Lovely Nonetheless

"Straight ahead or to the left?"
Melvin listens intently for instructions during our hike at Vogel State Park on Thursday.

The leaves in north Georgia were awe inspiring on Thursday. I drove over to Blue Ridge to visit Mercier Orchards to purchase some fresh, locally grown apples. I bought three types: Mutzu, Pink Lady, and Cameo. Afterwards, I stopped briefly in downtown Blue Ridge for a latte at a quaint little cafe. There are lots of cute shops in Blue Ridge, and you could definitely make a day of it there. But I wasn't in a shopping mood. On the return, I took highway 129/19, a spectacular winding mountain drive that leads past Vogel State Park. I had planned to stop at Vogel to break up the trip and allow Melvin a little exercise. We did a short 1-mile loop around the lake, and just as we were completing the walk, I spotted a pileated woodpecker in a large conifer at the lake's edge. He was strikingly handsome and allowed me to admire him for quite some time before he retreated from view.

It was a lovely day. A little lonely, but lovely nonetheless.

The lake at Vogel State Park.

This Little Island

Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island

I just returned home from a few days at Jekyll Island. The weather was just about perfect -- sunny, mild days and cool nights. One of my favorite things about Jekyll is that dogs are allowed on the beach, a clear indication that this little island has its priorities in order. A vacation at Jekyll is quiet, simple, and laid back. No fast food restaurants, no neon signs, and just one tiny grocery store. I love Jekyll Island. I love the commitment to conservation, preservation, and restoration. I love the respect for history. I love the quirky bookstore with its many rooms and the big porch for lounging. I love sipping a great cup of coffee on the veranda at the Jekyll Island Club. I love Driftwood Beach and the marshland, the perfectly manicured grounds of the historic district, and the majestic live oaks draped in moss. I love this little island.

Visiting Longleaf

An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.
~ Henry David Thoreau ~

I visited my brother, Jack over the weekend. He works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as forester at the Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge in McBee, South Carolina. This 45,000 acre refuge is devoted to restoring and protecting the longleaf pine ecosystem which once covered 90 million acres across the southeast. Fewer than two million acres of longleaf pine forest remain. As this habitat disappears, so do many of the species that thrive there. The red cockaded woodpecker, on the endangered list since 1970, is given special attention at the refuge. The current world-wide population is estimated at about 12,500. This is the only woodpecker that nests in living pine trees (preferably longleaf pines). While other woodpeckers bore into the decaying wood of dead trees, the red cockaded woodpecker bores a cavity into a living, mature tree. They establish a "neighborhood" of nesting trees and live out their lives in a tightknit extended-family setting. For their survival, they require large, open, longleaf pine forests. At the refuge nesting trees are identified and marked so that the population of this endangered bird can be monitored and protected.

Jack has the good fortune of living on the refuge. His house sits pretty much in the middle of this 45,000 acre national treasure. There are several lakes within walking distance of his house and hiking trails in every direction. Saturday morning we took a long hike -- some of it on trails, some of it through the forest. We left shortly after breakfast and got back just in time to watch the Georgia game on TV. It was a perfect day. Sunday morning we went for a shorter hike in a different direction. I'll be sharing some of the photos from my visit on the blog this week.

In wilderness is the preservation of the world.
~ Henry David Thoreau ~