A few weeks ago a friend, who is a photographer took me to this small Episcopal church in Clarkesville to do some photography. It was built by Jarvis Van Buren, a relative of U.S. President Van Buren and consecrated on Oct. 10, 1842. The church’s Web site says it is “a beautiful example of Greek Revival architecture. The building’s historic features include over 42 multi-paned windows that still retain most of the original hand blown glass, straight-backed box pews and a “double-decked” pulpit. Our pipe organ is the oldest working church instrument in Georgia.” Of course, I fell in love with the light coming through the windows and the deep, dark wood.

Grace-Calvary Episcopal church located in the historical section of Clarkesville, Georgia.

I can’t begin to explain how the fresh greens of spring motivate me and touch my heart with new life. The mountains are waking up after a very long winter.

And I’m constantly on the lookout for fern glades—areas that open up to light and beckon me to linger for more than a while.

Things I love about living in Georgia: springtime flowers in Savannah, warm temperatures, and sunshine!

When we started our adventure, I noticed that a friend was saying the name of Sapelo the way the islander’s say it. Sapelo with the ending being short and snappy.

I thought, You know what you are doing. Have you ever heard someone from Tennessee say the name of that state? If you have you understand, it is an entirely different way to pronounce the name. That’s the way it is with Sapelo: there is another dialect—one that I find beautiful and worthy of never losing. But that is what is happening to the culture of this island, it is fading. As the children grow up, they are leaving and with each one goes the potential of losing something very important to each one of us—history and the ability to remember what matters most.

If you visit Sapelo Island, more than likely you will meet Yvonne Grover and one of her sons. They work for the state of Georgia but they also are the ones, who are committed to preserving the history of the island.

She took us to her church: St. Luke’s Baptist. There are two churches on the island but this is the one that she attends and the one that is the newest. It was founded in 1874!

A bench located near the island’s store is a gathering place.

And this clay jar outside the R. J. Reynolds mansion (Reynolds Tobacco) is one of the few remaining relics of the sugar plant. At one time, sugar cane grew in the fields of Sapelo Island, but this is not the case today. Cotton fields also blanketed the island but those are gone, too.

The beaches are still there and beautiful. They leave you speechless and wondering what it would be like to be there at sunset.

The temperature was much too hot for my friends from Pennsylvania. They found a prime spot in the island’s only shelter overlooking the beach. I took photos and walked along the beach with those who had traveled to the island with me and occasionally looked back to see if they were okay. They would throw up a hand and wave as if to say, “Have fun. We’re just happy to be in the shade!” (smile)

The locals have been talking about the full moon all week. Then on Saturday the moon rose, and we learned that it would not be this close to the earth for another 18 years. The lighthouse on St. Simons Island is one of the sweetest on the Georgia coast.