2-8-10

SEAGULLS LINE THE SEASHORE

KEEP OFF THE DUNES

JFK Jr. SAID HIS WEDDING VOWS HERE

FIRST AFRICAN BAPTIST CHURCH

CUMBERLAND ISLAND NORTHERN BLUFF

YOU CAN LEAD A HORSE TO WATER...

This morning we took a walk to the ocean just after sunrise. Because Andy headed to the mainland to take care of some personal business this morning, we had the opportunity to explore. We meandered through the narrow pathways that dissect the forrest, and made our way over the dunes to the Atlantic. The sun was shining and the stroll helped us work up an appetite for breakfast. We typically eat breakfast in the late morning here, once the guests at Greyfield Inn have finished dining. Our breakfast is usually their leftovers, but today we just ate toast and fruit because we didn't have time to stick around and wait for the leftovers. We had to be off by 9:30 on the Island Tour.

Fred Whitehead, the island Naturalist, drove us around in his truck with three elderly ladies for four hours leading us on a ecological island adventure. Fred has lived on Cumberland Island for 28 years, some as a park ranger, some as a guide for the Greyfield Inn. He is not only an accomplished naturalist, but also he is an accomplished photographer. Some of his work has been published in National Geographic, and he possesses a wealth of knowledge. We made our way around the 18 mile long island stopping here and there to learn some facts about history and biology. We learned about the Indians who once lived on the island, about the Spanish who wiped them out, about slave plantations, about the Carnegie family, and about the regular forest fires on the island that affect the landscape. We also visited the site where John John was married in 1996.

The tour was nice, but sitting in the flatbed of a truck moving 30 plus miles an hour through thick tree cover that blocked the sun in sub 45 degree weather was frightfully frigid. We were huddled up under blankets like the wind chill was zero degrees.

In the afternoon we worked with Andy in the garden. In order to create some raised beds for new plantings, we hoed some rows and mixed compost into the soil. Then we transplanted the onion seedlings that we brought to him from Relinda Walker at Walker Farms. While working, we learned from Andy about cover crops and their benefits. Another activity was test planting some basil seeds he saved from last year. Flowers grow out from the top of the basil plant in a process called bolting once the leaves mature (numerous plants bolt). When this happens, seeds are created, and by saving these seeds, you can replant the crop the following year. Hopefully his onions and basil will thrive in a few months.