Treasure Beach News

Dear Neighbors: Welcome to Stephen's Fine Foods at the entrance to Treasure Beach. Stephen's (formerly Palms Grille) opened the last week of February. Stephen's serves breakfast and lunch specials from Monday to Friday. We enjoyed our first experience at breakfast and will return to try one of Stephen's lunch specials. For those of us who remember the old Pomars in Crescent Beach (and it wasn't that long ago that it closed in 2009), it has recently been renovated as Paula's Beachside Cafe. We stopped in for breakfast on Sunday, March 7 but so far they are only offering a limited menu. Our waiter told us that a grand opening is being planned for some time in April so stay tuned.... Get well wishes and fond regards go out this month to Nancy, one of our neighbors on Villa Verda. For me, it was no surprise to hear that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and that there would be six more weeks of winter. And shortly after that fateful event, a winter storm blew up the East Coast leaving a "deep" blanket of new snow. From the Carolinas to New England, breaking records everywhere (global warming?) We finally did have a few nice sunny days in the mid-60's towards the end of February. One of our seasonal visitors from Vermont commented that she was finally getting the weather she had paid for. If you are ever looking for a dog or cat, I would highly recommend adopting a rescue animal. There are so many loving animals longing for someone to love and if you can adopt, you will find that the pet was not the beneficiary of your generosity and kindness, but you of theirs. We lost a very special friend, Buddy, a German Shepherd mix that we rescued in 2003. Sadly we had to put him to sleep in December. I vowed (as others have done) to never get another pet. But then, we found a very nice dog from Goliath and Bebe's world.. They are at Petco's on Saturday (cats) and Sundays (dogs) with lovable, adoptable pets. Our newest addition to the family is a husky mix, about 2 to 2 1/2 years old named "Lucky". Adopted on Valentine's Day, Lucky is getting quite use to his new environment. He loves to go walking and we have been to the beach several times. Are you aware that our walkway to the beach is named for "C. E. Hunt"? The question of the month is, "How did the walkway get named?" I would love to know more about C. E. Hunt, and the history of the walkway which I will incorporate into our newsletter. Please contact me at mcilhenj@bellsouth.net or at 904-461-3397. As Treasure Beach residents (owners and renters alike) we are very fortunate to have an easement and a walkway to the beach. The walkway is only made possible through the upkeep and maintenance of our Treasure Beach volunteers. So each time you use the walkway to the beach, remember that it wasn't built without a lot of volunteer sweat and hard work, and it's something we shouldn't take for granted. Back to walking around the neighborhood, some of Lucky's newest acquaintances include Priscilla, the boxer; Maggie, the bloodhound; Max, the black lab; and Boo, the cockapoo. We have even ventured all the way down to the end of Treasure Beach Road to visit Fell's park. I enjoyed sitting on one of the benches there while viewing boats going up and down the Matanzas. Lucky just wanted to sniff! If you have been following the First America Series at Flagler Auditorium, on Tuesday, April 13 Paul Jellinek will perform in "Palaces in Paradise: Flagler's Age of Opulence". In case you missed this interesting article in the St. Augustine Record on Monday, March 1, 2010, I thought it is worth repeating. This article was written by Anthony DeMatteo as a Special Report to the Record. Cold? Blame El Nino - The chill could extend into May St. Augustine residents can expect lower-than-normal temperatures over the next three months, according to a meteorologist at the National Weather Service at Jacksonville. "There is a pretty good chance of below-normal temperatures continuing for March, April and May," Meteorologist Scott Carroll said Sunday. Today, locals leave behind a cold first two months of the year. "Since Jan. 1, St. Augustine has had 18 freezes and eight high temperatures lower than 50 degrees," Carroll said. Carroll said the chilly start to 2010 is due to a combination of a persistent, upper-level pressure trough and the region's El Nino pattern this year. He said a "better-than-even" chance of greater-than-normal rainfall and lower temperatures through May are mostly symptoms of El Nino. El Nino patterns include unusually warm waters east of the Pacific Ocean increasing low-latitude storms in the East. "It prevents us from warming up as much as we would," Carroll said. "Temperatures and rainfall in June are given equal chances of being greater or less than normal annual levels," Carroll said. Carroll said that although the next three months are likely to bring lower temperatures than in a typical Northeast Florida year, consistent cold is finished until next winter. "The good thing is that it has got to be warmer," Carroll said. "It's not as though we're going to be below normal temperatures every day in this three-month period. But when you average it out, temperatures should be lower overall." 2010 ---- a chilly start St. Augustine had 18 freezes in the first two months Eight high temperatures were lower than 50 degrees Lowest 2010 high: 42 degrees on Jan. 9 Lowest 2010 temperature: 26 degrees on Jan. 6, Jan. 10 and Jan. 11 First day of Spring: March 20 Source: National Weather Service Quote for the month: A Japanese proverb: When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends!