For the last couple of days, I’ve had trouble with Cocoa Smiles. It keeps disappearing, but mrsanaya.com is on the job. If it goes away again, it will get a complete “reinstall.” Frightening, I know. So before it disappears again, I thought I would post two more photos from my recent trip to the Georgia coast. Both were taken on southern end of Jekyll Island.

I love the paths like this one—paths that wind through the part of the island that is totally protected and not developed.

Years ago when I was an editor of a magazine, I chose a cover that basically was a photo of marsh grass mingled with wild flowers. It was just a relaxing cover and probably reflective of my mood. I had been on a beach vacation and had returned to the office feeling a sense of “ahhhhh. I chose the cover after a short presentation from the graphic team thinking it would be perfect for the late summer month of August. Two months later when the publication was printed and delivered, my CEO just didn’t seem to get it. He proclaimed it looked like a very large “bird’s nest” and wondered what in the world was I thinking. (smile) Life happens at every turn, doesn’t it?

Suddenly there is a low tide and the richness of the marshes is revealed.

And if you think about it: even in the winter, the beach has a personality of its own

The sheer size of this tree caught my attention. Part of the tree was still alive and the other had succumbed to the island’s high tides.

The live oak trees are colonies of life. Resurrection ferns and Spanish moss cover their arms. They are revered, protected by law, and canopies that shield the island from the harsh winter winds and the blazing sunlight of summer.

New development was changing and reshaping the island he loved so much. That was years ago; but even today, I can’t help but think of Paul every time I see a well-worn but not developed pathway on any of the barrier islands of Georgia.

Just living on island time. .  . .

The hallways make you think you have stepped back in time.

And then there was the swing—the one that was in a remote place on the south end of Jekyll Island. We walked up on it and a family was using it all the while laughing and swinging out over the marsh. After they walked away (I have to be honest), I had to give it a try myself!

It has been for years even in the winter—especially in the winter when the locals use this beach and when they choose to let me share it with them.

No words necessary. Just enjoy the sheer quiet . . . .

Carl stayed at home with the animals and for the next few days the beach and the island belongs to me.

Looking out toward Jekyll Island.

I studied psychology in college and came away with a degree in counseling. So, this is your Rorschach Ink Blot test question for the day: What do you see in this photo? I thought it looked like a large animal—maybe an elephant. Actually, it is of a large piece of driftwood on a Jekyll Island beach.