Friday, September 19, 2014 – The final morning of our Road Scholar Program

Rusty had clearly saved one of the best programs for the final morning.  Our speaker, Tricia Buie, makes history come alive with her living history presentations throughout the Southeast.  This morning’s program was titled “A Southern Woman” and demonstrated the complex clothing for a woman in the South during the Victorian era.  The demonstration was accomplished by Tricia helping one of our participants put on all the required parts of the costume.  Dawn was the “volunteer,” and we all had a great time observing and laughing at the complexity of dressing for a woman in the South.  Just learning to sit down was a major accomplishment!

We then all said good-by to our new friends and took with us all the memories for this very busy, educational, and fun week. 

Andrea and I did not need to leave immediately for our drive to the Jacksonville airport, so we took a sidetrip to the Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation on the mainland just north of Bruswick, Georgia.  The plantation home was built in the 1850’s and stayed in the family until 1973 when the last remaining family member left the plantation site and home to the state of Georgia.  Today the interior is filled  with the original furnishing, including furniture, books, china, and bedding.  The site is definitely worth a visit if you have time before or after your Road Scholar program.

 As we drove to the airport, Andrea and I were already planning for our next Road Scholar adventure!

Thursday, September 18, 2014 – Visit to Sapelo Island

Thursday morning began with a very early breakfast at 6:15 so that we could be on the bus at 7:00 am.  After about an hour's drive, we arrived at the ferry dock for the boat trip to Sapelo Island.  The ferry goes to the island once in the morning and returns once in the afternoon, so one does not want to be late.

On the island, we were met by our bus driver for the day, Yvonne Grovner, who is an interpretive ranger for the island and also a master sweet grass basketmaker.  The island is now 97% owned by the state of Georgia, with just the community of Hog Hammock remaining in private hands.  Most of town’s approximately 45 African-American residents are of Gullah-Geechee heritage and are descendants of the original slaves who were brought to the island from western Africa in the early 1800’s to work the rice and cotton plantations. Yvonne gave us a narrated bus tour of Hog Hammock, the Reynolds mansion, a historic cemetery, and the Marine Institute run by the University of Georgia. Tobacco heir R. J. Reynolds bought the entire island in1933 and used Sapelo as his private island paradise.  He later funded ecology research on the island and eventually gave the island to the state of Georgia.

The Reynolds Mansion can now be rented by private groups. 

 We also stopped at the institute for a presentation on the marine life of the island and at the building for the Sapelo Island Cultural Society.  At this last stop we were able to meet and talk with Cornelia Walker Bailey, the author that we learned about on Wednesday evening.  She was happy to sign copies of her book that some of the participants had purchased at the visitor center on the island.

From there we went to the picnic pavilion at beautiful Nanny Goat Beach.  This is what we all imagine when we think about the beach at a barrier island – miles of wide white sand, low dunes covered by waving grasses, and beautiful blue ocean water.  Our excellent lunch had been prepared by Yvonne, but the setting was marred by the presence of countless “Love bugs,” harmless insects that landed on our clothes, arms, hair, feet, food, and drinks.  These creatures are only present in the early fall for two or three weeks, and unfortunately our week corresponded with their visit.  So most of us ate quickly and walked down to the beach where the bugs were less prevalent.  We had time to take a short beach walk, get our feet wet, and look for sand dollars. 

The infamous love bugs

 As we left the beach, the breeze picked up so the bugs were less troublesome as we returned to the pavilion, and Yvonne gave us a short demonstration of basket weaving.

One of Yvonne's baskets

Following lunch Yvonne drove us to the island lighthouse that was originally built in 1820.  Although it remained dark for over 90 years, it was rebuilt and relit in 1998.  A few of us took the opportunity to again climb to the top, but this time we only had 78 stairs to ascend.

Wooden stairway inside the lighthouse.

After our return trip on the ferry, we went back to the hotel where we had a short break before leaving for our final dinner.  This time several of us had a chance to enjoy cooling off in the lovely pool. 

A tram arrived just before 6:00 to take us all to dinner at a nearby restaurant, Bennie’s Red Barn.  In addition to a yummy dinner of either rib-eye steak or a sea food platter, we were entertained by the singing of one of the staff. 

Wednesday, September 17, 2014 -- A Very Fun Boat Trip

For many of us, this morning’s boat excursion was the highlight of the week.  We took a short bus ride and then boarded the “Lady Jane,” a 60 ft. shrimp boat that has been modified to serve as a unique tourist attraction. 

For about two hours, the boat took us out into the protected inland waters of the St. Simons Sound where the crew “trawled” with their nets along the bottom of the waterways.  The naturalist then emptied the nets onto a special table built on the deck of the boat and identified the many species of underwater life. 

The adventurous among us even got to touch and sometimes hold the creatures – small sharks, horseshoe crabs, a hermit crab hiding in his adopted shell, stingrays, puffer fish, shrimp and a variety of other fish.  The boat trolled three times, so that we could get different creatures as we moved closer to the ocean.  The morning provided us with an up close and personal look at the waters that surrounded us. 

We had one more stop before our morning was complete -- Christ Church, originally constructed in 1820.  After being partially destroyed by Union troops, the church was rebuilt in 1884,  and our guide pointed out the grave markers of early settlers to the island. Unfortunately there was a private service in the church, so we couldn’t go inside.



Following our stop at the church, we returned to the hotel and had the remainder of the afternoon free.  Most of us spent the afternoon enjoying lunch at one of the many local restaurants, shopping, beach walking, or just relaxing.  Andrea and I were joined by Tobi, one of our new Road Scholar friends, and we drove back to the St. Simons Village where we had a delicious lunch at Barbara Jeans.  I couldn’t resist again ordering She Crab Soup and a crab cake sandwich, plus sharing in our group’s desert of “Chocolate Stuff.”  All very yummy!

After lunch, we returned to Christ Church where we were able to view the inside with its beautiful windows windows and rich wooden interior.

 

We also stopped to see some tabby slave cabins (above) and then returned to Fort Frederick.  This time we wandered through the fort grounds, reading the plaques and viewing the ruins of two of the original buildings.  Then it was back to the hotel for dinner and our evening program. 

Michele Nicole Johnson, our evening speaker, originally got involved in the history and culture of Sapelo Island when she was working as a journalist in Charlotte, North Carolina.  She went to the island to interview Cornelia Walker Bailey, one of direct descendents of the Geechee people who were brought as slaves to the barrier island.  Cornelia is the author of God, Buzzard, and the Bolito Man, a memoir that recounts a traditional way of life that is being threatened by change and the modern world.  Michelle met and married one of the island inhabitants and now lives and works on Sapelo.  She was a fascinating speaker who prepared us for our visit to Sapelo on Thursday.  

Tuesday, September 16, 2014 -- Exploring Jekyll Island

Today's excursion took us to Jekyll Island, another of the Georgia barrier islands. Even I had heard of the Jekyll Island Club, the winter retreat founded in 1886 for some of America's most elite families.  The club thrived through the early 20th century with an exclusive limited membership consisting of many of the world's wealthiest families at the time, most notably the Morgans, Rockefellers, and Vanderbilts.  The club lasted 54 years, closing at the end of the 1942 season due to complications from World War II.  The club was designated an historic landmark in 1978, and the complex was restored and reopened as a luxury resort hotel in 1985.  Many of the original grand cottage residences, built around the Queen Anne-style "clubhouse" in the late 1800's and early 1900's, have been restored and several are open to the public. 

We started the day with a short film on the history of the Club and then embarked on a narrated trolley tour of the historic district.  

Our trolley driver provided details on the beautiful homes, and we were able to tour Mistletoe, a 15 room, 5 bath "cottage" built by in 1900 by Henry Porter, a manufacturer and US senator.  

Misteltoe

The second stop was to admire and tour Faith Chapel, built in 1904 to serve as the non-denominational chapel for members of the Club.  Its simple design reflects the relaxed feel of the island, and one of the stained glass windows is a signed example of the work of Louis Tiffany.  

Our tour was followed by an excellent lunch, at the very elegant Jekyll Island Club Hotel.  After eating, some of us relaxed on the porch while others posed by the Plantation Oak, the largest and oldest oak on the island, estimated to be nearly 400 years old.  Perhaps some of us will return another year to stay at this four-star resort and National Historic Landmark.  

After lunch, many of us toured the Georgia Sea Turtle Center which serves as a hospital for ill and injured sea turtles.  In addition to viewing the many exhibits, we were able to observe an operation on a loggerhead turtle and see the concern with which the caregivers returned the turtle to his tank in the hospital.  Several of us now own sea turtle t-shirts or earrings as one of our souvenirs of the week.  We had additional free time to wander past the lovely homes or browse the shops in the historic district.  Of course when we returned to the bus, many of us were carrying shopping bags and new treasures.  

After the very full day and dinner at the hotel, we relaxed as naturalist Georgia Graves returned with another presentation, this time teaching us about the ecology and dynamics of these beautiful coastal islands.  

Monday, September 15, 2014 -- Our introduction to St. Simon's Island

On Monday morning, after our buffet breakfast, we boarded the very comfortable tour bus and headed to the beach for the morning’s program.  We were met by Georgia Graves, a local expert on Georgia’s sea turtles, marine mammals, and coastal ecology.  Road Scholar provides “listening devices” for many of their programs, and this allowed us to easily hear Georgia even if we wandered away from the group.  As we walked along the beach at low tide, Georgia showed us the marine life – snails, crabs, birds, and other creatures – that I would never have identified or seen without her help. 

      

After the beach walk, we walked a short distance to the edge of a salt-water marsh where again Georgia pointed out the great variety of plants and animals that depend upon this unique environment for their existence. 

 

Snails attached to the grass at the edge of the marsh.

The bus then transported us a short distance to the historic section of the village.  Lunch was at a local restaurant where we ordered off the menu; the crab soup and crab cake sandwich were delicious!  We had free time to explore the village and its many shops before boarding the bus for a visit to St. Simons Lighthouse.  So I completed my second lighthouse climb for the week, this time with only 129 steps for the reward of breathtaking views of the Golden Isles. 

Views from the top

Andrea and Ellie pose with the fort's defenders.

Our next stop was Fort Frederica, built in 1736 to protect the Georgia colony from the Spanish in Florida.  We watched a film about the fort and its role in the Civil War and explored the visitor center, but with the very warm weather and high humidity, we didn’t spend much time wandering around the grounds of the fort.  Only a couple of structures remain, but signs describe the buildings that were located within the walls of the structure. 

The live oak trees at the fort and throughout the area are lined with Spanish moss. 

When we returned to the hotel, we had a short time to relax or to fit in a swim in the lovely pool very close to our accommodations.

Following a buffet dinner at the hotel, Georgia returned to present a lecture on the “Turtles of the Sea.”  Large numbers of loggerhead turtles come ashore on the island each summer to lay their legs before returning to the sea.  Many volunteers and biologists are involved in protecting the nests and the baby turtles as they hatch and head for the sea.  These aren’t the little turtles that I had as pets when I was young; these endangered creatures can weigh well over 300 pounds and grow to three to six feet in length.  We will have a chance to learn more about turtles on our Tuesday visit to Jekyll island.  

My new, very cute friend (not alive!)

This was a very, very full day, with an excellent mix of lectures, hands-on explorations, and sightseeing -- a very typical Road Scholar educational program.