Author Archives: Kathy Blacklock

Pat’s Wildways: Mountain Road Trip

By Pat Foster-TurleyPlanning a trip is always fun for me, and always full of unique [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Fishing the Pond

By Pat Foster-TurleyI am by no means a fisherperson. Bucko has tried to get me [...]

Pat’s Wildways: A Way with Bunnies

By Pat Foster-TurleyAny regular reader of my columns knows I am hounded by rabbits in [...]

Pat’s Wildways: A Visit to the Cummer Museum

By Pat Foster-TurleyA couple of weeks ago some friends and I decided to visit the [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Beach Days

By Pat Foster-TurleyIt’s summertime again and time to head to the beach. But these days [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Crow ‘Funerals’ and ‘Murders’

By Pat Foster-TurleyI am always alert to the possibilities of new columns and sometimes my [...]

A Pioneer in Whale Acoustics Leaves a Lasting Legacy

By Lauri deGarisDr. Roger S. Payne, biologist, born January 29, 1935, passed away this month. [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Mink in our Midst

By Pat Foster-TurleyThere’s a small otter-like critter roaming our saltmarshes and beach shores, but few [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Armadillos

By Pat Foster-TurleyThese days it seems like armadillos are everywhere, in all-natural areas on this [...]

Pat’s Wildways: The ARK

By Pat Foster-TurleyI was so wrapped up with Lake the otter last week I didn’t [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Lake the Otter

By Pat Foster-Turley“I smell like otter!” It was like 30 years ago—the memories flooded in [...]

The Game’s Afoot at Amelia Community Theatre

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson travel to the moors of Devonshire for their latest case [...]

The Nest, A Women’s Center

By Elizabeth Matthews Megan Hammond knows what it’s like to be a young woman facing [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Wild Amelia

By Pat Foster-TurleyI knew that if I stopped by the exhibition hall for the Wild [...]

Guy Petty: Architect, Volunteer, Rock Steady Co-Founder

Guy Edmund Petty died on May 9, 2023. With great dignity and a Guy-like sense [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Clams!

By Pat Foster-Turley It was Bucko’s birthday yet again, and yet again he didn’t want [...]

Why Amelia Island Needs a Statue of William Penn

By Linda Hart Green I grew up in a suburb of New Jersey just five [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Belizean Food

By Pat Foster-Turley It’s no surprise to my readers that whenever I travel, food is [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Monkey River Village School

By Pat Foster-Turley I’ve been to Monkey River Village three times now, each time better [...]

It Started With a Flag

By Genece Minshew In June of 2018, on a Tuesday evening, Mayor Johnny Miller decided [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Hunting Dosinias

By Pat Foster-Turley Lots of people collect seashells, and if you are from the inland [...]

Just Truckin’ to Hot Dog House FL

By Dylan Bailey Over the past few years, food trucks have found a new footing [...]

Pride Picnic as American as Apple Pie

By April L. Bogle Some 100 people – from pre-kindergarteners to grandparents and every age [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Is That a Turkey?

By Pat Foster-Turley I must confess that sometimes I respond too quickly to emails without [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Reap What You Sow

By Pat Foster-Turley April 14, 2023 It started out as a simple visit to the [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Bald Eagle Nests

By Pat Foster-Turley April 6, 2023 Bald eagles are everywhere these days, or so it [...]

Pat’s Wildways: A Rare Bird

By Pat Foster-Turley March 31, 2023 When I enter the pool for my deep-water aerobics [...]

Review: Fill Up at T-Ray’s

  By Dylan Bailey On the corner of Beech Street and Eighth Street, lies an [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Water!

By Pat Foster-Turley March 24, 2023 I often wonder where all the wildlife in our [...]

Garden Club to Present “Down the Rabbit Hole” Flower Show

  The Bartram Garden Club of Amelia will present Down the Rabbit Hole, a National Garden [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Local Shopping Rounds

By Pat Foster-Turley March 10, 2023 Most Saturday mornings when I am home I make [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Okefenokee Day Trip

By Pat Foster-Turley March 3, 2023 Sometimes when Bucko and I are bored with Amelia [...]

Review – Peach Cobbler Factory

By Dylan Bailey It’s always exciting when a new restaurant opens on Amelia Island. And [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Backyard Birding

By Pat Foster-Turley February 24, 2023 Like most of my friends, I try to attract [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Capital

By Dale Martin, City Manager In last week’s recap of the city commission’s annual goal-setting [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Dogs in Paris

By Pat Foster-Turley February 17, 2023 It didn’t take long on this trip to Paris [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Visioning

By Dale Martin, City Manager Earlier this week, the City Commission convened for its annual [...]

Pat’s Wildways: A Zoologist in Paris

By Pat Foster-Turley February 10, 2023 It was a whirlwind weeklong visit to Paris with [...]

The Bartram Garden Club Talks Roses

The Bartram Garden Club, Inc. Submitted by Linda Broadrick Secretary and Publicity Chairman Feb. 5, [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Projects

By Dale Martin, City Manager Included in this year’s budget are several capital projects. Here [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Bone Yard Beach

By Pat Foster-Turley February 3, 2023 Most times when I am in search of a [...]

Cruise Ships Top Concern at Port Authority Open House

By Mike Lednovich French mathematician Narges Obaid famously said: “Don’t trust everything you see. Even [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Nate Coyle

By Dale Martin, City Manager Next week, the city will lose one of its most [...]

Interview: Story & Song Bookstore Bistro

By Dylan Bailey I was given the opportunity to interview Donna Kaufman, who is the [...]

Amelia Community Theatre Presents “Clue”

It’s a dark and stormy night in 1954, as invited guests arrive at the foreboding [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Little Talbot Pond

By Pat Foster-Turley January 27, 2023 I’m sure most of you zoom on State Road [...]

Whigham Sentenced for Second-Degree Murder

Fernandina Beach Police Department Jeffrey Tambasco, Deputy Chief Press Release January 23, 2023 Today, Shawn [...]

Citrus Drive Delivers Local Fruit to Barnabas

Barnabas Center Press Release Submitted by Nicola Barnack Director of Development Jan. 25, 2023 Record-breaking [...]

Calling All Port Questioners – Final Open House

If you have any questions, concerns or fresh ideas about the Port of Fernandina Beach, [...]

Florida Roots Trail Race Delivers an Unforgettable Day at Fort Clinch

The third annual Florida Roots Trail Series foot race was run this past weekend at [...]

New Memorial in Fernandina Beach Honors Pearl Harbor Survivor

Executives from Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) and the Veterans Council of Nassau County honored a [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Henry

By Dale Martin, City Manager Henry Centrella was released (supervised) from prison earlier this week. [...]

Pat’s Wildways – Big Dogs

By Pat Foster-Turley January 20, 2023 It is no surprise to anyone who regularly reads [...]

City Manager’s Comments – James Thomas

By Dale Martin, City Manager In 1998, Tom Brokaw, then the sole anchor of “NBC [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Effects of the Freeze

By Pat Foster-Turley January 13, 2023 Those of you fairly new to Nassau County maybe [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Beaches and Parks

By Dale Martin, City Manager At the City Commission’s January 3 workshop, the primary topics [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Ghosts on the Beach

By Pat Foster-Turley January 6, 2023 These days, going to the beach this time of [...]

City Manager’s Comments – New Year’s

By Dale Martin, City Manager Thank you to those who joined me at the Open [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Christmas Eve at Rooterville

By Pat Foster-Turley December 30, 2022 Every year Bucko and I seek out a new [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Reports

By Dale Martin, City Manager Each month, I have the department directors prepare a monthly [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Monarchs and Milkweed

By Pat Foster-Turley December 23, 2022 I thought I knew all about monarch caterpillars turning [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Commission

By Dale Martin, City Manager With the City Commission election completed this week, let me [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Buy Local

By Pat Foster-Turley December 16, 2022 One of the first local persons I met when [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Music

By Dale Martin, City Manager Music has always been a part of my life. I [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Searching for Seahorses

By Pat Foster-Turley December 9, 2022 The sun woke me up early in southern Belize [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Bosque Bello Cemetery

By Pat Foster-Turley December 2, 2022 If you are looking for an interesting walk on [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Service Awards

By Dale Martin, City Manager The city work staff has not been immune to the [...]

Phyllis Gwendoline Grace Blacklock, 102

November 28, 2022 Longtime Fernandina Beach resident, Phyllis “Phyll” Gwendoline Grace (Petvin) Blacklock, 102, passed [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Boris the Botfly Goes to the University

By Pat Foster-Turley November 25, 2022 Some of you readers may remember that Bucko and [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Christmas

By Dale Martin, City Manager From the time that I first visited Fernandina Beach as [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Thanksgiving

By Dale Martin, City Manager November offers two significant days for me. One is singularly [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Like a Mother to Me?

By Pat Foster-Turley November 18, 2022 I was older than 30 when I entered the [...]

City Manager’s Comments – Election

By Dale Martin, City Manager Another biannual general election has closed. We can now pause [...]

Pat’s Wildways: Was that a Pig?

By Pat Foster-Turley November 11, 2022 Amelia Island abounds with pets traveling with their owners [...]

Fernandina Beach Voters Elect Bradley Bean New Mayor

By Wes Wolfe Florida Politics Fernandina Beach, with a median resident age of 55, isn’t [...]