On their first day on Jekyll Island, the smallest of Georgia barrier islands, Jake and Stone were chatting with another couple in the small parking lot of Jekyll's equally small 9-hole golf course. Jake and Stone mentioned they had been to Jekyll three times previously. First for two nights, then twice for a week, and now this time, for two weeks. "That's how it starts," stated the female half of the other couple. "We started years ago with a week or two, then a month; now for several years we've been coming down here for three months."
Such stories are not unusual on this island overseen by the Jekyll Island Authority, a Georgia state agency. And though Jake and Stone are a long way from planning monthly stays, their visiting trajectory is on a common path. In 2006 (way back in pre-blog days) is was for two nights, then in 2010 and 2013 it was for a week, and now it will be for two weeks. And still they will be sorry to leave.
Friday January 23, 2015 -- As is their habit, our duo eschews the more direct southern route out of New Jersey. It's not that they hate I-95; "hate" is too strong a word. But it is close. Heading west out of Jersey leads to I-81 south, which basically runs through the Appalachian Mountains and provides a scenic ride. Our couple stops for the night at the Holiday Inn Express in Christiansburg, VA. This HIE proves to be newly built, with lots of amens, including a salt water(!) pool.
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| Freezing rain in Christiansburg, VA |
Saturday, January 24, 2015 -- An early start on their long drive down to Jekyll gets them to their 2BR condo -- the same one they rented last year -- in time for a late afternoon bike ride (about 2.5 miles one-way) down the beach-side trail to check out the IGA grocery store. Though they plan to buy their supplies tomorrow at the Winn-Dixie in Brunswick, GA, it is good to know that this store has a nice selection of groceries and even an okay deli. Back at their condo it's brought-from-home tuna pasta and wine on the little ocean-view balcony and then to sleep before 10 PM.
Sunday, January 25, 2015 -- Up early, Jake and Stone enjoyed a sunrise walk on the beach, and then were off to breakfast at a Waffle House about 15 minutes off the island in the large neighboring town of Brunswick. Having never eaten at this southern icon that has its own "museum," Jake and Stone will admit to being happily surprised at what they found. Jake's pecan waffle was "well-done" properly and delicious. Stone likewise liked her eggs, toast and grits. The crowd was properly folksy, with many saying "morning" to each other. The service was fast and efficient with the waitresses shouting out their orders to the cook, who echoes the orders to make sure things are straight. All this was simply charming to our Jersey couple used to Jersey diners. Jake half expected a waitress to sooner or late shout out, "Adam and Eve on a raft, and wreck 'em."
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| Stone at Great Dunes Golf Course on Jekyll Island |
After lunch Jake and Stone head to the Great Dunes Golf Course, a historic 9-holer that proves, as usual, to be a windy, fun round of golf for them both. The green on hole #5 at Great Dunes provides maybe the best view on Jekyll, and on this day was the scene of Stone's best ever up-and-down, doing so from 80 yards out!
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| Perfect place for best ever up-and-down |
On this evening, Jake and Stone soon find themselves in conversation with a couple from Maine. Conviviality is often part-and-parcel of days at Jekyll, but soon Jake and Stone are laughing more than usual as the four-sided conversation goes on into the night. The male part of the Maine couple is truly funny -- and soon they discover why. He turns out to be Louis Ramey, a professional comedian who has just finished a gig at the hotel. He tells some wonderful stories about several of our duo's favorite comedians -- including one about the night he beat out Jim Gaffigan in a comedy contest. Drinks, a veranda, a sunset and a show! Even the millionaires were rarely so lucky as Jake and Stone on this night.
Monday, January 26, 2015 -- This day is Jake and Stone's 35th wedding anniversary, and to celebrate they golf and bike -- separately. Stone takes a good, long bike ride around the top of the island down to the Jekyll Hotel, where she stops in at the Club Cafe for some java and a snack. Jake has a long, very windy day at Indian Mound Golf Course, where he plays alone, trapped between two foursomes. Luckily, the country-park setting for Indian Mound (and the two other 18-holers on Jekyll for that matter) proves to make the round worthwhile.
Their anniversary dinner this year is at Nazzaro's on St. Simons Island, about 30 minutes away. The dinner is good enough, if not great, but they enjoy reviewing the last, always-great 35 years together.
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| Hiking trail at Crooked River |
The town of St. Marys does most of its tourist business during the summer when it serves as "the gateway to Cumberland Island" and Cumberland's famous wild horses. Jake and Stone walked through the quiet streets and out onto the fishing pier. Though this small Georgia town was winter-slow, our couple had a great window seat lunch at the Blue Goose on Osborne where the wine was but $5 a glass, and the "Kickin' Chicken" salad was only outdone by a delicious serving of nuts and honey-drizzled goat cheese.
Wednesday, January 28 until Friday, January 30, 2015 -- Jake and Stone are lucky enough to have several friendships that date back to when they were dating in dear ol' NYC. Jaybird is one of these friends from days of yore, when he and other pals enlivened the streets of Gotham from Gramercy Park to Harlem. Jaybird, who is originally from way-upstate New York, has found himself a nice winter's nest in Florida. Lake Ashton is a private, 36-hole golf community southwest of Orlando where Jaybird beguiles the passing days with two things -- golf and beer.
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| Lake Ashton's scorecard fails to note course hazards such as this creature |
In this tony enclave sprinkled with millionaires, Jake and Jaybird played both of Lake Ashton's 18-hole layouts, which were each in excellent condition, and made for a nice two days of golf. They also played a round at a public course, Southern Dunes, which was not so nice. The play at Southern Dunes was slow, the weather was hot, and the greens were so fast ("rolling at 12 on the stimp," bragged the employee when Jake and Jaybird checked in) that they sucked most of the fun out of the day.
Additionally, though lovely to look at -- its 183 bunkers(!) not withstanding -- this generally well-regarded 18-hole layout was often too close to houses, letting barking dogs and radios accompany Jake's tee shots, which were sadly in need of total concentration. The worst of the day -- besides stepping onto the micro-cropped putting green that was so fast that the grass seemed not green but blue -- was Jaybird's reminding Jake that it was he who had suggested and planned this torture test disguised as an afternoon of golf.
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| Bok Tower Gardens' "singing tower" |
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| The tower's base and famous "golden door" |
Their visit to Lake Ashton was highlighted by a final dinner at Crazy Fish Bar & Grill. Jaybird's somewhat checkered career in and out of government employment included some time as a politician, so it was not a surprise to Jake and Stone that when they entered this down-home seafood place most of the staff, including the owner, pulled Jaybird over to say hello or shake hands. In fact, though Jaybird has only been flying south for only a couple of winters, if Lake Ashton needed a mayor-of-golf, he would be declared the winner moments after the polls closed.
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| Jaybird and Jake at Lake Ashton, FL |
Crazy Fish was awarded a Certificate of Excellence 2014 from TripAdvisor, and Jake and Stone would certainly concur. The food was great, the service friendly, and the unique ambiance, which is part of the fun, might be described as "shabby artistic." Crazy Fish looks like hell from outside, but it's heavenly once inside. Not to be missed.
Jake and Stone left Friday morning with time to spare as they had to suffer the dreaded I-4 traffic through Orlando to get back to their Jekyll ranch. The drive was made more palatable by a stop near Ormand Beach, FL, where Stone and Jake visited over lunch with one of Stone's old high school pals. Though the four-hour drive went well enough, they rewarded themselves with martinis back at the Jekyll Hotel bar. There, as is often the case, they fell into pleasant conversation, this time with two other couples from Jacksonville, FL, up for a weekend visit to Jekyll.
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| One of Jekyll's best bike trails |
After returning to the villa to drop off their bankruptcy booty, they enjoyed a long morning bike ride south, even discovering a new (to them) and wonderful bike trail through the trees and marshlands. Having biked to nearly the southern tip of the island, it was a struggle to get back northward, especially into the head wind that had developed.
But once they reached the convention center area of the island they discovered a BBQ "cook off" was
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| As they say in the south, try some "bald peanuts" |
Once back at their at their 2BR, they snoozed, then took a sunset walk on the beach where they once again marveled at the wide-winged pelicans diving into the Atlantic Ocean for the ultimate fresh seafood dinner.
Sunday, February 1, 2015 -- If it's Sunday morning it must mean breakfast out, so it is once again to the Waffle House in Brunswick, then a little shopping at the nearby Winn-Dixie. While Stone biked, read and relaxed on the balcony, Jake played the Great Dunes 9-hole course twice. After the first seven holes he joined another single golfer for the rest of the day, and the rest of the day proved quite entertaining.
From his first shot on #8, Jake knew his ad hoc partner Alan was good. Turned out he was real good, the best golfer Jake has ever played with. A dentist in Brunswick, GA, Alan was on the Georgia University Golf Team and in 2005 played in the US Amateur at Merion. But that was not the most famous course Alan had played. Alan had played Augusta twice (he had caddied there for a couple years as a young man), and even more impressively, Pine Valley, which is usually thought to be the best golf course in America.
How had he managed to get on these famously private courses? Jake asked. Seems Alan knows "some people in Cincinnati," among them Bill Giles, son of former National League President Warren Giles. Bill helped found the Houston Astros (aka Colt 45s) and is chairman emeritus of the Philadelphia Phillies. Nice guy to know. Since Alan will turn 55 in 2018, he hopes to qualify for the 2018 USGA Senior Amateur Championship out in Oregon.
When Jake asked him why he was on the little 9-holer that day, Alan said he liked the challenge of the small, fast greens, the leisurely pace of play, and the fact that he could often play several balls on each hole. "I learn more here in one day than I could on those other eighteen-holers in a week."
Jake and Stone watched the first half (and half-time show) of the Super Bowl at Jekyll's Hampton Inn. Concerned that there might be either too many people there to make it easy to find a good seat, or not enough people there to make it fun, the bar area turned out to be Goldilocks perfect. Amid just enough fans to make it festive without it being obnoxiously loud, Jake and Stone enjoyed their wine, beers, crab cakes, hot dog and mac and cheese. Back at the ranch they watched the weird and dramatic ending which made this Super Bowl so memorable.
Monday, February 2, 2015 -- Since arriving in coastal Georgia the weather had been actually a little cool for these weeks in Jekyll, with wake-up lows in the 30s and afternoon highs in the mid-50s. Of course such temps are fine for Jake and Stone. But this morning they woke up to wind and rain. A perfect day once again to get off the island and head to one of their favorite cities -- Savannah, GA.
With the requisite drive-up stop at Dunkin' behind them, our pair rolled into Savannah about 90 minutes after leaving Jekyll. The rain was over by the time they finished their late breakfast at Goose Feathers, a stylish, friendly and efficient downtown cafe/bakery near the Savannah River. They walked to Bull Street and headed north. bought a couple of books at Shaver Book Store (where they still do inventory by hand!), visited an inn they had previously stayed at, took the always-necessary look at the childhood home of writer Flannery O'Connor, were unable to look inside St. John the Baptist Cathedral (services going on), but still admired the French Gothic exterior, walked back towards the Savannah River to feed the parking meter, walked along the tourist shops right beside the river, and then headed north again into Savannah's historic district where, indeed, something historic happened.
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| History in the making |
At the Barber Pole, 110 Bull Street, on 2/2/15, Jake got a beard trim and haircut, his first such servicing in at least 30 years. He suffered being fussed over by the young woman perfectionist who wielded her scissors and razor with the gravity of a medieval stone mason working on Notre Dame. But once the ordeal was over, Jake had to admit he looked very sharp.
Stone checked her i-pod's (remember those gadgets, kids?) pedometer feature and noted they had walked the magic 10,000 steps. Lunch was thus in order. And a wonderful one it was at the Public Kitchen + Bar at the intersection of Liberty and Bull.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015 -- The morning weather was so cool Jake's cup of coffee steamed as he looked out towards the Atlantic Ocean from his balcony perch. He could hear the waves crashing on the rocks. This was a simple day. Jake played nine windy and cold holes at Great Dunes, while Stone walked the beach in front of the receding tide. After some mid-day relaxation and the usual power naps, Jake and Stone ate at the best, and nearly only, restaurant on the island during these winter weeks. They enjoyed shrimp and grits, a peach cobbler desert, and shared a $15 bottle of wine, the unused portion of which was wrapped in a paper bag for transportation back to the 2BR hideaway.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015 -- The cool weather continued this morning, so Jake and Stone decided to explore some more of Jekyll's surrounding sights and drove about an hour due west to the Laura S. Walker State Park near Waycross, GA. Georgia has a wonderful state park system, and eight of the parks have golf courses.
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| The Lakes Course's Humps and Lumps |
Having lost touch with his inner golfer, Jake did find his inner ornithologist and joined Stone in paying particular attention to the birds on the course. With binoculars in hand, our duo tallied a great egret, a great blue heron, many cormorants, a mocking bird and a small yellow-chested bird that remained unclassified. But the best avian thrill came on hole #17 when they spotted an eagle who, as if to show off, flew no more than 50 yards above their heads as they stood, mouths agape, on the green. Ah, golf is always a wonderful game.
On the way back they ate at Jerry J's Country Cafe in Nahunta, GA. Jerry J's was a unique mixture of cafe and fast food where everyone seemed to know everyone else. On the bottom of their receipt Jake noticed this addendum to the usual tally of dollars and cents: "O taste and see that the LORD (sic) is good." Not something one sees in Jersey.
The rain started again in the late afternoon enhancing the relaxation vibe. After dinner Jake and Stone watched a movie on TCM, then Jake went for a solitary walk in the nighttime drizzle hoping to find a spot to enjoy his cigar. The seaside boardwalk and its small gazebo proved to be too windy, but walking towards the lobby of Villas by the Sea (the condo/resort where they rented their place), Jake noticed two rocking chairs hidden from the rain under a little roofed niche at some remove from the lobby entrance.
He was at first unsure that cigar smoking would not be frowned upon, but then noticed, -- Oh, Providence! -- between the rocking chairs, a common device used by smokers to put out their cigarettes before entering a public place. Obviously he could enjoy his H. Uppman cigar out of the rain and wind, and be admonished by no one, except perhaps the American Cancer Society. One couple pulled who into the parking lot, late-night arriving for their check-in and stepping quickly in the light rain, even inquired if the cigar was good. Jake nodded yes, yes indeed.
Thursday, February 5, 2015 -- A morning of what weather people often term "lingering showers," so Jake and Stone take advantage of the poor weather to go off-island again. It's a quick ride over the cable-stayed bridge that dominates this part of the Golden Isles to the island of St. Simons. "The Village" of St. Simons is at the southern tip of the island. Here our couple walked out on the pier, then along a short waterside promenade to the St. Simons Lighthouse where they toured the small museum and climbed the 129 steps to the top of the lighthouse to see the panoramic view. Afterwards, they walked only a little way into the neighborhood and discovered this quiet scene.
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| The pier at St. Simons Island |
Heading northward on St Simons, Jake and Stone had hoped to walk through the historic Christ Church, but were too early for the tours. They did get to walk the church's expansive grounds which are filled with giant live oak trees (the live oak is Georgia's state tree) draped in Spanish moss.
They also got to walk through the church's cemetery, one of the oldest in Georgia. Its oldest grave dates to 1803. Perhaps it was the many family plots that spanned generations, or the several confederate soldiers' grave that spoke of the specific battles where they died, or the familiar names from what Jake and Stone had recently learned of coastal Georgia history. But for whatever reason, both Jake and Stone found this cemetery -- which could more properly be called a large graveyard -- to be more redolent of the past than other cemeteries they had visited.
Just up the road from Christ Church is Fort Frederica National Park. At first Jake didn't want to go, but Stone talked him into it. Here are the remnants of the British colony (founded by James Oglethorpe, who did nothing less than establish Georgia itself as a British colony) and its defensive fort. A small piece of the fort is still standing, but what is particularly moving when visiting this site are the remnants of the individual houses that formed the small 1730s colony.
As they walked down what was once called Broad Street and looked at the dozen or so foundations of previous homes, both Jake and Stone found the scene to be much more "historical" and emotionally involving than anything they had seen in the colonial recreations of places like Williamsburg, VA. To realize that John Wesley had walked the same grounds and preached to the colonists almost 300 years ago -- before he founded the Methodist movement -- was for Jake, and old history major, quite a thrill.
Friday February 6, 2015 -- Having a long bike ride planned for the morning, it only seemed right to fuel up first, so Jake and Stone repaired to the Waffle House for the third and last time. After biking past the Horton House, a graveyard and the island's small airport, they parked their bikes at the Jekyll Hotel and got some pastries and coffee from Club Cafe.
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| Outside the Jekyll Hotel's Club Cafe |
As they drove along, on the horizon they thought there might be a really big freighter or some other large ship suddenly coming into view with its lights seemingly blaring. A minute later, they realized the luminescence was the moon, cloud-shrouded and waning, rising ever so slowly over the water's dark edge.
Saturday, February 7, 2015 -- When they woke up from their respective naps -- it had been a nearly 10 hr drive from Jekyll to Orange, VA -- Jake and Stone pulled aside their Holiday Inn Express window curtains to see a sunset that was as vibrant as the previous night's moon rise had been muted. Over Virginia's Southwest Mountains -- a mountain range centered in Charlottesville and is sort of a hilly suburb of the more famous Blue Ridge Mountains -- the sky was a carnival of reds, pinks and purples, set against a blue that could only be termed "Jeffersonian."
The dramatic sunset lingered for maybe 15 or 20 more minutes, but by the time Jake and Stone got to the Restaurant Pomme in Gordonsville, VA, night had certainly taken center stage. As they did last year in Staunton, VA, Jake and Stone rendezvoused with longtime friends, the Labetts and the Farles, for a wine-filled, laughter-intense, delicious two-hours-plus at this French restaurant that perfectly enhanced the night's warmth and bonhomie.
On Sunday, as Jake and Stone drove home, they would not see snow on the ground until about Exit 8 on the turnpike. But even at home, turning up the heat, petting the cat, unpacking, and making the necessary phone calls, it was still easy to look out on the stark, white backyard, and recall the Jekyll backyard of trees and beach grass, of greens and blues.
