As a fan of dining out, I'm always interested in new restaurants opening at the beaches, and thought I'd share a few of the recent changes we're seeing: Mambo's Cuban Bistro has remodeled, and reopened as Cocina Latin American Fusion. I've eaten at Mambo's the food was good, so this location on 3rd Street should do well with little menu competition. There is rooftop parking in this building, so don't be put off by any parking challenges on the street. La Nopalera is now open a bit further south on 3rd Street; they have fabulous Mexican cuisine, and have 9 other locations sprinkled throughout our area. Marlin Moon Grille is anticipated to open at the former TacoLu location on Beach Boulevard. TacoLu has moved to the old Homestead, adjacent to Adventure Landing. I've not been to the new T... 02/22/2013

For those of you that have read my blog posts for a while, you may recall I fostered a litter of kittens in the fall of 2011. I, of course, had to adopt one of them: the gray & white boy who I *thought* was a girl (his original name was Chelsea Lately, as he ALWAYS went for my vodka while in the Kitten Control Room). Of course, once his gender was correctly identified, his name changed, to Stoli (of course, right?) What a rough life he has - this is him enjoying the fire night before last:    02/17/2013

Ok, so you've lived in Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach or Ponte Vedra Beach for the past few years, and you consider yourself an "old hand" at how to navigate the roads during our annual 26.2 With Donna Marathon. Not so fast, partner. There are some changes this year that will impact the beaches communities a bit more: the race start is at ATP NOT at Mayo Clinic, and roads may be impacted for 7 hours starting the 7:30am start time. You can read the full article here for more info and the course specifics: Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-02-15/story/262-donna-live-beach-heres-what-you-need-know#ixzz2Kzdjjr15 02/15/2013

It's tough to believe sometimes, but the Beaches communities of Jacksonville, FL (Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach) are part of Jacksonville in terms of taxes and services, yet phsically separated from Jacksonville by the Intracoastal Waterway (locally, called "The Ditch"). City Councils, Mayors and others involved in the process have developed an inter-local agreement to spell out how & what services are provided, and the fee structure. At times of lower tax revenue, this agreement is re-visited (possibly at other times as well, but my memory seems to think typically when tax revenue is lower this happens), and debates arise.  Jacksonville Beach has handled their own discussion, and now Atlantic & Neptune Beach have to have their discussion. You can read the full artic... 02/13/2013

Local Real Estate Trends Removed link. 02/12/2013

As many of the local residents are aware, next Sunday is the annual 26.2 With Donna marathon to finish breast cancer. This wonderful event brings thousands of runners together to run the full or half marathon. Many run in honor of a friend, sister, mother, aunt or daughter who was diagnosed with breast cancer. Many local roads will be closed at the beaches during the event next Sunday: here is a concise list of what roads will be closed.  Road Closures: The eastbound lanes of J. Turner Butler Boulevard (JTB/SR 202) will be closed from Hodges Boulevard to A1A from 4:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12. *Local traffic headed south on San Pablo Road will be allowed. All Ponte Vedra Beach and Jacksonville Beach traffic will be detoured to Hodges Boulevard north and east on Beach Bouleva... 02/10/2013

Having conducted candidate screening for my local association, as well as the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, Charlie Latham did an incredible job of interviewing, and I'm THRILLED he will lead our city towards our new future. His father was Mayor during the 1970's, and revamped the city in a major fashion, and I hope Charlie can do something similar, as we have some definite areas of improvement. You can read the full article here:  Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/community/shorelines/2013-02-09/story/latham-excited-be-mayor-his-home-town#ixzz2KQpX0HFQ 02/09/2013

My apologies yet again to those of you in mitten states, and currently feeling the effects of Winter Storm Nemo (did we just start naming winter storms this past year?).  Our current temps are a bit chilly for us here in Jacksonville Beach, FL, but probably warmer than the average. I've already got weeds in my yard, so when I saw this, I wanted to share with other Southern gardeners, so you can be proactive about the weed situations we can get here in the South. We have had more rainfall than normal (our winters are typically our drier months), Also, our warmer winter means your lawn actually continued to grow, so it will need attention sooner this year.  You can read the full Florida Times Union article here. There is an event coming up on 2/23, and you can get more info in the article.  02/09/2013

I had a fun long weekend in Puerto Rico: temps were about 80 each day, with nice breezes, and being on vacation, you just have that....vacation mind set, where it's cool to chill by the pool in the morning, eat whatever for breakfast & lunch, cocktails on the beach in the afternoon -you know how it goes! Our last day was yesterday, and we were prepared for the flight home, but not prepared when we felt an altitude change about an hour into the flight.  Turns out we had an issue with smoke in the cabin, so we needed to land sooner rather than later, and make sure it wasn't an issue. The crew got us down quickly and calmly, and I really didn't think this was a big issue. Until we deplaned that is.  There was no waiting for family & friends, they wanted you to keep walking towards the "ter... 02/05/2013

I'm was packing recently for a long weekend jaunt with friends, somewhere warm & sunny, where we can swim in the ocean. My apologies to those in mitten states who think Florida is such a place at this time of year: currently in Jacksonville Beach, FL it is 40 something degrees, which is chilly for us. My youngest cat, Stoli, has never done this before, and I *hope* this is his embracing  of me going on trips, and not the start of his recognizing the suitcase means I'm leaving..         01/31/2013

  I have wanted to see Ted since it first came out, however, I have movies I prefer to see in the theater, and movies I'd rather see at home. Ted fell into the "at home" list, and then it was just a matter of waiting on Redbox. If you have not yet used Redbox, by the way, you should: you can search for and reserve movies online, and then pick up at your chosen location = awesome! Ted is not for everyone: the language is pretty gritty, and there are some scenes that can offend, so make sure whoever is watching with you is aware. I thought it was hysterical, and the perfect Saturday night stay-at-home movie. I think it's more of a coming of age movie, with the main character having to "shed" some of his childish ways in order to fully mature. It also has an anti-bullying theme, believe i... 01/19/2013

I had intended to do something fabulous & dramatic for my 1000 post, but just realized, my PRIOR post was, in fact my 1000th post. I mentioned today in my speech how we can all be optimistic, every day, in every situation, and part of that is my daily interaction with ActiveRain, and the inspiration I get from everyone on here. Thanks, ActiveRain, for the comments, the featured blogs, the great ideas, and the daily inspiration - You ROCK!   01/18/2013

Gotta Love Florida!!! As I walked on the beach today, I had to notice that in Jacksonville Beach, FL it was in the low eighties. It IS January, isn't it? OK, then! Today in Tennessee there is an ICE storm, where I went to graduate school and lived for eight and a half years in several cities. I have lived through ice storms before and trust me if you haven't, you may NOT want to try it. Frequently the electricity goes out, water pipes freeze if you are not careful and you can seriously hurt yourself in a million-zillion ways. This weather north of us usually helps sales in Jacksonville, Florida, frankly. Now, back to Florida... It is supposed to get down to Freezing around Tuesday of next week. I will be shivering, I assure you. Northeast Florida is unique like that, freezing one day an... 01/16/2013

The weather was all over the place here on Wednesday: we started with sideways rain, and ended with sunshine and gusty winds...far better than other parts of the country, I'm sure.  I managed this cool cloud at about sunset, not far from my house.   01/15/2013

We have had an awesome couple of days here in Jacksonville Beach, FL.  Yesterday, the weather was up to 80, and the beach was packed with people (apparently no one worried about Mary Lee the wintering Great White Shark, as her GPS has her off the Fernandina Beach coast). The weather inspired me to post on Facebook a comment to all those who live in mitten states about our fabulous weather - think about it, they just look for the days when it's above freezing, or a day without a negative wind chill factor. I know, I used to live in a mitten state (NJ). If you are looking to get out of YOUR January freezing temps, check out Jacksonville Beach. We get freezes occasionally, but they only last a few hours.  01/12/2013

It appears we have a Great White wintering off our coast, as described by the local press as well as OCEARCH, has warned us of the appearance (and now second appearance) of Mary Lee, a 3500 pound Great White. She was GPS tagged, hence we can see her movements.  Now, considering it isn't summer, there are certainly fewer people in the water, but still...the first Great White? What else will this year bring? Photos courtesy of OCEARCH and Florida Times Union.      01/09/2013

I am finally getting my house back together after having tile floors installed the day after Christmas; seems as though it is taking me a long time, and it feels that way too, because I've been super busy with work, and needed a day at my own house for a change of pace. Here are two pictures of the finished installation, both close ups to show the detail of the tile:   The picture above was taken in sunlight, in front of a window, hence the shadow stripes.      This shows the various color shades in each tile plank.  01/07/2013

I showed buyers 5 potential homes today, all within a pretty tight radius; we started in Atlantic Beach, and our last house was in Jacksonville Beach.  They are expecting their first child in two months, and have been looking at a variety of homes from $250K and up.  Two of these houses were very pleasant surprises: one in Jacksonville Beach was newer, tenant occupied (and the CLEANEST tenant occupied home I've ever seen!), had a fabulous back yard, and had the highest price tag. The last house in Jacksonville Beach was a green, energy efficient home with a solar water heater; the only issue with that one was with almost 3100 SF, the living area was on the first floor with the kitchen, and made for a much smaller living area. And that's how it took me 3 hours to go 15 total miles! 01/06/2013

  I have friends who did the Polar Plunge this morning, although I DO realize, it's not quite the same as Polar Plunges in mitten states! I was invited to come along, and politely declined; I agree, it will be an incredible way to start the New Year, just not THIS New Year, for me at least. Photo above courtesy of the Florida Times Union, and the full article link is below.  Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-01-01/story/more-600-take-polar-plunge-jacksonville-beach#ixzz2GkgFa4Uy 01/01/2013

I had a pine tree come through my roof during the first tropical storm of the season this past May. Not major damage, but the carpeting was ruined, the same carpet that runs through all the bedrooms, the living room, and the closets. I decided to do the foyer (which was tile), the living room, and the closets off the living room, with the plan that I will eventually do the kitchen and laundry room so I have consistency. I scheduled this to start yesterday morning, which seemed like a fabulous idea...until yesterday morning that is! They showed up at 8:30am, and had my house totally deconstructed in 45 minutes. The entire contents of the living room was stowed in my kitchen and garage, the old carpet was up and the tile in the foyer, and around the fireplace was gone. Here's the photo fr... 12/26/2012