Island Memories

Last week we spent a few days at Jekyll Island. The Jekyll Island Club was established in the late 1800s as a club for millionaires. Fortunately, you don't have to be a millionaire to stay there now. 

The island is state-owned, with only a small portion of it settled. Without new construction, the gorgeous old live oaks (Georgia's state tree) are protected. In fact, the oldest live oak on the island is just a quarter-mile's walk from the Club hotel. The more I write about beauty, the more I realize I am drawn to trees. I made certain that we visited that old live oak. We spent a lot of time under its huge canopy, looking at how the light streamed through its massive branches, touching the Spanish moss hanging down, and taking pictures by one of several limbs now resting on the ground.

Throughout our stay, we walked and pedaled through the 240-acre historic district. It was quiet and peaceful--not crowded at all. We toured two of the restored cottages and ate dinner in a third. We stayed in the newly-renovated Club hotel annex. We visited the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, where we learned about the dangers these turtles face and the necessity for their nests and hatchlings to be protected. We lingered in the hospital where we saw injured turtle patients being rehabilitated for return to the wild. My daughter fell in love with a terrapin hatchling there. It was hard to pull her away from its tank.

Between the historic buildings, the walking trails, the beach, the turtles, the quiet, the unhurried pace, and the live oaks with their Spanish moss, our vacation was full of memories of beauty. We're already planning to go back.

Chapel Jewels

I've got chapels on my mind today. Last week, I toured a stunning chapel on the campus of Agnes Scott College. Named for Julia Thompson Smith, this gem was designed by Maurice Jennings Architects, a firm that upholds the principles of Organic Architecture as espoused by Frank Lloyd Wright and by Fay Jones. (Take a look at Fay Jones' famous Thorncrown Chapel). What I loved about this chapel was the soaring ceilings, the arches that appear everywhere, the abundance of natural light, the cypress wood found in Georgia, the reverent hush. I loved that the windows seemed to coax the gardens just outside into the building. And I loved that it has been set down on campus in such a way as to look like it has been there for decades, when in fact it was just dedicated a few months ago.

Later today, I'm touring Faith Chapel on Jekyll Island. Build for the Jekyll Island Club in 1904, this chapel's design is "early meetinghouse" with Gothic elements. At the west end is a signed example of the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany. My daughter has never seen a Tiffany window. I'm glad that we'll get to see her first one together.