Sept/Oct 2009

GoldenIsles September/October 2009 Vol. 4 No. 3

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GoldenIsles magazine

September/October 2009

Features

OntheCover

24

The Other Fans by Laura Hale Fans fly the colors of more than just Georgia this time of year

32

Edo’s Pirates by Bob Dart Remembering Brunswick’s Class D Georgia-Florida farm team

36

The idiat and the odd-yssey IIi by Harlan Hambright Part III of a look at famously named Georgia towns

42

Heading for the hill by Bob Dart Georgia’s Shrimpers struggle to survive

48

Sapelo Farms by Amy H. Carter One family brings the farm to the city

The living room of Robin’s cabin at Copeland Hall.

56

Cover Photo by Harlan Hambright

A look a Virginia’s historic wine country

exploring virginia wine trails by Joe Loehle

The crew of the “Miss Harley.”

Columns 8

Flo On Food by Florence Packard Anderson School lunch barbeque

10

Par for the Course by Thomas D. Brinson Address it like an athlete

Departments 12 The Arts

ISland Players @ 53 by J.M. Lacey Thespians continue to entertain Golden Isles audiences

16 Profile

The Optimistic MAn by Amy H. Carter Buck Buckalew is the happiest man alive

20 Home

Rustic Retreat by Amy H. Carter Davis Love III is at home with history

52 Food

Brilliant Meals by Amy H. Carter Recipes with a lighthouse flair

60 Pairings

The Cloister’s Georgian Room by Amy H. Carter A sneak peek at the fall menu

2 Goldenislesmagazine.com

Island Players doyenne Anne Hodnett.

Don’t

Let Your Wealth Sail Away TAX PLANS SHIFT IN TAX BURDEN As rapid changes are taking place in Congress to fulďŹ ll the President’s agenda, you should pay close attention to these changes and how they will affect your tax planning strategy. On May 11, 2009 the U.S. Treasury Department released the “General Explanations of the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2010 Revenue Proposalsâ€?. This is an important “roadmapâ€? for how President Obama plans to “shift the tax burdenâ€? to pay for election-year promises, such as the health care bill. These tax proposals will be debated in Congress throughout the coming months before enactment, however you should stay abreast of changes that may occur. Detailed below is a quick summary of some changes that might take place: • Reinstatement of the 39.6% rate – joint ďŹ lers – income over $250,000; • Reinstatement of the 36% rate – single ďŹ lers – income over $200,000; • Limits on itemized deductions and phase out of personal exemptions – income over $250,000 joint ďŹ lers and $200,000 single; • 20% Tax on dividends and capital gains; • Value of itemized deductions would be limited to 28% for the 39.6% and 36% tax brackets; • LIFO inventory accounting method repealed; • Prohibition of the use of lower of cost or market and subnormal goods method of accounting for inventories; • Limitations on estate and gift tax valuation discounts; • Stronger requirements for mandatory e-ďŹ ling for individuals, corporations, partnerships and taxexempt entities; • Penalties for failure to e-ďŹ le would increase; Many changes will probably occur in the next couple of years.

Moore Stephens Tiller LLC is prepared to assist you with professional advice to guide you through these changes and help you reduce your tax burden. Please contact any of our ofďŹ ces for assistance.

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GoldenIsles magazine

Celebrating the enchanting beauty, charming personalities, sophisticated lifestyles and rich history of the Georgia coast.

Contact us: 247 Edwards Plaza St. Simons Island, GA 31522 (912) 634-8466 Publisher C.H. Leavy IV Editor Amy H. Carter Design/Art Director Bob Swinehart Design Assistant Stacey Willis Contributing Photographers Alexandra Brinson Benjamin Galland Harlan Hambright Joe Loehle Bob Swinehart

Advertising Director Heath Slapikas

Purple Sage Catering Exceptional Cuisine. Professional, Courteous Service.

Retail Sales Manager Burt Bray Advertising Representative Megan Edens Circulation Director Frank Lane Golden Isles Magazine is published six times per year by The Brunswick News Publishing Co. Postmaster: Send change of address to The Brunswick News Publishing Co., P.O. Box 1557, Brunswick, GA 31521-1557. Periodicals postage paid at Brunswick, Ga. USPS-068180.

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Submissions: Golden Isles Magazine is always in search of talented contributors. Unsolicited queries and submissions of art and stories are welcome. Please include an email address and telephone number.

Submit by email to the Editor, Amy Carter, at acarter@goldenislesmagazine.com or by regular mail to Golden Isles Magazine, 247 Edwards Plaza, St. Simons Island, GA 31522. Only work accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope will be returned.

Advertising: Information regarding advertising and rates is available by contacting Megan Edens by phone at (912) 634-8466 or by email at medens@goldenislesmagazine.com.

Contributors Flo Anderson took her first restaurant job at the King and Prince Hotel in 1971.

She’s been cooking ever since.

Her venues have included the Holiday Inn on Jekyll Island, The Flight Plan Café at the McKinnon-St. Simons Airport, and the Emmeline and Hessie. Her final restaurant, The 4th of May Café, endures in the Village. Flo is mother to three and grandmother to seven, all of whom live on St. Simons Island.

Anderson

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Thomas D. Brinson, PGA, is the head golf professional at Brunswick Country Club.

He brings more than 12 years of experience to the Golden Isles from some of the South’s top clubs, including Charlotte Country Club, Atlanta Athletic Club and Atlanta National Golf Club. A graduate of Florida State University, he is only the 26th PGA Professional to obtain all six certifications from the PGA’s Certified Professional Program.

Thomas resides on St. Simons Island with his wife, Alexandra, and their retriever, Bogey.

Brinson

Bob Dart recently retired as a national correspondent in the Washington Bureau of Cox Newspapers, the chain that includes the Atlanta Journal and Constitution. He has moved home to Glynn County where he grew up and where his great-great-great grandfather, Cyrus Dart, arrived shortly after fighting in the Revolutionary War. His book, a collection of his stories about the South entitled “Downhome: Dispatches From Dixie,” is available at Hattie’s Bookstore in Brunswick and Nicole’s Haircuts in the St. Simons Island Village.

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Laura Hale is a recent graduate of Auburn University in Auburn, Ala. She relocated to the Golden Isles after graduation and now lives parttime in Atlanta. Graduating in Agriculture Communications, she freelances and does PR work specializing in agriculture. She enjoys spending days at the beach, sailing, traveling and her black lab, Sam.

Photo by JESSIE LACEY

Hale

J.M. Lacey is a professional freelance writer, and writes fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

Her magazine articles focus on business, social development, the arts, health, fashion and Victorian homes. She has over 14 years of experience working for both corporate and non-profit organizations, and has a background in marketing and public relations. Her list of corporate clients includes businesses in and around the Brunswick area.

J.M. Lacey resides in Brunswick and is currently working on a novel.

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Kathi Williams is currently the Assistant Editor of Coastal Illustrated. She moved to Coastal Georgia in 2006 by way of New Jersey, Illinois, Michigan and Massachusetts and immediately fell in love with the beauty and special community of St. Simons Island. Kathi is pleased to call the island her home now, and you can often find roaming the Village with pen and camera in hand and son, Declan, in tow.

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Editor’s Note My great lament in life is that I was not born with the storytelling abilities of Flannery O’Connor, Tennessee Williams or Carl Hiaasen. I am a great fan of the Southern eccentric, either real or imagined.

I simply cannot create one as good as theirs.

I also lack the audacity to wear my own quirkiness on my sleeve, so I am forever in search of bold characters to give me that vicarious thrill of living the unself-conscious

life. By virtue of my chosen profession, I have had the good fortune to run into a great many such personalities. (Some, in truth, are kin. Many of the others were politicians.)

Had I a smidgen of the intellect required to fold them all into that one golden protagonist with no verifiable resemblance to persons living or dead, I by now would have written the greatest Great American Novel you’ve ever read.

Vivien Leigh as Blanche DuBois in “A Streetcar Named Desire”

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Every story we publish in Golden Isles Magazine has a truly interesting character at its heart, whether it’s the one being written about (Capt. Gerald Lamb and the crew of the trawler Miss Harley, beginning on page 42) or the one doing the writing (Harlan Hambright, with his third installment of “The Idiat and the Oddyssey,” beginning on page 36). Even a story that seems more focused on things (the cabins at Copeland Hall, the private Camden County retreat owned by professional golfer Davis Love III and his wife, Robin, featured on page 20) is at heart a tale of an extraordinarily talented group of men and women who worked harder than necessary to reveal the beauty of old ways. A similar theme runs through the story of mother/daughter farmers Betty Anne Lewis and Gabe Haman of Sapelo Farms (page 48).

Even down here in extremely hot and humid South Georgia, no fall issue would be complete without some sports. Bob Dart has written an entertaining reminiscence of Brunswick’s own late great minor league baseball team, the Pirates (page 32), and newcomer Laura Hale gives some long overdue equal time to fans of those other college football teams that will toss around the pigskin this football season (page 24).

Like Williams’ own Blanche DuBois, we rely on your kindness, dear reader, to give purpose to our prose. Thank you for letting us entertain you.

Amy H. Carter Editor

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Flo on Food

E U Q E B R A B H C N U L L O O SCH

by Florence Packard Anderson

G

Growing up in Central Pennsylvania was very interesting in the ‘50s. I was the progeny of a born and bred New Yorker and a full-blooded Canadian so playing, studying and worshiping with the very different “Pennsylvania Dutch” was a unique experience. My mother was a wonderful cook and would prepare dinner for my father, two sisters and me every night. We rarely ate out. Mother would prepare a meat, a starch, a veggie and a salad (usually iceberg lettuce with her homemade Thousand Island dressing, my Dad’s favorite). We rarely had bread but we always had dessert. This was how we ate.

The school cafeteria was a completely different story. The Mennonite ladies who cooked for the school system had wonderful German recipes that we thought were delicious. We would go home from school and regale our mother with stories of the wonderful lunches. We would ask her “please, please, please” to make some.

Of course, I am sure in our descriptions of these culinary delights we offered no insight into preparation. Nonetheless, she managed to duplicate one favorite rather well and

8 Goldenislesmagazine.com

it is a standby in our families to this day.

It was billed on the school lunch menu as “barbeque on a bun with potato chips and macaroni salad”. Now this was not one of my father’s favorites. First of all, his meat needed no other condiments besides salt and pepper, and his macaroni had better be hot with either butter or cheese. Needless to say, this treat was saved for teenage get-togethers and church suppers. Which brings me to the reason I thought you might like this recipe. It’s ideal for our wonderful Southern Fall Tailgate Parties.

This barbeque is as far from what we serve here on St. Simons Island as you can get. I think it is more like Sloppy Joes. I usually prepare it a day ahead and refrigerate it so I can pick off the fat that will rise to the surface. Then I will reheat it the morning of the event and when hot, pour it into a big Thermos. When you need it, it will be hot and ready to spoon onto hamburger buns.

During school lunch, we would pile our potato chips on top of the meat and then squash the whole thing together so it would fit in our mouths. My whole family still eats it this way. Macaroni salad can be served as

a side but I think cole slaw would be better.

That’s the influence of 35 years in the South (the Pennsylvania Dutch were very big on starches).

Until next time, you can reach me with your comments and questions at flosgalley@ comcast.net. I hope to see you in the Village and remember, plan for the future – teach a kid to cook!

SCHOOL LUNCH BARBEQUE Serves 12-16 or more, depending on the size of the bun Ingredients: 4 lbs. ground beef 1 medium onion, diced ¼ inch 2 Tablespoons butter 1 cup Heinz Ketchup 1 jar Braswell’s Green Tomato Relish ¼ cup French’s Yellow Mustard Preparation:

In a very large skillet, sauté the diced onion in the butter until very tender. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink, breaking up large chunks as you go.

Now pour everything into a colander to let the fat drain off. Be sure to put a bowl under the colander to catch the grease so it doesn’t go down your drain.

Return the drained beef and onions to the skillet and add everything else. Stir and let simmer for about a half an hour to let the flavors blend. You can serve this right away on hamburger buns. It also goes well on the potato buns they sell at Publix. Those are smaller than regular burger buns so you can feed more folks. What you cannot serve it on is crusty, chewy bread, like hoagie buns.

The filling will just fall out by the time you have chewed your way through the bread. Stick with soft buns.

Plain potato chips are the perfect accompaniment. Try putting a few on top of the meat before you close the sandwich. I think you will like it. It’s a textural thing!

This is a tried and true tailgate special that will stay hot for hours in a large Thermos or small Igloo cooler. I hope you will give it a try. G

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Address It Like An Athlete

by Thomas D. Brinson, PGA Head Golf Professional, Brunswick Country Club It has long been debated whether golf is a sport or a game. While I do not have the answer to this debate, I can tell you this: Golf requires athleticism.

This athleticism begins at the address position. When you address the golf ball, it is important that you stand in the standard athletic position. This position is the same whether you are waiting for a serve in tennis, standing in the batter’s box on the baseball diamond, or shooting a free-throw in basketball. All of these positions are the same as the address position in golf.

One of the most common things that I see when teaching golfers of all levels is poor posture. The most typical position that I see is where people will sit back on their heels and have their chin tucked down into their chest. While this position is easy and comfortable, it is not helping their golf game.

The standard athletic position starts with you balancing roughly 60 percent of your weight on the balls of your feet. This will allow you to feel as though you can move in any direction.

In golf, this move will be the back swing, but it could also be a move to the right or left to block a lineman in football, or hit a back hand in tennis.

10 Goldenislesmagazine.com

The most important part of your address position is your posture. It is important for your spine to be as flat as possible to allow your upper body to turn smoothly on the back swing, as well as turning smoothly on the downswing. The easiest way to get your back flat is to stick out your tail bone and your chest. By sticking out your chest, your chin will automatically rise up.

At first, this position may feel uncomfortable due to the fact that it requires more muscle and effort.

As you get used to it, not only will it keep your back from hurting after a round, but it will improve your swing and your score. This will help keep golf relaxing; and after all, what is more relaxing than playing well and shooting lower scores? G

Email questions or suggestions for future columns to thomasbrinson@brunswickcountryclub.com

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The Arts

Island @Players 53

O

Overhead lights slowly dim. A hush falls over the crowd. The curtain opens on another world. The audience is drawn in, no longer a group of spectators detached and merely watching the show but a part of the action, laughing and crying with the characters on stage, hearts racing and anticipation building as each new scene unfolds.

If you’ve stood in line for any length of time hoping to get a ticket for a play, you’ve likely whiled the minutes away thinking about your seat, the story line, the length of the play – anything but the work that it takes to open the curtains and present that particular show. By the time the actors appear on stage and the scenery transforms an ordinary setting into a unique experience, much time has elapsed. For The Island Players, it’s more than a year.

Tony Ferri, the 2009 dramatics director, says he’s already selected plays for the 2010/11 season. But it’s more than just selecting the few plays that are performed for a season. Tony, who’s been with the company since 1983 and directing since 1996, says that a number of plays are reviewed by the reading committee. That committee narrows the options to 12 plays which are then presented to the board of directors for approval. The selected plays are divided equally among four categories – a musical, a drama and two comedies.

A ballot with the listing of the 12 selected plays is sent to season ticket holders. These Island Players members select the final four plays for the season.

What’s important is how the community benefits from the plays. “We really look for the entertainment value and the message value,” says Tony. “You’d like to have the audience relate to the show. They can feel something, be a part of it. And also be entertained.”

Developing the play is a creative process, Tony explains, with the director envisioning the play as it’s read. “It unfolds in your head. You can see (the actors’) actions as they move from place to place.”

He equates the process to an artist’s blank

12 Goldenislesmagazine.com

by J.M.

Lacey

canvas. The stage is blank, and then the director fills it with ideas and the set design so that the end result is a complete product.

Barbara Mueller, who has been involved with the company for 18 years, served as president and is the dramatics director for the 2010/11 season, says the script tells one a lot about the set. It’s important for her to understand each setting since she is heavily involved in creating the sets for a number of plays.

Building a set “takes imagination and building skill,” she says. And there are important guidelines that dictate the scenery, including space, costumes and lighting. All affect the scale and color of each set, particularly ones that are more elaborate and have multiple functions. And research is equally important to create an authentic and believable setting. The Players performed “Enchanted April” to finish their 2009 season, a story that took place in 1922 first in London, then in Italy. The sets take as much as six weeks to build with a team of carpenters, painters and designers.

And everyone involved with the Island Players volunteers.

Anne Hodnett, who has acted, directed and produced some of the shows, served as president and on the board for 30 years, began as a backstage volunteer with the Players in 1968. She and her family had just moved to St. Simons Island and she was determined to become involved with the theater as quickly as possible.

“It’s such a wonderful place to meet people,” says Anne. “You make so many friends, you learn so much. It really puts you out in the community.”

The Island Players have been performing for the community since 1956. For the last 53 years, the troupe has performed notable plays such as “Funny Girl,” “Noises Off,” “The Merry Widow,” “Showboat,” “Hello Dolly!” “The Little Foxes,” “Annie Get Your Gun” and “Mame.” The 1973 performance of “My Fair Lady” was such a huge success they had to repeat the show one month later. All of its shows sold out.

The Players have experienced changes, including a shift in venues. Now, the Players perform at the Casino Theater in the Pier Village on St. Simons Island.

But perhaps the most notable accomplishment is how the theater has shaped the lives of its Players.

Anna Rowley grew up in the theater and is now attending Georgia State University. She performed, participated in summer workshops and worked backstage.

She credits the theater with shaping her life.

Being in the theater “teaches you a lot of responsibility,” she says. “Other people are depending on you to know your lines and know your stuff.”

Her sister, Jordan Rowley, who is attending Georgia Tech, also attributes her success as a public speaker to her days in the theater. Jordan delivered her graduation speech in front of 2,000 people.

“I think (theater) helps a lot with public speaking and being comfortable in front of others,” she says. “I think that’s a really important skill that you only can get through the theater.” She adds that her involvement gave her the confidence to step out of her comfort zone.

“Neither one of my girls has ever had a problem getting on stage and being in front of people,” says mom Toni Rowley, who also has produced several shows. The theater for this family was also important because it kept them close and drew them together as the girls were growing up.

Jordan and Anna have performed and assisted with roughly 20 productions. Jordan was thrilled when she had the part of Gloria in “Wait Until Dark,” her first adult show during the regular season. Anna’s favorite part was Dorothy in “Wizard of Oz,” which she performed when she was 14. Both Jordan and Anna received the Island Players Teen Actors Guild Scholarship for their participation in the theater’s productions and summer workshops.

Both girls had the opportunity to meet other youth in the area during performances, many of whom still keep in touch. Toni, too, has developed friendships over the years

2009-2010 Season Guys and Dolls Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser Oct. 23, 24, 25*, 29, 30, 31; Nov. 1*, 5, 6, 7, 8* Witness for the Prosecution Drama by Agatha Christie Jan. 8, 9, 10*, 15, 16, 17*, 22, 23, 24* Auditions: Oct. 25, 26, 27 Come Blow Your Horn Comedy by Neil Simon Mar. 12, 13, 14*, 19, 20, 21*, 26, 27, 28* Auditions: Jan. 10, 11, 12 You Can’t Take it With You Comedy by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman May 14, 15, 16*, 21, 22, 23*, 28, 29, 30* Auditions: Mar. 14, 15, 16 Showtimes: Evenings 8 p.m.; *Sunday Matinee 3 p.m.

Tickets: $20 adults / $5 youth (18 & under) All performances held at the Casino Theatre in the Pier Village on St. Simons Island www.theislandplayers.com

Tony Ferri, the 2009 dramatics director, Island Players

Photo by Joe Loehle September/October 2009 13

Photo by Joe Loehle

Anne Hodnett, who has acted, directed and produced, served as president and member of the board for 30 years.

through the theater. “I’ve met a lot of really nice people,” she says.

Barbara agrees there is a lot of camaraderie in the theater. “If people are new to the community, theater is a great way to meet people and get involved.” The Island Players “provide something special for this community,” she adds.

The Island Players “have always had a reputation of being one of the finest community theater groups on the whole East Coast,” Anne says. Her social life

A

was the Players and she’s pleased with its physical growth over the years and the talent the theater has produced in the area. Some have continued on the New York stage and one was in the touring group of “Chicago” this year, she says.

The happiness the theater has brought to people who have attended over the years is rewarding for those involved in putting the productions together, Anne says. “There’s something very satisfying about working six hard weeks and walking in there opening

night and seeing that stage you’ve built and you decorated, and the little old lady next door who helped you paint, and the little old lady who made the hats for “My Fair Lady”.”

From the very young to the more mature set, from actor to producer to lighting director, those involved with the Island Players have a passion for bringing the stories to the community.

There is a lot of commitment to producing a show, says Tony, and he’s pleased with the “constant stream of talent.”

Some actors have been with the theater for many years, while others are a fairly new bunch. Half the cast of “Enchanted April” were new. “We’ve always been a medium for new people to present their talents on the stage.”

Barbara says that many organizations and businesses have been very generous to the theater over the years. But the biggest support comes from their season members.

“Without our season members, we wouldn’t be having (the plays).”

Anne is immensely grateful for the theater in her community. “It’s a makebelieve world in the theater, but sometimes it’s an escape from reality,” she says. “There’s nothing that has given me more pleasure than being with the Players.” G

Thespian Lesson

The play is more than just the recess thing at Glynn Academy.

This fall, the GA Players celebrates its 20th anniversary and is moving ahead with plans to become an accredited fine arts academy. Shirley Spencer, the theater arts director for GA, started teaching at the school in 1988. The drama club formed the next year. Since then, the club has blossomed Photo courtesy GA Players and transformed the lives of many of her students.

“In my freshman year when I came into

Listening to the teens chatter about the drama class, I sat down at my desk and their love for the drama club, finishing no one would talk to me,” Hayley Luhrs, each other’s sentences as they describe their 16, explains. “Now it’s like everyone knows passion, one would never know that each me. It’s crazy.” of these students was once shy and felt “I used to get into arguments,” Travis obscure. They all agree that the Players has Hart, 16, adds. “Now I’m a real people changed their lives. person.”

14 Goldenislesmagazine.com

The drama students begin their days early, arriving at school between 8 o’clock and 8:30, and then remain until after 6 o’clock every night of the week. Every drama student is involved in some aspect of the program, whether it’s working behind the scenes on lights, staging and repairs or out front as an actor on the stage. Last year, the Players put on eight shows, including oneact performances.

To them, the hard work is worth the effort.

The Players “really changed my perception of drama,” says Allison Bennett, 16.

Ellen Boyett, 15, adds that she’s made a bunch of new friends. And even if at first she

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wasn’t clear on her direction in life, she’s sure the Players has shaped her ideas for the future. “I know I want to stay in the arts because once you get into it, I doubt (one) could leave it all the way.�

Shirley stresses to her students the valuable skills they will learn for life, especially with the slim odds of becoming a famous actor. They will gain leadership, communication and organizational skills.

They will be able to pursue whatever job in whatever field they wish.

“They will be able to sell themselves and portray that role for that corporation.

A theater student is used to working long, hard, difficult hours,� Shirley says. Add working under stress to the equation, and you have a set of highly marketable skills.

The students agree that the theater has taught them not only people skills but speech, leadership skills and networking abilities.

“Not every person is going to mesh together,� says Allison, “but you can push past flaws and push past your pet peeves and just work with them.�

Working together as a team “helps us to get over ourselves and think about what’s best for the group,� Travis adds.

The students have learned to work with a variety of other performance groups that use their theater. And they’ve worked with students who are physically challenged, including deaf students.

“Drama is not just for the ablebodied,� says Shirley. “This is educational theater.�

Allison adds that theater is a great method to cope with any problems one might be experiencing. “It’s a chance to forget and you have to shirk off all your stress and all your problems and just be someone else for a couple of hours.�

“We see all these people working hours upon hours and it’s like blood, sweat and tears on that stage and we’ve been through it all,� says Hayley.

The community’s support is what pushes the Players forward. Attending a performance not only helps the Players financially, but a strong crowd provides energy to the students who have worked hard to produce a show.

“If it wasn’t for the community, the Players would not have lasted for 20 years,� says Shirley. “The kids have done it all.� G

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Profile

The By Amy H. Carter

Y

Charles “Buck” Buckalew with wife Marge

Photo by Joe Loehle

The Optimist Creed Promise Yourself: • To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

• To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.

• To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

• To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

• To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.

• To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

• To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

• To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

• To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

• To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

16 Goldenislesmagazine.com

You might say Charles L. “Buck” Buckalew is the happiest man alive.

As the longest continuously serving member of the St. Simons Optimist Club and one of Georgia’s most senior Optimists, he may well be the chief of happy. If, as is said, you’re never fully dressed without a smile, Buck is always dressed to the nines.

In his younger days, he drove a 1946 Ford that he had specially painted in the happiest of all colors: yellow.

“I just liked that color,” he says of the car.

“It would go, too, let me tell you,” he adds.

A World War II veteran who retired from the U.S. Air Force at 41, Buck is preparing to enter his 90s, a prospect he seems to look forward to.

Buck has been going forever, it seems, and every trip includes an extra mile.

Born in Chicago while his mother was visiting the city, Buck left his hometown of Mattoon, Ill., to see the world via the Army Air Corps. His gig included World War II duty in England and Germany. He met wife Marge while serving in the Air Force, successor to the Army Air Corps.

Within four months of meeting, they married, on June 26, 1949.

“We loved to jitterbug, didn’t we honey?” Marge says as the two reminisce.

To celebrate their 60th anniversary, the couple went to Zuzu’s in the Pier Village and ate hotdogs with friends. They beam at the memory.

It may be impossible to say whether Buck and Marge’s happiness is cause or effect, a result of nature or nurture.

Was it divine provenance that two eternal optimists found one another, or

Optimistic Man has 60 years of togetherness allowed one buoyant spirit to raise the other? Buck offers two stories to explain the couple’s philosophy of life.

First, there was the cousin whose wife nearly died on the operating table.

Prior to the wife’s illness, the couple was wealthy and cheap, hating to part with their riches. After her recovery, Buck saw a new man, one flush with all the great things money can by. The couple took trips and indulged every whim they could afford.

“He said, ‘If she had died, what good would the money have done me then?’”

Second, Marge was forced into early retirement by a heart ailment decades ago. She was working as a court reporter in the Judge Advocate General’s Office at Glynco Naval Air Station, and the stress was literally killing her.

Buck got the OK from her doctors and took a month off work to travel with Marge.

“We took off with a new car. I forget how many miles we drove,” he says.

Marge remembers they drove all over the USA and even into Canada, where she grew up after being born in Detroit. Every trip they’ve taken since has picked up the places they missed on that first tour.

“Of course, we’re broke now,” Buck laughs. Yes, laughs.

So whatever the secret to happiness is, it isn’t money.

It may very well be youth, but not necessarily one’s own, or even one’s progeny.

“Unfortunately, we tried to have children and we didn’t succeed, so we just kept going,” Marge says.

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Buck is a founding member of the 50-year-old Optimist Club on St. Simons Island, a task he was nudged into by his boss in 1959.

“He said, ‘We’re going to do this thing,’ and I said, ‘OK.’”

Buck is still there, encouraging the young people the club mentors and aids through scholarships and other forms of financial support. His enthusiasm for the club has never wavered. He was instrumental in starting 10 years ago a communications contest for deaf and hard of hearing students in the Glynn County School System. Students compete for $1,500 in scholarship funds by preparing an essay, then standing before a crowd to present it.

Marcie Harper, lead teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing in the Glynn County School System, says past participants have gone on to greatness with the help of the contest. One, a new bride, works in the theater in New York and Florida. Another works as a Customs Inspector at the Miami International

Airport. Both are completely deaf and use American Sign Language as their only form of communication.

Another who is hard of hearing is a student at Gallaudet University, a liberal arts college for the deaf and hard of hearing. That student is majoring in finance. And a fourth, the son of a local fireman, is himself now a firefighter in Florida. He and his wife have adopted three siblings who are hard of hearing.

“The best way to feel good about yourself is to do something for a child to help them succeed,” says Susan White, governor of 97 clubs in the Georgia District of Optimist International.

“There’s no way you could have a bad feeling helping youth.”

And so we find the secret to Buck Buckalew’s happiness – a heart full of love for one he knows so well and others he knows hardly at all.

All hail the chief of happiness. G

“It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are.”

- Ernest Hemingway

At left, Congressman Jack Kingston writes to congratulate Buck on being named “Optimist of the Year” in 2000.

Above, The newlyweds.

See photos from the St. Simons Optimist Club’s 50th Anniversary Celebration on page 62.

Open Thursday - Monday 10am-6pm ernest h.indd 1

September/October 2009 19 8/14/09 10:12:42 AM

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20 Goldenislesmagazine.com

The ghosts of the Old South are going to seed, tethered by chains of kudzu and wisteria to fields of cotton and tobacco volunteers, random pieces of change left over from cash crops long since spent. While the “New South” hurtles at top speed toward the future, heedless to the specters flying past the car windows, the beauty of a hand-made life is slowly being lost. Four corners formed by hardwood felled, limbed and shaped on the property then stacked and secured and topped with shingles and shakes, these structures follow a centuries old blueprint for housing people, animals and implements that defies the torpid decay skulking on the heels of progress.

Even in this age of “green living,” of reusing and re-purposing, we have little use for such things of the past, physical reminders of a time when the work was hard and the money scarce, when all that people had was what they could forage, nurture or craft for themselves. Ironically, it takes a man of some means, whose talent and perseverance have earned him a measure of comfort and plenty in the modern world, to give these ghosts new substance.

The Cabins at Copeland Hall ring a verdant clearing at the end of a long dirt road in northern Camden County. A 25-acre hunting retreat and closeto-home getaway for PGA golfer Davis Love III and his family and friends, Copeland Hall’s living quarters are composed of three Civil War-era cabins salvaged from the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee.

Made of heart pine, hickory, ash and oak, the cabins were purchased, disassembled, trucked to Georgia and reassembled in a luxurious new fashion that still pays homage to their humble roots.

September/October 2009 21

The craftsmen who rebuilt the cabins from the ground up are practitioners of a dying art form – pioneer woodcrafting accomplished with the materials at hand. Cabinets, doors and even stick spindles in the banister rails were custommade with South Georgia hardwoods. The stairs leading to a loft in the cabin that belongs to Davis’ daughter, Lexie, were cut from a cypress tree felled on the property. The main cabin, named for Davis’ wife, Robin, is actually two cabins that were originally saddle-bagged around a central fireplace.

At Copeland Hall, the two are separated by a breezeway to lend more floor space for entertaining and living. Son Dru’s cabin was finished with vintage heart pine, owing to its history. It was built almost exclusively of heart pine at Sandy Mush, N.C., between 1860 and 1870. Its last occupant was a single man who earned his living trapping and working in the local tobacco fields, until about the mid-1960s.

Then, as now, life in a log cabin was far from simple.

The builders in Camden County, led by the late Jaxon Hice of St. Simons Island (who died as the two-year project was nearing completion) prepared for the arrival of the cabins by building foundations and floor systems in advance – a leap of faith given the fact that precise measurements were impossible. According to Jaxon’s journal of the project, the cabins were not precise rectangles because some walls were longer than their opposites.

Modern plumbing, mechanical and electrical systems were installed, and indoor bathrooms were built into attached lean-tos. Vintage Lumber Co. of Gay, Ga., supplied reclaimed wood for the interior and exterior woodwork of the cabins. Cracks and holes in the cabins that would have originally been filled with corncobs, rags, rocks and clay are now sealed and waterproofed with modern epoxy and acrylic cement.

An artful blend of the tried-and-true and the best of all modern conveniences, Copeland Hall is where the Old South lives on in stylish harmony with the New. G

22 Goldenislesmagazine.com

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Georgia Southern fan Doree Avera

Auburn fan Walter Graham

Georgia meets Florida for another historic bout at 3 p.m. Oct. 31 in Jacksonville.

24 Goldenislesmagazine.com

Georgia Tech fan John Howton

Florida fans Lucy and David Loehle

As for the dates and times that all those other teams will play, just ask The Other Fans.

September/October 2009 25

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In just a few weeks, droves of football fans will travel to or through the Golden Isles for one of the biggest rivalries in the sport. Most will be die-hard fans who bleed for their teams, while others cheer for different reasons.

The match-up between the University of Georgia and the University of Florida is one of the most anticipated and watched games of the whole football season. While thousands will travel south like birds in the winter, the rest of the nation will watch the game on TV, hoping the winner of this game will help another team they cheer for.

While the University of Georgia bulldogs have a very active alumni club, several other schools have alumni and fans who are happy to call the Golden Isles home. Auburn University, Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern are just a few of the schools represented locally by strong alumni clubs.

President of the Golden Isles Auburn Alumni Club, Walter Graham, believes this game is not as intense as the Iron Bowl, where Auburn University and the University of Alabama play for the state’s 26 Goldenislesmagazine.com

championship. “In Alabama, the Iron Bowl is brought up in everyday conversation,” Walter says. “The Georgia vs. Florida game isn’t really about the football. After all it was nicknamed ‘The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party’.”

When asked if there are any similarities of Auburn fans to personalities of Georgia or Florida fans, he is quick to point out the laid-back mind-set of those from Alabama. “We’re just some good ole home boys and girls that just want to have a good time and win some football,” he says. “We’re not as sophisticated as some of the other schools in the Southeastern Conference.”

Of the 300 Auburn alumni in Glynn County, Graham says he believes most would prefer a Georgia victory because they would be an easier team to beat in the conference championship. He would prefer the Gators to win because “Georgia fans are not good winners,” and he doesn’t want to listen to them gloat all year.

John Howton, Georgia Tech alum, moved to St. Simons Island a few years ago with his wife. John owns a business in the middle of a sea of Georgia fans. “It’s impossible to be a Gator fan,” he says, adding that it is much more pleasant for a restaurant owner to have happy fans. Even though he cheers for Georgia for an alternate reason, Howton says he appreciates having the fans down, as they add so much to the local economy.

He admits to once having a stuffed bulldog hanging from the bar of his restaurant, Blackwater Grill in Redfern Village.

While he is a true Tech fan, he still cheers for the Dawgs and gladly welcomes the fans to his restaurant on game day. “I want

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Georgia to win every game, especially against Florida,” John says, “because when they play Georgia Tech, I want them to think they stand a chance before we crush their undefeated dream season.”

Fans of large schools are not the only others who are interested in this game.

Doree Avera, president of the Glynn County Eagle Club, believes most Georgia Southern fans would prefer a Georgia win over Florida. “We didn’t go to UGA, so the game is more about the party,” Doree says. “We cheer for Georgia because Southern is like its little sister.” Living on the island her whole life, Doree has seen her fair share of fans come down for the game. “People come to the islands from St. Simons to Amelia Island to be in the party atmosphere,” she says. “You can’t beat the location. The beach and football – what could be more perfect?”

She adds that this game is the biggest game in terms of size, but she thinks the Georgia vs. Georgia Tech game holds higher stakes. Georgia Southern typically only plays the University of Georgia once every four or five years. “Football is the biggest, most recognized sport in the south,” Doree says. “College football is the best and having one of the biggest games in the country located right here at home couldn’t be better.”

David and Lucy Loehle may live in the Bulldawg Nation, but they’re still true blue-and-orange Gator fans, inside and out. They’ve been fans since David attended graduate school at the University of Florida in Gainesville in the early 1970s.

They cheered the Gators all 31 years they lived in New York, even when they couldn’t get the scores, let alone watch the games.

They’ve never been to a Georgia-Florida game, but they usually spend game day in friendly territory, babysitting oldest son and Florida alumn Bill’s children while he makes the rounds of the tailgate parties in Jacksonville.

“We drink his beer and watch the game on his television,” Lucy jokes.

Guests visiting the Loehles’ St. Simons Island house know they’ve arrived when they see the Gator flag hanging outside. The couple’s black pug is even named Allie Gator. Although they were warned to keep their gator fervor under

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wraps when they settled behind enemy lines seven years ago, Lucy says they’ve never had a problem with rabid Dawg fans taking offense. She believes that’s because loyal fans are kindred souls, no matter which team they cheer. “I have more in common with a die-hard fan from somewhere else,” she says. “They understand me, I understand them.”

Some people believe the biggest rivalry in college football is the Georgia vs. Florida game. Justin Downs is a fan of the University of Georgia because his whole family attended school there.

“I hope Georgia wins so I can remind my best friend about it every day,” he says. “All of the teams I don’t like have an orange color.” This conference is believed by many to be the hardest in the nation and a win does not come easy.

While he supports his team all the way, Justin is a little worried that the young team may have difficulties this season.

Despite worries about the team’s success, Justin is looking forward to the game. “The game itself is about a party,” he says. “Just two years ago, the football team got into trouble for partying in the end zone.” While the large number of fans who come to Glynn County will cause a few inconveniences, the benefits of them being here will far outweigh the negatives. Justin, who works in the hospitality industry, looks forward to the impact the fans will have on the local economy. “It is a great time to live on the island because your friends will come see you,” Justin says. “No self-respecting Georgia fan would stay in Florida during the game.”

On Oct. 31, people across the country will have their eyes on this game. The teams are already preparing for the game and many party-goers are too. Whether you are in the stadium or watching at home with friends, cheer on your favorite team and enjoy “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.” G

30 Goldenislesmagazine.com

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September/October 2009 31

Edo’s Pirates by

32 Goldenislesmagazine.com

Bob Dart

“Pirates games at Edo Miller Park were as close to the major leagues as even most grown-ups got.”

E

Edward Narozniak was in Mrs. Walton’s fourth grade class at Sidney Lanier Elementary School in the spring of 1955 when he heard the words that could make a 10-year-old Brunswick boy’s heart skip a beat.

“My daddy appeared at the door and wanted to talk to me,” he recalls more than half a century later. “He told me the great news: I had been selected to be the Pirates bat boy. My prayers had been answered!”

Throughout the ‘50s, the Brunswick Pirates – a Class D Georgia-Florida League farm team of the Pittsburgh Pirates – were heroes to the youth of Glynn County. Pirates games at Edo Miller Park were as close to the major leagues as even most grown-ups got. There were no Atlanta Braves or Florida Marlins back then, of course, and some of the teen-aged minor leaguers playing beneath the smoke of the nearby Hercules plant actually did go on to considerable fame.

Third baseman Gene Freese would make it from Brunswick to Pittsburgh and then to several other big league teams.

Pitcher Bo Belinsky, known as much for his off-field antics as for his blazing fast ball, arrived in Brunswick with a pool cue stick but no baseball glove. He would later make the Majors but also the tabloids for his on-and-off engagement to sexy movie star Mamie Van Doren. Perhaps the best-known former Brunswick Pirate hung up his spikes after being beaned in a GeorgiaFlorida League game. Mario Cuomo played centerfield for the 1952 team before giving up baseball for the law and politics and a stint as governor of New York.

These aspiring athletes came to Georgia from across America to play on fields of dreams in Valdosta, Albany, Waycross, Thomasville, Cordele, Tifton and Moultrie as well as Brunswick in 1955. The Pirates farm team moved from Tallahassee to Brunswick in 1951 but the league remained “GeorgiaFlorida” even without any teams in the Sunshine State. The Pirates left Brunswick after the 1958 season when the total season home game attendance was 45,157.

But for one boy in Mrs. Walton’s class, the Brunswick Pirates might as well have been playing in Yankee Stadium.

“I used to hang out at Edo Miller Park for a few years prior to my being selected bat boy. I sold Cokes and peanuts (a penny per drink sold). I was known by the Pirates organization because I was always there,” says Narozniak. “Every day after school, I was there during spring training. They had a selection of potential bat boys from letters that were written to the general manager. I think I was chosen, not from the contents, but because they knew me.”

The Brunswick News even had an article about his selection. He learned that he would be paid – 50 cents a game – and he went on the team bus to some out-of-town games and received $2 a day for meal money.

“I had $58 in my First National Bank account at the end of the season,” he says.

The players on the roster of 16 weren’t getting rich either. They lived at boarding houses or at the nearby Anchorage Inn which was a five-minute walk from the ball park.

“I made $250 a month,” says Floyd Faust, a Brunswick Pirates star in 1953 and 1954 who married and raised his family in Brunswick after his baseball career ended in injury. Faust stole 76 bases in 1954, the all-time Georgia-Florida League record, and has been inducted into the league hall of fame.

The 79-year-old Faust recalls one of his most thrilling moments came on opening night at Edo Miller Field in 1953.

Local merchants were offering free shirts, a 17-jewel watch, a $25 war bond and other rewards for the first Pirate hit and more prizes for the first Pirate home run.

“I was the lead-off hitter so I figured I had a good chance,” says Faust, “but I walked.”

Amazingly, he says, no teammate had gotten a hit by the time he was up again.

“This time I hit a 360foot home run,” he says. “They even passed the hat in the stands and came up with $113 for me. That was good money back then.”

Faust still lives in Brunswick.

September/October 2009 33

Narozniak, who now lives in Paducah, Ky., and owns Hertz Rent-a-Car franchises in Kentucky, Texas and the Caribbean, has a few stories from his time with the Pirates, too.

“I was known as ‘Edward’ until those Yankee players changed it to ‘Eddie’,” says Narozniak, who has been “Eddie” ever since. “In the locker room and on the bus they would talk about the Silver Dollar. I only knew that my grandmother said I was not to walk on the same side of the street as the Silver Dollar.”

One of the former bat boy’s favorite stories involves Paul Eames, the playermanager for the Waycross team, who got married at home plate on his home field.

The bride walked under an arch of raised, crossed bats. Then the newlywed husband went on to strike out four times in the game afterward.

The newspaper headline the next day read, “Paul Eames Couldn’t Get to First Base on His Honeymoon,” Narozniak remembers.

34 Goldenislesmagazine.com

“My daddy was transferred to Louisiana in October of 1955,” says Narozniak, so there would be no second season in the wool Pirates uniform with “0” on the back.

He went on to graduate from LSU and is married to the former Carol Ann Collier of Brunswick.

Incidentally, one of Glynn County’s most famous athletes was also a Pirates bat boy – but for the visiting teams. George Rose, a football star at Glynn Academy, Auburn and in the NFL, remembers playing catch with the minor league players and them “burning him up” with fast pitches.

The manager of the Brunswick Pirates in 1955 and for several other seasons was Frank Oceak.

“Frank did not like to lose. His office in the locker room was a place for things to be thrown around after a loss,” says Narozniak.

“On the other hand, he did try to shield me from the ‘bad’ part of the game. I would be sent out of the locker room most of the time when he was having a pre-game meeting about beaning a player or doing something ‘on the edge’ of good sportsmanship.”

Indeed, earlier in his career, Oceak had been suspended from baseball for a year by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis for assaulting an umpire. However, he went on to become a third base coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was in the coaching box in the 1960 World Series when Bill Mazeroski hit his historic home run to defeat the New York Yankees to win the Series. Oceak can be seen in old photos and film footage running home beside Mazeroski in celebration.

The lower minor leagues withered as families across America got televisions and stayed home to watch “I Love Lucy” and “Gunsmoke” rather than going to the ballparks. And they could see real Major League games on the weekends and hear TV announcer Dizzy Dean sing the “Wabash Cannon Ball” to boot. The move of the Braves from Milwaukee to Atlanta brought the National League to the South.

The Pirates left Brunswick after the 1958 season. In later seasons, farm teams from the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals played a season or two at Edo

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Miller Park. But the 1963 season was the last for the Georgia-Florida League.

Still, for awhile there was magic on summer nights in Edo Miller Park as real professional baseball players took to the field and fans forgot the gnats and the graveyard shift at the pulp mill, bought a hot dog for 20 cents and a Coke for a dime and rooted for the home team.

“The people of Brunswick really supported the Pirates. Many had ‘their seats’ and you better not sit in ‘their seat’ even though they were not reserved,” says a former bat boy. “The radio announcer for WGIG was John Harmon. He did the play-by-play from a box above the visiting players dugout.”

Fans knew the words to the song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and the sentiment behind it.

“My great uncle, Harvey Andrews, went to every Pirates game. He didn’t have a car,” says Narozniak. “He drove a Pabst Blue Ribbon truck to every game – with his three children riding in the back.” G

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The

Idiat

and the

Odd-yssey

Searching for International Georgia, Episode III

A Quest by Harlan Hambright/H2O Creative Group Welcome to the third attempt at something like journalism of the Idiat and the Odd-yssey wherein we are traveling all over the state of Georgia touring each of the approximately 60 discreet communities which seem to have internationally inspired names. The last episode featured Classical Georgia—Rome, Athens, Romulus and Remus, that sort of thing—and today we tackle the entirety of if the British Isles in one giant swath.

British folks began settling what is now Georgia in February of 1733. General James Oglethorpe and others had secured a charter as trustees for the colony and began settling Anne, now known as Savannah. Part of Oglethorpe’s idea for the new settlement was as an alternative to debtor’s prison. In 1736 Oglethorpe, recognizing the Spanish threat to the south, recruited Scots who were willing to take up arms and offered them land and other substantial benefits. They settled in New Inverness, now Darien. This program proved quite beneficial at the 1742 Battle of Bloody Marsh on St. Simons. Georgia has always had a problem with people from Florida coming up here causing trouble and that is where it all started. The battle confirmed the British position in Georgia, established by the Treaty 36 Goldenislesmagazine.com

Top: thethe famous White Cliffs.

Top: Dover, Dover Georgia’s Georgia’sattempt attemptatatrecreating recreating famous White Cliffs.

Above: The similarity of all architecture in the hamlet suggests a unique Above: the similarity of all architecture in the hamlet suggests a unique style Vernacular. style to tobe beknown knownasasthe theDover Dover Vernacular.

of Aix-la-Chapelle. Irish began immigrating to America in the early 1700s settling in Pennsylvania before migrating southward, many to our state. It is no wonder then that there are numerous locations around the state which recognize, by their names, a British heritage.

Let’s begin with England and Dover, famous for its white chalk cliffs. Dover, England , is a major ferry port and, ironically, transportation has always been a major endeavor of Dover, Georgia—just north of Statesboro—though rail-oriented. Its entry in the 1906 Cyclopedia of Georgia makes it sound like quite the thriving place. It’s pretty sleepy these days and the only thing resembling a white cliff would be stacks and stacks of wooden shipping pallets. There is a definite consistency to the architectural style of the buildings there, what few remain.

Above: Signs of the Isle of Wight’s all important maritime industry.

Below: It would appear that it indeed might not be too dear to rent a cottage every summer on the Isle of Wight as was suggested by four young Englishmen a few decades ago as they pondered personal relationships during advancing age and ultimate retirement.

To the southeast (in Georgia), near Midway, lies the Isle of Wight. The one in England has been a popular resort destination since the Victorian era and has a rich maritime history.

It is probably not entirely coincidental then that Georgia’s Isle of Wight shares similar characteristics, though to a far more modest degree. Queen Victoria, Charles Dickens and Alfred Lord Tennyson, for example, used to spend summers there. Georgia’s has a few summer homes and a deep water B&B. In the maritime department, England’s has had sail makers and boat builders for centuries and Hovercraft has a manufacturing plant there while, coincidentally, ours has a place that will repair your outboard motor.

A similar amazingly ironic connection can be made in the Baths. Bath, England, is southeast of London and was granted city status in 1590.

It was built around the only naturally occurring hot springs in the United Kingdom. Georgia’s Bath was settled quite soon after that, in the late 1700s, and became a summer retreat from malaria for Augustans in the late 1800s.

Wealthy planters built elegant summer homes there and took advantage of the therapeutic spring water at the bathhouse. A 1968 article in the Augusta Chronicle-Herald mentions the remaining homes and the ruins of the bathhouse. I was unable to spot anything of that era, save a couple of rotting cabins, with the exception of the fine 1784 Presbyterian September/October 2009 37

Church which seems to be holding its own.

The few residents I queried had not even heard of the baths of Bath. Oh, Bath, England, is a World Heritage Site and has a population of just under 90,000.

Let’s head west and see what’s happening in Windsor. Windsor, Georgia, is precariously close to Atlanta and just outside of Loganville.

It was an early settlement and has nothing except for the Windsor Universalist Church which meets once a year, and a solid waste disposal facility across the two-lane. It was indeed named for the Windsor in England where the castle is and where the most expensive real estate in the UK is situated.

These days, it is a buyer’s market for real estate in Windsor, Georgia.

No use spending much time in Windsor, so off we go to Oxford, a short drive south. Oxford, the one in England at any rate, appears in written records as early as 912 and received city status in 1191. It is home to the oldest university in the English speaking world which, as you may know, is Oxford. The connections just don’t stop: Oxford, Georgia, is the original home to one of the oldest educational institutions in the South, Emory College (now Oxford College), whose alumni include the Wesley brothers and, continuing a rich heritage, where the Dukes of Hazzard opening scene jumps were filmed. The campus respects its heritage, architecturally, and the town, despite its proximity to a certain large metropolitan area, maintains a pleasant small town atmosphere.

Our tour of England ends in the greater Manchester area. The industrial revolution got its first toehold in Manchester which quickly became a textile manufacturing center and grew from township to city status in just a few decades. During the Victorian era it was referred to as “Cottonopolis” and in 1913, 65 percent of the world’s cotton was processed in the greater Manchester area. Manchester, Georgia, was named for its English counterpart and was chosen in 1917 as the confluent point of three railroads making it quite the transportation hub. Bowdon, England, is a residential community within the Manchester area. It seems to have been one of the first bedroom communities in the world with a 38 Goldenislesmagazine.com

Top: Could there these structures have had anything to do with Bath’s therapeutic springs? Above, Bath’s Presbyterian Church from 1784.

Below: Pretty much the entirety of Windsor, its Universalist Church and grounds.

rail station built in 1849 providing service to downtown Manchester. I would like to report that Bowdon, Georgia, similarly lies just outside Manchester, Georgia. Unfortunately, it is a two hour drive to the northwest, but very close to Ephesus which we visited in the previous installment of this erudite travel feature.

Would you not agree that having an attorney named “Tony Blair” in a town named “Oxford” seems a bit manufactured?

Above: The British flag does not fly in the friendly city of Bowdon.

Below: One of Scotland’s restaurants that perhaps serves haggis in January during a Burns celebration. Or not.

Bowdon, Georgia, “The Friendly City,” was named, not after its counterpart, but after a senator from Alabama of all things. It was incorporated in 1859. In 1860, the census reported a population of some 304 which has swelled to a staggering 2,000 2000 in a mere 149 years! Of the similar small towns in Georgia, its downtown area seems to be thriving more than most with storefronts containing artist’s studios, techie businesses and the like.

Scotland is but briefly represented in the Peach State, so let’s knock it out before spending time in Ireland. First we have Scotland, named after the preponderance of settlers from, well, Scotland. If you’re taking the 341 route to Atlanta and are not in a rush, it would be worth taking the small detour to Scotland, just before you get to McRae, to see what a small railroad town in Georgia must have looked like at the turn of the century (the other turn).

The preeminent structure is the old brick post office, now sadly abandoned. It had some manufacturing and shipping concerns in 1900 but commercial activity seems to be limited now to a few retail establishments and a couple of diners. Perhaps a haggis is available in one. No kilts nor bagpipes were noted on my two visits to the community.

Aberdeen, Scotland, has been inhabited for 8,000 8000 years. Once a center for textiles, ship

building, paper making, granite quarrying and foundry work, its economy is now dependent on North Sea oil production. Aberdeen, Georgia, named for our city in Scotland, has not enjoyed such a long existence. In fact, in 1995, it became a former community. Aince awa, aye awa. It is now incorporated within Peachtree City which I would not be that happy about, honestly, were I a former town. What was Aberdeen is very hard to locate and all I could find of it was a modest church building near the railroad tracks off a dirt road.

September/October 2009 39

Ireland has fared much better. Dublin was named for the hometown of the wife of one Jonathan Sawyer who donated the land for the public buildings, as, of course, would have been his prerogative. The 1907 Cyclopedia describes it as quite the thriving metropolis with rail traffic and river traffic and all manners of industry. The town celebrates its Irish heritage with a St. Patrick’s festival in March and its Southern heritage with the Redneck Games in the summer.

Off to Belfast. There do not appear to have been any major partisan disputes in Belfast, Georgia been endured for for so long in Georgia, such such have as have been endured so long inits namesake, unless you count a Revolutionary its namesake, unless you count a revolutionary War affair affair wherein wherein aa Patriot Patriot commander commander war captured some Torys during their dinner and exchanged them for a captured colonel.

Off to Cork which was originally named Dublin and originally settled by Irish. It began as a trading and shipping center for Butts county. In that regard, the most you can give it today is that there is, indeed, a railroad track nearby.

Let’s try Limerick. It, too, was a shipping port in its heyday. Today, it is not that easy to find and has but a bunch of houses there and one convenient store. Its Irish counterpart currently has a gang problem but that seems not to be a contemporary issue in Georgia, not in Limerick at any rate.

Kildare, Ireland, is home to the Irish National Stud, Japanese Garden and St. Fiachra’s garden.

Kildare, Georgia, is not even mentioned in any historical resource at my disposal. Suffice it to say that there is a small store there with tolerable coffee and nothing to distinguish its Irish heritage.

Killarney is a different story. Well, not really.

It’s pretty much these days a farm and contrasts markedly with its counterpart in Ireland, a popular tourist destination and party town.

So, maybe it didn’t take such a giant swath after all to do our British tour. Since the next installment will appear a month before Christmas, perhaps we’ll visit the little town of Bethlehem. Until then, get off the Interstate and see for yourself the rich international heritage that helps make Georgia Georgia. G 40 Goldenislesmagazine.com

Top: Scotland’s main architectural attraction. Above: Several breeds of dogs originated in Scotland including Golden Retriever, Border Collie, Scottish Terrier, Shetland Sheepdog and Scottish Deerhound.

Below: What remains of the now nonexistent town of Aberdeen.

Ireland

Signs of “The Troubles” remain in Belfast.

Example of the traditional architecture of Limerick.

Main commercial district of Cork.

Kildare. All of it.

Killarney. At least it’s the right color.

all photographs ©2009 Harlan Hambright

Dublin’s fair city.

September/October 2009 41

O

Heading for the Hill Georgia’s shrimpers struggle to survive Story by Bob Dart Photos by Benjamin Galland

Jose Rivera

42 Goldenislesmagazine.com

Optimism is rising like the sun on the pink and blue horizon as the first morning catch from the “try net” is dumped onto the deck of the “Miss Harley” about three miles off St. Simons Island.

The small “try net” is pulled in every 15 minutes to half an hour to give a clue about what the shrimp boat’s four larger “otter nets” are reaping on the floor of the Atlantic. This first test of the day has gathered 60 shrimp in 20 minutes – a good sign just a couple of days after another shrimp boat came back to a Brunswick dock with only 18 shrimp from the entire trip.

“We’ll make a little something today,” predicts crew member Terry Miller.

The three-member crew of the “Miss Harley” consists of Cap’n Gerald Lamb, 44, a former cast shrimper who bought this 58-foot wooden trawler for about $40,000 in 1995; Miller, 43, who grew up on St. Simons Island and has worked the saltwaters in and around Glynn County for most of his life; and Jose Rivera, another striker who has spent more time on the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico than on land since he was born in a fishing village in Puerto Rico 53 years ago.

Even after decades of dragging for shrimp, the chase and catch excite them.

“When we empty a big haul out of the nets, we be dancing on the deck,” laughs Rivera.

But there is no dancing as the next two “try net” catches are smaller with the third test haul bringing in only one shrimp.

“It’s getting worse instead of better,” moans Cap’n Lamb.

The crew gets 35 percent of the gross sales for the day with the remainder going to “the boat” to cover expenses and compensate the owner.

“If there ain’t no shrimp, nobody gets paid,” explains Lamb, who would actually lose money on such a fruitless excursion since he has to pay for fuel and ice and food and insurance and upkeep of the boat.

The drawls of Georgia shrimpers are tinged with sorrow and resignation when talk turns to swapping their saltwater livelihoods for a steady paycheck from a mill or store or construction crew “on the hill.”

Exquisite

“There’s a saying now: If you’re going to have a shrimp boat, you or your wife better have a good job on the hill to support your boat,” says John Wallace, president of the Georgia Shrimp Association and a second-generation shrimper who still has two working shrimp boats trawling out of Darien.

“We’re a dying breed. That’s for sure,” says Diane Adams, who lives aboard her shrimp boat, the “Tremalee,” which docks in Brunswick.

The state issued about 1,500 licenses a year for shrimp boats in the late 1970s. This year the number was about 300, says Patrick Geer, director of commercial fisheries for the Coastal Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

On opening day of the 2009 season in June, 138 shrimp boats

Terry Miller

went out, Geer recalls, but on any given day there will be only about 50 boats trawling off the beaches and beyond. And the dearth of boats is not due to a decline in the schools of shrimp off the Georgia coast.

“For the most part, shrimp are doing fine. It’s the shrimpers who aren’t,” says Geer.

For some families, a way of life is ending.

“I was raised up on the water. I’ve been at it 40 years, since I was seven and went out with my daddy,” says Leslie Jacobs, owner and captain of the “Lisa Marie” which docks in Brunswick and is named for his daughter. “Shrimping comes right down through my family – my granddaddy, my daddy and me. My son got a little bit smarter and he works at the fire station.”

“It’s all bad. The price of fuel is too high. The price of shrimp is too low,” says Greg Boone, 50, a third-generation boat captain who has been shrimping since he was 11. He sees his family’s future “on the hill.”

“I’ve got only one boy out of six young’uns in shrimping,” he says.

His boat, “Little Man,” is named for his youngest son but Boone doubts that even he will follow his forebears down the Sapelo River.

The reasons for the dwindling number of shrimpers are part regulatory. Many shrimpers who worked the sounds in small “mosquito boats” left the business about three decades ago when the sounds – areas where rivers empty into the ocean amid the marshes and barrier islands – were put off limits.

“Closing of the sounds was the big one. It was a pivotal point in the industry,” says Geer.

The sounds often teemed with shrimp but needed protection because they “are nursery areas for pretty much everything” including crabs and fish as well as shrimp, he explains.

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Catches were also reduced by more recent regulations requiring shrimpers to use Turtle Excluder Devices or TEDS which allows sea turtles and other reptiles to escape and Bycatch Reduction Devices which let out finned fish. However, the devices aren’t foolproof so some shrimp also flee from the nets.

But the Georgia shrimp fleet – indeed shrimp boats from Texas to Virginia – has been hit hardest by the massive influx of foreign, farm-raised shrimp.

“It’s just like the steel and automobile industries” with countries in Asia and South America providing imported shrimp cheaper than domestic shrimp boats can sell their catch at the docks, explains Geer. Up to 90 percent of shrimp eaten by Americans is imported, he says.

American boats can’t fill the demand, he says, as shrimp – with prices driven down by foreign suppliers – has replaced tuna fish as the most eaten seafood in the United States.

“People think they come to the coast and get local shrimp. But a lot of the time, they’re not,” he says.

Still the picturesque boats bring in about 4 million pounds of Georgia shrimp a year, he says. That’s worth $16 million to $19 million at the docks with shrimpers usually getting from $3.50 to $4.50 a pound for white shrimp. And there is a multiplier effect of three to the local economy.

But money is not the major motivation anyway for the captains and crews of shrimp boats.

“It’s beautiful out there. The sunsets. The marine animals. Really strange critters come up around your boat,” says Diane Adams, who works the “Tremalee” with her fiance, Chris Prince, who has been a shrimper for 30 years.

“It’s the closest that you can come to God that I’ve found in my 41 years,” says Adams. **************

Aboard the “Miss Harley,” Jose Rivera is frying bacon and eggs for breakfast. The crew spent the previous night aboard the boat so they could be on the water by 5 a.m.

Shrimping is permitted from half an hour before sunrise until half an hour after sunset.

Many Georgia shrimp boats go out for several days at a time, so food is important.

“We eat a lot of shrimp because we can’t afford hot dogs,” jokes Cap’n Lamb.

Indeed, the Southern favorite shrimp and grits was invented aboard a shrimp boat, according to Wallace, the head of the Georgia Shrimp Association. “Everybody takes out grits and rice so a lot of seafood recipes originate out there. Then they’re fancied up by the restaurants,” he explains.

After breakfast on the “Miss Harley”, the four nets being pulled behind the outriggers are raised by a winch and emptied on the deck. Thousands of shrimp are flopping

At left, “Miss Harley Capt. Gerald Lamb and striker, Terry Miller, unload a drag. amongst the “bycatch� of baby sharks, whiting, sting rays, jellyfish, flounder, eels, Spanish mackerel, horseshoe crabs, puffer fish, blue crabs, squids and other “junk fish.�

Relief is rampant at the surprising success of the first drag. Tossing a small hammerhead shark overboard, Miller grins broadly. With a cigarette stuck behind his ear, he sits on a stool and begins separating the shrimp from the “bycatch� and the “brownies� from the white shrimp with amazing speed.

Rivera is working as fast and skillfully on the opposite side of the boat. Both rake the picked over “bycatch� out holes in the sides of the boat.

The strikers separate the two types of shrimp caught commercially along Georgia’s coast into plastic bushel baskets. The larger white shrimp (Penaeus setiferus) make up about 80 percent of the annual harvest and are considered among the world’s best tasting seafood. Brown shrimp or “brownies� (Penaeus aztecus) account for almost all the rest and have their

own fans. However, “brownies� fetch considerably less at market.

This catch is mixed but with more “brownies.� After discarding the “bycatch� and separating the types, the strikers take off the heads of the shrimp.

They are almost as excited by the large catch of whiting, flounder and Spanish mackerel as by the shrimp.

By tradition, strikers keep the money from fish sales and these will bring in $2 to $3 a pound.

The deck is hosed down and the crew gobbles a quick lunch of really fresh boiled shrimp. With the beaches of Jekyll and St. Simons glistening in the distance, the waters around the boat bustle with activity. Charter fishing boats follow in a quest for sharks. Hundreds of sea gulls swoop down and snatch up the discarded fish of the “bycatch.� As the nets are raised to conclude the second drag, a dozen porpoises gather to eat the fish that will escape through the Bycatch Reduction Device.

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A drag usually lasts from two to four hours. Although smaller than the first drag, the second haul is teeming with shrimp.

“It’s almost pure shrimp,” exclaims Miller.

The strikers sort the catch beneath a blue tarp that provides welcome shade from a broiling sun. Usually the temperature on the water is 10 to 15 degrees cooler than that “on the hill” but this is an especially hot, humid day, observes Lamb.

Spirits are high as the catch is culled, the shrimp beheaded, the nets raised, and the “Miss Harley” heads “back to the house.”

Everything would be great, says Cap’n Lamb, if shrimpers just got a profitable price for their catch. **************

There’s a T-shirt hanging on a wall of the riverside headquarters of the Georgia Shrimp Association in Darien that bears the message: “Friends Don’t Let Friends Eat Imported Shrimp.”

Wallace says one of the association’s goals is to get Americans to eat “Wild Georgia Shrimp” rather than foreign, farmgrown shrimp. Not only is it more patriotic, but the local shrimp taste better, he says.

“We did research on Vidalia onions, Alaska salmon, Maine lobsters” to differentiate “Wild Georgia Shrimp,” he says.

“We want to give the consumer the ability to choose. We figured people would pay for quality.”

“Farm-raised shrimp have created a worldwide glut” and lowered prices to where Georgia shrimpers are being forced to “go to the hill” to make a living, he says.

The association intends to define, inspect and certify genuine Georgia shrimp, raise handling and packing standards and market it as a premium seafood.

Shrimpers don’t see how the program has raised the prices they’re getting, says

Cap’n Lamb. The only way he makes shrimping work economically is selling as much of his catch as he can directly from the boat. He says he can provide fresher shrimp directly to consumers for half of what they would pay at the grocery store and make twice as much on the shrimp himself.

“Somebody is making money” in the business but it’s not the Georgia shrimpers, he laments.

Wallace has his own rueful stories about the finances of shrimping.

He and his father built one of his boats,

the “Gale Force.” The vessel is named for his wife, Gale, who pushed him forcefully to get the boat finished and get it paid for soon.

If he ever got the notion to build another boat, he says, it would probably be called the “Gale Warning” with his wife advising him not to.

With 70 percent of Georgia shrimp boat captains owning and operating their own boats, the options are few for aging shrimpers.

“The only retirement in shrimping is to play the lottery,” says Wallace. G

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Carter • Photos by Benjamin Galland

48 Goldenislesmagazine.com

But for the lack of raven locks and green velvet drapes and maybe the small matter of being born years after the queen mother of steel magnolias sprang fully cocked and loaded from Margaret Mitchell’s Remington typewriter, Betty Anne Lewis could be Scarlett O’Hara.

There is a resolute unflappability to this woman, a gritted teeth sensibility that is equal parts historic romance novel heroine, John Steinbeck matriarch and amazing Amazon woman. BA, as she signs her emails, is outstanding in her field, you might say, especially when she’s out standing in her field.

BA graduated from school teacher and parttime gardener to full-time farmer a few years back with the push of a button. Daughter Gabe Haman was the push-ee. Gabe came home from Maine to help care for her ailing grandmother. After her grandmother’s death in 2006, Gabe, who worked in a bookstore and helped a friend growing crops for a market farm, decided to remain in Georgia until the next growing season began in Maine.

She encouraged her mother to make the most of the near year-round growing season here by converting her gardening hobby into a moneymaking venture.

BA and husband, David, were living on the family farm founded by BA’s late parents – Sidney Boswell, a former superintendent of Glynn County’s school system, and wife Stella, a former schoolteacher – in 1947. With 185 acres BA owns in parcelled partnership with her husband, David, and her brothers, the farm was feeding the family and offering BA an outlet from the stress of high school academics. Gabe saw it as more than a hobby.

“Gabe said, ‘Mom, we can do this,’ and I said, ‘No, we can’t,’ ” BA recalls.

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“I was just being a good Samaritan,” Gabe says coyly. She swears her mother would have ended up jailed for committing murder had she remained a teacher. They managed to make $40 that first summer off a crop of peas sold to various friends.

When it came time to sell the next crop, Gabe sent the email read ‘round the Golden Isles, the same one that launched a new career for her mother and herself.

The message landed in the inbox of former Satilla Riverkeeper Gordon Rogers, who forwarded it to the many in his own address book, one among them being a newspaper reporter who told his own broad circle of readers the story of Betty Anne Lewis and Gabe Haman Sapelo Farms.

That story landed on the desk of Todd Rogers, who was then executive chef at The Cloister on Sea Island. Before long, a Sea Island van pulled into the driveway. It carried five CIA-trained chefs armed with salt and pepper shakers, hungry for a tour of Sapelo Farms and samples of its wares. The rest, as they say, is history. Well, all but the salt and pepper shakers.

“They absolutely did not bring salt and pepper shakers,” Gabe interjects.

“They absolutely did,” BA answers.

Although BA accuses Gabe of high embellishment when the mood strikes, Gabe says her mother is the family’s most repeatedly. It’s fresh and it’s in season, and accomplished hyperbolist. the flavor is distinct to the coast, just as

The question of seasonings aside, wine tastes of the soil that nurtures the a partnership was born of that visit, a grapes. The taste of Sapelo Farms produce partnership that puts local farm fresh is so distinct that a guest of the Georgian produce on the tables of the Georgian Room Room who recently dined on sweety on Sea Island, one of only 19 Mobil Five- corn at the restaurant called BA to order Star restaurants in the United States and a fresh batch for herself. Usually willing Canada. With BA and Gabe’s help, the chefs to share extras that aren’t claimed by her at The Cloister resort brought Sea Island in restaurant customers or subscribers to the on the cutting edge of the “farm-to-fork” farm’s Community Supported Agriculture movement, which emphasizes eating local. program, BA couldn’t in this case. Sweety It’s a good movement, Gabe says, because it is a rare corn, expensive to grow and good ensures quality. Food isn’t shipped over long only when fresh. distances. It isn’t processed and handled

“If things are running right, it’s not 24 hours a day,” David Lewis says of farming, but it is 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

BA was introduced to sweety years ago by the late Judge Ronald Adams of Brunswick.

Adams, a respected jurist and renowned horticulturist in his own right, encouraged BA to grow sweety, and she did, to much acclaim.

“The difference is night and day between (the taste of) silver queen and sweety,” BA says.

But when her seed distributor, Hastings, went out of business, BA lost the corn. It took her about two years to find it again.

This is the stuff that farm life is made of. This, and weeding and mending fences and maintaining a herd of Santa Gertrudis cattle descended from the herd BA’s father started in the 1950s, alond with a dozen different types of chickens, a percentage Boer herd of goats, and horses.

“If things are running right, it’s not 24 hours a day,” David Lewis says of farming, but it is 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The coastal growing season is essentially 11 1/2 months long, so there are no family vacations from Sapelo Farms, and all hands are on deck for the fun. David, whose family owned a crab processing plant on the Brunswick Waterfront, is the farm handyman, calf deliverer and hay harvester.

“We probably cut and bale 5,000 bales of hay for ourselves during summer,” BA says.

BA provides the knowledge of what grows when and how best to nurture it.

Gabe delivers lambs, orders seeds and decides where they will be planted. She is responsible for bringing to the farm purple peppers and microherbs and microgreens that chefs use to make garnishes.

“She grows most of our plants,” BA says of Gabe.

It’s a somewhat anachronistic life they lead, at least for the coast. The line dividing

Learn more about Sapelo Farms at www.sapelofarms.com Taste recipes made with fresh Sapelo Farms produce in the Georgian Room, a Cloister Resort fine dining room. Call 638-3611 for reservations.

50 Goldenislesmagazine.com

VB-16085 Golden Isles Mag:map panel - 3.75 X 9

town and country moved west with the Civil War. Glynn County’s agrarian days essentially ended when its famous cotton and rice plantations dissolved.

“There are probably three farms in Glynn County,” BA says. Hers is surrounded by urban growth and is bordered on one side by Interstate 95.

In the afternoons, the dogs need special attention owing to the boom of explosives used for training by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center nearby.

“The city has moved past us,” BA says.

The calm, however, starts the moment one leaves the asphalt that connects the shelled ruts of the Sapelo Farms driveway with the modern world.

Wandering among the crop rows, cradled by lush green life and shaded by fig and pecan trees, you soon forget the rest of the world exists.

“I think it’s probably a simpler way of life but it’s the way people used to do it,” BA says. G

6/29/09

1:05 PM

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Now that you’re here enjoying Brunswick & The Golden Isles, call your friends, family and business associates and invite them to Come Coast Awhile!™ They too can enjoy our sun-drenched beaches, 198 holes of golf, tennis, fascinating historical sites, water tours aboard a working shrimp boat, dolphin tour or casino cruise ship, fishing and water sports, a new Family Fun Zone, interesting shops and galleries, and great restaurants.

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September/October 2009 51

Food

BrilliantMeals

By Amy H. Carter

Ed Jackson and Becky Sue Epstein

Nowadays, eating local is a luxury, a choice that’s as easy to make as turning left toward the farmer’s market instead of right toward the grocery store.

Long ago, locavores were born, not made.

Consider, for example, the eating habits of lighthouse keepers in the 18th and 19th centuries. With the ocean in front of them and maritime forest, creeks and rivers behind them, they ate what they could catch, trap or harvest or they went hungry. One could, therefore, assume that the lighthouse keeper subsisted primarily on seafood, but that assumption would be only partially correct.

The other things lighthouse keepers ate varied with their respective shorelines.

A lighthouse keeper and his family living on Mantinicus Rock in Maine might have prepared a feast of sautéed fiddlehead ferns and asparagus in season to accompany their salt cod fritters and boiled lobster.

The keeper of Eldred Rock Lighthouse in Alaska might have paired mashed Yukon gold potatoes with an elk meatloaf. And the keeper of Fairport Harbor Light on Lake Erie might have complemented his grilled kielbasa with baked Great Northern beans and fried bluegill and lake perch.

Recipes for these and about 300 other regional coastal dishes are collected in “The American Lighthouse Cookbook: The Best Recipes and Stories from America’s Shorelines” (Cumberland House, 2009) co-authored by Becky Sue Epstein and Ed Jackson of Lexington, Mass. The two have whipped up a mouth-watering read that profiles 47 American lighthouses (including our own St. Simons Lighthouse) and offers recipes derived from the local bounty that would have been available to their keepers.

Becky Sue credits co-author and neighbor Ed with the idea for the book.

“He’d seen a movie on TV when he was young about a lighthouse keeper getting his food from the sea. This was well before (Ed)

52 Goldenislesmagazine.com

Photo by Pat Rabby

N

thought about becoming a chef,” Becky Sue says.

Ed is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. He has cooked for Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago, Bradley Ogden at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, and Clio

Restaurant in Boston. Becky Sue is a lifestyle writer specializing in food, wine and travel.

She is currently senior editor, wine and spirits, for Intermezzo Magazine.

During the two years they spent researching and writing the book, Becky

Sue and Ed would meet over her dining room table to write and over his to sample the recipes Ed composed and the ones given to them by lighthouse societies, bed and breakfast inns, and preservation societies that assisted the pair in choosing the lighthouses they featured.

“I’d run over with my left-over dishes in case there was anything left,” Becky Sue jokes.

The authors chose to feature 47 lighthouses from eight geographical regions of the U.S. for their interesting histories. Special mention is made of the purported haunting of the St. Simons Island Lighthouse by a former keeper who was killed in a duel with his assistant.

Fortunately, the book honors local delicacies with recipes for a “Late Summer Lunch.” That means you’ll be done long before dark when the ghostly keeper is often heard promenading the tower steps.

“The American Lighthouse Cookbook” is available in hardcover. Order the book online at www.barnesandnoble. com or at www.amazon.com, or visit www. sourcebooks.com.

Late Summer Lunch

Here’s a late summer menu to make and enjoy while reflecting on all the years St. Simons Lighthouse has spent guarding the Georgia coastline. This meal has a wealth of traditional dishes and local ingredients from the past 200 years: a seafood boil, peanuts, black-eyed peas, sweet Vidalia onions and succulent peaches for a simple but glorious finish.

– From “The American Lighthouse Cookbook: The Best Recipes and Stories from America’s Shorelines” (Cumberland House, 2009) continued on page 54

September/October 2009 53

Peanut Soup A subtle peanut flavor that goes well with the chicken.

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Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter 1 onion, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 3 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless 1/4 cup unsalted smooth peanut butter 4 cups chicken stock 2 bay leaves 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Preparation: 1. Melt butter in a saucepan. When the butter has stopped foaming, sauté the onions, celery and chicken. Cook for 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

2. Stir in the peanut butter, stock, bay leaves, cayenne, salt and pepper.

3. Cook for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove chicken and bay leaves. Discard bay leaves.

4. Dice or shred chicken to smallish pieces and return to pot.

Yield: 4-6 servings Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes Cooking Time: 45-50 minutes Baked Vidalia Onions Georgia’s own sweet onions, with a spark of additional flavors.

Ingredients: 2 large Vidalia or other sweet onions, peeled and halved 2 tablespoons butter 8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

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Preparation: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut 4 pieces of aluminum foil, each 12 inches square. Center the onion halves on the foil.

3. Dot each onion with equal amounts of the butter, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.

4. Wrap onions in foil, and bake for 55 to 60 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 55-60 minutes Black-eyed Peas and Bacon Use good-quality bacon. It will make a big difference.

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 pound black-eyed peas, soaked overnight in water under refrigeration 1/2 pound bacon, diced 1 onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 red bell pepper, diced 2 cups chicken stock 1/2 cup molasses 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the oil and sauté the bacon, onion, garlic and pepper for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

3. Add the black-eyed peas, stock, molasses, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.

4. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and bake, covered, for 2-2 1/2 hours.

Yield: 8 servings Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes Soaking Time: Overnight Cooking Time: 2 1/2-3 hours Low Country Boil Every region has its own version of this one-pot meal.

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Ingredients: 5 quarts water Crab boil (follow directions on package) 3 pounds new potatoes 3 pounds smoked Kielbasa sausage 8 ears corn, cut in half 4 pounds shrimp, unpeeled 1 1/2 cups butter, melted for serving Preparation: 1. Put the water, crab boil and potatoes in a large pot. Cover and bring to a boil.

2. Boil for 5 minutes and add the sausage and corn. Cook for 5 minutes more.

3. Add the shrimp and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

4. Drain and serve with butter.

Yield: 6-8 servings Preparation Time: 5-10 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes, not including bringing the water to a boil.

My Friend Cathy’s Easy Peach Cobbler This is quick, easy and good. Great with whipped cream.

Ingredients: 4 tablespoons butter, melted 1 cup sugar 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup milk 1 (15-ounce) can sliced peaches in light syrup Preparations: 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Pour the melted butter into a baking dish.

3. In a bowl, mix the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt together. Blend in the milk.

The mixture will appear lumpy. Pour the mixture into the baking dish. Do not stir.

4. Add the fruit and its juice to the dish, all at once. Do not stir.

5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

The cobbler will rise up the sides.

Yield: 4-6 servings Preparation Time: 5-10 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes

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Away

exploring

VIRGINIA

WINE TRAILS

WRITTEN, PHOTOGRAPHED AND DESIGNED BY JO E LOEHL E

V

irginia is a state full of breathtaking scenery, presidential homes, mountains and battlefields. It is the state where I attended college (Mary Washington College), and where I lived and worked for ten years. It is a state I know pretty well, having traveled much of it with a friend who knew even the most obscure historic sites.

My wife, hailing from Minnesota, had never been there and was probably tired of my talking about all the interesting places there. We decided to take a week and do a grand tour of the state.

We studied the maps and figured out which places to hit and which friends we could see.

Among the many historic sites and places of natural beauty we aimed to see along our way, we intended to try and hit a bunch (no pun intended) of Virginia wineries.

Now, my wife Miranda and I are relative newbies to the wine scene. We’ve been learning as much

56 Goldenislesmagazine.com

as we can from friends of ours like David Hamer and Tom Delaney and we rarely get out of Harris Teeter without a recommendation from Mark Gagliano, but we have definitely not yet reached wine snob status. We can’t name every grape that goes into a Bordeaux and can’t taste the difference between wine aged in French oak barrels versus American oak barrels, but we do enjoy discovering new wines and going to tastings.

After a day or so’s drive into Virginia and touring the Lexington and Natural Bridge area, we found ourselves headed to our night’s stay in the first rain of the week. On a back country road near Charlottesville, we spotted one of Virginia’s “Wine Trails” road signs and swung onto a driveway that was barely wide enough for our vehicle. We wondered what to do if a car came the other way around one of those sharp corners. We dashed in through the rain and were greeted by a nice woman who asked if we wanted to do a tasting.

We agreed and were poured six or seven swallows of different wines along with some explanation of the grape used in each and how it was aged. We bought our first bottle of the trip, a 2007 Neubia Nectar, a sweet dessert wine that Miranda thought would make a great gift for my mom who was caring for the dogs back home.

The next day, after visiting Monticello and hiking to waterfalls on Skyline Drive, we entered Amissville and saw Grey Ghost Vineyards. A winery named after Confederate Partisan Ranger John Singleton Mosby had to be good! Again we tried a number of different wines, and we walked away with a bottle of 2008 Vidal Blanc. Our next stop was Rappahannock Cellars in Huntly. It was a nice winery, but we left empty-handed. An hour later we were in Front Royal at Chester Gap Cellars. This was one of our favorite wineries of the trip. The owner of the business, Bernd Jung, was also the one responsible for growing the grapes, making the wine, and helping us with the tasting.

He was extremely knowledgeable and talked with us at length about the different grapes found in Virginia. Varities like Voignier, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Norton, Petit Manseng and

September/October 2009 57

The Grey Ghost Vineyards

Chambourcin, though also grown elsewhere, seem to grow especially well in Virginia. We left this beautiful mountainside vineyard with a 2007 Petit Manseng and a 2006 Merlot.

The following day we were all over the state and into neighboring ones. We started in Winchester and headed just into West Virginia to Harpers Ferry.

Then we drove through some of Virginia’s beautiful horse country of Fauquier and Loudoun Counties, and kept driving all the way to the battlefields of Manassas. After touring the area where Stonewall Jackson earned his sobriquet, we headed back towards Waterford in Loudoun County where friends of ours live. We had time to kill before they got home and there were Virginia Wine Trail signs on the road, so we stopped at Loudoun Valley Vineyards. This was another nice winery run by a husband and wife. The husband poured us the tasting and explained how his wife was the winemaker and had practiced her craft in California for a number of years. We had a great time talking and tasting the wines while enjoying a gorgeous valley full of grapevines. We headed toward the next winery with a bottle of their “Red Table Wine,” a blend of Sangiovese, Zinfadel and Cabernet Sauvignon. We pulled into Doukénie Winery in Purcellville and were greeted at the door by Lucy, the winery dog. We tasted a few of their wines while Lucy lay on my feet, but we left empty-handed, almost as though we were being pulled to our last winery of the day and the final one of the trip.

Off a little dirt road in Lovettsville we came to Hiddencroft Vineyards. We were greeted in the 58 Goldenislesmagazine.com

recently converted tasting room by the owner-operator Clyde Housel who poured us a great sampling of his wines. He explained the process for each of the wines pointing out the equipment he used, including stainless steel tanks in the tasting room and oak barrels in an adjoining one.

It was the first winery we had visited where we loved every one of the wines. Perhaps Mr. Housel’s downhome charm swayed our opinions. He was willing to explain just about the entire process of making wine and showed us some of his specialty equipment like the grape de-stemmer and masher. We also talked about the chemistry of wine making.

While telling us about some of the grapes that Virginians grew, he mentioned that the oak barrels in the next room held a Petit Verdot that was going to be very good next year. He suggested we do a barrel-tasting, and grabbed a wine glass and glass tube to extract the wine. I grabbed my camera and snapped a few shots of Miranda and Clyde as they pulled the wine from the barrel.

That “unfinished” wine may have been the best one of the whole trip. We plan on ordering it as soon as it comes out next year.

We left Hiddencroft for our friends’ house. We were very content that we had experienced a good sampling of the Virginia wine industry though there were many more wineries we could have seen. There are currently 156 wineries in the state. Only California, New York, Oregon and Washington have more.

We spent the rest of the trip sightseeing, including excursions to the nation’s capitol; Fredericksburg, where I went to school; and Petersburg, where I worked as a Park Ranger. Then we headed home.

We had seen Virginia in seven days, visited seven different wineries and had seven new bottles of wine in the car. We can’t wait for our next visit. G

Joe Loehle is the owner of EOJ, Inc: Design & Photo, a graphic design and photography studio on St. Simons Island. EOJ creates advertising and marketing solutions for local and regional businesses including logo design, web design and printed materials. He does commercial and real estate photography and his editorial photography is often seen in local magazines. See more at www.eojinc.com.

A rare treat as Clyde Housel of Hiddencroft Vineyards pulls a Petit Verdot for a barrel tasting for Miranda Loehle.

September/October 2009 59

Pairings

Cloister’s Georgian Room The

By Amy H. Carter

Butter pea succotash served on handpainted china and the finest European table linens. Oxymoron, you say. Posh, we say.

Fresh picked, locally grown butter peas, corn and squash are just a few of the surprising delicacies on the menu in The Georgian Room of The Cloister, a haute Mobil Five-Star dining room with a down-home flavor. The Georgian Room’s Chef de Cuisine Daniel Zeal is putting a refined spin on common ingredients, making the fine dining experience as Sea Island does it a whole lot less intimidating.

The Georgian Room, which is open to non-resort guests, partners with Sapelo Farms in Brunswick to incorporate fresh produce in season into its menu. The summer menu – available through late October – includes the butter pea succotash paired with lemon sole

and Maine lobster, and creamed corn pudding paired with pork loin and belly.

Chef Zeal and The Georgian Room are offering Golden Isles Magazine readers a special preview of a seafood dish on their autumn menu.

Surprisingly, the resort suggests pairing this meal with a light red wine, such as Sea Island’s Private Label Pinot Noir from Au Bon Climat in Santa Barbara, Calif. The wine has a nose full of fresh strawberry, raspberry and spicy cola (a flavor Sea Island Sommelier Heath Porter likens to Dr Pepper). This pairing is proof that you can in fact enjoy a well-crafted red wine with a fish course.

The Georgian Room is open 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Reservations may be made by calling 638-3611.

Zeal

Black Cod, “Creamed” Corn, Maitake, Bok Choy, Maple-Ginger Barbecue Serves: 6 Black Cod Ingredients: 6 each 4oz portions of Black Cod 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation: Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients and marinate at least 8 hours.

Remove the fish from the marinade and wipe off the excess marinade and pat dry with a paper towel before sautéing. Preheat oven to 300° F. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, sear the fish in the olive oil on one side for 2-3 minutes.

Adjust the heat to a lower temp if necessary as to not over caramelize the sugars of the marinade. Turn the fish over and glaze it with the maple-ginger barbecue sauce and place the fish into the oven at 300° F for approximately 5 minutes. This fish becomes very delicate as it comes closer to being perfectly cooked so, at this point, you must be very careful when handling.

Remove the fish from the pan and place it atop the creamed corn.

Bok Choy Ingredients: 18 small bok choy leaves (it is likely you will not be able to find baby bok choy; you may use larger bok choy leaves, 1-2 finely sliced on a slight bias) 1 teaspoon olive oil ¼ cup ham stock Salt and pepper to taste

Maitake Mushrooms (also known as Hen of the Woods) Ingredients: 1 cup fresh Maitake mushroom petals (you may substitute oyster mushrooms if you wish) 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 clove of garlic, smashed 2 sprigs thyme ¼ cup ham stock or chicken stock 1 tablespoon butter Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation: Heat your sauté pan over medium-high heat until pan is very hot; add the oil and then add the bok choy, season with salt and pepper and toss in the pan for 30 seconds. Then add the ham stock and cook until the liquid dries around the bok choy.

Adjust, if necessary, the salt and pepper and place either: 3 leaves each for the fish, or a small amount of the sliced larger bok choy around the fish on the plate.

Creamed Corn Ingredients: 8 ears of sweet corn shucked and the tips cut off 1 cup ham stock or chicken stock 2 tablespoons butter, cold and cubed 1 tablespoon chives, finely sliced Salt and pepper to taste Preparation: Split the corn in half. Place one half of cob into a fruit juicer and juice, reserve. (If you do not have a juicer you can place it into the blender on high for 30 seconds and strain through cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve.)

Combine the other half of the corn with the ham stock in a small sauce-pot or sauté pan over medium heat.

Cook until the corn becomes slightly more cooked than al dente. Then whisk in the corn juice.

Continue stirring until the corn juice thickens the

60 Goldenislesmagazine.com

Preparation: In a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, add the oil and garlic to the pan. Gently toast the garlic until aromatic, then add the mushrooms immediately.

Saute for 1 minute, add a pinch of salt and fresh cracked pepper, then add the fresh thyme sprigs then sauté for 1 more minute.

Deglaze with the ham stock and reduce until almost dry. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter to glaze the mushrooms in the reduced stock and butter.

Season to taste and add to the plate.

Marinade: ¼ cup White Miso Paste ¼ cup Vermont or Canadian Maple Syrup 2 scallions chopped 1 tablespoon ginger, chopped 1 teaspoon garlic, chopped

liquid. If it is too thick then add a touch of stock. (Each type of corn has a different amount of starch and will change each time you make this.) Cook until the raw corn juice flavor is gone and season with salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

To finish stir in the cold butter and chives, and place a generous amount in the center of the plate.

Maple-Ginger Barbecue Ingredients: ½ cup smoked slab bacon, cut into cubes ½-inch thick 6 ea scallions, sliced ½ cup ginger, peeled and roughly chopped 8 ea garlic cloves, roughly chopped 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 teaspoon peppercorns 2 cups Sake 2 cups veal stock (Beef stock will work, but you will need to make a cornstarch slurry to thicken this to a glaze consistency after reduction) 1 cup Vermont or Canadian Maple Syrup ¼ cup rice wine vinegar Preparation: In a medium sauce-pot, over medium heat, add the oil, smoked bacon, and peppercorns. Saute for 4-5 minutes until the bacon begins to brown slightly.

Once the peppercorns and bacon are aromatic, add the garlic, ginger, and scallion. Saute 1 minute until very aromatic and slighty tender.

Deglaze the pot with the Sake and reduce by half.

Add the veal stock and maple syrup, reduce by half to two thirds until it begins to coat the back of a spoon.

Add the rice vinegar and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Strain the sauce and reduce again if you desire a thicker sauce, this sauce is fairly strong and you will not need a large amount for this dish, just enough to glaze the fish and a drizzle for the plate.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

September - October EVENTS | OPPORTUNITIES | HAPPENINGS | GATHERINGS Sept. 5: Seaside Serenata is the theme of the free concert that will be presented by the Coastal Symphony of Georgia at 7 p.m. in Neptune Park on St. Simons Island.

Don’t miss your only chance this season to hear the symphony in this open air venue.

Details: www.coastalsymphonyofgeorgia.org Sept. 6: Bring a picnic, your favorite beverages, and lawn chairs to enjoy a concert by Sensational Sounds of Motown as part of “A Little Light Music” concert series sponsored by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society. Concert begins at 7 p.m.

Details: saintsimonslighthouse.org

Sept. 18-20: Shrimp & Grits Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival takes place on Jekyll Island.

Amateurs compete for the “Best Shrimp & Grits” title or the coveted People’s Choice award on Saturday, and professionals turn up the heat on Sunday. Weekend festivities include live music, arts & crafts vendors, a kids’ fun zone, plenty of food, plus special events like cooking demonstrations, shrimp eating competitions, demonstrations by the Disc-Connected K9 Frisbee Dogs and the KING BMX Stunt Show.

Details: jekyllisland.com Sept. 19: The College of Coastal Georgia presents a cultural tour of the Midway Museum with historian Sudy Leavy. The Midway Congregational Church, established in 1752, and its museum and cemetery, offer a closer look at life in Colonial Georgia

and the individuals who were instrumental in founding the colony and the state. All transportation included. Registration deadline Sept. 11.

Details: www.ccga.edu Sept. 19: The 40th Annual American Cancer Society Victory Gala - Ruby Red Ball will be held in The Cloister Ballroom on Sea Island. The evening begins with a cocktail hour, silent auction, and the viewing of the 100 bottle wine collection that will be awarded in a raffle later in the evening.

Festivities continue with a three course dinner, live auction and live entertainment

by Macon band, Celebration.

Details: Call (912) 265-7117 Sept. 20: GIAHA’s Jazz in the Park series continues on the St. Simons Island lighthouse lawn with a concert by Ben Tucker. Bring lawn chairs and a picnic, then sit back and enjoy the music.

Details: goldenislesarts.org Oct. 1: The 9th Annual International Night Out fundraiser for the International Seafarers’ Center is a fun and tasty way to support this not-for-profit service organization whose mission is to support the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of merchant seafarers. The event is held at Crane Cottage on Jekyll Island and will feature food stations and fine wines from around the world, a silent auction, and raffles for unique prizes.

Details: www.seafarercenter.org Oct. 10-11: Golden Isles Fine Arts and Crafts Festival will take place in Neptune Park

on St. Simons Island. In addition to the juried show of some of the region’s best fine artists and craftsmen, there will be performances by the Gospel Messengers and McIntosh County Shouters on Saturday, an African history exhibit, and demonstrations by basket maker Yvonne Grovner, net maker Stanley Walker, and storyteller Cornelia Bailey.

Details: www.glynnart.org

The Young Leaders Society Fall Formal planning committee left to right: Lindsey Mason, Alexa Elsberry, Troy Vollenweider, Miranda Collins, Stella Stewart

Oct. 17: The Young Leaders Society of United Way of Coastal Georgia will host a Fall Formal. The goal of the YLS is to encourage individuals ages 40 and under from diverse professional backgrounds to understand community impact while developing leadership skills and building both personal and professional relationships. Throughout the year members meet for seminars with community leaders and volunteer their time at various United Way organizations. The Fall Formal will begin with an oceanfront cocktail reception at 7:30 p.m. at the Jekyll Island Oceanside Inn & Suites, followed by a dance dj’ed by Bonita Tanner. All proceeds will benefit the United Way of Coastal Georgia. Details and ticket information, youngleadersga@gmail.com Oct. 23: The 10th Annual Glynn County Breast Cancer Fashion Show and Luncheon will be held at Sea Palms Golf & Tennis Resort.

Details: Call 265-7117 September/October 2009 61

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Optimist Club Celebrates 50th Anniversary: The King and Prince Beach Resort was filled with the beautiful music of the Chamber Strings Ensemble of the Coastal Youth Symphony of Georgia for the St. Simons Optimist Club’s 50th Anniversary celebration. The event was commemorated by the presentation of a plaque to club president Kathy Doman by Susan White, Georgia District Governor of Optimist International.

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1. From left, past Optimist Club presidents: Rance Braswell, Al Sawyer, Carol Harris, Kathy Powell, John Jenkins, Robert Jenkins, Buck Buckalew, John Hardwick, Carol Weber, Howard Berg, Kathy Doman (current president), Paul Salter and Charlie Crumbliss 2. From left, Kathy Doman, President of the Optimist Club, receiving commemorative plaque from Susan White, Georgia District Governor of Optimist International 3. From left, Melinda Smith, John Quarterman (who received the first “Optimist Boy of the Year” trophy, awarded in 1956) and Sandy Phillips 4. From left, Jack and Fay Jenkins with Robert and Nancy Jenkins 5. From left, standing, Carol Weber, Herb and Judy Fredrick and Katherine Dobie with Tom Doman (seated) 6. From left, Nicole Harris, Carl Harris and Susan White Golden Isles Dancers Kick Up Their Heels: The Golden Isles Dancers had a great time at a recent dance party.

The group, under the guiding hands (or feet!) of Wendy Carrell and John Melancon, holds monthly themed dance parties with live music by Lorna Greenwood and a potluck-style dinner, preceded by dance lessons for those who are interested. From ballroom dancing to latin, swing or salsa, these dancers know how to have a good time!

7. From left, Marilyn & Rob Stockdale, Erma Lee, Susan & Jeff Hoffman and Suzanne McDonald and Jack Heidler 8. Pat and Burt Todd 9. Ralph and Judie Gill 10. Shari Darrith and Jim Karantinos 11. Dr. Lourdes DeArmas and Peter Klein 12. Juana and Ernie Gover

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GOLDEN ISLES DINING 4th OF MAY CAFÉ DOWNTOWN 1618 Newcastle St/Historic Downtown Brunswick (912) 262-5443 Classic Southern cuisine served in a warm and friendly environment in historic downtown Brunswick. Our menu includes a wide variety of soups, salads, sandwiches, seafood, and of course our daily list of at least 8 different veggies. Plus, look forward to our farmer’s market veggie of the day. Stop in on Sunday to enjoy our brunch buffet and don’t forget to inquire about our catering and banquet services.

BARBERITOS 250 Golden Isles Plaza/ Brunswick 509 Ocean Blvd / St. Simons Island (912) 261-2840 • (912) 634-2812 Barberitos proudly serves its patrons with Southwestern cuisine that is fresh and healthy! The produce arrives daily, yielding only fresh, homemade menu items to its customers including burritos, tacos, salads and more. Catering any event is our specialty! Two locations serve your area.

EL POTRO 3460 Cypress Mill Rd./ Brunswick (912) 264-1619 At EL POTRO we use only the freshest homemade salsa, chips, chile rellenos,

steak and much more. Every menu item is prepared to order with the ingredients of your choosing. We combine authentic, quality ingredients to assure that you have the best possible dining experience at EL POTRO. Fox’s Pizza Den 1435 Newcastle Street (912) 265-4490 There is only one like us and it’s downtown! Visit our retro atmosphere and enjoy hand-tossed crust topped with a large variety of fresh meats, veggies and cheeses. We also offer “Wedgie” sandwiches, strombolis, salads, wings and homemade lasagna. Great wine and cold beer!

Bubba Garcia’s redfern village / st. simons island

(912) 634-0073 The only Mexican restaurant on St. Simons Island! Better than Tex/Mex! Open 11:30 am to 10:00 pm.

JMAC’S 407 Mallery Street/ St. Simons Island (912) 634 - 0403 The Best on the Georgia Coast since 1991! Regional dishes with a worldly flair. Seafood, steaks and chops incorporating the finest ingredients.

Hawaiian Butterfish, New Zealand Lamb, Diver Sea Scallops, American Red Snapper, Coastal Georgia Shrimp & All Natural Beef. Creative & innovative nightly specials! Entrees $13-$32. Full Bar & extensive wine list. Casual attire welcomed. Reservations 912-634-0403.

Mon - Sat. 6-10pm. www.jmacsislandrestaurant.com. Live Music Friday & Saturday.

LATITUDE 31 1 Pier Road/Jekyll Island (912) 635-3800 At Latitude 31 you can enjoy radiant sunsets and experience the Golden Isles’ premier dining destination. We offer the best service and finest food, in a casual atmosphere. Experience the wonders of nature at The “Rah” Bar which features Georgia Wild Shrimp, Dungeness Crab, Oysters, and our Famous Low Country Boil. Additionally we offer seasonal entertainment.

Ole Times Country Buffet 665 Scranton Road/Brunswick (912) 264-1693 Ole’ Times Country Buffet is “Home Cookin’ the Way Mama Does It!” Voted #1 in Southern Cooking and Best Country Buffet in South Georgia and North Florida for the last 8 years running.

September/October 2009 63

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The Last Harvest Photographed by Bob Swinehart

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