…at Ashby Park!

So there’s this little pocket park in Atlantic Beach at Dewees Avenue and Coquina Place, a sort of triangular spit of land owned by the city and had been patrolled many years ago by a sometimes-ornery (as legend has it) dog called Marvin. Eventually the area became known as ‘Marvin’s Garden’ and later it received a nice City of Atlantic Beach park sign and the name became official. However,  many area neighbors object to the name and would prefer that its name honor earlier residents who contributed much to the area, Garnett and Eleanor Ashby. Garnett designed Kona Skate Park and Eleanor was with Leadership Jax for 20 years; they lived on Dewees for fifty years! Certainly that trumps the qualifications for recognition than that of the disliked dog?

‘But we invested in the nice sign!’ and indeed you did, COAB. How about a nice compromise? You could call it Marvin’s Garden at Ashby Park – just add Ashby Park to the sign, and install a nice, comfortable memorial bench honoring the Ashbys and their service to this community, instead of recognizing the memorable but menacing, mean old Marvin.

It’s a 12-acre passive park that straddles land between two roads – Park Terrace East and Park Terrace West, bordered by Seminole Road to the east. You can walk along one of the Park Terrace streets until you encounter this lovely green space which is where Johansen park begins. Its tall native Sabals and Live Oaks, with thoughtfully planted Bald cypress trees at various locations along its 12 acres. You know it’s a park because there’s nice garbage bin, and dog-business bags there for the taking and can we just say that in all our park walking we’ve never once seen (or stepped in) some other animal’s poo. That’s how nicely we treat our parks here in Atlantic Beach. There is a picnic table there for rest or refreshment. But coming into the park from either of the Park Terrace locations, you’ll find it in its natural state, with no benches, just a lovely, rather woodsy area to tromp around in and enjoy the sounds of nature at whatever time you’re there. There are charming bridges placed at intervals, allowing us to cross over the sometimes-stream, which definitely depends on the rainfall. But it’s helpful, and picturesque, and really makes it seem like you’re out in the woods when actually you’re just playing in the neighborhood as the street lights come on.

As you continue your hike with your dog (or just yourself) east through the park, it’s easy to imagine how it might’ve been there in the Selva area before the various developers came through and created what is a mostly-stunning neighborhood by the sea. Then you’ll come to Country Club Lane and cross over to the other, more populated side of the park. There you’ll find a drinking fountain (as if anyone would dare, these days…you know, it’s like the hose – IYKYK) for humans and dogs, and a host of lovely memorial benches throughout the park. We think this is such a nice tribute to those who loved nature, and a gift to those of us who enjoy a moment or several to just enjoy this life from the vantage point of a park bench under an ancient tree canopy. It all doesn’t have to be about your heart rate.

But most of all it’s the romance of leaving the asphalt of a city street and stepping onto the land that’s owned by all – or by no one, just the people of the planet of Earth, or maybe just the citizens of Atlantic Beach, we don’t know, but whatever it is, if you think we’re walking through your backyard just remember that you were the one who wanted to have the exquisite Johansen Park behind your house, but other hikers love it too and yeah, that part of the park is public property.