[Magdalen] so we're sitting by the pool

[ME Michaud]

When people at home ask me about this place,
I always tell them it reminds me of Ogunquit.
No towering high-rises,
gorgeous beach.
Artsy.
Gay people.
Students from the local colleges.
A few slightly edgy restaurants (very unusual for Florida).
Dope-smoking long-haired hippie surfers.
People living in campers (haven't met any Van Dykes yet,
but I sense they're close by).
Farmers' markets with local pottery and hand-painted silk scarves.
Very laid back.
Not like Florida except for the flora & fauna.

Butler Beach, just south if here, has an interesting history.
In a time when African-Americans were not permitted on most
Florida beaches,
a businessman from St. Augustine
bought up the whole undeveloped stretch and opened it to everyone.
-M