Happy Anniversary to Us!!!

Can't believe today marks our 44th Wedding Anniversary!  Where do the years go????  We have and continued to be so blessed.  We love being able to live our dreams!

After the long drive yesterday, we were to bed early and I got up rather late!  We also moved to a different time zone, so we gained an hour!  Need to adjust!

We took a walk around the CG (quite a beautiful place!), photographed the ponds in the park with water lilies, and talked to a couple who are voluntering here for 2 months and they recommended a restaurant for our anniversary dinner - Goat Feathers. 

The outdoor amphlitheater here at the CG.

Lovely water lilies here at the park!

Tram Station and the tram that takes you
to the beach!
 

After lunch we took a bike ride on one of the trails here in the park.  Took us to one of the beautiful lakes.  Then we did a nice walk looking for the black bears that have been seen in the park.  No success! (That's probably a good thing!).  We learned that they do a controlled fire here in the park ever 2 to 3 years to so that the pine tree coverage remains and the oaks and other trees are destroyed.  Then we rode part of the way to the beach and walked the rest.  The boardwalk they built out to the beach is so long!  They also run a tram on the hour from the CG to the beach area, a very nice service.  The Emerald Coast Line offers water that is just as beautifully colored as the beaches in the Bahamas and Jamaica.  Positively breathtaking! 

What a great bike path!

One of the walking trails!

The water color iw even more dramatic than
it appears in this photo!

 The colors of the ocean water are
positively gorgeous on the  Emerald Beach Coastline.

A huge boardwalk to get out to the beach!

You can see the new pine trees that
are growing after the controlled burning!

 

Talked to Jamie and then later to Bria and Cali!  So good to talk to our family!  They all wished us a Happy Anniversary!

We showered and then drove down Route 30A which runs right along the coast.  What a beautiful area.  Stopped at The Red Bar to have a drink.  Quite an interesting place with all the memorabilia hanging everywhere.  Then on to Goat Feathers for a delicious dinner complete with onion rings for an appetizer, Greek salads, entrees (Ken had grouper, scallops, and shrimp) and their house specialty for dessert - bread pudding with a homemade rum/butter sauce,  The locals and our waitress, Carol, said it was a must.  They were right.  It was delicious!  We brought 1/2 of our food home.  We just aren't used to eating so much or this type of food.

What a colorful decor at The Red Bar!



The Red Bar is nothin to look at!

Delicious meals at the Goat Feathers Restaurant!

The Happy Couple!

Looking forward to a relaxing evening.  We are so blessed to have each other to share life daily and enjoy so many adventures!

A Travel Day!

Ken and I were up at 6 and after trying to be very quiet and hook-up mostly in the dark, we were leaving the CG on Jekyll Island at 7:20.   was a beautiful sunny day, but around 50 when we left.  (Better than the colder weather in PA).  We made several stops on our way to Topsail Hill Preserve on the Panhandle of Florida arriving at the CG around 2:30 with gaining an hour with the time change.  We had driven 360 miles and we ready to be at our destination!

Topsail was originally a private CG with full amenities, but it is now a Florida State Park.  The grounds are beautiful and I think there is so much to do here.  Unfortunately, by the time we were all set-up, I was too tired to investigate the area.  I rested and Ken took a bike ride to the beach.  There is a nice trail from the CG to either walk or ride to the beach.  They also offer a tram ride every hour that will take you there.  There is a 3.2 mile stretch of beach, plus several lakes nearby where we can go kayaking!  The sites are cement as well as the patio for the table and the landscaping is well maintained.  This should be a wonderful 10 days exploring a whole new area where we have never been
before.

The dunes here are so large and majestic!

Another of Ken's beautiful sunset pictures!

We are excited!

New Experience - Net Fishing for Shrimp!

What an exciting day with a new adventure.  We began the day by taking a long walk over to the fishing pier and then walking along the beach through Driftwood Beach.  What a beautiful sight!  The walk was about 3+ miles and it was a gorgeous morning walking along the water's edge.  Both of us find Driftwood Beach fascinating.  It is amazing how the erosion has uprooted all the large trees.

The beautiful bridge right off Jekyll Island
that goes to Brunswick and then St. Simons

Headed to the fishing pier for a "day at the office"

Hard to imagine that all these roots
were underwater at one time!

A good view of Driftwood Beach!

We both did some preparation of our departure tomorrow and then Ken went to purchase something he has never had before - a fishing license so he could go shrimp netting!  I made some jewelry while he went to get the license.

 After lunch, we went to meet Duane and Louise to go to the southern part of Jekyll to St. Andrews Beach to go netting for shrimp.  Ken was so excited to give it a try.  We really appreciated the time and instruction Duane and Louise gave us to try this new adventure.  We had such a good time.  Ken found out it is hard work to be a "shrimper".  You put a 50' net in the water keeping the bottom of it along the ocean floor.  You pull it walking backwards in the water about 500 or 600 yards through the water and then end by walking onto the shore.  You keep it in an arch while in the water.   Several times dolphins were following them, actually biting at the net.  Unfortunately, I was unable to get a good photo of them. On one of the pulls, Ken tripped over a submerged tree stump and ended up going under.  Unfortunately, I missed that "Kodak" moment too.  Their 1st pull only brought in 1 shrimp.  Next pull they had  2 (Ken said they doubled their catch!) and each one got better and better.  They must have done it about 12 times (tiring, since it was so windy and the water was extremely rough!) and by the last several times they had about 25 or more shrimp!  Ken was like a kid in a candy store!

 

Getting close to the shore!

Bringing in the catch!

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Putting the 50' net into the shore!

Ken's 1st Shrimp!

Each pull got better then the previous!

Believe it or not, (I can barely believe it) with Louise's help, I actually twisted the headed off the shrimp and deveined them right there on the beach.  I did yell and jump the 1st times the shrimp jumped when I tried to get them out of the bucket!

Can't believe I actually removed their heads and
removed the "inners"!

We were on the beach from 12:45 till 3:15 enjoying this adventure.  When we returned, Ken and I spent about an hour packing up both inside and out.  After showering and changing we enjoyed going to Sonny's Barbeque with Duane and Louise and had a great time together.  Back to their RV to remove the shells from the shrimp.  Another new experience!

I have to get me one of these lamp posts.  When you
stay at the CG for a month, they put this on your site
with a picture of your home state!  Maybe next time!

Our shrimping teachers and friends, Duane and Louise!

This is their 40' toy hauler RV.  They have been on
the road full timing for 7 years and loving it!

Ken and Duane are deveining and shelling the shrimp!

Back to Willie by 9:30.  What a day and we say a special thank you to Duane and Louise!

Spent Most of the Day at the Campground!

Ken and I had a relaxing early morning drinking tea and watching the news.  Cooked breakfast and ate outside.  Mostly cloudy day with the prediction of showers starting by 11 or so with the showers heavier in the afternoon. 

Duane stopped by and asked if Ken would like to join them to go out shrimping - they use big nets and have to go out when high tide is just starting to recede.  Only concern was the weather.  Duane said they will either go today or tomorrow and will make a decision by 10:30.  Ken has wanted to experience shrimping, so he was excited to go, but he did need to get a GA fishing license for the day.  So, we decided to take a walk and then check to see whether they would go today or tomorrow.  We took the walk to the fishing pier across the road from the CG and tried to go at a faster pace.  One of our friends, who shall go nameless, sent Ken an article of how we (people in general) should have a faster pace when walking to get proper cardiovascular exercise.  (Thanks, Barry!)  Not sure walking is as much fun at that faster pace!

A canopy of trees on the path to the fishing pier
which is right across from the CG.

This is part of the bike path that starts right outside
the CG.  The live oaks and Spanish moss are
incredible!

When we returned, Duane stopped by and they decided to wait until tomorrow to do the shrimp fishing.  That worked well for Ken since he had planned to write his thank yous today to the people who were at his surprise Retirement Party.  I thought I would make jewelry.  So, we spent most of the afternoon sitting at the picnic table doing those 2 things.  It was cloudy and dreary the whole time, but not very cold and no rain until around 4:45.  Then it was just a light shower.   Ken finished his notes to friends and past clients and I had fun making some pendants and earrings. 

I made several phone calls, including 1 to Chris Sinclair and fellow camper we met at Hershey Preserve this summer.  She would love to find a job in a campground here in Florida and I was trying to offer her some help and suggestions.  If anyone has a job, Chris would be a great asset.

We spent the evening in Willie watching The Biggest Loser and The Voice while making jewelry and Ken doing things on the Internet.

Can't believe tomorrow is our last full day here at Jekyll.  We really love this place!

A Great Day of Bike Riding!

I stayed up and watched the Broncos get beaten by the Colts.  I am a Payton Manning fan, so not happy about the loss.  So, it was a late night.

I only got up at 8 and we got ready to got to St. Simons Island for the day.  After eating breakfast outside (it was in the upper 60's), Ken loaded the bikes and we packed our lunches and by 10:30 we were on our way St. Simons.   We did stop at the entrance to Jekyll to take a picture of the preparation for the ground breaking 
ceremony later today for the shopping area that is to be completed in 2014.  There will only be about 8 or 10 shoppes and none of them will be very large.  None of the buildings on the island can be over 2 stories. 

Note the shovels and the hard hats.  This shopping area
has been in the "works" for about 3 years!

St. Simons is so different than Jekyll - more commercial, but it also has a beautiful downtown park area with a playground, pool with fountains and slides, and it is overlooking the ocean.  There is even a working lighthouse!  All of the many sidewalks are considered bike paths too, so you can go all over the island.  We rode all around the town limits, through the entrance to the Sea Island Golf Club where a PGA tournament will take place the beginning of Nov., ate our lunch at the downtown park, and then drove to a new park outside of the town limits to get on the new bike path that was recently completed.  That trail passed so many gorgeous homes with lots of southern flair.  We also saw a deer, which makes Ken so happy.  We rode about 15 miles or so!

A very beautiful sculpture!

This lighthouse is in the downtown area right at the
ocean's edge!

Canopy of trees at the entrance to the golf course!

Looks like a tunnel!

The new bike paths outside the town limits!

So graceful!

Looks like a Savannah home!

More southern charm!

Beautiful ferns growing on the branches of the
live oaks!

 

Only got back to Willie around 6:45, tired but happy!  We wouldn't be very disappointed if the weather forecast is correct and it showers tomorrow.  We are ready for a quiet, restful day!  We shall see.  It was supposed to be cloudy with showers today, but that never happened.  We saw some sunshine and no rain!