One of the unique things on St. Simons Island, GA is the tree art. Some artist has carved images on empty spaces where a branch has been removed. Another tree suffered severe damage from a lightning strike providing fresh canvas for another creation. My hosts told me there are a total of ten or more artful trees on the island. The sad part, as the tree grows, the art will eventually be enfolded by the bark and be hidden forever….
Part of the fun of travel is discovering nuggets of history not taught in school. In 1735 early settlers of Georgia built Fort Frederica on St. Simons Island to protect Georgia and the Colonies to the north against the Spaniards who were already established in Florida. The fort was heavily supplied by the British crown. Six years later more than 3,000 Spanish troops landed in 52 vessels and were defeated by the British troops. Thus, Georgia remained a British Colony….
My son, Josh, and I had occasion to visit St. Simons Island, GA recently. Our hosts took us on a walk near their home to visit the resident alligator. He lives in this pond. I hadn’t thought of Georgia as having alligators. I though somehow the border of Florida was a barrier to their species. I’ll be sharing tidbits from our vacation in the next few posts. As beautiful as this place is, I think like Dorothy in The Wizard…