Every April in Georgia the kids get a week off from school before the big final push and exams in May. The college kids go a bit earlier so it hits mid semester. Since the weather in March and early April is always sort of a mix of left over winter doldrums and spring like days here in North Georgia, one has to go further south to insure warmer days. It is still too cold to go the beach to swim but it is usually warm enough to break out the shorts and hang out at the beach. So we planned our spring break get away to Saint Simons Island.

We began our adventure south on a warm sunny Sunday morning. The 5 hour drive has to be one of the most boring trips until you get into the costal areas and start seeing the marshes and smelling the salt air. From the outer reaches of Savanah southward one crosses many little rivers running to the sea.  Once we crossed the inter-coastal waterway and got onto the island we could almost feel the stress melting away. There are moss covered oaks and quaint homes that are unique to the area that gives the island its own special feel.  We arrived at our spacious condo within walking distance of the St. Simons village. The 3-4 block town is a quaint little area with enough shops and  tourist attractions to keep one busy for a couple of days. There is also a plethora of restaurants offering up basic seafood to very fine dining.   Saint Simons is also dog friendly town so you can even bring your furry friends to dinner as long as you eat on the covered porches.

At the end of the village is a park and a pier.  A few old oaks adorn the park and one can see the lighthouse standing over the visitors center. I had left the camera at the condo or I might have shot all my film that first evening. There is no beach at this southern end of the island where river meets sea but the park does have a nice walkway along the sea wall. Back in town we found an old familiar restaurant we had visited when our daughter was young, and our son not yet born. I have had dreams of this place but had since forgotten where it actually was. After a hearty meal we returned to the condo for the evening to rest and watch some movies.

Monday morning I woke up early with the anticipation that I would go back to town and photograph the lighthouse and the trees I had seen on our walk the night before. The weather did not want to cooperate. I was a chilly 40 degrees with periods of rain and wind. About 8:00 a.m. the sun had risen enough to get a shot of the lighthouse, but I had to stand under a tree to avoid the rain. I was a little off center of the very symmetrical design of the the lighthouse and its living quarters. I moved onto the park and took a couple of snap shots with my IPhone of different angles of the lighthouse, but none were film-worthy.  I did find the perfect vantage point for an old oak tree with palms and the pier in the back ground. However the wind was howling and the shot did not work out due to camera shake and the movement in the trees. Soon it began to rain harder so I threw a plastic bag over the camera and headed back to the car. I picked up the family for breakfast in the village, then we headed out to the other end of the island to explore Fort Frederica. It was also raining, cold, and too windy to photograph the fort and the grounds so would have to save it for another trip.  We stopped by Christ Church on the way home but found it is closed on Mondays. So we merely drove around the island some more and headed back to the condo.  We spent the rainy day indoors until the sun came out later in the afternoon and we could once again visit the village shops that were previously closed on Sunday. We climbed the lighthouse tower to work up an appetite for dinner at Barbara Jean’s then back to the condo for another movie night.

Tuesday morning was still a bit cold and rainy so we had some cereal and hung out at the condo a bit. I started reading Pat Conroy’s South of Broad which takes place in Charleston so I was soon back in the island vibe. Around 9:30 we decided to drive over to Jekyll Island just to have something to do. From St Simons one crosses back over the inter-coastal and turns southward at Brunswick. The highway crosses the Sidney Lanier bridge which is an architectural marvel. Back across the intercostal onto Jekyll is almost like stepping back in time when the islands were natural and only a few settlers had taken up residence.  The old oaks are flanked by deep undergrowth of palmettos and other thick foliage. My wife and son visited the Sea Turtle habitat and museum while I walked around with the dog.  I had seen photos of the driftwood beach so wanted to visit it and had brought along the camera just incase. To my surprise the air was warm and relatively calm at the beach.  As soon as I saw the driftwood beach I was in awe of the beauty of twisted trees that aligned this beach.  There were so many it would take weeks to photograph them all.  I merely had an hour or so with the family in tow. Fortunately the light was a soft overcast which gave just the right contrast and shadows.  Unfortunately the spot is also heavily visited by tourists so getting a composition without humans required a great deal of patience. I manage to fire off four sheets of film during the outing – all masterpieces in my mind.  We left the island shortly after Noon and headed back to St. Simons in search of food.

We dropped our son and dog back at the condo and ventured back out to Christ Church. I managed to wait out the bus load of tourists to get a single shot of the iconic church where John Wesley first preached in Georgia.  My wife and I then drove around the northern end of the island admiring the scenery and the stately homes.  We stopped to shop in some specialty gift stores and went to the grocery to pickup some snacks and drinks.  Mid afternoon we returned to the condo for some naps before dinner. We dined at another spot in the village that boasted the best fried shrimp on the island.  The were tasty. Then back to the condo for a viewing of Ready Player One.

Wednesday morning I woke early to find some interesting oaks to photograph. I had been all over the island except for one road near the airport which was the entry way to an exclusive golf community. And to my amazement here was the row of oaks I had seen in pictures but never knew where it was. A 10th of a mile of so of paired oaks creating a tunnel effect to the guard house. I found a place to park near the northern end and set up my camera, the sun was rising fast but was casting a nice glow on the bottoms of the trees. I worked quickly but could not get the shot I wanted with the 90mm or 135mm lens so I pulled out the 65mm to just take it all in. There was a slight breeze and with the changing light I fired off a backup shot just in case. I then drove to a park near our condo where I had first admired the oaks but could not find a composition I liked.  I returned to the condo to pickup up the family for breakfast. We ate further north on the island at a diner style cafe. Then back to the condo to pack up and head home. Naturally the weather was beautiful the whole way home.

I left many shots untaken with hopes that I might return to capture them one day.  It took me a few days to process all the shots I did take since I develop one sheet at a time. I was plagued with the usual mistakes and issues on some of the shots. Not quite standing in the right spot, too much wind, light leaks when not carefully returning the slide into the holder, and a sheet of film not like the others I had with me. I had shot one of the scenes at driftwood beach with Bergger 400 instead of my usual Ilford FP4+ so it meant that I had over exposed the film by 2 stops. I knew this film required more processing time than others so I used my N-1 time for FP4+ just to see if it would turn out. The negative is a dark flat exposure but I can see the details in the scene, so only printing will tell if my processing choice was adequate.  Christ Church and one of the driftwood shots may be the best of the group, I may or may not like the row of oaks after printing.  Pictures to follow once I print them which may be later this month or May.

If you have a few days off and are seeking a simple adventure in South Georgia, St. Simons Island is a lovely place to visit. If you have more time and are photographically inclined you can work the area from Savanah to Jekyll as a series of day trips. Each island city has its own feel and personality.