FTJ. Entry 150: Update from St. Simons Island

I have not been blogging much, for a number of reasons -- one of which is that we are staying put for a while.

To sum up, during the past month, we have thoroughly enjoyed the beach, the restaurants, the people, and pretty much everything the island has to offer.

Some points of interest: 

I was astounded at the size of our beach -- East Beach -- at low tide.

 

Here is the entry road to our new home, which we move into at the end of the month. As I believe we noted in an earlier blog, the development is called Brockinton Plantation. 

Big Wind, Little Trouble

Almost forgot to note that at the end of May we had some excitement, in the form of tropical storm Beryl. But the even bigger event was the arrival of Jim Cantore (BTW, he is much shorter than you would expect) and The Weather Channel team. We thought that meant we were in for a really bad time (as Beau --  and probably everyone else -- says, "You know it's going to be a bad day when Jim Cantore shows up").

Thankfully, Cantore did not have too much to cover, other than some big wind, lots of rain, and some thunder and lightning. Whew -- dodged a bullet, I guess.

St. Simons has not had a tropical storm here since 2008, and the last direct hit by a hurricane was1898, I believe. We could certainly be due, but we REALLY hope the current trend continues.

There were some bigger than usual waves down by the pier in the village.

And some windiness.

Beryl brought in some big breakers at East Beach. Still, nothing that impressive.

Cantore makes up for any vertical challenges with his big biceps.

The Weather Channel team had no big news to report, I'm afraid. Beryl was a bust for them.

A Fast and Furious Trip up North

During the first week in June, we traveled north (by car) to visit friends and family in Connecticut and New York. It was fabulous seeing everyone, but what a jolt. The traffic! OMG -- it clogged up right above the Mason-Dixon line, I think, and was bad the rest of the trip. We'll take the laid-back south, ladies and germs. Yet another reason we are very glad to be retired and out of the hubbub.

The GW Bridge crawl -- yuck.

I like this photo of Beau at dinner in Richmond, VA, on the way up north (or was it on the way south? Eh, who cares?). Do you think he is perhaps sick of having his picture taken?

We had a fantastic visit with everyone, and our heartfelt thanks to all our pals -- Jack and Allison, Bob and Barb, and Beau's sister Irene and hubby Tom, all of whom hosted us for meals and partying. Oh -- and Beau got to see the grandchild, always a special treat. It was wonderful catching up with everyone again.


Now that I am out of my blogging frenzy, I of course forgot to take photos, other than the one below of good friends Barbara and Robert. Dang.  

Let's see...what other banalaties can I relate? Oh yes...

Swamp Monsters

A few days ago we took a day trip to the north entrance of the Okefenokee Swamp, about an hour west. Getting there was a mind-numbing experience, in that there is NOTHING to see on the way other than trees. Not my cup of nature.

As for the swamp, it was relatively interesting, the animal show was fun, the train trip relaxing. But I don't need to go back.

 

Pond scum. Nasty.

When you rub the baby gator's neck, he drops his head back and goes to sleep. Very cute, but I don't recommend trying it with a grown one.

Little Beau by the little choo choo train. Awwww.

Old Roy, a giant former resident of the Okefenokee Swamp Park.

Other Critters

Back home, we encountered two curious creatures right at our condo complex.

Below,  a lonely terrapin. The islands here are a turtle breeding area -- nearby Jekyll Island has a whole center devoted to rehabilitating injured turtles. It's a great place to visit.



And looky looky -- a cuddly canine, passed out after a walk.  Dear God this is boring...
 

Enough already. This will be the last entry for a while, unless something really important happens, which I doubt. Now that we have settled down, this whole thing is becoming more like treacly (Beau asks, "Is this really a word??") narcissism and less like a travel journal. Bleccch. (Of course, perhaps everyone has always thought of TanksPanky as a load of treacly [there's that dang word again] narcissism.) Anyhoo, I just deactivated my Facebook account for that very same reason. I need a break from the "it's all about us" claptrap. And so do you.

In the meantime, we would love to hear from YOU.  Please continue to email, phone, visit, whatever. Stay in touch -- we really miss y'all. (I am becoming so southern.)

Love you,
Tanks, Panky

PS - check out this website! http://www.vorts.com/rv-living/

FTJ, Entry 149: St. Marys...and Night Visitors

A few days ago we drove south to the historic town of St. Mary's. (Its strategic location just above Florida led to its involvement in several of the major military conflicts in U.S. history. For example, troops were sent from New York to the area during the American Revolution. And it was captured by the British during  the War of 1812. In addition, Union gunboats shelled its waterfront buildings during the Civil War.)

Also worth noting, from St. Marys you can take a ferry to Cumberland Island (where JFK Jr. got married). We will have to do that sometime. But the day we spent in St. Marys was quite pleasant. 

Naturally, Beau especially liked visiting the Submarine Museum.

 

 

 

There is a beautiful waterfront park in town.

But you don't have to leave St. Simons to find beauty and history. We stopped at the Fort Frederica National Monument a bit north of where we are staying, and spent an afternoon in the ruins of a town and fort built by Oglethorpe (the founder of Georgia). The fort was a major defensive site against the Spanish. The official explanation:

In the early 18th century, the land lying between British South Carolina and Spanish Florida was known as the "debatable land." This land (today's Georgia) was the epicenter of a centuries-old imperial conflict between Spain and Britain. Fort Frederica was established in 1736 by James Oglethorpe to protect the southern boundary of his new colony of Georgia from the Spanish in Florida. Colonists from England, Scotland, and the Germanic states came to Georgia to support this endeavor.

There is not much left to the Fort Frederica development other than some foundations and a portion of the fort's magazine. But it is so beautiful and peaceful there. What a nice outing.

Jack-- this shirt is for you!!

 

A few other images from our island:

I just liked the look of this place. Reminiscent of Tara. Nice coach, Scarlett!

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, lived on St. Simons in the 18th century. This is a memorial to him and other members of his family. There are a lot of Methodists here!

 

Dunno what this palm is, but I like it.

The bottom of the St. Simons lighthouse is planted with gorgeous spring flowers.
The lighthouse was completed in 1872.

A Family Visit - YIPPEE!

We were so thrilled to have Beau's sister Irene and her husband Tom stay with us for a night on their way to Bermuda. We had not seen them for seven months, and it was great being able to spend quality time together, plus show them the beautiful Golden Isles during their short (too short) stay. They are a super couple and lots of fun.

Awwww, the siblings together again.

At the St. Simons fishing pier.

Tom and Beau, longing for a boat?

A "shaded" quartet having dinner at Mullet Bay, on the verandah. Nice!

Irene and Tom under the majestic live oaks downtown in front of the Visitors Center.

A Year in Georgia

We are hoping more of our friends and family come to visit, now that we are going to be here for the next year. Yup, we signed a lease on a furnished condo and are going to give living on this beautiful island a try. Why not? If the summer is just too hot and/or the winter too cold, we can pack up the old RV and head out again next July. But for now, we need a home base...

...and it will look like this (our landlords say they are replacing the dining table and the living room couch):

It is a truly lovely townhouse with great views of the vast expanse of marshes. And it is in a terrific location -- although you are not far from anything on the island. The beach and town, for example, are just a few minutes away.

OMG - we are excited...and nervous.

Tanks, Panky