JourneyLeaf: Life a Page at a Time

Make Your Own Stars

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Driftwood Castle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

  

Evening Blue

  

"Drifting.  Floating.  Lightly gliding
On the Sea of Sleep tonight.
Rocking. Swaying.  Slowly sailing
On toward the morning light."
--Warren Handson, The Sea of Sleep 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Their Island

Georgia's Golden Isles have hundreds of human residents and visitors.  
But I can never shake the feeling that the islands never belong to us the way they belong to the wildlife...

 

Blue crabs
(This pair was battling and the little one lost his claws!)

 

Canonball jellyfish

 

Cicada (molted exoskeleton)

 

Cockroaches -- Yep, industrial sized!
(Note to kids:  Don't leave out your granola bars!)

 

Coyote track

 

Dolphin

 

Dragonflies

 

 

Fiddler crabs

 

Ghost crab

 

Heron

 

Wild horses

 

 

Horseshoe crab (dead, upside down, and full of sand)

 

 

Mussel

 

Pelicans

 

 

Periwinkle snails

 

Wild pig track

 

Sandpiper

 

Seagulls and pelicans

 

Sea turtle hatchling tracks

 

Wharf crab
(You can just see his legs at the edge of his burrow.)

 

Whelk egg case (held aloft by a friend)

 

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Beach

School is rumbling into its second week.  The wild muscadine grapes are getting ripe in the woods and the orb weaver spiders are making their huge webs.  Summer is drawing to a close no matter what the thermometer says.  Looking back just a couple of weeks ago when we were a different kind of busy...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Bavarian's Restaurant -- Jesup, GA

Most of the time quirky, award-winning restaurants are found in cities.  That's where they get the most buzz and business.  But sometimes you can find a real treasure off the beaten path.  Case in point is The Bavarian's, an authentic South German style restaurant located in the small town of Jesup in southeast Georgia.  We visited a couple of weeks ago while heading to the coast with friends.  

 

Although the restaurant takes reservations, we were able to walk in early on a Friday night and easily find a table.  (The Bavarian's is only open Thursday through Saturday.)  

 

We had no idea what to expect, but found a casual space with kitsch decor and sturdy picnic tables with movable benches.  The service was good and easygoing -- even cheerful when (ahem) a five year-old boy spilled a large glass full of water.  The Bavarian's takes care to create that sort of a relaxed atmosphere.  A few interesting words from their menu...

 

Had my Carnivore King father been there, he would have shaken his head at what I ordered.  Although the restaurant serves up locally made sausages and specializes in schnitzel, I made a meal of several non-meat sides including yummy German Potato Salad, fried potatoes, and tiny spätzle dumplings.  (I had no idea the sides would be so generous or I would have ordered far less.)  What won my heart, though, was noodles covered with fantastic mushroom gravy.  It was full of flavor and absolutely thick with pieces of mushrooms of several varieties.  I'm still daydreaming about that gravy and what else it could be paired with.

As for Eli, he picked the cheese and bread sampler.  He was thrilled when a big soft pretzel arrived at his plate (along with a white roll and slice of rye) and he gave his first taste of brie cheese two thumbs up.  When asked which cheese was his favorite, Eli pointed to a remaining square of yellow with nibble marks along the sides.  It looked familiar, so I poked at it.  Yep.  My kid's favorite "cheese" was chilled butter!

It was fun to go someplace different and memorable. The prices were reasonable and the service good. Next time I'm near Jesup, I'll be eager to go again.  (Mmmm...mushroom gravy.)

The Bavarian's is located at 298 W Orange Street, Jesup GA 31545.  Click HERE for their web presence on Facebook.  If you are traveling along Interstate 95, The Bavarian's is about 38 miles (47 minutes) northwest of Brunswick via Exit 38.  Many thanks to Nikki to sharing this culinary treasure!

 

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Lover's Oak, Brunswick

I love trees in general and big old trees in particular.  The famous
Lover's Oak in Brunswick on the Georgia coast is estimated to be 900 years old.  Recently, I finally got a chance to visit...

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lover's Oak is located at the intersection of Albany and Prince streets near the historic downtown district of the old port town of Brunswick.  

Click HERE for the Golden Isles website about the oak.

Click HERE for the Gallivance website that includes vintage photos of the oak as well as Native American legends connected to it.

Are you also a lover of old trees?  The Majestic Oak near Savannah is huge, old, and stunning.  Its branches spread to take up almost a whole block. Click HERE for information on the Majestic oak and others along the East Coast.

   

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First Day of School 2014

Ah, the first day of school.  Eli was excited and went off happily.  He's back in his familiar classroom with the teacher he knows well...but now he is one of the Big Kids.

 

I helped organize a parents' post-drop off coffee this morning.  There were many parents there just dropping their kids off for the very first time.  Some families came into the school with shining eyes, the kids bouncing ahead.  Other families scrambled in a little late with kids in tow, too busy at the moment to feel anything.  Still other families arrived looking like deer in the headlights, tears from both kids and parents before the morning was done.

Such a mix of emotions swirling around that school today!  And in my own heart too.  The first day of school is a milestone -- particularly a kindergarten year.  On top of it, Eli has his first loose tooth that's he's constantly wiggling.  I feel like I've been here and been present, that I've been appreciative of Eli's early years.  I knew they would go fast.  But I still wish time would slow down a little.  We had an absolutely lovely summer full of little adventures and friends and explorations.  I hate for it to draw to a close.  At the very same time, the thought that I could go home and clean up my office and get some quiet writing done filled me with glee.  Oh, parenting -- the push and the pull of the heart with a steady march of time going on regardless of it all.

 

  

 

 

 

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Tybee Island Lighthouse

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

Looking up through a crack at the glass edges of the lighthouse lens... 

 

The morning sun coming through the edges of the glass worked like a prism.  The inner wall of the lighthouse had several rainbows. 

 

 

 

One Mama's Two Cents:
We had a lovely time at the lighthouse.  There are museum exhibits below and a great view from 155 feet up.  Eli is five and a half but had no trouble getting up all the stairs.  In fact, he climbed it twice!

At age four, Eli climbed the St. Simons Island lighthouse.  Click HERE for that blog post.  

  

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UGA Aquarium -- Skidaway Island

 

My dad was a professor but also a scientist who conducted research along the Georgia coast.  So he could gather samples and teach classes, several summers we lived on Skidaway Island, a small marsh-bordered island near Savannah.  We were given the use of a small house that was comfortable and roomy, but it had no television.  Instead, my brother and I spent the entire summer reading, exploring on our bikes, and catching crabs.  

When the heat got oppressive, I'd bike over to the University of Georgia's aquarium, part of the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography.  Coming out of the humid and weedy green that constantly hummed and clicked with insects, the space was always cool, dark, and quiet.  Fish and other local aquatic creatures drifted dreamily through their tanks.  Because I visited almost every day, the place felt like mine.  I learned the names of the animals -- and then gave them pet names of my own.

Last month, I finally got to take my child to the aquarium.  It looks a little different now, yet is deeply, blissfully familiar.  The place isn't huge or fancy, but it is still a great spot for learning about indigenous coastal creatures and taking a break from the summer heat.  Eli loved it too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

One Mama's Two Cents:
Even if I didn't have a history with this place, we would have still loved our visit.  The aquarium is worth the short drive from Savannah or as a stop while trekking along I-95 through Georgia (exit 94).  On the way to the Marine Institute, the boat landing below the Skidaway Island Bridge is a fun place to skip oyster shells.  Or pop in at Skidaway Island State Park to hike a trail or see the interpretive center.  The aquarium also has a nature trail plus there are marsh and river views that offer a good spot for a picnic.  As for the aquarium itself, be aware that there is an entry fee and they take only cash or check.  Click HERE for their website.

 

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