Jazz and Arts on the Satilla

On Sunday I set up my Wildlife Personalities and Scenery Booth at the Woodbine Riverwalk for the Jazz and Arts on the Satilla Festival which was sponsored by the Woodbine Woman's Club. Here is a picture of me and one of my faithful assistant and husband, Don.

We had absolutely beautiful weather. The sky was a clear bright blue, the azaleas were in full bloom with splashes of color everywhere.

My friend Lydia Thompson was also there display her wonderful artwork. She does etching and intaglio print making. Please stop by and check out her blog at www.coastalgeorgiabirding-lydia.blogspot.com/. Here is Lydia at her booth.

In all I thing there were between 20 and 30 artists such as painters, quilters, photographers, pottery and jewelry. Sunday was a chance for local artists to set up their displays along the Riverwalk between 2pm to about 6pm. There was recorded Jazz music playing all day. But at 5pm at the Gazebo the live music started. There was quite a crowd who showed up just to listen to the music and enjoy a very relaxing evening.

The Woodbine Woman's Club has had the City of Woodbine classed as a bird sanctuary. They are also working to get Woodbine a designation on the Colonial Coast Birding Trail. They had many birdhouses put up along the Riverwalk as well as feeding stations with the help of Lydia and Wild Birds Store on Jekyll Island.

All in all I had a very nice day. It was a great chance to meet and talk to people and network with fellow artists. The ladies of Woodbine did a wonderful job of coordinating this event and were more than helpful and polite. I like to give a special Thank You to Lori for feeding my husband and checking on us.

Woodbine is located on Highway 17 in Georgia, exit 14 off Interstate 95. It is also the Home of the Annual Crawfish Festival which is held the last weekend April. The Crawfish Festival is always an opportunity to enjoy entertainment, great food and plenty of Arts and Crafts Booths. Woodbine Georgia is an example of some of the small town Beauty that Surrounds Us.

Time to take to the Water

Well, the weatherman sure was wrong today!! It turned out to be a really nice day. My wonderful Husband, Don, decided to treat me to a day on the water. He loaded up the boat and we launched at Blythe Island Regional Park. The Brown Pelicans were lazily watching us. This is also my Captain and Hubby, Don.

I have been wanting to take some photos of the Shrimp fleet in Brunswick so we headed that way. I was rewarded with some really nice pictures, these are from the City Dock and a Private Dock.

Then we cruised on down to the concrete pilings where the Cormorandts, Pelicans, Gulls, Terns and even some Grackles were hanging out. They were all kind enough to let me snap a few shots. I also took a few pics of the old ship ways from when Brunswick played a large role in the Shipbuilding Industry.

Today I was suppose to be riding out to Bird Island as a volunteer to help remove all the vegetation from the Island. But, it was cancelled at the last minute. I'm looking forward to it being rescheduled. Anyway, if you are not aware of what Bird Island is....It is basically a large sandbar/small island that was made a few years ago in St. Simon's Sound. It is mostly to benefit nesting and resting birds such as Brown Pelicans, Oystercatchers, Black Skimmers and shore birds mostly. So we decided to check it out from a distance. The important thing top remember here is to NOT disturb the birds. People are not allowed on this ground and there are several signs posted around it. But, it sure is a treat to check out with your binoculars or a zoom lens. Today there were many Brown Pelicans, White Pelicans and Cormorandts. Check them out!!

And of course since we were in the area we had to cruise along the Coast of my favorite Island, Jekyll Island. This is a picture of the Fishing Pier at Clam Creek Picnic area and the other are from Driftwood Beach. As you can see there were lots of people enjoying the Beauty of Jekyll Island today.

We finished our little excursion skimming the coast of St. Simon's Island. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to photograph the Lighthouse from the water. As you can see the St. Simon's Fishing Pier was packed also! Lots of people taking advantage of a beautiful day and enjoying all the wonderful and beautiful things that surrounds us.

We had a nice quiet ride back to the boat ramp enjoying the sun on our faces and wind blowing through our hair. And of course the welcoming committee of lazy Pelicans was still there. I hope everyone else had a chance to slow down and enjoy Beauty that Surrounds Us. Until next time, Be Safe!!

A Beautiful Day at the Ampitheater

I am so sorry it has been so long since I last wrote. I must admit the winter weather gets me a bit down. I can't handle the cold as well as I use to and I truly love seeing the sun shine down on us. There is nothing more depressing than a cold gray gunmetal sky. AND that certainly was not the case today!!! It was a glorious morning, sun shining weather warming and birds singing and flowers blooming.

This morning I headed out to Jekyll Island and decided to go to the old Amphitheater. If you have never been it is truly worth the trip. The Amphitheater is located across from the historic district and down from the firehouse. There are two dirt roads leading to a parking lot which is canopied by huge old oak trees, then a little archway leads you to the Amphitheater and the pond. Be sure to bring your binoculars!!

There are several paths winding through the woods that are filled with huge oaks, pines and lots of palmetto. Where there is a gentle breeze it will softly rain down oak leaves all around you. If you take the first path to your right and follow it around it will lead you to the back of the actual Amphitheater. The Amphitheater is no longer used all the remains are signs of time gone by. One sight that you are likely to see if you climb the step to the audience seating or sneak in back stage is a large array of Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures often seated on the benches or readied on the light poles as if waiting for the show to begin. Some people refer to them as the critics.

If you continue around on the path you will come to the Pond. The pond is an almost magical place. This is where many Great Egrets, Woodstorks, Anghingas and Night Herons come to nest and or roost. Here are some shots I took of a Juvenile and an Adult Yellow Crowned Night Heron along with a shot of the Woodstorks.

It is real important to try and not disturb these birds as many are nesting and tending to their young or simply trying to find a quiet place to rest. The area is abundant with squirrels, songbirds, some gnats, an occasional gator in the pond and if you're real quiet and time it just right you might even see my timid little three legged friend, whom I call Dolly.

The Jekyll Island Amphitheater and Pond are just one more example of some local places to find all The Beauty that Surrounds Us. Please remember to take everything you brought with you and keep it a beautiful place for those who visit after us. Until next time Take the time to slow down and look around. Be Safe!!