Many of us have been looking back five years and remembering the strange world we woke up to in March of 2020. A full-blown pandemic changed everything. Looking back through my columns and articles, …

I celebrated my birthday last week and was struck by a memory of my birthday five years earlier. In 2020, because the weather was warm, my friends opted to take me on a sunset cruise on the Amelia …

I’ve been a friend of Amelia River Cruises ever since I moved here nearly 30 years ago and met Kevin McCarthy at a talk I was giving on right whales. Kevin introduced himself to me and invited …

Inspired by Ryan Christoffel's article, "Bookshop Launches iPhone App as Local-Friendly Ebook Alternative to Apple Books and Kindle." In an era where the written word faces an uphill battle for …

It has been a tough few months. We have lost several close friends. I know it is part of aging, but nonetheless, it is hard. Reading the paper, it is difficult not to look at the recent obituaries. …

Daylight saving time leaves us a little groggy and confuses our pets as to their dinner time. Once our bodies and our pets adjust, we can enjoy an extra hour of daylight. The change confuses us for a …

Did you know coconut crabs have a grip strong enough to rival the bite force of a lion? That’s not just some random trivia — I bring it up because once you visit The Hidden Crab, …

On a whim, I stopped into Sam’s Flying Frog Ranch pet store in Yulee recently and couldn’t be more impressed with the collection of animals contained therein. It was about four years ago …

In an era where social media dominates how we share our lives, many of us find ourselves questioning the role these platforms play. While social networks promise connection, they often come with …

I did it! I actually baked some sourdough bread. I learned that it is not a simple process. It is part chemistry, part work, timing, and maybe magic. How the gooey dough turns into a beautiful loaf …

Can you imagine having an encounter that was so important to you that you thought about it for the next 45 years? A meeting like this happened to scholar, theologian, writer, civil rights leader and …

This past Sunday, I was looking for a story — maybe about the birds of prey now nesting in our area. A pair of great horned owls and at least one chick are in their usual yearly nest in Fort …

For many, an email address is more than just a digital contact point — it is a gateway to communication, business, and personal archives accumulated over years. Moving on from an old email …

Pills seem to be an inevitable part of our lives. They have strange names like Lipitor, Zoloft, Zocor and Celebrex. The older we get, the greater our inventory of little brown bottles with twist-off …

John McClane and Wendell McGahee laughed together after a panel discussion at Memorial United Methodist Church last Thursday evening. They are “homegrown” Fernandina men whose lives have …

Did you know “picnic” ranks among the top 5,000 most common words in the English language? But on Amelia Island, a picnic isn’t just a word — it’s an experience straight …

Whenever a friend calls with an idea for an outing I am usually game. This time, my friend Diane Stoecker and her husband Ed planned to take their boat out on a sunny, mild winter day. Did I want to …

Holding onto an old email address can be more than just an inconvenience – it can be a real source of frustration and stress. Many people don’t realize how much an outdated email can …

Amelia Island offers a unique opportunity to experience history. Fernandina Beach's Historic District is a living museum. Like sleeping beauties, the island's Victorian-era homes have been frozen in …

At a time when many are drawing the circle around themselves tighter due to fear and uncertainty, Brendan Twiggs, a 20-something Fernandina native, is widening his circle. Why? It has to do with the …