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See historic surf photos in the photo gallery here at Shorelines.com.; also my story about surf history at the Beaches.

The photos will be part of an exhibit on surfing history at the Beaches at the Beaches Museum and History Center that runs from Thursday, June 5 through Sept. 28.

Fleet Landing residents celebrated keeping fit Wednesday, May 28 with an almost one mile walk around their Atlantic Beach community for National Senior Health and Fitness Day. They followed that with a day long health fair.

The community is expanding wellness programs in the belief that preventing illness and injury by keeping fit is the best medicine. 

And in Ponte Vedra Beach, some seniors have taken up learning ballet. They meet every Wednesday at The Players Senior Community Center to learn how to do the dance that keep them healthy and limber.

Check out my stories about both programs in the Saturday, May 31 editions of Shorelines; and photo galleries here on shorelines.com.

I started my work day at 6 a.m. Sunday, March 23 in order to cover Easter sunrise services at the Beaches. When I later told my 14-year old daughter, Caylie, that I went to three sunrise services that day, she was silent, then said, "But the sun only comes up once. What did you do, re-wind it?" Not quite, but through tricky timing I did manage to get to the service at the SeaWalk Pavilion, the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club and the Lodge and Club. See photos from all three in a photo gallery here at Shorelines.com. And also check out the Great Atlantic Music and Seafood Fest pics in a gallery here as well.

You know it's spring time at the Beaches when the festivals return. The Great Atlantic Seafood Festival is first, Saturday, March 22 at the SeaWalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach. George's Music Springing the Blues, the three day nationally recognized blues music festival also at the SeaWalk Pavilion, isn't far behind. It's slated for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, April 4, 5, and 6. Check out my story about Springing the Blues musicians, and other "outer festival" events revolving around the blues event in the Saturday, March 15 edition of Beaches Shorelines and Ponte

An exciting event is coming up this weekend for women who want to relax, pamper themselves and shop. Women from around the Beaches are invited to “get away without going
away” at a “Renew-U Women’s Weekend” Friday(4/30) night and
Saturday(3/1) at Christ the Redeemer Church in Ponte Vedra Beach.
The event will feature a fashion show, pamper-yourself opportunities,
including mini-facials, shopping, desserts and workshops.
Registration begins 6:30 p.m. Friday at the door of the church at 190 S.
Roscoe Blvd.; the “Transformation Celebration Fashion Show begins at 7

Thanks to a grant from a private citizen, the Beaches Museum and History Center is making thousands of its historic photos available online for free viewing, and purchase. The project is ongoing, thanks to dedicated volunteers. Read the story in the Saturday, Feb. 2 Shorelines editions, and view the photo album at shorelines.com.

Did you know that the 72-mile portion of Florida A1A that runs through St. Johns and Flagler Counties is a nationally designated scenic road? This month, The Friends of A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway were awarded $569,000 in scenic national byway funds for five projects planned for the road, beginning in Ponte Vedra Beach. The funds will be used by the nonprofit citizen advocacy group that partners with municipalities, government agencies and other civic groups to maintain and improve resources along the road’s corridor, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Intracoastal Waterway. Check out the story, with many scenic photos, in the Saturday, Jan. 19 edition of Beaches Shorelines and Ponte Vedra Shorelines. Then blog on shorelines.com with your opinions, and send in any photos you have of the scenic area.

It was cold, it was fun, and it was a great way to celebrate the beginning of a new year. On New Years Day I decided to do the Wave Masters surf club Polar Plunge at the SeaWalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach.

I had done the popular annual event a few times before and was glad I did. Hundreds of people came out this year, more than I ever remember seeing before.

It was a sunny chilly day, not as cold as some New Year's, which probably helped attract a large crowd. Stii, the water was plenty cold. Read all about my adventure running into the Atlantic Ocean, completely submerging and then dashing out again in this Saturday's Jan. 5, 2008 edition of Beaches Shorelines and Ponte Vedra Shorelines. Check out photographer Gary Wilcox's photos to see if you see yourself or someone you know there....

Covering the Jacksonville Sea and Sky Spectacular this year was great fun, especially because the weather was so great. I've covered it before, but this year cool, crisp sunny breezes made it fun to be outside for several hours, interviewing people and taking pictures. The solid blue sky proved a wonderful back drop for the in-the-air shows. When bright red Red Baron planes did loops in the sky, their twisting white vabor trails lingered long enough to snap shot after shot. And when the blue Blue Angel planes executed perfectly choreographed dances above the heads of thousands of spectators on the beach, they left dramatically long white steaks of vabor in the cloudless blue. I covered the event Saturday, focusing on the Armed Services exhibit booths, which serve to both inform and recruit. Everyone I encountered seemed to be enjoying the event, which is, according to military recruiters I spoke with, always a successful recruiting tool for all the military branches. Shorelines photographer Gary Wilcox covered the event on Sunday and took more pictures, so we covered it from every angle. Read my story and check out our photographs in Wednesday's, Nov. 7 Beaches Shorelines and Ponte Vedra Shorelines newspapers and online at shorelines.com.