When I wrote about Restaurant Week at Amelia Island yesterday, I did not anticipate the flood of memories that would come to me. My children and I had such good times there, and even though I have thought often of the place, I had forgotten a lot of the things that happened there. I didn’t own a camera back then, so I have no visual keepsakes of that era of our lives.
On our first trip to Amelia Island, we were helping our best friends move from a suburb of Atlanta to Fernandina Beach. Our little caravan of me in my car, Kay in her car, and David driving the U-Haul stopped at a gas station near the Georgia-Florida line. When my son, Seth, jumped out of the car, he asked me with all the excitement a five year old boy could muster, “are we on Gilligan’s Island?” He had just seen his first palm tree in person.
The trip to the beach was bittersweet because once we came home, our friends wouldn’t be just across the street anymore. We pledged to visit them as often as we could, and we did. We made tons of memories of good times, but we still missed them like crazy between times. Seth and Chris were almost exactly the same age. Seth was only four days older than Chris, and the boys had known each other since they were old enough to walk. They had play dates almost every day until they moved away.
After the unloading of the truck was done, David took Chris and Seth to buy fish bait. When they came home, Seth was holding a coffee can. Becca, who was three at the time, wanted to see the bait. I will never forget the look on her face, as she jumped what seemed like three feet in the air, to get away from that can full of baby crabs that looked a whole lot like spiders! It was almost comical to see.
They guys took off to go fishing off the bridge. My son caught a sheephead that weighed about nine pounds. I know David helped him reel it in, but my little guy was so proud of that fish. I packed it on ice in a cooler to take home with us. It took me a couple of hours to clean it and cut it up. We had so much meat in the freezer from that one fish that it took us weeks to eat it all. Every time I cooked some of it, Seth would say proudly that he caught that fish.
Another time we went to visit, we stayed in a rental house on the beach. It was fully furnished, with room for at least 12 people to sleep. There were even fishing rods available to for us to use. On the first night there, after the girls had showered and gotten ready for bed, we ordered pizza for dinner. When it was delivered, we were all starving! Emily was about 8 years old at the time. She was holding a huge knife that she had used to cut a slice of the pizza. Becca asked Emily for the knife, and she held it out to her by the handle, so that the blade was pointing toward Becca. Becca grabbed the knife blade, and for some reason, Emily jerked it back towards herself, cutting Becca’s middle finger to the bone!
There was blood everywhere almost immediately. It was a good thing that Kay and David were there because I am not good at the sight of blood coming from one of my children, and I had no idea where the hospital was. We wrapped Becca’s hand in a towel, and David drove us to the emergency room. The doctor stitched her finger up, and told her to keep it clean and dry for a week. I think she was more upset about being at the beach and not being able to go in the water than she was about the cut. We wound up taping a plastic bag over her hand every day so she could play at the beach.
On another visit, when the boys were about 12 years old, Becca was 10 and Emily was 9. The boys had been picking at the girls for days, aggravating them to no end. One day, Seth and Chris dug holes on the beach, got in them, and covered themselves up to their armpits with sand. The girls happened to walk up and find them that way, and decided it was payback time. They started kicking sand in the boys faces. You have never seen two boys wiggle and struggle harder to get out of a hole in your life! I told the girls they better run, because they would be in trouble when the boys got out of the holes, and I wouldn’t blame them for being mad. I guess you had to be there to understand how hilarious it was.
On every visit we made to Amelia Island, we ate all of our meals at the rental house, except for the last night. That is when we went all out at the local seafood restaurant. Although it always meant we would be leaving the next day, we looked forward to going to a wonderful seafood restaurant. I can’t remember the name of it, so I don’t know if it is still there or not. I think it was out towards Mayport, and may have been Safe Harbor Seafood Market, but I can’t remember for sure. I remember the first time we went there, we seated all the children at one table, and the adults at another table. The waitress kept refilling the kids glasses with soda, which we thought was free refills. Boy were we ever surprised when we got our checks and there was a $45 charge for sodas! We never let that happen again!
Even after Kay and David moved to South Carolina with another railroad transfer, we continued our spring break trips to Amelia Island. We all stayed in the same rental house, and shared the rental fee. Those were some of the best times of my life. Both Kay and David are now deceased, but I can pretty much say that if they were still alive, they would meet up with at Amelia Island this year.
Lisa McCrory Johnston says
I love those memories! Gilligan’s Island!! 🙂 hehe that’s awesome!
Emily @ Baby Dickey says
Aww, lovely memories! I’ve heard Amelia Island is wonderful. I’ve never been, but had a friend intern there at a resort one summer, doing event planning things for them. Loved her photos! I’m glad you have such great memories of your trips there!
LaVonne says
Great memories, Karen. I remember seeing my first Palm Tree too. Oh, and I hate when refills aren’t free. Soda is so cheap!
everafterinthewoods says
Loved hearing about your memories! Isn’t it amazing what a good trip can. Do for your soul?
sheilarae71 says
Such great memories to have. And, I miss Palm Trees!! I want to live where they are everywhere!
Theresa @ Faith and Family Reviews says
It sounds like a very special place, filled with wonderful memories!
Kita Bryant says
Loved the trip down memory lane. I have never been there but it sounds like a place I may want to go.
leslipeterson says
Travel is so powerful, as to bring back memories like these. How wonderful that you have those to hold on to.
robyn says
Wonderful memories! We love taking family trips. I remember my first palm tree – I was 8 years old.
Billie @ Rowell Reviews says
Aww sounds like a great place. I would have been mad if I cut my finger and couldn’t go into the water too. And $45 for sodas, no way!
Dianna @ Oy Vey a Day says
Sounds wonderful. I have similar memories associated with camping trips with family.
I live in the metro-Atlanta area, but have never been to Amelia Island. I bet my boys would have a blast on the beach down there.
Karen says
I bet they would, Dianna. We lived in Douglasville at the time we were going there on vacatons.
Jacklynn says
Amelia Island is fantastic! We used to live not terribly far from there and I miss it now. What great memories you have! I squirmed at thought of a knife cutting to the bone, yikes! Now I need a beach trip…
Lyssa says
I often hear about Amelia Island but have never been. Maybe I should start a few memories our of own there!
bernetta says
Memories are a beautiful thing!! Again, I need to make it to this Amelia Island! Thanks for linking up!