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!