Does everyone know where St. George Island is? I didn't so I had to check out the map. Look at the panhandle of Florida that sticks out under Georgia and you will see the town of Apalachicola. Drive over a new 4 mile bridge with a very pretty view of the bay, and you will arrive on St. George Island.
Arriving on the island you are welcomed by this newly built lighthouse, a replica of the original one.
At one end of the island is a National Park where everyone can enjoy uninterrupted views of the ocean, picnic or camp, launch a boat and fish for the day, or just walk and enjoy the solitude and beauty of the place. What a treasure.
And then there is the beach! The sand is almost white and the water is beautiful. There used to be large sand dunes here until the area was devastated by a hurricane a few years ago, but the dunes are slowly being rebuilt by the wind.
In the morning we watched the dolphins playing and jumping out of the water. In the afternoon people swam and fished, but the best time for us was in the evening. From about 5:00 until 8:00 or so, we sat on the beach when the sun was not so hot and there was a light breeze. Enjoying a glass of wine, visiting with each other and watching and listening to the ocean---what a great way to relax, unwind and cool off from the heat of the day. The moon came up over the horizon as the sun was setting. How beautiful!
In the small town of Apalachicola, there is a park on the waterfront where you can observe, close-up, the oyster and shrimp boats. The town's industry is fishing and fresh shrimp, oysters, and fish can be found everywhere.
This is an oyster skiff and I learned that the long wooden paddles which you can see on the boat are tongs that the fisherman uses to reach into the water and gather the oysters to bring up onto the boat. Oyster boats are flat-bottomed and have the small cabin in the back. On the front of the boat is a culling board and a culling rake. The fisherman uses the tongs to throw the oysters onto the culling board and then rakes across them. He keeps the large ones and throws back into the water the smaller ones, allowing them to grow larger.
Another very interesting spot we visited was the dwarf cypress forest. Driving 4.5 miles off the main road, we arrived at a place where cypress trees only grow a few feet tall.
The boardwalk allows us to walk into the midst of the trees. In the photo you can see the taller trees in the background and the dwarf cypress in front. The information board says they do not know why the trees only grow so tall in this area because when the seeds from the trees are planted elsewhere, the trees grow to their normal height.
The area was a marshland with swamp grasses and lily pads growing in the creek.
I love the lily pads. But there were no frogs sitting on them!!
One evening Sara and I indulged in a seafood dinner. When you go to Apalachicola, try the Boss Restaurant on the waterfront. Mmmm--good!
Our table was right on the waterfront and the seagulls hovered, hoping for a treat!
Can you see him sitting on top of the light pole?
While Sara had fried shrimp, I tried grilled oysters with 4 different sauces. And, yes, we shared a dessert too: Mud pie!!
Sara was a great "tour guide" as she showed me the Estuarine Center, the historical churches, and beautiful old houses with interesting architecture.
As usual, I took many, many pictures and I just had to share some of them with you. I will have the pictures to remember the lazy days we spent in Apalachicola and on St. George Island, Florida.
Hasta luego.
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