach. We opted for indoor AC for lunch and then had a final beer out on the porch. The view was nice and they had these big sails flapping overhead to provide shade. Grilled fish sandwich and a plate of fish tacos, all quite good and reasonable when the bill came.

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center was really interesting. Injured and sick sea turtles from all up and down the coast are taken there for rescue and rehabilitation. The big turtle on the operating table is getting barnacles (disease, water drag, along with other problems) scraped from his tummy. The turtle hospital with all the tanks is where the turtles recuperate and are eventually released to the wild or a good home at an aquarium is found for them if they can't survive in the wild.

Sea Turtle Hospital

All told, it was a pleasant way to spend the day as far as day trips from Amelia Island go. You can leave after breakfast, see all there is to see on Jekyll and still be back in time for Happy Hour.

Dog Days of Summer

2011-08-07T06:31:00.001-04:00

The dog days of summer are here with every day hitting at least 90 and nothing but sunshine. Summer in the City, the Loving Spoonful song, keeps running through my mind "All around people looking half dead, walking down the sidewalk hotter than a match head".

Even Maggie Doone is feeling the heat. Our morning walks are getting shorter and she stops at each corner to see if we are turning around and heading back to the inn. Here is a photo of One Eyed Louie hiding from the heat. Both dogs seem quite content to relax in the air conditioning either here at the Addison or down at the Green Turtle. Those cool tile floors at the Turtle must feel great on Louie's belly.

Just like that Loving Spoonful song though, the evenings are quite pleasant, just right for strolling through the historic district and grabbing some ice cream at Fernandina's Fantastic Fudge Shop. A frozen yogurt shop is opening soon on Center Street giving you another option for cooling down. Our guests have been listening to some great live music all through downtown once the sun sinks into the west. A few of them even braved the heat to attend the SunSplash reggae concert down at the beach this weekend.

As hot as it gets here we take comfort that we have cooler weather than a lot of places. We are 10 degrees cooler than Jacksonville and way cooler than south Florida, Atlanta or the metro DC area. We also have these ocean breezes that keep the air moving. We are still running our Dog Days of Summer Free Night offer right through to the end of the summer. Escape your heat, stay with us for 4 nights and one of the nights is free!

And Babe, don't you know its a pity

That the days can't be like the nights

In the summer, in the city

In the summer, in the city.

Great Southern Tailgate Cookoff, Amelia Island Aug 26 and 27

2011-08-01T16:07:00.008-04:00

Amelia Island will be putting on the second Great Southern Tailgate Cookoff on the 26th and 27th of August. This event has it all with live music all weekend, a beer tent, close proximity to the beach and of course, plenty of barbecue. The event features BBQers from all over the country competing for prizes, bragging rights and glory.

Last year's cookoff was the first serious BBQ event I have attended and I was really surprised at the range of cooking equipment these competitors bring to the table. At one end of the scale is the smoker that is home-made out of an old drum and on the other end of the scale are stainless steel kitchens-on-wheels with automatic pellet feeders so the fire burns at the right temperature all night. Walking around the grounds checking out the toys was a big part of the cookoff for me. That and eating some great BBQ.

The Addison will be hosting Keith and Teresa Hall of the Seriously Smokin' BBQ team. They live in north Florida and aren't travelling too far but when you have to be at the cookoff at 2AM to tend to your fires you like to be sleeping somewhere close by. Last year we hosted the Cool Smoke team and our guests had a great time chatting with Tuffy and eating some great BBQ. You can check out Seriously Smokin' on their Facebook page.

Maggie Doone won't be going to the cookoff this year as they have set up a no dogs policy. She had a great time last year but will have to be content with eating BBQ at the front desk this year.

The Great Southern Tailgate Cookoff - Where the beach meets the brisket. See you there!

Inshore fishing on Amelia Island

2011-07-28T21:20:00.002-04:00

Capt Danny catching bait

Shannon and I took a rare afternoon off today and went fishing. Captain Danny Flynn took us out about 3 miles off shore to fish along the jetty.

David reeling in a good sized Bonnet Head Shark

Me with a Red Drum. Photography trick: The fish was really at least 4 feet long!

David and Debbie, friends from Ontario, were in town so the 4 of us went out to catch us some fish. What a great afternoon! We caught (catch and release) some bonnet head sharks, red drums, blue fish and a lady fish. The sharks and the drums were big fighters and for a couple of guys who have never been off-shore fishing it was a fun way to spend the afternoon.

In between catching fish we saw pelicans, loggerhead turtles, jumping rays, leaping dolphins, shrimp boats and most of the Fernandina Beach fishing fleet out having a great day on the water. The sun was shining although thunderheads were building over the coastline. The water was calm with a few low swells as the tide changed.

Captain Danny made it all happen!

Captain Danny did everything but reel the fish in. He caught the bait, set the hooks, chopped the chum, cast the lines and netted the beasts into the boat. All we had to do was reel them in and pose for the photos!

Elephant Ears and Monkey Grass

2011-07-21T13:16:00.000-04:00

Shannon went to Atlanta last week to buy some Christmas decorations but came back with a bunch of new plants for the courtyard. Everything in the courtyard looks good and is growing well but we did have a few empty spots that could use some green. These Elephant Ears are now on the left side of the path between the arbor and the fountain. I'm not sure what that new grass is called that I planted all around the Ears but I'm going to call it Monkey Grass.

These are fiddleheads from the Australian Tree Ferns we have on the other side of the courtyard. The ferns are really thriving in the courtyard. I love the way these ferns grow with the fiddleheads uncoiling into leaves.

Here are the Australian Tree Ferns next to the variegated Ginger. Both plants love the courtyard environment are are thriving.

And more Monkey Grass! We have a real hard time keeping plants alive in that garden right in front of the fountain. The fountain splashes so the dirt around it is always soaked. That Monkey Grass should be happy there according to the pro at the nursery.

One last photo. This Sideshow Bob fern is really growing well this year. Daily water and Miracle Grow once a month is all it takes to keep this guy happy. I'm not sure of the plant's real name but he reminds of the hair on Sideshow Bob off of the Simpsons.

Massages at Happy Hour

2011-07-15T06:19:00.000-04:00

Our guests at Happy Hour yesterday had a nice treat. The massage therapists from Magna's Aveda Salon came by and offered complimentary hand and foot massages and neck rubs. Our guests really enjoyed the experience although, according to one guest. having a hand massage really slows down the wine drinking.

Teachers From All Over!

2011-07-13T06:21:00.000-04:00

An interesting coincidence came up with our guests this week. We have four couples staying with us and all of the women are teachers. They come from all over the southeast including Florida, South Carolina and Georgia with one of them came all the way from British Columbia. The one on the left there, that is my sister whom I haven't seen in 6 years. She's the one from BC.

You know who I see more often than my sister? The teacher on the right side of the photo, Linda with her husband Glenn, are here on their 4th visit with us.

The photo is a bit foggy as the humidity is starting to kick in. The days this time of year hit around 90 degrees with lots of sunshine. The weather forecasts show 30% chance of thunderstorms every afternoon but don't let that deter you from visiting. If it does rain, it rains hard then stops after about 20 minutes. Our guests this week are enjoying the beaches and are getting good use out our beach chairs, towels and umbrellas.

This time of year also brings manatees. They migrate north to Amelia River this time of year mating and birthing. A couple of our guests are heading out with Captain Carol on an EcoTour this morning after breakfast and they are sure to see some of the big beasts. I must not be true Floridian because I still get excited when I see them.

Another day is just starting. The sun is coming up and it looks like nothing but blue skies. A good day for the beach, an EcoTour or just reading on the front porch under the ceiling fan.

Smokin' at the Happy Tomato

2011-07-02T16:15:00.001-04:00

And speaking of food....

I walked down to the Happy Tomato this afternoon to pick up the baked beans for tomorrow's July 4th (on the 3rd) cookout. I knew I'd need two hands to carry the beans so I didn't take Maggie Doone or One-Eyed Louie. Without those two beasts I had the opportunity to check out the Happy Tomato's kitchen.

Rich, who is the owner, chief cook and bottle washer of the Happy Tomato does some pretty amazing things with food in this smoker of his. It was converted from a drum with a firebox attached to the side. The smoke (and heat) runs under the cookbox to heat it up some and then flows through the cookbox and out the chimney. The smoker you see in the photo is used for chicken, ribs, brisket and other smaller cuts of meat. He uses another smoker for the butt which takes a lot longer to cook.

Rich entered the Great Southern Tailgate Cook Off last year and was pleased with his results in the final judging. He learned a few things about what the judges expect and he is ready to go back at them this year. The Cook Off is August 26 and 27. Mark your calendars, save the date and reserve a room. The food at the Cook Off was great last year and it is going to be awesome this year.

Back to those beans. I should probably taste them, you know, just to check them out....

July 4th, Coming Up!

2011-06-30T06:36:00.000-04:00

We have a big weekend ahead of us here at the Addison. The 4th of July is always a fun weekend with lots going on in town. The weekend starts off Friday night with the Sounds on Center concert series. This month it is Jimmy Parrish and the Ocean Waves singing your favorite Margaritaville songs. We have a Union Garrison at Fort Clinch this weekend too. On Sunday we are going to fire up the grill for our annual cookout. I'll be grilling hand-made hamburgers and we'll have salads to go with the burgers and a big pot of baked beans from the Happy Tomato. We even have a wedding right after the cookout on Sunday.

On Monday there is the day-long Freedom Festival in Central Park with live music all afternoon. After our Happy Hour guests can watch the parade as all the fun moves down to the waterfront. The bands will continue playing at the marina until the fireworks start at 9:30.

I love doing the cookout each July 4th but what really has my mouth watering is the Great Southern Tailgate Cook Off on August 26th and 27th. I'm already thinking of those ribs slowly cooking on the open flames. We hosted Tuffy Stone last year and he brought a ton of great barbecue back from the contest for our Happy Hour. Bretta, our friend at the Convention and Visitors Bureau, has promised me another contestant this year. I can grill but those guys can really barbecue!

Amelia Island Blues Festival - Big News

2011-06-17T20:22:00.000-04:00

The final concerts of the 10 season of the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival are scheduled for this weekend and I am already looking forward to the Amelia Islands newest music festival, the Amelia Island Blues Festival. The festival already had a pretty good lineup of talent but they have just signed up a local JAX bluesman, Conrad Oberg, to play at the Festival.

Conrad is only 16 but has been performing live for more than 12 years. He recorded his first album at the age of 9, backed by Jerry Lee Lewis' band. He has nearly 4 million viewers on the YouTubes. To add a little perspective here, the Maggie Doone videos have been viewed about 2000 times. I am really looking forward to hearing this guy play.

Mark your calendars! Amelia Island Blues Festival, September 16th and 17th. We'll still be running our Dog Days of Summer Free Night Special so spend at least 4 nights at the Addison and one of them will be free. A free night and a great 2-day blues festival. Who could ask for anything more?

Addison Website Photography

2011-06-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

We launched our new website a couple of months ago and we are getting a lot of positive feedback on it. One of the questions we get about the new site is "Who did your photography?" Well, there were a lot of people involved in the photography.

Mark and Matthew of Jumping Rocks photography did all of the room shots and most of the food pictures. These guys specialize in photographing inns and it is all they do. They also did the photography for the website re-model three years ago and took this exterior shot of the courtyard at dusk.

Clyde and Libby of Elizabeth Wilkes Photography shot the room videos. This was our second attempt at room videos and it turned out really well. They also did all of the aerial photography that is seen throughout the site.

Our guests contributed a lot of great pictures that are on the site. The photo on our Weddings page was taken by one of our guests at a courtyard elopement service that I officiated at a couple of years ago. Maggie Doone mans (dogs?) the front desk daily and has had her photo taken by many guests. The photo on our Policies page is one of those photos. Another of our guests contributed the photo of Fort Clinch on our Parks page.

I managed to get a few of my photos in there as well. Maggie Doone was all set for going downtown for a pint of grog on International Talk Like a Pirate Day when I took this one. I also took the picture of the local shrimp on our Recipes page.

Have you taken any great photos of the island or of the Addison that you would like to share? We're always looking for new photographs for the website and the blog. Send in your pictures, we'd love to see them!

Florida's Newest Clean Marina!

2011-06-11T14:46:00.000-04:00

Here at the Addison we do our part in being kind to the environment. We have been a Florida Green Lodging property for the last two years and we recently retrofitted the historic building with attic and crawlspace insulation to conserve energy and increase our guest’s comfort. Our local marina is doing their part for the environment as well.

Fernandina Harbor Marina completed the last inspection by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Clean Marina program and the marina is now Florida’s newest Clean Marina. The Florida Clean Marina Program is a voluntary designation program with a proactive approach to environmental stewardship. To become designated as a Clean Marina, facilities must implement a set of environmental measures designed to protect Florida’s waterways. These measures address critical environmental issues such as sensitive habitat, waste management, stormwater control, spill prevention and emergency preparedness. To celebrate this Clean Marina designation, Fernandina Harbor received their Clean Marina Flag at a ceremony held in conjunction with National Marina Day today.

I have saved a gallery of my favorite marina photos on our Facebook page. Please feel free to add to the gallery!

Planning Ahead for Thanksgiving

2011-06-10T19:16:00.000-04:00

Thanksgiving is coming! I know, I know, we're just getting geared up for beach weather and the Dog Days of Summer (check out our free night offer during the summer) but the Holiday season is coming. It is coming and we're getting ready for it. We've got a great Thanksgiving planned for this year and nothing says Thanksgiving like food, food and more food.

For Wednesday's Happy Hour after you check in we'll have some seasonal snacks out on the veranda so that you can reacquaint yourselves with our other guests from last year. Thanksgiving morning we will serve a full breakfast to get you ready for your mid-morning boat cruise of Amelia River and Cumberland Sound. Being on the water always makes me hungry so we'll follow the cruise with a light lunch buffet at the Addison. The afternoon is all yours to relax, digest, nap in front of the TV, play cards or take a self-guided wander through our historic district.

The big meal comes in the evening. Last year we served on the veranda and in the dining room and we'll do it again this year, weather permitting. Salad followed by turkey, turkey, more turkey, potatoes, sides and veggies with everything topped off by pumpkin or apples pies fresh right out of our oven.

I posted our Thanksgiving Package on our web site last week and already we have had a couple of couples from last year reserve their rooms at the Addison. Having a home-style Thanksgiving dinner, prepared and served by your innkeepers, is a nice alternative to an expensive buffet at one of the resorts. It is especially nice when we get the same guests returning year after year for the Holiday. Remember... Let our home be your home for the Holidays!

A Little Something Extra at Happy Hour

2011-06-03T20:34:00.001-04:00

Our guests had a little something extra at our Happy Hour today thanks to our friends at Magna's Salon. We had a glass of wine or beer raised to new friends, a nice nosh of grilled nan bread with homemade hummus and the opportunity for a free hand or neck massage from the massage therapists at our downtown Aveda Salon, Magna's. The salon is Shannon's and Lee's favorite spot for a massage and it is only a few minute's walk from the inn.

We held our Happy Hour out on the veranda and our friends from Magna's provided free massages in the air-conditioned living room. In the photo it looks like Matthew is proposing but he is massaging one of our guests' hands.

After Happy Hour? The Sounds on Center free street concert was kicking off as most of our guests headed off to enjoy the music or get to their dinner reservations before the concert ended and the restaurants filled. The sun sets tonight a little after 8PM which ties in nicely with the end of the Sounds on Center concert. After that? Live music at several venues downtown, a walk through the Historic District or an early night snuggled up in an Addison guest room with a DVD.

Tomorrow brings another day with one of my favorite breakfasts, Banana Pancakes with a Toffee Sauce. After breakfast? The Farmer's Market, another day at the beach, a nap in the afternoon at the Addison, Happy Hour, dinner..... The beat goes on.

Amelia River Cruises - New Twilight Cruise

2011-05-29T14:55:00.002-04:00

Amelia River Cruises is offering a new daily tour. This is the Twilight Cruise, leaving at 7 pm for two hours. They still do their regular sunset cruise for families, which lasts 1 hour, but this new cruise is a decidedly adult adventure.

The Twilight Cruise is a bring-your-own-bottle tour that offers live music, spectacular sunsets and a sophisticated scenic venue in which you can unwind from a long day or gear up for a night on the town. The tour runs seven nights a week, departing at 7 pm, for a two-hour cruise that features live, local artists and views of the rustic, beautiful landscape that has made northeast Florida such a unique destination. As an added bonus, drink specials at Cafe Karibo or at Indigo Alley are included with your Twilight Cruise ticket purchase.

This sounds like a fun way to spend an evening, especially as the days heat up. A couple hours of cruising the river, listening to live music while enjoying a cold adult beverage is really appealing. The dock is only a 5 minute walk from the inn, maybe a little longer coming back if you stop for ice cream at the fudge shop. One-Eyed Louie looks ready to go cruising and he'll be sure to want some ice cream later!

Summer is coming!

2011-05-23T06:51:00.000-04:00

The official kick-off to summer, Memorial Day weekend, is just around the corner and yesterday we got our first whiff of summer temperatures. The average temperature in May is 82 degrees F and yesterday we hit 90 for the first time this year. The humidity is still pretty low so it was a great day with nothing but blue skies and sunshine.

What did our guests do on such a nice day? We gave out a lot of bicycles and beach towels and away they went. One couple was at the beach and saw the release of sea turtles into the wild as part of the Wild Amelia Nature Festival. Amelia River Cruises had a lot of our guests onboard as well. The manatees are working their way north and we should start seeing them soon. You can see them from the Amelia River Cruise but Captain Carol's On The Water Adventure is the best way to get up close and personal with the big beasts.

Don't forget, you can always see our beaches through the live webcams at AmeliaBeaches.com. One of the cameras is right at the end of Atlantic at Sandy Bottoms Restaurant and the other is at the south end of the island. You can check out the stretch of sand and either reminisce about your great visit here or build anticipation for that trip you are planning.

Nobody from Florida?

2011-05-19T06:44:00.000-04:00

A lot of our guests come from Florida. Usually about 40% of the people staying at the Addison live somewhere in the Sunshine State. Our second biggest draw state is our neighbor to the north, Georgia. That is why is was so unusual this week that we had no guests from either Florida or Georgia staying with us.

Where did they come from? We had guests from Maryland, Ohio, Alabama, Louisiana, Delaware and New York. A young couple from Ontario, Canada were with us as well. They are working with our friends from the B&B Team, Rick and Peter, to find an inn for themselves to purchase. They've got their eye on a B&B in Arkansas.

The photo is of returning guests of ours from Holland. They come every year to stay at the Addison as part of Ron's birthday trip to the US. Happy Birthday, Ron! We even had guests with us this week from Germany. The young doctor and his wife are touring the southeast and stayed with us before heading on to Orlando.

We have been getting some great guests lately and Happy Hours are usually 100% attendance. That could have something to do with the beer and wine or the great weather we have been having but I think it is because our guests know how to enjoy themselves.

Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival

2011-05-15T12:10:00.000-04:00

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think "Chamber Music"? I always think of Jack Nicholson in The Witches of Eastwick. Early in the movie he attends the local chamber music concert and practically drowns out the musicians with his snoring. It would be a different story if he had attended the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival.

This is the festival's 10th year and they have a pretty impressive line up of talent coming to the island, a line up of artists that stretches the concept of traditional chamber music. Their program of concerts this year includes chamber ensembles, tango and flamenco, American roots, jazz and contemporary music. Many of the musicians are world-class including the Tokyo String Quartet, violinist Rachel Barton Pine and native American flutist R. Carlos Nakai.

The Addison will be hosting Brazilian jazz vocalist Luciana Souza, guitarist Romero Lubambo and percussionist Cyro Baptista. Together they will be performing the concert "Beer and G Strings, From Bach to Bossa Nova" on June 9th. They will be staying with us at the Addison and playing at the La Tierra Prometida just a few blocks from the inn. I've already got tickets for Shannon and myself and am looking forward to expanding my musical horizons.

The Festival is offering a great discount to our out-of-town music lovers. Stay at the Addison and receive a 50% discount on concert tickets! You can check out the whole schedule at Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival and order tickets on-line or by calling 904-261-1779. Give them your Addison confirmation number and they will give you your 50% discount.

The Festival has so many great acts that they have had to expand the concert schedule to fit them all in. The Festival runs from May 20th through to June 19th. Check out the schedule, reserve a room at the Addison and get your 50% discount for the concert. It is that easy. Drum roll, please.....

Maynard and Trudy Buy a House!

2011-05-14T11:58:00.000-04:00

Maynard has been staying at the Addison fairly regularly for years, even before we bought the inn three and a half years ago. When we first met Maynard he was working for the State and would show up every couple of months with his crew and spend a few days working in the local wetlands. Maynard has now retired from the State and now lives a life of leisure. Somewhere along the way he met Trudy and their last couple of visits to the Addison have been as husband and wife.

They just checked out after a weekend stay with us and are heading home. While they were here on Amelia Island they bought a house! It turns out that although Maynard and Trudy love the Addison they have also fallen in love with Amelia Island and want to live here. I was surprised at the rapid transaction (viewed the house and offered on Thursday, offer accepted and house purchased by Saturday morning) but they had done their homework on the world-wide internets and were well prepared.

We often hear from repeat and past guests. I received a note and a photo from Gary and Lee in Anchorage on the 11th of May. They came all the way from Alaska to get married at the Addison. I married them in our courtyard two years ago and they send a photo and a note every year on their anniversary. Can you tell by the photo that they both work for the fire department?

These represent two great aspects of running an inn. We get guests that keep coming back to us and become our friends and we love hearing from our guests that still think about their visit to the Addison and to Amelia Island.

Amelia Island Beaches

2011-05-03T11:56:00.000-04:00

I had a guest ask me the other morning which of the beaches was my favorite beach. Truth be told, I don't get to the beach much so I don't really have a favorite section.

I did get down to American Beach (about halfway down the island) the other afternoon. Brandon and Ashleigh are repeat guests and really great people so I agreed to doing their wedding service at the beach. The beach there looked pretty much like the beach at the north end of the island. The first photo here is Main Beach at the north end and the second photo is American Beach further south. Both have big, wide open stretches of sand and an ocean right next to the sand. How can one choose a favorite?

The beaches down on Talbot Island, the next island south, are much different from the beaches of Amelia Island. They aren't the groomed, replenished beaches you see here. They are more rugged with big driftwood and trees right up to the water in spots.

It is all good whichever beach you prefer. Lots of sand, warm water and sunshine!

New Shop - Amelia Anglers

2011-04-26T06:28:00.001-04:00

A new shop called Amelia Anglers has opened up on Center Street that offers everything for the fisher or wanna-be fisher. This is your one-stop for bait, licenses, tackle, lessons and charters. Visitors to the island can even rent fishing gear for their outdoor adventures.

Amelia Anglers can arrange charters for river or off-shore fishing trips. If you want to take off on your own and head out to the fishing pier at Fort Clinch they have everything you need. The biggest setback for avid fishers that travel to the island is usually availability of a rod and reel. Restrictions on air travel have made it almost impossible to bring your own rod but now you can rent a set. Don't know what you are doing? Take a lesson and learn which lure to use and how to tie it onto the line.

Amelia Anglers also sells SPF, island wear and beach stuff. The staff is happy to share their knowledge of the island and their favorite fishing spots.

Caught a big fish and don't know what to do with it? Bring it back to the inn and we'll cook it up on the grill for happy Hour. Everybody loves a nice slice of fresh fish, especially if the fisher is there to tell the story of how it was caught.

Sandy Bottoms Beachfront Cafe

2011-04-22T11:06:00.000-04:00

Sandy Bottoms is the only beachfront restaurant at the north end of the island from which you can actually see the surf. They made a few changes last month that make it even a better spot.

The owners discovered that they owned 30 feet of beach that they were unaware of. They roped it off and added tables and umbrellas so that you can wiggle your toes in the sand while enjoying a Sandy Bottoms lunch or a cold adult beverage.

Where better to get that adult beverage than at their new outside Tiki Bar? Artie-The-One-Man-Party runs the inside bar during the week's day shifts but we caught our friend Russ tending bar at the new patio Tiki Bar.

We have guests at the Addison who are always looking for that perfect beach. They are concerned that Main Beach might be too crowded for them. The Main Beach photo shown here was taken from Sandy Bottoms at mid-day, mid-week April. As you can see, there is plenty of sand between the towels. If Main Beach does "fill up" on the weekends you just have to drive north or south to one of several beach accesses to find a beach similar to what you see here.

We have guests checking out today that are heading back to Wisconsin. Kyle and Dawn have been hitting the beaches all week from one end of the island to the other. At yesterday's Happy Hour Kyle told me that it was still snowing in Wisconsin. I think the snow back home just made their last day on the beach that much sweeter.

What's Up With The Banana Tree?

2011-04-13T13:07:00.000-04:00

We planted a banana tree last year in the garden in front of Room 8's private deck. The tree grew great all summer long and looked like it knew what it was doing. The alleged "winter" was hard on the tree though and all of the big green banana leaves turned brown. I trimmed everything back, waited for spring weather and hoped for the best.

Well, apparently the best that my banana tree can do it to grow a flower (?) right on the top of the trunk. I've never seen anything like it and was hoping that someone out there can tell me if this is normal. Are the big green leaves going to come back or is this all that I can expect?

The tree is starting to remind me of the plant in "Little Shop Of Horrors". I sure hope the big green leaves are going to come back.

Florida Green Lodging update

2011-04-06T06:43:00.000-04:00

The Addison is a Florida Green Lodging property and has been for almost two years. What does this mean to our guests? They know that when they stay with us they are staying at a property that reduces the effect of their vacation on the environment. We recently underwent our first audit by the Great State of Florida and they agreed that our efforts are making a difference and we passed the audit.

There are lots of little things we do that add up to a big impact. We use soap and shampoo dispensers instead of little one-use bottles in the showers. We recycle trash from the guest rooms and from our kitchen. When new appliances are purchased we consider their energy use and when we replace fixtures we try to reduce water and utility usage.

We monitor and manage our energy and water usage as well. In the last year we reduced our water consumption by 15% without compromising our guests' experience or our garden's lush growth. We reduced our propane usage by 13% while still providing hot water for those giant whirlpool tubs in the courtyard rooms.

Electrical usage was up 5% in the last year but we have a plan to tackle that over the next year with a re-insulation of the historic building. Insulating under the floor and the attic will make everyone more comfortable in our winters when the furnace keeps churning and in the summer when the AC units run almost all day. The insulation will reduce our energy consumption and also take a big chunk out of our electric bill.

That is an interesting aspect of being green. Usually, if you can reduce your impact on the environment you can save money in the long run. The extra money spent up front buying long-lasting curly fluorescent light bulbs saves you money every day in their operation and money in the long run because they last for years. The small investments we make in updating our garden sprinkler system to reduce our water consumption or the larger investments in re-insulating our house pay off both environmentally and financially in the long run.

Amelia River Cruises Eco Tours

2011-03-29T12:06:00.001-04:00

Local Spoonbill Roseates

Our past guests will recognize Amelia River Cruises for the great narrated river cruises that they offer three times a day. Captain Kevin is now adding a couple of special eco-tours to their regular offerings. On Thursday, April 7, 2011 and Saturday, April 16, 2011, the newest of their tours will be open to the general public and reservations are now being taken for a three-hour Eco-Tour scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon both days.

This 3-hour tour will be presented by Kevin McCarthy and naturalist expert in this coastal environment, Andrea Margiotta. Originally from Morristown, New Jersey, Andrea grew up spending her summers at the beautiful Jersey Shore, where her passion for the marine environment began.

During the tour you will experience the operation of the Otter Trawl shrimp net much like the nets used by the commercial shrimp industry today. You will be actively involved in this process and deploying and retrieving this net will be part of the experience. The catch will then be displayed in an aquarium on board and each of the creatures will be identified and then released back into the wild.

The oyster beds, mud flats, and thousands of acres of marsh grass in Tiger Basin are a critical part of our local environment. Salt marshes are the most productive eco systems on earth, providing a nursery for all of the sea creatures that are native to our waters and providing a rich source of food for others. The summer months are most productive and our waters team with life.

This is the time of year that our local dolphins are giving birth and we are visited by the manatees that migrate from the springs in central Florida into the salt water to mate and give birth. Sea turtles also visit and nest on our sandy shores. An abundance of shore birds are always seen wading along the shore and feeding. Egrets, herons, spoonbills, ospreys and many others are all part of this wilderness.

Seats are limited so we recommend you reserve early. To reserve your seats for this exciting new tour, please call the office at 904-261-9972. Price is $30 per person.

I can see the new video now.... Maggie Doone Goes on an Eco Tour. She already has the life jacket and handles herself well on the boat. She'd love looking at all the critters in the on-board pools. It sounds like so much fun I think I'll go with her.

A Great Music Weekend on Amelia Island

2011-03-25T22:07:00.001-04:00

Friday night and just back from a short bar-hopping spree in Fernandina Beach. No, I didn't take Maggie Doone as she isn't a big fan of amplified music but I did take my other half, Shannon, for a musical tour of Friday night.

We started off at the Green Turtle where Dan Voll (white hat) is regularly featured on Friday nights. Dan is a great entertainer and will show up with a few extras occasionally. Tonight he had a full 4-piece band sound. The woman on the left of the photo knew her way around a set of bongos and second guitar was featured in a few songs, too. Who is the guy blowing the harmonica on the right of the photo? That is Chef Nori. Its a good thing nobody ordered food mid-set.

Next we were off to the Dog Star. We were looking for Coop and Tam, a couple of guests who have been with us at the Addison for a week but they must have still been at dinner. We arrived mid-band so didn't get to hear any music but ran into a few people we hadn't seen in a while. We checked out the new artwork on the walls and moved on to Indigo Alley where Jenn was playing. Jenn is a local talent with a beautiful voice, much like a younger Janis Joplin. She has recently signed a recording deal and seems to be on the verge of greatness. I just love listening to her sing. Like most people on the island she has more than one job (singer/songwriter, kayak tour guide and surf shop salesperson) and hopefully her passion for singing will carry her forward.

After Indigo Alley it was back to the Addison. Maggie Doone's nose had to be straightened out after it got bent of shape for being left behind.

The rest of the weekend? Saturday will be filled with the "Taste of The Blues" concert down at main beach. There will be a full day of blues, cold beer and hot food. The weather promises to be outstanding with a forecast of 80 degrees and nothing but sunshine. If I get a chance I'll take Maggie Doone down to check out the bands. Photos to follow.

After a full day and a night of bar-hopping it is time for bed. We have be up early to serve a full-house with Peach-Blueberry Tortes and Breakfast Quesadillias. Via con queso!

Amelia Island Blues Festival Kickoff Concert

2011-03-17T07:40:00.000-04:00

The Amelia Island Blues Festival isn't until September but they are putting on a pre-festival "Taste of The Blues" concert next weekend just to get things rolling. The concert is on March 26th from noon until 9PM down at Main Beach. The concert itself is free but there will be beer, wine and food available for purchase.

This promises to be a great day for the blues. The band line-up includes Karl Davis, the Beech Street Band and the Julie Savage Band. This is a perfect time of year for an outdoor concert. The weather the last few days has just been hitting 80 degrees with low (comparatively) humidity and nothing but sunshine!

As an added attraction, T-Bone, that big blue hound and the Blues Festival mascot, will be making an appearance. I wonder what Maggie Doone will make of that dog?

Concours d'Elegance Weekend

2011-03-14T19:23:00.001-04:00

What an absolutely fabulous weekend! The weather was perfect with mid 70s and nothing but sunshine. The 2011 Concours was a big hit drawing over 20,000 people to the island over the 3-day event.

The Addison was packed with guests who have been staying with us for the car show for years. It is a great group of people who don't keep in touch throughout the year but are good friends when they come back to the Addison for the Concours.

One Ferrari went for $3.9 million at the auction. Another Ferrari, in "barn condition" went for $600,000. Barn condition is a car that was found in a barn, maybe with some rust paint, flat tires, rotted electrical system and hoses and a family of mice living in the seats.

The car shown here is as close as I got to the Concours. I was out walking Maggie Doone on Friday night and saw this car parked in front of Luigi's Trattoria, just a couple of blocks from the inn. Notice that when you drive a strikingly beautiful car you can park it anywhere you want, including at a yellow curb.

Another car worthy of the Concours was parked in our driveway for the weekend. Mike was driving a new drop-top Bentley. Most of the weekend the car was wrapped in the most luxurious car cover I have ever seen. The car cover alone was worth the price of admission.

The Concours is over and Monday is winding down as well. We have a decent sized crowd at the inn throughout the week and even have a couple of long-lost relatives staying with us. Repeat guests Mick and Gwen checked in today for their annual vacation from Scotland. Ted and Marlene came back for their 4th visit with us and brought friends from Alberta with them.

We like having guests return to us. It is a great compliment, especially when they bring their friends. We have another great group returning to us for Shrimp Festival in a few weeks. It is always nice when a familiar face walks in through the front door and says "Hi Bob, we're home!"

Katie Ride For Life

2011-03-04T19:13:00.001-05:00

Katie Caples was a young high school student from Jacksonville who became an organ and tissue donor after not surviving the trauma of an automobile accident in 1998. The organizers of the Katie Ride For Life believe that through Katie's legacy they can help the thousands of people awaiting organ and tissue transplants by bring awareness to their needs.

The ride is held on April 16th with courses of 18 miles, 36, 62 or 100 miles. The courses go through the natural beauty of Amelia Island, the Talbot Islands and Fort George Island. For the most part, it is pretty easy cycling with few hills. The steepest parts are probably the bridges between islands.

Katie's parents are friends of ours and fellow innkeepers on Amelia Island and we like to help out our friends when we can. I would love to go on the ride myself but I run an inn and my time is not my own. Each rider in the Katie Ride For Life is required to raise at least $100 for the cause. Walkers are expected to raise at least $25. Instead of riding the ride, here is what we are going to do. For every registered rider in the Katie Ride that stays at the Addison for that weekend we will donate $100 to the cause. Riders can use that to fulfill a part of their requirement. Walkers? Same deal but $25. That is correct. You can join the Katie Ride without worrying about meeting the minimum requirement if you stay at the Addison. Of course, we do hope that you do some fund raising on your own but we do have your minimum covered if you stay at the Addison.

For those of you who can't participate this year but still feel like contributing to this worthy cause please feel free to contact http://www.katierideforlife.org/ directly or phone 904-491-0811.

The furthest I ever rode my bike was 75 miles and I've done that twice. I'll bet I could do that 100 miles but not as fast as the guys in the spandex pants. There are certain truths that we should all hold evident in this universe and one of them is: Bob does not wear spandex. Even if it would speed my ride. Trust me.

Spa Days

2011-02-27T20:18:00.000-05:00

Somebody loves my Shannon so much (that would be me) that he bought her a spa package at a nearby resort for Valentine's Day. I have to admit, it wasn't totally my idea. My idea was very different but I had expert advice from Lee. Shannon loved it!. Two nights with a full day of spa treatments in between. She came back refreshed and renewed.

Shannon and I have travelled extensively both for pleasure and for business. One thing that just annoys me is being nickle and dimed for everything at a lodging property. $4 for a bottle of water? $3 per hour for bicycle rental? Valet parking even though no other parking option is available? C'mon! Fortunately we purchased an all-inclusive package for Shannon but they still tried to charge her for these "extras". I once stayed at a property that insisted they could charge me for parking as an extra even though I had no car! Bah!

My other special girl recently had a day at the spa as well. Maggie Doone is quite the hairy beast and needs a regular shearing. If you let her hair grow she gets a full skirt and a mane. With the warmer weather upon us she really needed her own spa day!

The picture you see here is the aftermath of Maggie Doone's haircut. It looks like there is enough hair here to build a whole new dog! Maggie quite enjoys a day at the spa and it takes years off of her attitude.  After a haircut she prances around town showing off what a pretty dog she is.

Shannon and Lee enjoy spa treatments at Magna's Aveda Salon.   Magna's is in the Historic District, just a short walk from the Addison and features a full line of massages, facials, hair cuts and everything else you would expect from a full-service day spa. You can check them out at www.MagnaSalon.com.

I don't have a good picture of the recently shorn Maggie Doone. She is so dark that it is hard to get a good picture of her. You'll just have to stop by the inn to see her. She's at the front desk during the day and would love to see you!

Full Moon in February

2011-02-18T21:12:00.000-05:00

Friday evening. I am just back in from a walk with Maggie Doone and the town is hopping. Maybe something to do with the full moon. Dan Voll is playing to a good sized crowd at the Green Turtle and all of the bars up and down Center Street seem to be drawing a good crowd with lots of live music to be heard.

It is either the full moon or there are just a lot of people in town for the local events. The Book Festival is in full swing and the Addison is hosting keynote author Jamie Ford of "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" fame. Saturday starts off with the Farmer's Market just a block from the Addison. The Market is followed by the Chili Competition which is on Third Street with Karl Davis playing to entertain the crowds as they sample chili from over 35 competitors. Follow that with Happy Hour at the Addison and a nice dinner out and you have a full day of fun.

It doesn't hurt that the weather is gorgeous. We have been waiting for days like this all through January. 70 degrees and nothing but sunshine. That is why we live in Florida! Well, nothing but sunshine except at night when we have a full moon. Aroooo!

Painting as Therapy

2011-02-15T16:37:00.000-05:00

When you own a wooden house in Florida, especially one that is 130 years old, there is always something to paint. In the winter when it is "cold" outside I paint the interior. When it warms up outside I paint the exterior. My first project this season is the courtyard deck railings.

Painting is all in the preparation. For me, the hardest part of painting a room is removing that first light switch cover. After that comes the detail work. Remove all hardware (door knobs, towel bars, light fixtures...), mask door hinges, strip window treatments, pile all of the furniture up in the middle of the room and cover everything with drop cloths. It takes a couple of days to prep a room and trim out all of the edges. I don't tape edges anymore, I just use a keen eye and a steady hand. After a few days of prep work comes the gravy work. Bring out the roller and in a matter of minutes the painting is finished.

I find painting to be relaxing work, almost therapeutic. There is a start and an end with a series of well defined steps in between. Part of cutting in edges without taping is the breathing. Concentrate on your breathing and your hand steadies and the corners look nice.

It is a good thing that I like painting because when Shannon and I lived in Virginia we painted our dining room 11 times in one year. The neighbors would joke that the room was becoming smaller.

Although I enjoy painting as a pleasant task there are those that paint for pleasure. Our neighborhood was recently over-run by a painter's workshop. Students were from all over the eastern states with Alabama and Wisconsin being well represented. Our neighborhood has several Victorian homes that made good subjects for the workshop painters.

The painter shown here is Renee, all the way from Montgomery, Alabama. She is doing an oil painting of our 7th Street fountain.

There are enough of these painters in the neighborhood and some of them are already painting my house. I wonder if I could pull a Tom Sawyer on them and get them to paint these deck railings?

A Fistful of Festivals

2011-02-11T12:58:00.000-05:00

The larger festivals on the island have finalized their schedules and it looks like a pretty good line-up this year. Amelia Island loves their festivals and they are usually attended very well by residents and visitors alike. Here's the line-up:

February 18 and 19. Amelia Island Book Festival. The Addison will be hosting headline author Jamie Ford for the festival. Jamie is the New York Times best selling author of "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet". www.AmeliaIslandBookFestival.com

February 24 through 27, Amelia Island Film Festival. This is the biggest and most important Film Festival between Jacksonville and Savannah and we will be hosting an as-yet undisclosed festival VIP. This is a fun festival with venues all over town. www.AmeliaIslandFilmFestival.com.

April 28 through May 1, Amelia Island Shrimp Festival. Sorry, we are sold out to a crew of regular Shrimp Fest attendees and have no rooms available.

May 20 through 22, Wild Amelia Nature Festival. A festival that showcases our unique bio-region. Full details can be found at www.WildAmelia.com

May 20 through June 7, Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival. This is a popular event that is now spreading out beyond traditional chamber music. If you stay at the Addison we can get you festival tickets at half price. The Addison will be hosting Luciana Souza, Romero Lubambo and Cyro Baptista who will be performing the "Beer and G-Strings" Concert on June 9th. Festival info can be found at www.AICMF.com

September 16 and 17, Amelia Island Blues Festival. The first time for this festival. Check out the list of performers at www.AmeliaIslandBluesFest.com

October 2 through 9, Amelia Island Jazz Festival. Last year the Addison hosted headliner Steve Marche Torme. This year? Undecided as yet. www.AmeliaIslandJazzFestival.com

All of these festivals are in addition to the regular line-up of events such as next weekend's Chili Cook-off, the big BBQ Cook-off in August, the Farmer's Market and regularly scheduled events at Fort Clinch and the Museum of History. Throw in live music performances on the weekends at local bars and restaurants and you will find that we have quite a lively little town where there is always something going on.

Amelia Island Book Festival and Chili Cookoff

2011-02-04T20:11:00.000-05:00

I can hear you now. A Book Festival and Chili Cook Off? Outstanding! Maybe we can get books on cooking chili? Although the possible combinations of Amelia Island Book Festival and Chili Cook Off are numerous and intriguing there are actually two separate events that are both held on the same weekend.

The Chili Cook Off is being held on Saturday, February 19th. It is a grand event that grows each year. And each year I threaten to sign up and cook chili for the masses but, instead, will content myself with making a pot of chili for our guests at Happy Hour. There were around 20 competitors (mostly service groups, firemen, local restaurants...) last year. A block of Third Street is closed to traffic and chili cooking tables are set up for us to watch chopping, slicing, spicing, serving and eating chili. Carl Davis will be playing at the Green Turtle all afternoon, right in the thick of the action, and it promises to be another great event.

The Amelia Island Book Festival runs February 18 and 19 and has a slew of featured authors coming to Amelia Island for workshops, lectures and reading programs at schools. We at the Addison have the good fortune to be hosting writer, and Headline Author of the Festival, Jamie Ford, writer of "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet". The theme for the Book Festival this year is Books Change Lives and there will be several opportunities for meeting and mingling with the 60+ authors coming to the island.

I used to read a lot and could plow through a nice thick novel in a few days. It has been years since I have read a book. Mind you, it has been just as long since I sat through a full movie or watched TV for one straight hour. It could be because I run an inn and it does seem to take up most of my day. But you know what? I always have time to cook up a pot of chili.

Large Rodent Predicts Early Spring

2011-02-02T12:45:00.001-05:00

Put away your snow shovels folks because winter is almost over! A large rodent, Punxsutawney Phil, has made his annual prediction and this year it is for an early Spring. It is amazing how a groundhog, with no formal meteorological training, can make these accurate predictions year after year.

Great quote from the movie:

Phil (in the diner): Do you ever have déjà vu, Mrs. Lancaster?

Mrs. Lancaster: I don't think so, but I could check with the kitchen

The big horses in Fernandina Beach have accurately predicted this winter's weather as well. Boomer put on his heavy coat early in anticipation of the December "cold" that we don't normally get until January. And he has been shedding for the past week, obviously expecting this early Spring.

For Groundhog's Day we had some rain overnight with thunder around 6AM but by breakfast it had cleared up and we all had breakfast out on the veranda overlooking the courtyard. It is time to start our annual garden plan....

Amelia Island Corporate Retreat

2011-01-30T15:44:00.002-05:00

We have a most wonderful group of guests staying at the Addison this weekend. Sandy and Scott stayed with us last year as vacationers and really enjoyed the Addison and Amelia Island. They liked it so much they brought all of their franchisees for a 2-day conference. They are a relatively young company and may soon outgrow the Addison but, for now with our 14 guest rooms, we are just the right fit.

Friday evening social hour(s) on the Addison's veranda

The group checked in on Friday and started off with a social hour(s) out on the veranda. Then off to Espana for dinner. Some of them enjoyed the Restaurant Week menu, others had straight-from-the-menu tapas and paella.

Saturday was all business. Well, after breakfast anyway. We served buttermilk pie with fresh raspberries followed by a breakfast panini sandwich served with pan-fried potatoes. After breakfast we cleared the dining room and dimmed the lights for a morning of presentations.

Amelia Island Carriages loading up for a tour.

All work and no play isn't the best way to run a life so the group broke in the afternoon for a horse-drawn carriage tour of the Historic District. Everybody enjoyed the tour despite the cooler weather (60 degrees). Then they were off to Joe's 2nd Street Bistro for another group dinner.

This is our third corporate retreat at the Addison. The inn is a nice venue for a small business meeting. The dining room converts into a good meeting space for 10 to 15 delegates. We are close enough to the Historic District that spouses can find lots to do (spa services, art galleries, antique stores, off-shore fishing...) while the meetings are going on.

Do you have a small company and are you looking for a fun team-building get-away for your team? Try the Addison for a conference with a difference. Beautifully decorated, comfortable rooms instead of cookie-cutter hotel rooms. A delicious, served breakfast every morning instead of do-it-yourself waffles and microwaved eggs. An inn located on the edge of a Historic District instead of next to a major airport. Innkeepers that look after your every need instead of a staff that disappears at shift change. If your company is small enough, we have just the spot for you!,

Trip Advisor Traveler's Choice Awards

2011-01-19T10:47:00.001-05:00

Guests of the Addison, you've done it again and we thank you! The Trip Advisor Traveler's Choice Awards have been announced for 2011 and the Addison on Amelia has been named one of the Top Ten B&Bs in the USA. Unlike some awards, the Traveler's Choice awards are based entirely on guest reviews. We have had so many positive reviews from our guests that we not only have a five-star (green dots?) rating on Trip Advisor we also now have a Traveler's Choice award.

This award is on the heels of our winning another BedAndBreakfast.com "Best Of The South" award for 2010-2011. The BedAndBreakfast.com awards are also based solely on guest reviews.

Besides driving these awards, we appreciate your reviews for the feedback they provide. Comments on our service, breakfast menus and room amenities prompt us to continually improve our offerings. Once again, to all of our guests who have written reviews of the Addison, we thank you!

Amelia Island Restaurant Week

2011-01-17T04:58:00.000-05:00

This event is coming up fast! The local restaurants have prepared special menus at special prices for Amelia Island's Restaurant Week. Held during the week of January 23 through 30, Restaurant Week gives local chefs a chance to flex their creative muscles and it gives you a chance to really save some money while enjoying their creations. Each participating restaurant will offer a fixed price menu, including three courses and a non-alcoholic beverage, for either $19 or $29.

Some of my favorite participating restaurants within a short walk of the Addison are:

29 South
Bonito Grill & Sushi
Cafe Karibo
Espana Restaurant & Tapas
Joe's 2nd Street Bistro
Kelley's Courtyard Cafe
Le Clos
LuLu's at the Thompson House and
O'Kane's Irish Pub & Eatery

Contact information and links to their menus can be found on our local dining page at http://www.addisononamelia.com/dining.html

Trust me and reserve ahead. Our local restaurants are very good, very small and they do fill up very fast during events like this.

What else is happening at the Addison in January? A previous guest liked our B&B so much that she booked the entire inn for two nights for a corporate retreat. She is bringing her franchisees to Amelia Island for a couple of days of meetings and corporate bonding. We have done this a couple of times before at the Addison and it works really well. The spouses have plenty to do in the Historic Downtown during the meeting time and the delegates get to hang out here looking at pie-charts all day.

We've got a couple of slow days ahead of us this week. I'll be working in the garden getting it ready for Spring. The Garden Show (www.AmeliaGarden.com) is the first weekend in March and we'll get some good planting ideas there but in the meantime there is weeding, trimming and mulching to do. There is nothing like working outside to build up an appetite and I just can't stop thinking about Restaurant Week!

Florida Bed and Breakfast in South Carolina

2011-01-11T14:05:00.000-05:00

Greetings from Charleston, South Carolina! Believe it or not, owners of B&Bs have conferences, too. The Professional Association of Innkeepers International (PAII) is holding their annual conference in Charleston this year and yours truly is in attendance representing the Addison on Amelia Island.

When I left Florida the weather was nice and I dressed appropriately in shorts (you know my aversion to wearing long pants). It started raining when I crossed into Georgia and was sleeting by the time I got to Charleston. Apparently there is a winter storm over most of the US that I was unaware of. Needless to say, I was the only delegate yesterday in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. Today it is still cold so I broke out the long pants. I guess I'm getting soft in my old age.

Here is a photo of the trade show floor. The vendor shown here is Deneen pottery. You don't have to go to the PAII conference to see their pottery, just look in our gift shop next time you visit the Addison.

What do 700 innkeepers find to discuss at a conference? Among other topics: blogging, search engine optimization, how to garnish your breakfast, marketing, food photography and how to maintain your sanity and relationships as an you run your inn. The trade show vendors are selling websites, housekeeping products, specialized insurance, soaps, robes, sheets and everything else you can find in an inn.

It is great meeting other innkeepers. When you own a bed and breakfast inn you don't get out much and it is reassuring to hear stories from other innkeepers and realize that you are not alone. I ran into some friends from the B&B Team as well. Rick, Jan and Peter helped us out a lot when we were looking to buy an inn and they even consulted for us when we first opened the Addison on Amelia and it is always good to see them.

Afternoon break is almost over and I've got to run. The afternoon class is an advanced session in Google Analytics. Followed by a cocktail party. I wouldn't want to miss either.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T20:07:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! May 2011 be a good year for you.

I started off the New Year by marrying a couple of friends. Gil, head honcho of our local Convention and Visitor's Bureau (CVB), and Wendy, his former girlfriend now wife, asked me to marry them at sunrise on January 1st. They rented a beach house with great views of the dune for a few days. It was a lovely ceremony and the weather was perfect. The morning was warm with enough cloud cover to make the sky interesting. They had a handful of relatives and friends in attendance and finished off the day with a reception at the beach house. I couldn't stay after the ceremony of course. I had a full house of guests ready for breakfast when I got back to the Addison

Wendy and Gil getting married

View of the dune from the deck.

That is me on the left there, blocking out the sun. No Hawaiian shirt and I was wearing long pants. And no, Gil and Wendy are not little people. The camera angle just makes me look huge.

So, that is how I started off the month. What's next? Restaurant Week starts January 23rd. The local restaurants are preparing special menus at special prices for the week. The Olympic Triathlon is on February 7th and don't forget Valentine's Day on the 14th. The Book Festival is on February 18th and 19th and is followed by the Third Amelia Island Film Festival starts on February 24th (watch for the Maggie Doone movie to win!). The spring gardening season officially kicks off with the Amelia Island Garden Show on March 5th and 6th. This is all in addition to the weekly Farmer's Market and regularly scheduled events at Fort Clinch and at our local museum.

So much to do, so little time. And just who is the man behind the scenes who is assisting in the development of these events and promoting them? Well, that job is Gil's and his team at the CVB. So far, so good. Maybe you can catch some of his handywork on your next visit.

Big Night Out With Bill and Linda

2010-12-24T06:54:00.001-05:00

Shannon and I took the evening off last Tuesday and did a little barhopping in Fernandina. Our first stop was the Green Turtle for a couple PBRs and two of Chef Nori's now famous "$7 Bowls of Food". What do you get for $7? You get what you get, usually rice, vegetables and meat like a satay chicken or Korean beef. Trust me, its good food and its not on the menu..

Our next stop was Indigo Alley, right around the corner on Center Street, for their Tuesday Night Jazz Jam. We walked in and hey, I know that guy on the drums! Its Bill and he is staying at the Addison. Bill and Linda are returning guests who came to ccelebrate their 25th anniversary with us. Mike, the owner of Indigo Alley, was kind enough to set it up with the band so that Bill could play a few sets. Bill knows what he is doing and back in the day he would tie up his ponytail and play with some pretty big names. He has returned to playing just recently and only as a hobby now. The music was great and the atmosphere was lively with a good sized crowd for this popular weekly event.

Next stop on our big night out? The Palace, the Dog Star Tavern or O'Kanes? Nope, back to the Addison and to bed. It gets late earlier than it used to.

Warmer Weather is Back!

2010-12-17T19:22:00.000-05:00

Touch wood, we had our winter last week. We had a few cooler days and a couple of cold nights. I even dug out a pair of long pants out of my closet to get me through the "cold snap". It is all good now though and I saw some definite signs of Spring as I was walking Maggie Doone this morning.

I took this picture this morning out behind 29 South, one of our great local restaurants. Scotty, the chef, partners with local organic farms in order to serve fresh food that is actually good for you. Last year he took it one step further and replaced the staff parking lot with his own veggie garden. I'm not sure what most of these green leafy plants are but last year he grew radishes, carrots and several different types of lettuce. Talk about a fresh salad!

Speaking of warmer weather... Last call for Christmas Gift Certificates! What better way to say "Take me with you!" to a loved one than to buy them an Addison Gift Certificate for Christmas. Trust me, this is a way better gift for your wife than an electric saber saw, especially if she doesn't do woodworking. Addison Gift Certificate = better gift. Give me a call at 904-277-1604 and I'll make you look like a hero.

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Its Beginning To Feel A Lot Like Christmas!

2010-12-12T16:53:00.001-05:00

We just got a call from a young woman (we'll call her Julie) in Wisconsin who was looking to reserve a room with us over the Christmas holidays. Fernandina Beach has a three-night cold snap forecasted with temperatures as low as 28 degrees! Julie told me this afternoon that they are having winds of 40 MPH, minus 29 degrees and 16 inches of fresh snow. And I was complaining about having to cover up our ferns tonight to protect them from the frost.

Fernandina Beach PIrates Club

The guests at the Addison last night had a great treat. We had Happy Hour in the living room last night with a nice baked brie for the snack. After Happy Hour we went out onto the front porch and watched the lighted Christmas Parade go by right in front of the inn. Usually the Fernandina Beach Pirates Club brings up the tail end of the local parades but in this parade it is always Santa at the end of the parade. The attached video shows just the tail end of the parade. Somehow I missed the first half. Maybe I was busy topping up wine glasses. The Addison's guests loved the parade!

"You Know Who" finishing off the parade

It is less than two weeks until Christmas! It is a good thing we have a gift shop right here in the Addison (coffee mugs, robes, Christmas ornaments....) as it does save me having to drive to a store for most of my shopping. I just have to find something nice for Shannon. Something not from Lowes. For some reason, to most women, a power tool does not speak "Merry Christmas".

Keat Takes Bob Flying Over Amelia Island

2010-12-04T22:17:00.004-05:00

I just love it when repeat guests walk in the front door of the Addison and yell out "Hi Bob, we're home!" I love it even more when they bring their own airplane and offer to take me flying with them Keat and Diane flew down yesterday to spend the weekend with us. They have a 1962 Cherokee 160 that they get around in and today Keat took me up for a spin around the north end of Amelia Island.

Keat at the helm. Or wheel.

We took off out of the local Fernandina Beach Airport just after noon and headed north along the river. We cut over town and continued north to Fort Clinch. In the video you can see a nice shot of Cumberland Island to the north although we were too high to see any of the wild horses. We flew south along the beach and then back over town. Hey, I can see my house from here! We continued south along the marshes and rivers before heading back to the airport.

I have told anyone who would listen over the last three years of inn ownership that I have had it with flying but this afternoon's flight was thoroughly enjoyable. The weather was perfect with about 30 miles visibility (we saw the lighthouse on St Simon's Island) and we didn't have to go through Immigration on arrival. I hate going through Immigration but that is a whole other story.

It was great to see Diane and Keat again. The Addison was full of repeat guests this weekend and Happy Hour was a stroll down memory lane. It is so nice to have people return year after year to visit with us. Especially when they bring their own plane. Maybe one of our previous guests wants to come see us again and has a nice boat suited to off-shore fishing?

Thanksgiving Leftovers?

2010-11-27T10:46:00.001-05:00

Wow, what a weekend! We not only had a full house, which keeps us hopping, but we prepared Thanksgiving dinner for all of our guests. We had the full slate of dishes including sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, turkey with sage-sausage dressing, ham, mac and 5 cheese casserole, green beans, Waldorf salad and a garden salad. Thanks to Pam and Scooter who came all the way from our old neighborhood in Virginia to help out. We couldn't have done it without them.

Despite the fact that we had 30 people for dinner we still have some leftovers. Last night I put together a couple of Turkey Tetrazinis, my favorite way to use up leftover turkey. Tetrazini is easy to make and you can use up turkey bits, scrapings, white meat and dark.

How easy? Here we go in under 100 words:

Cut up enough turkey to cover the bottom of your casserole dish, maybe an inch deep. Add a can of mushroom soup and grated cheese (I used white cheddar). Use as much cheese as you want. Add a little milk and stir it all up. Boil spaghetti and add it to the dish, stir it up. Top with more grated cheese (Romano this time) and Parmesan. Bake at 350 until hot and brown on the top. Eat and enjoy!

And I still have 20 words left.

So now that Thanksgiving is over what do we do next? Here are some of the events scheduled for the next week:

Holiday Home Tour. Tour of 4 private historic homes that are decorated for the holidays. December 3rd and 4th
Union Holiday Encampment at Fort Clinch. December 4th.
Parade of Paws. A parade of local pooches dressed up in their holiday finery. December 4th
Artrageous Artwalk. A chance to buy that last minute gift from one of our local artists. December 11th
Land and Sea Parades. The Land Parade will roll by right in front of the Addison. The Sea Parade is an after-dark parade of lighted boats in the harbor. December 11th

That should keep us busy for a couple of weeks. Now all I have to do is figure out what to do with the leftover ham. Any ideas?

Maggie Doone Goes For A Cruise

2010-11-23T05:33:00.001-05:00

Maggie Doone went on a cruise with Amelia River Cruises last week. She had a great time and even got to bark at the horses on Cumberland Island. Here's a picture of Maggie sporting her life jacket.

Maggie Doone Goes on a Cruise is her 5th video. Her first one, Maggie Doone Goes for A Walk was featured at an Amelia Island Film Festival screening. You can check them all out on our website or on YouTube by searching Maggie Doone. Here's a link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muCOqtfJU5o

Meanwhile, Maggie is resting up for her next big adventure. There is a new skydiving service out at the airport....

Chair In The Air is back!

2010-11-16T11:34:00.000-05:00

They're back! Deborah and Tammi, the design team from chair in the air designs inc. is back at the Addison. It is rewarding, as an innkeeper, when guests become friends and keep coming back to visit. It is even more rewarding when they are skilled at interior design and can do our Christmas decorating.

Shannon has studied interior design and has good decorating sense but Christmas decorating is hard for her because I have no creative input. I'm good at doing what I'm told but not so good at taking a bin of decorations and turning them into something creative for above the fireplace so Shannon ends up doing the majority of the Christmas decorating.

The women of chair in the air have mad design skills and are, after two days of solid work, about midway through the decorating. And it looks great. My approach to decorating the tree: Take the boxes of ornaments that I have been given and hang them in a grid pattern on the tree. Their approach: Select ornaments that pick up the colors of the existing decor, especially that big oushak carpet in the front parlor, and place them with great care to create an elegant vision of Christmas.

Why are we decorating for Christmas when it isn't even Thanksgiving yet? The Amelia Island Bed and Breakfast Holiday Cookie Tour is this Saturday, November 20th, and we must be prepared. Last year we had 600 people come through our house for the Cookie tour. The tour gives people a chance to check out the Christmas decorations at the inns and sample holiday cookies at each of the inns. We even have the cookie recipes on cards that you can take with you. After the tour we get to exhale briefly and then get ready for a full house over Thanksgiving.

Once we get all of the rooms decorated we'll post a photo gallery for you. All of the guest rooms will be decorated, most of them with the room's very own tree. Our guests that stay with us over Christmas even get a Christmas stocking loaded with gifts ($160 value) as part of our "Bed, Breakfast and Christmas Bliss" package.

How did chair in the air design inc get their name? Every time they do a major design job they leave a chair somewhere in the air (AKA: not on the floor). It can be a full-sized chair, a child's chair or even a panting of a chair. When you stop by this winter see if you can find our "chair in the air".

Another great weekend at Fernandina Beach

2010-11-14T22:26:00.001-05:00

The time, she flies! We have just had another fantastic weekend in Fernandina Beach. The weather was warm during the day and cool in the evening, just perfect for all the events we had on this weekend.

We had guests in town that came to enjoy the Karl Davis Band at the Dog Start Tavern. The guests came all the way from Gainesville but had seen Karl before when they lived in Jacksonville. We had guests celebrating anniversaries, birthdays and we even had two members of the Army, both recently back from Iraq. We do get such interesting guests and Happy Hour is always a good time, sharing stories over a glass of wine.

Petanque: French for "Stand around and watch balls get thrown".

The only international event in town this weekend was the Third American Open Petanque (Pay-tonk)Tournament. There were 114 teams playing this year from all over the world with a majority coming from the game's home country, France.

The Open is a great event. We have a game that nobody really understands, few can pronounce, the scoring is a complete mystery to the passer by and there appears to be a lot of standing around and drinking by foreign nationals. This game reminds me of Curling!

It is Sunday night and I just got back from walking Maggie Doone. It is quiet out there tonight. The town has a bit of a rest until next weekend when we start all over with a great slate of events.

Fort Clinch State Park has a Star Gazing Program next weekend and there is a Birding Walk set up along Egans Creek Greenway. The Fernandina Beach Pirate's Club is having their yearly Royal Ball on the 20th. Let me know if you want tickets as all are welcome and the proceeds go to the Pirate's charities. Costumes (puffy sleeves, parrots, peg legs.....) are optional.

We have a busy week ahead of us with the B&B Association Holiday Cookie Tour this coming Saturday, the 20th. We have barely scratched the surface of our decorating and must have everything ready for the tour on Saturday, My To-Do list grows as I sleep.

Right after the Cookie Tour we get ready for Thanksgiving. We only have a couple of vacant rooms and are looking forward to about 30 guests for dinner on Thursday. We have some friends coming down from our old neighborhood in Virginia (do you remember Scooter from previous blog posts?) to help us out with the dinner and are really looking forward to seeing them again. After that we just roll into the Christmas season, New Years and Valentine's Day.

Like I said: Time, she flies. Grab it while you can or before you know it you'll be saying "We should have.....".

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Winter Escape - FREE NIGHT!

2010-11-09T06:14:00.001-05:00

We have just posted our Winter Escape Special. Stay with us for three nights between December 1st and February 12th, 2011, and one of the nights is FREE! This was a very popular Special when we ran it last year.

Baked Brie served at Happy Hour

Winters here aren't too bad. The evenings are cool and the average daily highs are 65 in December and 62 in January. The older locals will be glad to tell you about "that time it snowed on the island". The weather is perfect for strolling the beaches or walking the shops downtown. We usually serve something warm at Happy Hour like the baked brie shown above if the weather is cool in the evening. Occasionally I'll make a pot of chili for happy hour and that really warms things up..

Full details on our Specials can be found at http://www.addisononamelia.com/offers.html We hope to see you soon!

Almost Everyone Loves a Parade

2010-11-07T07:46:00.001-05:00

The town of Fernandina Beach loves a parade. We like parades so much we had two of them this weekend. The first was on Friday and was the High School Homecoming Parade. They had floats, two marching bands, the graduating class and a boatfull of young women vying for the Homecoming Queen title. The weather was perfect for the homecoming football game with a crisp fall evening and clear skies.

The second parade was on Saturday afternoon and it honored our Veterans. There was a good-sized turnout for the parade with an appreciative crowd lining the streets.

There was live music at several venues downtown over the weekend and a band played all afternoon Saturday at the Barbecue Competition that was held in the marina. A busy weekend in Fernandina with something for everyone.

Next weekend (the 13th and 14th) has a lot going on as well. The Petanque tournament runs all weekend and Fort Clinch is staging a History of the American Soldier in honor of Veteran's Day. On Saturday we also have the regularly scheduled Farmer's Market and the Artrageous Artwalk.

I said earlier that almost everyone loves a parade. Maggie Doone and One-Eyed Louie are not fans. The first whoop of the fire engine's siren has the two of them cowering under the bed where they stay until the last boom of the Pirate's cannon has well died out.

Hallowe'en is Upon Us

2010-10-29T16:58:00.001-04:00

My concept of the Fall season has changed since moving to Florida. Before, the changing of the seasons meant a colorful canopy of leaves and crisp morning air with the onset of frost. Not here, not in Florida. The temperature is a nice 80 degrees out on the veranda for Happy Hour this afternoon. It has been chilly for breakfast with 65 degrees this morning but still, most people are eating outside on the veranda. The leaves are still green.

The pumpkins are carved and are sitting on the front porch waiting for the children to come by tomorrow night. We don't get a lot of children coming by the inn, maybe 40 or so, but we do like to be ready for them.

That thing sitting on top of the big pumpkin is called a Turban Squash. It looks like two squashes tried to grow up in the same physical space and, at first look, I thought it was something carved together from a couple of different gourds. Not so, it actually grows this way. Look it up.

I was pleased to see so many events coming up in the next few weeks. November is usually a pretty busy time in town because of the beautiful weather. Here is a brief rundown of the next few weeks after Hallowe'en:

Saturday, November 6. City Barbecue Competition down in the marina. The competition has been set up to ensure that there will be lots of barbecue available to the on-lookers. Also on the 6th, the Veterans Day Parade that will pass right in front of the inn.

Fort Clinch will hold a Union Garrison on November 6th and 7th. This program allows visitors to interact with living historians to experience life in the Fort as it was in 1864. On November 13th, Fort Clinch brings us a salute to the Armed Forces.

Petanque America Open 2009

November 13th and 14th is the 2nd America Open Petanque Tournament that will be held in the new park at the marina. Petanque is a French version of maybe horseshoes and bocci. This year there are over 100 teams from all over the world coming to compete in Fernandina Beach.

The Amelia Island Bed And Breakfast Association Holiday Cookie Tour is on the 20th. The Tour gives you a chance to check out the Holiday decorations at each of the inns and to sample their holiday cookies. After the tour we have a few days to get ready for our traditional Thanksgiving Dinner at the Addison (only two rooms left!).

When all is said and done, we have a busy month ahead. The beautiful Fall weather really draws people to our little seaside town and with all the events going on, there is always something to do when you are visiting us.

2010-10-26T16:07:00.002-04:00

There is another of Christensen Shipyard's motor yachts in our marina this week. A few months ago I wrote about the Casino Royale, a private yacht that is decorated in the James Bond theme.

The yacht currently tied up to our marina is the VF-15, formerly known as the Primadonna. The boat (ship?) was built in Vancouver, Washington in 2009 and is currently registered in George Town in the Cayman Islands.

The Vf-15 is about 5 feet shorter than the Casino Royale but is still pretty impressive. The 160 foot ship has one master suite, a VIP suite and 4 guest rooms along with quarters for the crew. I counted 5 crew wiping and washing the boat yesterday. Add a Captain, a Mate, a chef and a personal trainer and the staff headcount climbs pretty quickly.

Even their tender (I think it is too big to be called a dinghy) is nice with room for 10, a center console and everything spotless.

This boat is bigger than anything I'll ever sail. I don't think I'll ever own a boat this grand but I sure would like to have a friend who owns one. Margaritas in the afternoon on the aft-deck. Skeet shooting at daybreak. Cruising along the coastline of some far-off land. Not having to pay for the gas.....

Boomer The Big White Horse

2010-10-24T06:42:00.002-04:00

It is a creepy feeling. I'm being watched. I'll be working at the front desk and the hair on the back of my neck will stand up. I look up and there is Boomer, out on the street staring through the window at me, ears cocked, looking for a treat.

Boomer is the biggest horse in Northeast Florida. He is a Percheron draft horse who used to work in the logging industry but now pulls a carriage around the Historic District of Fernandina Beach.

This isn't the most flattering photo of Boomer but you get the idea: he loves his carrots. Boomer stops in front of the Addison while his driver talks about the neighboring homes. When it is time for him to "walk on" Boomer will get real stubborn if we haven't given him a carrot. I've seen him stand still and stomp his feet and I've seen him walk backwards in defiance of the "walk on" command if we haven't run out with a carrot for him. Boomer loves stopping at the back door of Pompeo's Restaurant too because Mario will run out with heads of lettuce for him.

The horses in this town are all treated like big pets. Big working pets. Despite the fact that Boomer mooches treats all over town I do believe they feed him well. The horses get regular days off and they don't work in the rain or in the heat of the afternoon in the summer.

For $60 we can get Boomer to pull you around the Historic District for a private 45 minute tour. He will even drop you off at a local restaurant for your dinner reservation. Just give us a call and we'll set everything up for you. It is a great, romantic little extra that makes your stay at the Addison even more memorable. We'll even give you some carrots for Boomer.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

2010-10-17T20:25:00.001-04:00

I can't believe that it is already the middle of October. Where do the days go?

Center Street, Fine Arts Fair getting set up.

October started off with the Amelia Island Jazz Festival. We had fun supporting it by hosting the headliner Steve March Torme and his musical director Steve Rawlins. A lot of our guests went to see their concert and it was fun listening to their stories over breakfast.

The Jazz Festival coincided with the Amelia Island Fall Fine Arts Fair. The artist's booths along Center Street were even open late on Saturday night as part of the Artrageous Artwalk. The Artwalk happens on the second Saturday of every month and our guests can tour galleries, meet the artists and perhaps enjoy a glass of wine as they tour the variety of galleries downtown.

Amelia Cruizers Car Show

This last Saturday was the Amelia Cruizers Car show. This is one of my favorite events on the island. I can walk to it and the cars are obviously labors of love. The owners are out with their cars, constantly dusting and wiping and are quite willing to discuss mechanical and restoration details with passers by.

We have a busy month coming up for the Addison. Shannon is starting to plan the Christmas decorating so the inn can be all decorated for the Amelia Island Holiday Cookie tour on the Saturday, November 20th. We have a couple of friends and past guests who are interior decorators and they are helping Shannon with the holiday decorations. They will handle the creative side of things, I'll be outside hanging our icicle lights. Shannon is also working on her baking plan for the 800 or so cookies we are going to need for the tour.

I have started the kitchen plan (picture post-it notes ALL OVER the kitchen cupboards) for our Thanksgiving Dinner. Most of the Island's restaurants are closed on Thanksgiving so we are putting together a day of feasting for our guests. We have a couple of family groups coming and some repeat guests from last year who are bringing their friends. We've even got friends of ours (who knew?) coming down from Virginia for the holiday. Two rooms left! Book now!

Speaking of busy, my day here is winding down. We just had guests return from Pompeo's Italian Restaurant downtown. They brought Maggie Doone a meatball from Mario, the chef and owner of Pompeo's. The meatball is all sliced and ready for eating so I had best get it back to her.

The fall weather? We have been running 60+ degrees on the verandah for breakfast in the mornings with a high around 80 every day. The sun, she shines. Perfect fall weather and just right for a few days on Amelia Island. .

Cooler Weather, Hot Festivals

2010-10-02T14:45:00.000-04:00

And like that, summer was gone. I went out early yesterday morning, October 1st, to set the veranda tables for breakfast and it was cool outside. I think it was the first morning below 80 degrees since the Spring. There was a bit of a breeze blowing and it was quite pleasant at 68 degrees. The humidity has broken and we have the promise of another beautiful Fall season coming our way.

The courtyard ferns are enormous! We have guests that touch the ferns just to see if they are real or not. The courtyard must have just the right amount of sunlight for the ferns. Sunlight, daily water and monthly MiracleGro seem to be working for them this year.

We have the autumn plantings in the front gardens as well. The perennials, the grasses, shrubs and hedges are all filling in nicely compared to when we bought the inn almost three years ago and the annuals add a nice splash of color.

The Fall also brings us the Fall Festivals! The Amelia Island Jazz Festival kicked off last night (more on that later) and runs through the 10th. The Autumn Fine Arts Festival is coming up next weekend, October 9th and 10th. On the 16th we have my favorite event of the season, the Amelia Cruizers Car Show. October is a busy month here on Amelia Island.

The Fall is my favorite time of year on Amelia Island. I can walk Maggie Doone and One-Eyed Louie downtown in the afternoon and I arrive beck at the inn nice and dry instead of all sweaty. Shannon can take Maggie to the beach for longer walks in the cooler weather and we don't need to pull down the sun shade at Happy Hour. Before long we will be sleeping with the windows open and enjoying that nice ocean breeze all night long.

As a post-script: This is not related to anything that I have been rambling on about but I thought it was a nice nighttime photo of the inn. I had to try out the new camera!

Talk Like a Pirate Day Wrap Up

2010-09-20T21:29:00.000-04:00

Arrr, another Talk Like A Pirate Day has come and gone. It was quite a festive event here with the Fernandina Beach Pirate's Club out in full force for the afternoon and children scurrying about town on the Pirate Scavenger Hunt.

Our own One-Eyed Louie looked quite dapper in his pirate hat. If only we could keep an eye patch on him but it was hard enough keeping the hat on him as he is a great flapping beast.

Maggie Doone had her own pirate gear on and was quite set for the day with puffy-sleeved shirt and bandanna. We were sitting at a bar, minding our own business, when a woman came up to us and announced that my dog was spoiled. I asked "whatever gave you that idea?" Apparently it had something to do with Maggie sitting on a bar stool and wearing clothes. Hey, I could never afford to spoil my kids when they were little, why not spoil the dog?

The day was such a success that we just had to make another in the Maggie Doone series of videos. This is the story of a small pirate dog in a small pirate town, hanging out with fellow pirates and saying Arrr-ooo! Enjoy! Maggie Doone Talks Like a Pirate

What is next for the town of Fernandina Beach? The Amelia Island Jazz Festival runs October 1st through the 10th. We have Steve March Torme, one of the headliners at the festival, staying at the Addison. The Amelia Island Autumn Fine Arts Festival is back on October 9th and 10th. My favorite car show is on October 16th when the Amelia Cruizers Car Club take over downtown with a great display of hot rods. Before you know it we'll have Florida-Georgia Football Classic Weekend, Hallowe'en, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The year, she flies, my friends. Grab a piece of it while you can. Our Fall Specials have discounts up to 25% from October 1st right through December 21st as we encourage our guests to "Fall In Love With the Addison". Pick a Festival, pick a room and give us a call. We hope to see you again soon! .

Networking Skills Pay Off in Shrimp!

2010-09-10T19:33:00.005-04:00

There are those that call my local networking with local businessmen a sad excuse for hanging out at the Green Turtle in the afternoon but once in a while it really pays off.

Dan came into the Turtle this afternoon to see me. He has a cousin who knows a guy that used to date a girl who heard that one of the local shrimp boats was docking this afternoon. I scurried down to the docks and picked up a few pounds of the freshest shrimp available and cooked it up for Happy Hour this afternoon. That shrimp was (note the past tense) good!

With shrimp, simple can be best. I cooked it in a double boiler with some Old Bay seasoning and served it with lemons and cocktail sauce. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it and I ended up cooking the whole bag with just a little bit left over for later. Our guests just love fresh shrimp. Peel-and-eats are a little messy but they are well worth the trouble when they have only been off the boat for an hour. You can't get much fresher than that!

Talk Like a Pirate Day - September 19th

2010-09-07T11:21:00.009-04:00

Arrr! It is that time of year again, me hearties! Talk Like A Pirate Day, my favorite holiday, is rapidly approaching. Every year on September 19th people all over the world add a little swagger to their step and a little more whimsy to their wordage.

The Fernandina Beach Pirates Club has just announced that they will be out in full force on the 19th. The club has promised that it's members will be in the streets, in the alleys and in the shops to help people with the Treasure Hunt that they have put together. The Pirates Club is a fun bunch. They are in every parade, they take over the town during Shrimp Festival and you can usually see one or two of them down at the Palace Saloon on any given Saturday.

You don't know how to talk like a pirate? Lucky for you there is lots of good free advice on the world wide internets. You can check out the official Talk Like a Pirate Day website for a start. If that doesn't help there is a video on YouTube that goes over the all-important 5 "A"s of talking like a pirate; Ahoy, Avast, Aye, Aye Aye and Arrr.

Maggie Doone, although not a member of the Fernandina Beach Pirates Club, will be dressed for the occassion in full pirate regalia. Watch for her new video "Maggie Doone Talks Like a Pirate". Arrrr-oooo!

Top 5 Myths About B&Bs

2010-09-01T20:07:00.008-04:00

There was an article published on the Professional Association of Innkeepers International (PAII) site earlier this year that I have just now felt a need to comment on. The title of the 27-Apr-10 article was "The Top 5 Myths About Staying At A Bed And Breakfast Inn". I will roll through each of the myths with an Addison response to each one. Kind of like the Myth-Busters but without things blowing up.

Myth 1: B&B decor is limited to lace doilies, paisley wallpaper, antiques and patchwork quilts.

Response: True, some B&Bs do look like you are staying at your Grandmother's house with dark wood panelling, cabinets full of Hummell figurines and black flocked wallpaper. We have stayed in many inns where we were hesitant to touch the furniture due to the advanced age of the pieces. At the Addison we go more for a look of Old Florida elegance with understated hints of the tropics in the impeccably decorated guest rooms. We decorate with four-poster beds, rich hardwood floors and ceiling fans stirring a cool breeze. Just imagine yourself as a guest in an elegant turn-of-the-century home by the sea: warm, well-polished furnishings, tall ceilings, the rustle of silk draperies in the afternoon breeze and wicker chairs overlooking a quiet courtyard.

Myth 2: You have to share a bathromm with other guests.

Response: No, you don't. All of the Addison's guest rooms have private baths, many with oversized jetted tubs. The only person you have to share your bath with is the person you checked in with.

Myth 3: You have to eat breakfast with total strangers and eat whatever the innkeeper prepares that morning.

Response: There are many different methods of serving breakfast depending on the size of the inn. At the Addison we serve breakfast between 8:30 and 10 with a choice of enjoying your breakfast in our dining room or out on the verandah. Most of our tables are tables for 2 but we do have one big table for 6 in the dining room. Your breakfast can be as quiet or as social as you like. We have had several couples who meet each other at our Happy Hour, go out for dinner together and meet up again in the morning for breakfast. Meeting others and making friends with fellow guests is what makes staying at a B&B a special experience. The menu? At the Addison we post our breakfast menu daily and offer our guests a choice of the featured offerings or lighter fare. Of course, we always consider dietary restrictions, allergies or dislikes and are ready to prepare a custom breakfast if requested.

Myth 4: You have to adide by a curfew set by the innkeeper.

Response: Kidding, right? Who would do this to their guests? Addison guests staying in the main house (Rooms 1 through 5) have a key to the front door and can access their rooms at any hour. Guests stayinng in our courtyard rooms (Rooms 6 through 15) have direct acces from the street, through the courtyard, to their rooms.

Myth 5: B&Bs are only for couples and strictly prohibit children and pets.

Response: For the most part, guilty. We tried a couple of pet friendly rooms when we first opened the inn but were unhappy with the results. We have more people (allergies...) calling to make sure that animals have never stayed in the room than we have people calling to see if their pets can stay in our guest rooms. Not too many people have allergies to children but a lot of our guests come to the Addison to get away from their children for a few days. We have two rooms in which we can put our roll-away bed if parents are travelling with children over 12 years of age.

Myths, fact or fiction? I felt compelled to write this posting because we do still get a lot of phone calls that touch on some of these myths with the most questions being asked about the shared bathrooms.

At the Addison we have many guests who are first-timers at a B&B. We love the opportunity to de-bunk some myths and show people that staying at a B&B can be a wonderful weekend in which dining, exploring, shopping, breakfast and Happy Hour are shared with fellow guests as desired, but bathrooms are strictly shared with those who brought you.

Great Southern Tailgate Cook-Off Wrap Up

2010-08-29T19:02:00.010-04:00

The first ever Great Southern Tailgate Cook-Off BBQ contest is over. The winners have been awarded, the coals have been extinguished and the professional teams have moved on to other contests. Were you there? What did you think of it?

The Addison was happy to host Tuffy Stone and his wife Leslie of the Cool Smoke BBQ Team for the weekend. Tuffy is currently ranked around 11th out of over 4000 pro teams in the US.

Tuffy was kind enough to give me a behind-the-scenes look at the competitive side of pro-BBQ and, I tell you this my friends, it can be quite intense. Don't let the laid back attitude fool you. While their meat is cooking and the smoke is slowly curling put of the stacks you will see a lot of guys puffing away on cigars, enjoying an adult beverage, relaxing in chairs or just nodding off next to their smokers. But when it comes time to finalize their presentation these guys are all business. There is some decent prize money at stake for the pros as well as bragging rights for the backyard (amateur) teams.

Tuffy was kind enough to provide BBQ for our Saturday Happy Hour. Our guests enjoyed samples of chicken, pulled pork, ribs and brisket. We all thoroughly enjoyed the BBQ and the chance to talk with Tuffy and Leslie about life on the road as a pro BBQ team.

One last photo. This was taken of a local team's grill. I didn't get a chance to sample what they were cooking but it sure did look good.

I woke this morning around 3AM to the sound of torrential rain. What a difference 24 hours makes! If the rain had come a day earlier it would have drowned out all of the BBQers who were just getting their fires stoked for a day of smoking. As it was we had great weather with cloud cover and quite a bit cooler than we have had the last few months.

My trusty sidekick, Maggie Doone, came with me to the Cook-Off. Here is a video of her day at the cook-off. Don't let that last little bit of her eating some chicken fool you. As any of you who know Maggie will know, that dog ate all day long. The people in this town have spoiled our Maggie!

Big Doings in a Small Town

2010-08-17T19:27:00.013-04:00

The end of summer is upon us. Parents are out buying school supplies and back-to-school clothes for their kids and the children are either looking forward to a new year in school or dreading it. When I was a kid the school year started the day after Labor Day. Now it starts some time in August so the Labor Day weekend has lost some of its significance but not in Fernandina Beach. With all that is happening over the weekend you'd think it was the last weekend that was ever going to happen.

But let us step back just a bit. The weekend before Labor Day, August 27th and 28th, is going to be a great weekend here too. The first ever Great Southern Tailgate Cook-Off has really taken off with over 60 teams entering. We even have a celebrity BBQer staying here at the Addison. No names mentioned (as my friend Bob used to say: discretion is my middle word) but he is one of the BBQ Pitmasters from the TLC channel show. One of our local competitors, Richard from the Happy Tomato, will be providing the BBQ for the Addison's Happy Hour on Sunday.

The Labor Day weekend starts off on Friday night with a free street concert downtown starring the blues/funk music of Instant Groove. Saturday starts off with our local award-winning Farmer's Market, just a block from the Addison. The day continues with the next in a free series of reggae concerts called Sunsplash. The concerts go all day at the beach down by Sadler Road. There will be surfing competitions, sandcastle building and, of course, some great reggae music.

On Sunday morning you can catch the second day of the weekend's Fort Clinch Union Garrison. This is a good chance to check out the fort and talk to some of the old-timey living historians that will be manning the fort for the weekend. On Sunday afternoon I'll be getting the grill ready for a traditional Labor Day weekend cookout for the Addison's Happy Hour. I'll be cooking hand-made hamburgers and a big pot of my favorite chili recipe to go with them. We'll have side salads and all the fixins for a great cookout, just like the cookout your neighbors will be having but without you having to do any labor. (Get it? Labor Day?)

After the Labor Day Cookout on Sunday the fun continues with the 'Dina Shore Pub Crawl. The organizers have lined up drink specials at 8 local taverns and bars and for the low price of $15 you not only get the drinks specials, you get a T-Shirt! The big after party is at O'Kane's and Indigo Alley. If $15 seems steep just let me know by August 30th and I can pick up your advance tickets for $10. I'll have them here for you when you check in.

The best thing about this line-up of events? It is practically free! OK, you have to pony up a couple of bucks to get into the Fort and the pub crawl is $15 (free T-Shirt!) but what a deal! As Pete Millasakas always said, "Free stuff is good". Speaking of free stuff... don't forget our Dog Days of Summer Free Night offer. Stay at least 4 nights through the end of September and one of the four is free! Check the website for details. Pete would love it!

Maggie Doone Doesn't Go To Fort Clinch

2010-08-10T14:19:00.014-04:00

The "Maggie Doone Goes...." series of videos hasn't quite taken the internets by storm as I had hoped. There are a respectable number of YouTube views of "Maggie Doone Goes For a Walk" and "Maggie Doone Goes To The Beach" but not in the hundreds of thousands.

The next video was destined to be an instant internet sensation. "Maggie Doone Goes To Fort Clinch" was promised to be promoted by the local Tourism Bureau (Thanks Bretta!) but we ran into a small glitch. Dogs aren't allowed in the Fort! Or on the Park's beaches or boardwalks! So instead of a great video of Maggie at the Fort we have here a classic photo of Maggie not going anywhere.

Our next video projects will have Maggie touring the Egan's Creek Greenway and we have a couple of good guest videos in the works as well. Hopefully I will be able to post something in the next couple of days. Meanwhile, I am finishing off my submittal package for the Amelia Island Film Festival. The package is almost complete. They want head shots of the production crew (that would be me) and the cast (Maggie Doone). It was a toss-up between Maggie Doone Goes To The Beach and Maggie Doone Goes For a Walk and I can't make up my mind. Let's put it to a vote! Let me know which video you like the most and I'll submit that one to the Film Festival. Votes submitted by August 20th will be counted. There were over 600 films submitted to the festival last year so pick a good one!

Summer is Cookin' and Smokin'!

2010-07-24T19:49:00.010-04:00

I am really getting excited about this new summer event on Amelia Island. The first Great Southern Tailgate Cook-off is being held here on Amelia Island on August 27th and 28th and I just can't wait! I love events like this!

The organizers (Thank you Bretta!) have got 42 of the top BBQ teams from around the country coming to our beaches to compete for over $20,000 in prize money. Top name teams like Myron Mixon of PitMasters, the General Porkticioners, Lotta Bull and the Late Night Whiskey Smokers. They will be cooking and smoking chicken, brisket, ribs and pork butts with lots of sampling to go around after the judging.

I am a griller, not a barbecuer, and I wouldn't even try to compete with the people coming to the competition so at the Addison Happy Hour on Saturday the 28th we will be featuring barbecue from the Happy Tomato. Rich, head man at the Tomato and competitor in the Cook-off, will be cooking us up some of his prized pulled pork and smoked turkey. We'll get some chicken salad and shrimp salad to go with the meats and we will have our own barbecue feast out on our veranda.

So we've got the Great Southern Tailgate Cook-off at the end of August followed closely by Labor Day weekend with the new Sun Splash series of reggae concerts. October will be here before you know it with cooler weather and even more to do. The Amelia Island Jazz Festival is in the first 10 days of October and we have put together a Special Jazz Weekend Package just for the Festival. My favorite car event of the year follows with the Amelia Cruizers Car Show on October 16th. The next thing you know we'll be decorated for the Holidays and cooking Thanksgiving dinner for our guests. Wow, the Holidays already. Right around the corner!

A Great Morning at The Beach

2010-07-14T18:27:00.003-04:00

All of the Addison's guests came down early for breakfast today so at 9:30 I decided to take Maggie Doone down to the beach before it got too hot outside for her. She LOVES going to the beach!

We only spent a half an hour walking the sand but what a half hour! The sand was nice and clean, the surf wasn't too noisy (Maggie doesn't like the noisy surf) and there weren't too many people around. That is one of many really nice things about our beaches... even when they are crowded, they aren't. If Main Beach has too many people for you just go to the next beach access and you'll likely find wide open sand.

I took my new toy, the Flip, and made another video of Maggie. You can easily find all of Maggie's videos (both of them) right now on YouTube. Just fire up YouTube and search for Maggie Doone.

The local Convention and Visitors Bureau has a new toy too. They just turned on their second live beach cam. The first one is at Sandy Bottoms and shows the beach where Maggie and I walked today. The second one is down on the south end of the island. You can catch the live scene at Amelia Beaches.

What am I going to do with Maggie's videos? The Amelia Island Film Festival is coming up in February and they are going to start taking submissions soon. I'm thinking they would love to see Maggie Doone enjoying the island and the active, natural and charming lifestyle we have here. Lights! Camera! Crazy Dog!

Maggie Doone Goes For A Walk

2010-07-07T21:11:00.005-04:00

After much research, debate, hemming and hawing, and failed attempts at purchasing, I bought a Flip Camcorder. I tried to buy one earlier this week at Staples but discovered they were out of stock after waiting about 20 minutes. So I tried to buy one at WalMart but no luck there either. I was in the store for 20 minutes, could see the Flip sitting in the locked glass case but could find nobody with a key to the case.

This morning, right after breakfast was served (Blueberry - Peach Tort and Breakfast-In-A-Boat!) I left the island and drove to Best Buy. I ended up buying two cameras but I'll tell you about the other one later. So, I bought Flip before lunch, shot footage this afternoon and put together a nice little video right after Happy Hour. This thing is easy to use, let me tell you this my friend.

Here's the plan. I bought the Flip Camcorder to loan to our guests so that they can video their experiences while on Amelia Island. Segway tours, hiking, fishing, whatever they get into they can now video! I can either burn them a CD or e-mail them the video but the cool part is that their videos will be part of an ever-expanding guest-generated library of what to see and do on Amelia Island.

Here is my first attempt at a Flip video. It is a bit shaky and I haven't figured out how to do voice-overs yet but for a first attempt I'll be happy. Maybe I'll put something together for the Amelia Island Film Festival. I can hardly wait to see what some of our guests come up with!

July 4th Wrap-Up

2010-07-05T10:43:00.006-04:00

Another 4th of July has passed and it was a good one here at the Addison. We had a really nice group of guests this weekend with everyone hanging out together and sharing their lives' stories. We had a great turnout for the 4th Happy Hour and we served up a veritable feast with grilled hand-made hamburgers, baked beans from the Happy Tomato, potato salad, bean salad and hot dogs. The weather was great all weekend, not too hot with a nice breeze blowing, perfect for heading to the beach.

After Happy Hour was done several of our guests sat on the front porch to watch the 4th of July parade. Fernandina Beach loves a parade and we have one for almost every holiday. The biggest parade of the year is for Shrimp Fest. Everyone enjoyed the parade and then walked down to the marina for the fireworks show.

Laurie and Duncan are regular guests of ours and today they are enjoying a free night courtesy of the Addison's "Rewards For Guests That Keep Coming Back" Special. Guests who stay for ten nights over any number of visits receive a night for free. This is Laurie and Duncan's 4th visit and their third visit was Memorial Day weekend, just a few weeks ago. This is a picture of them getting ready to try our Strawberry Shortcake for breakfast.

So, the 4th is gone but another fun day is under way in Fernandina Beach. We've loaded up our guests with beach chairs and towels and they are off for an afternoon of basking on the beaches. Even on a holiday weekend it isn't difficult to find wide open stretches of sand to enjoy.

Our Front Door

2010-06-27T19:23:00.007-04:00

I know. I can hear your eyeballs rolling from here. "Your front door, Bob? Why not write something more interesting like about the lint trap in your dryer?" Well, stop rolling your eyes and I'll try to make this interesting.

We just had our front door refinished. It was weathered, faded, and not the first thing we wanted our guests to see when they can to visit us. (Oh, PLEASE, stop rolling your eyes. There is no Door = Bob thing going on here) So I had it refinished and, I must say, Curtis did a good job. The door looks good as new. But that isn't the interesting part.

When you look at our door from the outside there are round windows at the bottom and rounded tops to the upper windows. When you look at the door from the inside, all of the corners are square. Why square on the inside and round on the outside?

One theory is that back when the door was built, round trim cost more to make than straight trim. This was back when craftsmen used skill and hand tools to create trim work. Now, anyone with a router and a power outlet can do the same. The back-in-the-day builders put the round (more expensive) trim on the outside for viewing by all and put the square (less expensive) trim on the inside of the door.

This is Maggie Doone by the door, looking out the bottom window. If you look closely at the window you will see the round shape of the outside trim and the square shape of the inside trim. When we first moved into the inn back in 2007 she had full run of the house and loved sitting at the front door looking out that little window at the horse-drawn carriages that roll past the front door. Now she sits on her chair at the front desk and looks out the big window at the world going by.

OK, so maybe this whole "My Front Door" post wasn't as riveting as my dissertation on cleaning the courtyard fountain but I am always finding small details about our house's construction that interest me. The architectural details of the historic main house, erected in 1876, along with the evidence of later additions and changes yield a fascinating progressive story of our house's life. The big changes (addition of bathrooms and the kitchen and the major renovation in 1996) are fully evident. The small things like mismatched baseboard in the dining room always ask the questions. Was there a door here? Where did it go? What did the room look like back then? Who was their Feng Shui consultant?

This is an interesting old building and every time I start off some routine maintenance project I never know where it will lead me or what interesting tidbit I will learn about my house as I move forward.

When I first came to this country....

2010-06-17T18:40:00.010-04:00

When I first came to this country I had nothing! Less than nothing actually but I have been in the United Sates for 18 years and, let me tell you this my friend, the United Sates has been very, very good to us.

The 4th of July is coming up and it is a good opportunity to reflect on the freedoms and opportunities that we, as American citizens, have. Yes, I am an American citizen now having been naturalized in July of 2008. (As a side note: I find the expression "Naturalization" to be odd. What? I was unnatural before?) This discussion began at Happy Hour this evening and I continue. Why do people emigrate to the United States? Repatriation with family, employment opportunities, as refugees from oppressive regimes, and the favorite catch-all phrase "to enjoy the American way of life".

Since coming to the United States we have enjoyed many successes and have made many friends in many neighborhoods. Shannon and myself did well with our engineering careers and now find ourselves doing well in a totally different adventure, running a B&B in Florida. The land of opportunity!

July 4th is the greatest day of celebration of this country; it's birth, growth and how it stands today among nations. Fernandina Beach is a small town in a small corner of the country but we celebrate with the best of them. The July 4th weekend starts off with a Sounds on Center street concert on Friday night. Saturday has the Farmer's Market in the morning and the second of the series of SunSplash Reggae Concerts in the afternoon. A Union Soldier garrison will be held at Fort Clinch on Saturday and Sunday.

On the 4th we will be extending our regular Happy Hour with a "Bob's Favorite" cookout. Shannon may drive the breakfast menu but I love doing the Happy Hour cookout. I'll be grilling hot dogs and my hand-made hamburgers, served with all the fixin's. We'll also have side salads plus some baked beans from the Happy Tomato. We can watch the 4th Parade as it passes right in front of the inn after Happy Hour and lead everyone down to the marina for the fireworks. A great weekend with great beach weather is ahead for all.

While we're celebrating the 4th, let us not forget the 1st. My home and native land, Canada, celebrates their own national holiday on July 1st. Happy Canada Day, eh!

Musical Businesses

2010-06-14T08:00:00.007-04:00

You know the game "Musical Chairs"? Well, we have been going through a game of "Musical Businesses" over the last few months with local businesses switching buildings. Hopefully, when the music stops everyone has a store location that is right for them.

It all started when the Candy and Paint Your Own Pottery store moved out of their big location on Center Street. That opened up a bigger store for the old-timey photo guy with his "Faces In Time" studio. You can go there and get sepia tinted photos of yourselves in Civil War, Western or (my favorite) Pirate regalia. He even has a pirate ship for a photo shoot stage.

Once he moved out of his location on 2nd Street, Intercoastal Wines moved in. They were looking for a smaller shop and found it right next door to their old location.

That opened up a nice sized spot for Anthony and Patrick to open up a new bar on 2nd Street, right next to Pablo's Mexican Restaurant. They are in there right now building the longest bar in town. That's Ray on the right, head carpenter and future bar manager once he finished building the bar. Anthony, formerly of the Green Turtle, is adding a kitchen and a nice brick patio out back. He has a full liquor license and, knowing Anthony, he'll be having lots of live music scheduled.

There are lots of other "adds, moves and changes" happening. The Philly Boyz Cheesesteak shop is going to be moving from their current location behind the Palace Saloon to the old gas station / clothing store up at Center and 8th. Lulu's Bra and Grill, just a block away from the inn, has reopened as Lulu's at the Thompson House. The old bras that decorated the restaurant have found themselves a new home somewhere in Virginia. The old Bank of America building has a small grocery store moving in. That will be handy for the boaters coming through the marina.

It is a good sign of a fairly robust small-town economy when storefronts on the Main Street are full. Occasionally we have an empty one but it sure doesn't stay empty for long!

New! Beach Cam, Live!

2010-06-06T18:38:00.004-04:00

The beaches of Amelia Island are now available to you 24-7. The local Convention and Visitor's Bureau, with the help of Paul from MyWebRefresh.com, have set up the first camera that will send a continuous picture of one section of our beatiful, pristine beaches.

The website is just being launched (You saw it here first!). Right now there is only one camera in operation but another is planned.

Those of you sitting in your cubicles far, far away from Amelia Island can now enyoy our beaches 24 hours a day. Log on early enough and you may even catch a sunrise!

You can check out the beach at http://www.ameliabeaches.com/.

Sunsplash 2010 Coming to a Beach Near You!

2010-06-03T10:28:00.006-04:00

The first of the Amelia Island Sunsplash events is happening this weekend. This looks like it is going to be a popular event with something for everyone. The first Sunsplash is this coming Saturday, June 5th, down on the beach at Sadler Road near Sliders Seaside Restaurant.

Sunsplash starts off with a Beach Cleanup at 7AM and with the surfing competition starting at 8AM. At 11 they have the Kid's Sandcastle Contest and Beach Volleyball signups. They will have a Slip-N-Slide, beach ping pong and, of course, the Fernandina Beach Pirates Club will be there. At 2PM there is a Swimwear Fashion Show sponsored by Pipeline Surf Shop.

The highlight for me though will be the live reggae music that will be playing all afternoon. At 1PM Spirit Dub Government will be playing followed by Jah-Creation at 4PM. I get up fairly early in the mornings and can't stay up as late as I used to so I really do like afternoon music sessions.

There are 4 Sunsplashes scheduled for this year: July 3rd, August 7th and September 4th. Come to our island, grab a Red Stripe and listen to some live reggae on the beach. It will be just like going to that other island but without the really long plane ride.

Full information can be found at http://www.aisunsplash.com/