Breakfast with Bob!

Before I explain who Bob is and how we ended up having breakfast "with him", let me tell you how my Sunday began.  Early.  Yes, I was up before sunrise and for the second time in four weeks I got to witness the beauty of day break and the wonder of the sun coming up on the Atlantic horizon.  I was,of course, with Ron who very rarely misses a sunrise.  Here is what I captured with my little Nokia phone.  Is it okay for me to say it is "splendid"!

Sunrise over East Beach, St. Simons Island, Georgia

We had a very cold and windy day on Saturday.  Twenty mile an hour on shore winds help to keep temperatures below 60 degrees and most people indoors.  But there were a few who braved the elements.  I was not one of them!  Ron and Steve could not resist heading to the beach to capture the unusually rough seas especially for this little island that sits in the Atlantic bite.

Compare this to the sea on the following morning.

So beautiful to see how the churning of the sea creates a new seascape after a storm.

Well, I suppose you have waited long enough to hear my breakfast story.  Once Ron and I came back from the beach we greeted our friend Steve, who was happy to hear that we were headed out for breakfast. See how happy he looks!                                                                                                          

Steve looking happy!

 Especially when he heard that we were headed to Cafe Frederica!

We sat at the table under the mirror on the right.

At Cafe Frederica we were leaning against the wall waiting for a table when Steve looked up to see someone he thought he knew. Lo and behold, it was Bob Schieffer from CBS News and his wife. They were enjoying a lovely breakfast. Here's a picture in case you need to be reminded who he is.

Obviously, given the venue, Bob and Mrs. Schieffer were dressed way more casually than in the above file photo, but they looked just as glamorous and happy.  We had to gently refrain Steve from going over and snapping a selfie with the Schieffers.  Somehow their presence elevated our eggs and sausage. 

Our tummies full we decided to head to Jekyll Island to do a little shell hunting at St. Andrew's Beach.  We expected that after Saturday's turbulent seas the coast would be scattered with all kinds of sea shells.  In fact, it was, but we did not get any of them.  The two people walking north on the beach carrying bags of shells as we walked south apparently got there first and took them all.  Geesh!  Do you have to take them all?

We got over it and decided to snap a few pictures by the remains of the sunken ship wreck.

   

About fifteen minutes after this photo was snapped we decided to head back to our chairs further up the beach.  Surprise, surprise!  We had miscalculated the tides and had to scramble to get back up the beach, heaving ourselves over downed driftwood rather than get our shoes wet in the cold waters.  We made it to the chairs before the tide did and decided to head to Great Dunes Beach where the incoming tide would not be a factor.  Here we are looking very relaxed don't you think? 

We spent the rest of early afternoon enjoying the sounds, sights and smells of the ocean from our chairs except for Steve who just had to wade into the sea. He was not disappointed!

We headed for home after a beautiful day.  Supper and Super Bowl ahead!  Tomorrow our trip to Cumberland Island awaits.

Peace and love to all!

So Lazy!

Yes, here it is nine days since my last post and I haven't written a word! What is going on?  Contrast winter 2016 (first visit to SSI) vs. winter 2017 (returning snowbird).  I am just so much more relaxed!
This is our place now and I understand why so many, human and bird, choose to come here to congregate during the winter.

 Congregating Birds!











Congregating Humans!


Since my last blog we have enjoyed many unseasonably warm days on the beach here at SSI.  But one of the 70 plus days were carved out for Jekyll Island, which is just a few miles south of SSI.  It actually takes about 30 mnutes to get there since you have to take the Torras Causeway from St. Simons to the mainland and then the Fortson Parkway to Jekyll Island.  A beautiful drive over the expansive salt marsh is always a pleasure.

You can see why they call this area the Golden Isles!

We had such a fun day on Jekyll!  Perfect weather meant it was time to take the Mini-surrey out for a spin.  Now I have to confess that I have never ridden anything other than my tricycle as a child.  That's right, I do not know how to ride a bicycle.  In my imagination, I see myself sailing along on a bicycle, my hair flying and a smile on my face but sadly, in reality, none of that is true.  And so, welcome to the mini-surrey experience meant just for people like me.

Here we are, decked out with our best "ain't it a beautiful day to be on a mini-surrey" smiles on our faces.

What a hoot!  We laughed all the way!  Mostly because of my cautionary directives to Ron! " Whoa!" "  Lookout for the people!" " Slow down!" " Watch the curve!" " Take it easy!"

  Who ever thought that 5 miles an hour would feel so exciting!?!  I'm sure I'll do better the next time.  Ha, ha!  I'm going for something lighter and lower to the ground!  The recumbant! I think this cycle was made for me!  Stay tuned.

After our exciting "scare the old lady" ride, it was time to hit the beach.  We definitely wanted to head over to St. Andrews Beach to enjoy a picnic lunch and some quiet time just strolling along the beach and soaking in the sun.  We were all set up with our chairs under a couple of choice trees along the edge of the beach.  Ah! Solitude.  Breakout the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! Wait!  What's that sitting on the back of my chair ready to ponce on my lunch?

That's right a damn squirrel! Cute huh?  Except he looked more like this to me, nature girl that I am.

Needless to say, I was up and out of my shady spot in a flash and found a nice spot on the beach to enjoy my lunch ALONE!

Okay Ron did join me on the sand.

We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon exploring the beach at low tide and just whiling away the afternoon.

Before I close today's blog I have to tell you how much we love the convenience of the parking garage to condo grocery cart.  Unload the trunk, load up the shopping cart, hop on the elevator and bingo all your groceries have been easily rolled into the lovely galley kitchen.  Love it!

Peace and love to all!

It's so easy to be back!

Yes, it has been ten days since we arrived on St. Simons Island and I have yet to blog about our trip.  Goes to show you that I am way too relaxed this time around.  Is there any such thing?  I don't think so!  So just to recap, here's a picture of why we left our home state of Pennsylvania on January 8th

Need I say more,  In fact, we delayed our departure by a day due to a snow storm heading up the Delmarva peninsula.  Our original plan was to head south to Norfolk, Virginia in order to avoid the dreaded Washington, D.C. area.  Well they got hit with 10 inches or so of snow so on to the alternate plan; head west to go south.  We headed to the PA Turnpike bound for Carlisle and the I 81 interchange stopping in Harrisonburg, VA the first night.  It was bitter cold when we left home and stayed that way until we hit Colombia SC where the temps finally were above freezing.  Traffic had been pleasantly light and smooth up to this point.  Once we got on 26 E out of Colombia things were a different matter.  We were delayed approximately 30 minutes due to an accident and then on I 95 in SC it was trucks flying all the way.  Once we were in Georgia, I 95 opens up to 3 lanes and conditions improved considerably.  We got to our condo at Beach Club on Ocean Blvd. around 2:30 on Tuesday afternoon.  A day late but none the less thankful for a safe trip.

We were so happy with our condo at the Beach Club.  It had all the amenities that our place on Oglethorpe did not have last year.  A king size very comfy bed in the master with a spacious master bath and a very nice guest room with it's own private bath.  The kitchen was well stocked with dishes cookware and gizmos.  All of this will make a difference when staying for two months.
Although we are on the top floor, unloading the car or should I say loading the condo was much easier.  Why you say?  How could that be since you were on the first floor last year.  Elevators and luggage carts make all the difference.  Ron and his back were very thankful.  In addition, when we grocery shop, we just bring it all up in the handy dandy shopping carts.  Loving it!

Here's a picture of where we are staying

 And of me looking very happy to be here!

We weren't here long before we headed to Iquanas for a yummy shrimp dinner.  They make the best shrimp and did I mention the free ice cream after dinner? Yes there was room for it! Yes, it was as good as I remembered.

We are so happy to be back in St. Simons and very thankful for the opportunity to miss most of winter once again.  We spend a great deal of time enjoying the beauty of nature.  Out and about is so good for us and I know we would not be as active back home during the winter.  I will post in a later entry some of the pictures that we've taken during out days on the beach.  Here's a selfie of one happy camper and chief picture taker, my sweet husband Ron.  Love him so much!  Peace and love to all!

Heading for Home

It's hard to believe, but it's Thursday, March 10th, and we are packing today and heading for home tomorrow morning, a few days ahead of schedule.  I learned from my sister Lorraine that mom was admitted to the hospital last night via the ER.  Both she and Lorraine caught the latest virus going around and are under the weather. We are thankful that mom's chest x-ray has ruled out pneumonia but she is still in need of the extra oxygen and breathing therapy that she is receiving in the hospital.  Hopefully she will have been released from the hospital by the time we get home on Saturday.  Ron and I want to be there to give her the extra support that she may need at this time, especially given the fact that Lorraine is dealing with bronchitis.

We have had such a wonderful time wintering here on St. Simons and we can hardly believe that it was nearly eight weeks ago that we arrived at our condo on Oglethorpe, 74 Steps from the beach!
We are not quite sure what we will do without our daily walks into town and along the beach.  Once again, when we are back in Montgomeryville, we will walk the paths in our local community and surrounding areas, but no beach.  But don't get me wrong, I know that Ron and I have been blessed to be able to be on SSI for the winter and we are so very thankful for all the beautiful memories we have made here.

Peace and Love to all!

Lingering

Ron and I are dedicated to making the most of our last week on St. Simons without blowing the budget or our energy bank.  Once again, I was up early this morning (6:15) to begin the day with a sunrise at Gould's Point.  Gould's is probably my favorite place on the island.  The tide was high at sunrise and the variation in the landscape at Gould's is just amazing.  We enjoy the changes so much!

In fact, yesterday we found a little hidden spot within the dunes to just lie and enjoy the warmth of the sun and the sounds of nature.

High Tide Looking SE

Low Tide Looking North from the boardwalk

We have noticed a group of three young ladies who like to come down to the beach at sunrise to practice their yoga.  Ron managed to capture one of them up on the boardwalk railing balancing and doing her stretches.  Ah youth!

Sunrise Yoga

After sunrise, we headed back to the condo and decided to walk down to the village by way of Neptune Park and the Pier.  At 7 a.m. all was quiet with just a scattering of people meandering about.  Our ultimate destination was Del Sur Bakery and Market.  This place doesn't look like much from the road, which makes it all the more surprising when you walk inside to see the lovely seating and beautiful artwork of local artists lining the walls.

T he exterior view from Ocean Avenue.
                 Yummy treats await you, along with their delicious coffee.  Make mine a vanilla latte, please! Breakfast for two, $10. including the sunshine.  Not bad!

The owners of this lovely establishment are from Argentina.  They opened their first restaurant in Miami when they came to America.  They discovered St. Simons on their way back to Miami during a trip to Savannah.  They decided that they loved SSI so much that they would open a restaurant and bakery here on the island where they knew they had found a place to raise their family as well.  We sat outside in the sun enjoying our continental breakfast feeling very blessed and looking forward to spending time lounging on the beach later this afternoon.

Peace and love to all!

Short Timer

With Steve's departure to Orlando on Thursday, Ron and are now coming to the cruel realization that we are "short-timers".  How can it be that we are in our last week of our St. Simons Island break from the winter months of Pennsylvania?  Listen!  You know this is serious when I decide to get up in the morning for the sunrise.  LOL!  I had said to Ron on Saturday night, that if I was awake, I would accompany him on his sunrise viewing.  Wouldn't you know, I had a dream that I was falling down an elevator shaft and woke up at 6:15 screaming "Oh my God"!! Poor Ron was startled out of his skin, but hey, I was up for the sunrise!  I was sure to take some pictures to record the auspicious occasion!  Sunrise at Gould's Point was outstanding!

We headed back to the condo to get ready to attend 8 a.m.Mass at St. Williams.  It felt good being up so early with so much of the day ahead.  We spent the rest of the day enjoying the sunshine and reflecting just how we would like to spend our last week on SSI.  Probably planning on how we can return next winter.

Peace and love to all!

Exploring the area

Steve's visit while we are in St. Simon's meant a lot to both Ron and I, but I have to admit, especially to Ron.  After all, Steve has been Ron's friend since their high school years.  They have managed to keep their friendship strong even though life circumstances have pulled them apart geographically.  I have gotten to know Steve and his wife Maryann over the past 10 years and I can see why their friendship means so much to Ron. I am blessed by their friendship as well!
High on Ron's list of things to do with Steve was to spend a day on Jekyll Island. The weather forecast was consulted and the decision was made that Monday, February 29th, with it's promise of 70 degrees and sunshine would be perfect. Since the plan included riding bikes along the beautiful bike paths of Jekyll Island, I definitely opted to stay behind.  I have never ridden a bike and have made a conscious decision not to take it up now.  So Ron and Steve were off to an early start and crossed the beautiful Lanier bridge as they made the 30 minute trip to the island. It's a beautiful bridge that allows both car and boat traffic to flow without impeding each other.

Once on Jekyll the bikes were rented at the bike shop.  The guys were very happy with the rate of $12.00 for four hours and with their wheels.  Here is a picture of the bike path as they headed to St. Andrew's Beach.

Driftwood beach is also very popular, especially at low tide when more of the tree roots are exposed.  This is a great shot from Driftwood beach looking across the channel to St. Simons and the lighthouse.

Besides bike rentals, you can also rent a horse (another thing I don't ride) and the guys happen to spot some riders at North Beach.

A nice way to spend the day but this is more of
what the guys had in mind after their bike ride.


Tuesday promised to be another beautiful day, so the three of us headed to St. Marys, eager to share one of our favorite spots with Steve.  You may or may not know that Steve is a recreational boatman and has been sailing his own sailboat for umpteen (technical word LOL) years.  Needless to say, he is always interested in looking at and enjoying the beauty of boats.  Well we were all in for a surprise.  The Peacemaker, a beautiful restored, three masted sailboat was docked at a pier in St. Marys.  What a jackpot!

The Peacemaker

 Here's one picture of the ship and me suggesting you can come aboard matey!









After lunch we spotted another fantastic two hulled boat being taken out of the water.  It was nice to contrast the old style of the Peacemaker with the ultra modern turn of the Insetta.  Here's a couple of pictures that Steve took while watching the owners bring the boat ashore. I know he would have loved to take a turn at the wheel of that baby on the St. Marys River.

While Steve was captivated by the Insetta, Ron and I decided to relax in our own way. 

Enjoying Riverside Park Swings

Heavy lifting

We ended the day with a laugh when we saw this decked out golf cart.  Notice anything strange hanging out of the rear compartment?

Peace and love to all!