Exploring etc.

Thursday was a such a beautiful day here on the isle of St. Simons.  Not a cloud in the sky and the temperature just about perfect at 65 degrees.  Okay, we would take another five or ten degrees more and we would still be happy and content. Our morning began slowly with a light breakfast at home.  Hot cereal for me and cold cereal for Ron.  We very seldom share the same breakfast since Ron is an early bird and I wake when I please, usual somewhere around 7:30, give or take thirty minutes.  By the time I am up, Ron has had a couple hours to walk, or bike or take beautiful pictures of the sunrise.  Sometimes it's all three.  Oh well, at my age, beauty sleep ranks pretty high in my priorities.  LOL!
Having been fed, we headed out to explore another beach on St. Simons, know as Massengale Beach.  The picture was taken as we walked from the parking lot down the path.  The entrance points to most of the beaches on the island are arranged pretty much the same.

We walked and strolled the beach enjoying the surroundings.  Because the tides here run 7 to 9 feet between the high and low pools form along the beach at various locations.  They are not kidding when they issue a warning regarding the sandbars.  One minute you are on sand and before you know it the pool you have been wading in has become ocean.  Here is a picture of a low tide pool.

We also passed a fairly famous establishment/resort known as The King and Prince. (Queen and Princess must be down the road somewhere.  Ha, ha!)  I have to admit I was a bit envious of their location right on the beach.  I will just have to tough it out with my 78 steps.  Oh well.

After our walk, we headed back for lunch and yes, a little nap.  Got to fuel our engines, ya know!  Especially at our age.  After our nap, we headed north on the island to visit the historic Christ Church and cemetery.  The most impressive aspect of the Church is it's history and exterior beauty of the building itself and the grounds on which it sits.

The Gothic structure in the picture was not the original church but the second which was consecrated in 1886.  The original church was destroyed after being desecrated by Union troops during the Civil War.  We were greeted at the door of the church by a docent who was available and eager to answer our questions. The church was built by shipbuilders, so you can probably imagine the interior. Dark wood with heavy beams.  I know my description does not do it justice but this type of description is not my forte.  Ron and I walked the grounds of the old cemetery taking in the beauty of the historic (huge live oaks) and flowering trees.  Honestly, our pictures could never do it justice.  One of our objectives was to find the grave of Eugenia Price, a prolific author who wrote historical novels placed in St. Simons.  We failed to meet our objective but plan on returning another day to explore the cemetery further as well as the enclosed gardens.
We headed home ready for a rest and another meal.  We decided to satisfy our craving for more of that wonderful Georgia shrimp at Iguana's Cafe.  You know the place with free ice cream for dessert!  Who can resist that option! Once again, they did not disappoint!  Peace and love to all!

Unfolding

I have been reflecting on how time passes here on St. Simons Island and my response to it.  What does it mean to live in the present moment and be comfortable with that idea?  I would say if you can't investigate the notion here, you probably would not be able to pull it off anywhere!  Life carries us in so many directions.  The "shoulds", the "woulds", the obligations and promises both spoken and assumed all pull at us and we walk along their paths, sometimes fully aware and perhaps, more often than not, we just plug along in a semi-conscious state.
So here we are, in a place that demands that we pause, take a breath and just listen.  To the bird who visits like clockwork to announce each sunrise and sunset.  That little song that announces to all who are listening, that the day has begun.  A gift to you to do with as you will.  And then at the end of the day to tell us that evening has come and it is time to rest.  Thank you little bird, who I have yet to see but I already know your song. Bird song Thank you!
And there is the rhythm of the ocean, a mere 78 steps from our door.  It gathers all that energy and deposits it on our shore and then with the same rhythm, draws it back to re-energize it's life force.  It's sound and motion captivates us and we know that we are a part of it all.  Just like the snowflake, each sunrise and sunset is unique and so many inspire in us awe as we admire the beauty of it's light and color dancing over the ocean.

What a gift it is to wake in the morning and greet the day with a stroll on the beach, or not.  Some days I just want to linger over my morning coffee and just be lazy.  My walk will come later and that whole notion is just so grand. Forming the day on the fly is so much fun, but what if you let it get away from you and that urge comes back to say, "what have you done with your day?".  Shhhh!  Be quiet!  It is okay to nurture your soul in this way.  Peace and love to all!

Exploring Jekyll Island

What a surprise Jekyll Island was!  I loved it and I am sure we will go back several more times while we are wintering on St. Simons Island.  First of all, I had little knowledge of what to expect.  I knew it was about twenty minutes away and another barrier island off the coast of Georgia.  I half expected it to be no more than pretty beaches to wander.  This is what I get for not "googling" before "going".  What, happy surprises?  That's not such a bad thing, is it?  Living in the internet connected world that we do, don't we research just about everything.  I know, I am just as guilty, if not more so than the next person.  But there is something to be said for "just going" with an open heart and open mind to whatever may come your way.  Can I have an "Amen"?  Amen!
My first surprise was the history and the buildings left behind because of that history.  Jekyll Island was a winter retreat for the wealthy back in the early nineteen hundreds.  You know the names, Rockefeller, Goodyear, Struthers etc.  They came from New York, Philadelphia and other areas to escape the winter was not so kind.  The homes are nothing like the palatial homes of Newport.  Here you can feel the relaxed tone of the families escape to the seaside.  The men enjoyed their hunting and other manly sports while the women kept themselves busy planning social events.  That time is long gone and disappeared from Jekyll largely due to WWII.  Yes, JP Morgan managed to keep all above water during the depression, financial wizard that he was!
We took a tour of the historic area by tram with Paul, as our guide, and twelve other tourist from various locals.  Two from as far away as the UK.  It was a beautiful day and the tour was very enjoyable.  We actual went into several homes along the way.  My favorite was the Struthers home, so I have included a picture that Ron took of it.  I thought it was funny that our guide, Paul, described the Struthers decorating style as " a little crazy" for the time.  It turned out, that it was my favorite home on the tour.  In fact, Mr. and Mrs. Struthers were simply ahead of their time and a great deal of what that did was very charming and beautiful.  So that you go all you interior decorating adventurers!  Be brave!
After our 90 minute tour we headed to lunch and to exploring the beach sided of the island.  We lunched at a charming little cafe.  Once again, food was good and service very friendly.  Satisfied by our delicious lunch we headed to the beach.  Yeah!  It was calm and beautiful and so expansive!  We walked and walked and then I needed to rest.  We threw our jackets down on the sand, cause we certainly didn't need to wear them, and relished the warmth of the sun.  At this point, I knew it was time to shed my socks and sneakers and feel the sand on my toes.  Oh it felt so good!  What a wonder simple things can be when deprived of them for too long.  I never put the darn things back on until I had too.  We lingered and headed back to St. Simons as the day began to fade.  Peace and love to all!

Draped in Spanish Moss

According to Wikipedia, Spanish Moss is a flowering plant that grows upon larger trees such as the Southern Live Oak and Bald Cypress in the southeastern United States.  In my opinion, this definition does nothing to communicate the ethereal effect this plant has on how you will experience your surroundings when it is present.  And it is very present on the Island of St. Simons.  Okay, not on the beach but certainly just about everywhere else that you look. The Spanish Moss drapes so elegantly on the branches of the live oak trees that, because of their very nature, have arms wide open to accept this most gossamer of cloaks.  On a sunny day the light filters through the moss to create an air of softness and silkiness.  When it is cloudy, an ever so subtle drape of mystery.  I so love it and don't know how I have gotten on this long in life without its beauty.  Ron managed to capture its beauty in the photos that I am sharing today.  They were taken at he National Park site of Fort Frederica.
It is a glorious place with a story of early eighteenth century history along the section of coast between St. Augustine and Savannah when the Spanish and the British were fighting for territorial rights.  I will leave the history lesson to someone who is better able to tell it.  Needless to say, Ron and I spent two hours meandering the streets and alley ways of this ghost of a village and fort that once was there to defend St. Simons. It is a remarkable story of a diverse people who came to settle in the new frontier and were willing to work hard and sacrifice to create a new life for themselves and their families.  This is the stuff that America is made of, then and continues to be now.  Peace and love to all!

Peach Pie, Of course!

Yesterday was sunny and warm and we relished it while we watched the news of the impending blizzard named Jonas, headed straight to our family and friends in the northeast.  No matter how far you roam, your heart is always with those you love.   So we reached out via Messenger, Skype and phone calls to comfort our anxiety and confirm that everyone was safe and prepared for blizzard Jonas.
So what else could provide sublime comfort other than peach pie with cherry vanilla ice cream for lunch?  I must admit that this was Ron's suggestion and I jumped right in!  I LOVE peach pie and we are in peach country.  It did not disappoint!  We followed lunch with a long walk to East Beach and back.  We decided not to return to the condo by way of the beach. The wind (20mph probably) was so strong that it was swirling a light skim of sand about our feet.  We had visions of us arriving back at the condo with sand caked into our nostrils and ears.  No, no, no!  We meandered our way home by way of Ocean Blvd and admired the homes and cottages.  The live oaks draped with their spanish moss maked it very special.  It is damp and chilly today but nothing like what they are dealing with at home.  We will give a call later for an update from Mom, who doesn't even own a pair of boots.  Perhaps at 94 years she would consider Southern Living.  Ha, ha!  No way!  The woman from New England doesn't even subscribe to the magazine.  Peach and and love to all!

Morning Walks and Evening Strolls

Without a doubt, the time to enjoy nature's beauty at your own pace relaxes your shoulders.  You breath a little more deeply and thank God for all His blessings.  It is wonderful to be excited by the "simple things" (although in my mind they really are not all that simple).  To great the day by watching the sun come up and stand in awe at the colors displayed with unforeseeable variety is such a gift.  My soul says "Wow, Thank You God!" and my day begins.
And what's better than a morning walk to explore your new surroundings and greet your fellow walkers?  High tide is in and what would we do without our Tide Clock?  Because when the tide is in our beach, I think it's known as South Beach, virtually disappears.  So we headed to the walking/bike paths that meander through the community.  A good brisk walk, a few friendly hello's and we were back in time for Ron to make us a yummy scramble egg and onion breakfast.  But all of this was preceded by last night's outstanding shrimp dinner at Iguana's in the village.  I love the fact that our condo is 78 steps to the beach and a ten minute walk to the village.  Just perfect for us!  What can I say about Iguana's.  First with a name like that, who would expect seafood?  But no matter, the service was outstanding (thank you Jeremy) and the food simply prepared but exactly as it should be.  Nothing fussy but done to perfection.  But look out Ron, dessert is free and it's an ICE CREAM BAR!  What? You don't want any?  Just kidding of course!  We had our share and left Iguana's knowing we would be back.  Now with our bellies satisfied it was time for the evening stroll and what a delight it was.  We timed it perfectly.  We arrived on the pier just as the sun set over Jekyll Island in the not to far distance.  So beautiful and a wonderful way to end our day as we headed back to our little condo with thoughts of others at home who were preparing for a January blizzard.  We are praying for their safety and protection.  Peace and love to all, Nancy

Embracing the experience

So there are groceries in the larder and we have settled into our cozy and comfy condo.  Local eateries have been reviewed and activities that we want to do explored.  It's time to dive into the experience.  But wait!  Here is how two people differ in the way they actually enjoy their trip.  The following pictures gives a pretty clear explanation of how Ron enjoyed his beach bike ride by going to Google earth and plotting his path and obtaining the distance information. Mr. Technical loves all the details.  While he enjoyed his ride, it would not have been complete without ALL these details. Me on the other hand enjoyed a walk along the beach and snapped a couple of pictures and just soaked in the beauty of the surroundings. In the moment for the moment.  LOL!  Our differences make the journey all the more sweet.  Love and peace to all as you prepare for your snow storm this weekend.  We hope the forecasters are wrong and it turns out to be a mild one.  Nancy

Settling In

What does it take to do this so called "snowbird" thing?  Well I will tell you that it is not for the fainthearted!  Before Ron and I headed south for two months we spent quite a bit of time researching how to prepare ourselves and our home for our trip.  After all, we wanted to make sure that our home stayed safe while we enjoyed our time away.  We also wanted to prepare for our new surroundings by considering what we would need to make life "on the run" from winter as comfortable and successful as possible.  So how are we doing so far?  Other than the fact that I need a couple of days to recover, (after all, I do live with fibromyalgia) I think we are doing pretty well.  Hey it took me a week of focused pacing to get myself packed up and ready to go. I actually took out my BIG suitcase, the one I took to Ireland almost 10 years ago, and filled it up.  In order to do this, you must study the weather data from the last El Nino year (1997) to project how much and what kind of clothing you will need.  Fun!  I had to consider what I truly wanted to have with me and was worth adding to the weight of what was going to be lugged in and out of the car trunk by my dear, dear hubby.  The test will be how much of what I brought remains unused at the end of our two month excursion.  Stay tuned.
The flipside of all of the "prep-to-go" is the "settling in" phase.  Unpack.  Organize so that you can remember where you put everything and can find it when you need it.  After all, we are senior citizens and our established patterns/routines help things to run smoothly.  The chaos of constantly looking for what you want can disrupt a peaceful sojourn very quickly especially when it is a daily event.  Nevermind the fact that my big master bath has been replaced by a bathroom reminiscent of my growing up years.  Have I mentioned the small bathroom before?
Okay, we are settled in and have stocked the kitchen by journeying thru the aisles of the "Harris Teeter" Market.  Very nice but honestly, not my Wegmans.  I will get over it.  The store was staffed by very friendly and helpful people who were more than happy to help us find what we came to buy.  Then, they gave us a very friendly discount.  Nice!
We love our location.  We can walk the beach to go to the library!  Ron's idea of heaven.  The library is small but the librarians are so happy to chat and help you navigate their domain.  I asked Ron if there are any limits on "checked out" items and almost fell over when he said 50!  Yes, 50 at one time.  I'll need to get my big suitcase out to lug all of that back to the condo!  No, no!  I am definitely a one book at a time girl.  I checked out Ava Gardner's autobiography.  I have always been fascinated by her, so beautiful and adventurous and I figured she was sort of a local since she hails from North Carolina.  Okay not local to Georgia but south of the mason-dixon line.  Ron's selections were more about our location, St. Simon's history and geography.  He will read and I will be informed.
Today is Wednesday, right?  Okay got that.  The sun is shining and it is warming up to 55.  I am feeling very blessed but think of home and all that means to me often.  Peace to all!

We walked along the beach at low tide to Neptune Park and the St. Simon Island Library.  Established an account and checked out some books regarding the history of St. Simons Island.  Sunny, but quite cool.  Felt really nice to walk in the sun!  Ron

Georgia's warm but cold reception

We arrived on the isle of St. Simon's after a two day road trip from our home in Pennsylvania.  We knew why we were escaping the northern winter when we spent two hours or more dealing with snow squalls ala I-95 on our first day on the road.  We arrived at our mid-point destination in Rocky Mount NC happy for a comfy bed in the Holiday Inn Express and a hot meal at Cracker Barrel.
What can you say about Cracker Barrel.  Nothing like a little familiarity when you are on the road.
Day two was sunny and bright and I-95 all the way.  And I mean All The Way.  Pretty boring, especially through South Carolina that just seemed to go on and on.  We were happy when we finally hit Georgia and it's triple lanes.  Outside of  Baltimore/DC this was the only area that was remotely congested.
We were pretty tired when we arrived at the condo just after sunset.  Managed to get everything out of the car and unpacked anyway.  Condo is very cute and close to the beach as promised.  Downside, if there are any, bathrooms are adequate but small.

Breakfast, shopping and getting the lay-of-the-land are on the planner today.  Spoke to our property manager already and she will be coming by with an extra blanket or two.  Ha, ha!  By the way, take a peek at the video we have attached.  Ron of course was down the beach to see the sun come up.  I was still looking at the inside of my eyelids. Love to all!  Nancy and Ron