Pat's Wildways: Well-Placed Benches
Recently, I was strolling along the marina, admiring the yachts docked there, and I stopped by the Amelia River Cruises ticket office to say hello. Kevin McCarthy’s granddaughter was minding the shop and just then Kevin himself walked up. I have watched Kevin’s fleet of vessels grow from the early days on his first small boat when I joined him every so often to conduct “Wildways Tours.” And now, years later, here we were chatting in front of his much larger addition to his fleet, a vessel that can hold 150 people. And right behind us was a bench dedicated to his father, Harley. Four generations of McCarthys right there before me. Perfect.
As I walked further along the boardwalk I admired all the benches there with tributes to people then and now. One inscribed quote caught my attention. “Any day you can watch the sun rise or set over water is a good day.” And I got inspired to find benches in our town that you can, indeed, watch the sun rise or set over water.
It’s only in recent years I’ve begun to pay attention to benches. With an off again on again bit of hip discomfort, I find I can still walk distances as long as I can sit and rest my hip along the way. Where I used to lead five-mile hikes for Newcomer ladies, this task seems incredulous to me now. But, hips notwithstanding, I can still admire nature. I’ve finally realized that well-placed benches are actually a form of recreation for a lot of us. The older I get the more I value benches, and, looking around, I see many others feel the same.
Take the benches along Main Beach, for instance. When there is not a big pile of sand piled in front of them to protect from hurricane storm surges, these benches are often filled with senior citizens like me. On uncrowded days you can even park your car right close to these benches, and even the most severely challenged walkers can make their way to a bench and chill out. And what a view! Skimmer birds rest on the beach in front of these benches in winter, gulls rule the area much of the time, the sun rises right offshore and it is always great to watch people of all shapes, sizes and ages enjoying the beach. And if you want to see a sunrise from that spot nearly every day, check out the Facebook site “Moods of Amelia Island” and you will be rewarded without leaving your home.
On the river side of our island there are a myriad of options to enjoy water views too. Here, it is not sunrise but sunset that brings joy to bench sitters. You can easily find a place to sit, with the marina boats in front of you and a glorious sunset behind them. In the right season — summer mostly — manatees are often seen in the marina, once in a while (at least in years past) an otter would climb up on a dock to scent mark, and pelicans and gulls are always around to provide amusement.
A bit further north there are great benches along the river in the Fernandina Plaza Historic State Park in Old Town, where you can watch passing boats and read about the history of this place on informative graphics right beside you. Even further north, the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp now has a well-placed bench overlooking a short path full of fiddler crabs to play with, and a view of kayakers, paddle boarders and boat captains getting their vessels out on the river. And yes, it’s also a good place to see the sun set over water.
And let’s not forget Fort Clinch State Park. There are great benches near both the East River and the West River accesses on both sides of the fort. When my dear friend Jean Taylor was slowly dying from blood cancer, she and I spent precious minutes sitting on one of these benches, watching the wild horses over on Cumberland Island and talking about life and death. This particular bench will always bring Jean to my mind whenever I visit. She is not gone, no, not when I am sitting on this cherished bench, still infused with her joyful aura.
So, folks, don’t let decreased mobility keep you from enjoying nature. And, as the saying reminds us, any day seeing the sun rising and setting over water is a good day. Just sit on a bench and have a good day! This is just another way our town has it all!
Pat Foster-Turley, Ph.D., is a zoologist on Amelia Island. She welcomes your nature questions and observations. [email protected]
