Before I left though, I headed back into downtown Fernandina Beach just to take a picture. The other night I wanted to take my parents out to dinner and asked them what their favorite restaurant was. Without hesitation they said "Le Clos." So we went there, and I'm so glad we did. It was a very cute and chic Provençale restaurant in the historic district. The food was excellent and well-prepared, and the staff were professional yet relaxed and welcoming. In the back was an herb garden with outdoor seating on warm nights. All of it a magical setting.
This picture does it no justice. You've got to be inside the warm, coral-colored room with some great wine and an amazing meal in front of you.
What a great evening we had as a fitting end to a great week together. There was that familiar feeling once again . . . Love and Gratitude. I still feel it now as I write this. Thanks for a lovely sojourn Mom and Dad.
After I took a few pics, I headed over to the local farmers' market which was fun to see. Then I headed down to Flagler Beach, another spot in addition to Fernandina Beach that is more like the way Florida was than what it has become. I've loved it since I stumbled into it a few years ago while checking out surf spots and happened upon a whole bunch of people longboarding a tiny 6" wave. They were having a blast, and it really set the tone for the place. I was glad that it still had the same great energy.
Spotted this van marking this taco shop and instantly jerked the car over to check it out. I confess I actually got out of the car to take this shot, left it running, got pulled inside the shop as if by magnetism, placed an order, and totally forgot about the car sitting there running on the side of the road, full of gear! Whoa.
Loved the gritty feel of the order area. Stickers and autographs everywhere.
One shrimp and one fish taco served Baja style with cilantro, shredded cabbage, spicy white sauce, and lime. Muy bueno.
Afterwards, I drove across the state through the Ocala National Forest and then through Tampa and down into the Venice area where I was looking at some land lots. I was in a random area just off the road to Boca Grande and not having much luck when I noticed that the sun was about to go down.
Seeing the sunset over water is a big deal on the East coast, and there just aren't many places to see it happen. The West coast of Florida is where the magic really happens, and it's also where the sunset culture seems to have evolved the most. These people take it to a whole other level.
Case in point, when I realized that the sunset was about to happen, I just lurched down the first street that said "Beach." I had no idea where I was. It didn't matter. All that mattered was getting to a beach in time, any beach. I later discovered that I ended up at Manisota Beach. It was there that I came upon the sunset ritual in this video. It seemed to be primarily people in their 60s, all very tan as if they've been doing this all winter, and all pretty liquored up too. It was a pretty funny scene. Pretty tribal too. I guess that's enough prettys for one post.
(Click the small triangle at the bottom left)
No comments:
Post a Comment