Jekyll Island Oaks by frances robson
Good morning, ya'll and come on in for a cup of coffee and some conversation. I apologize for not posting in awhile but we spent a few days at the beach which is our favorite place to be. We went over to
Jekyll Island, GA which is part of the Golden Isle area of the Georgia coast. It is the island south of St. Simon's and not too far from Savannah but totally different from any of these.
Jekyll is still quiet and not too crowded for a large portion of it is owned by Georgia. There are several nice motels and hotels, huge fishing pier, lovely private homes and small village shopping area. I am posting a link to it so you can see some of the history which is there and the picture at the top is just a tiny sample of the thousands of old oaks which have been preserved.
They are building a new convention center which has part of it in a mess right now but will be beautiful when completed. Good food is abundant and we like a place called Sea Jays which is an old house turned into a casual restaurant with porches to sit on and watch the marina. Their specialty is low country boil, but we like the steamed shrimp and the grilled fish. Really well cooked and all the seafood is fresh. Really good and a fun place to go.
We stay at the
Day's Inn there for it is clean, on the beach and the staff is super nice. Having never been there during what is considered the winter season, we did not realize that in the winter it becomes a Sr. Citizen's center. They have converted part of the motel into suites with handicap accessibility and you can get monthly rates with a free breakfast and of course maid service. A good deal if you like to winter in the South and I can't imagine why you would want to leave and suspect many stay. This took us by surprise for we didn't realize this was the custom of many people.
When we went to breakfast there were all these older people who had taken over!!! They had their own tables, their bookcase of books and puzzles, and loud conversation for many are hard of hearing. To add to the racket, they were from "up north" and their accent sounds a tad harsh to these Southern ears. Having a great deal to talk about - their aches and pains, tee times, party the night before and the weather - it was noisy, nasal and harsh sounding to my ears. We in the South can get loud sometimes but it is loud with a warmth and softness that kinda wraps around you with welcome.
It was also evident that they considered themselves "special" and the breakfast bar was theirs and we were in the way. They would just push right in front of you and get their food first and look at you like who are you and what do you want? One man stood over the bagel toaster forever and ever. It was slow but not that slow. I think he just wanted to make me wait. Now our sweet Southern Mama taught us to be polite to those older than us but shouldn't it go both ways? To make Mama happy up above, I kept my mouth closed and just stood back and let 'em have it.
What continually amazes me is the lack of fashion sense many older people have. I just wanted to stand up and say, "Wake up, older folks and look around you and check your lack of style." There was one man in Hawaiian print shirt, plaid shorts, high top shoes and white knee socks. It just made you want to shut your eyes and mutter, "Bless your heart." To add to the picture, his wife has the died black, black, black hair, black eyebrows she had drawn artistically, and the outfit was to die for - literally. Lovely couple indeed and then the voices grated on your ears. Now I don't mean to be critical but looks like they could look around or in some fashion magazines and realize they needed to pay a little more attention to their fashion style.
It was so refreshing to see this lovely, older lady come in with cute shorts and shirt, sandals and tastefully applied eyebrows. She looked really sharp and the men surely appreciated her good looks and I think she needs to give fashion tips to the rest of the crowd. One or two of the men looked pretty good too if you prefer older men. It is strange that older men can still look good with wrinkles and white hair and older women just look old.
You know that I am a friendly, Southern lady and will talk to most anybody and I tried to talk to one of these older gentlemen as I came back from the beach. He was sitting outside on his little porch so I spoke and asked how he was doing. He answered shortly but not too brusquely so I commented on the warm weather to which he just nodded. Not to be deterred I smiled and asked him where he was from, which is a standard question in the South, to which he replied Michigan. Having a nephew in Michigan I know how bitter the winter has been so I just said, "Bless your heart." Now he has been down here long enough to know what that means and he almost growled at me as if I had insulted him. I just gave him my great big Southern smile and wished him a good day and walked on. Looking back, he was scowling at me big time but I had a smile for at least I tried to be nice.
Many of these people were nice and somewhat friendly but I kinda felt like we had accidentally checked into a private independent living facility for the older person and we were intruders. I tend to gravitate toward younger people, even though I am older, and was glad to find some younger people there also. Being a retired school librarian and teacher, I prefer younger people or at least those with younger minds in older bodies.
It was a great few days and I hope it won't be too long before we go back for my sea gulls are waiting to greet me. You might want to try going over there sometimes for the scenery is beautiful, the food delicious, good golf course, tennis, swimming and beach combing. Because most of it is owned by the state park service, it is kept in great condition so come on down and enjoy it. By the way, if you drive a convertible, don't feed the seagulls as one couple we saw was doing. Best to not do it if you don't have on a hat either.
Well, I have wasted enough of your time so come back to see me and I'll waste some more. I am going to make new pound cake today called Chocolate Rum Pound Cake and if it is as good as it sounds, I will share the recipe with you.
Nuff said,
The Georgia Peach
