Georgia – Wandering Dawgs

Meanwhile, Back Home in Georgia

July 11, 2019Posted in Birds, Flowers, GeorgiaTagged boating, Butterfly Garden, Coastal Georgia, Great Egret, salt marsh, summer, summer blooms, zinnias16 Comments

It seems like we’ve been going non stop since we returned from our trip to Ireland and Scotland on May 23. Once I got caught up on laundry and got over the jet lag, I’ve been able to enjoy the summer.

With very little rain while we were on our trip, my garden was suffering when we got home. After a few days of digging in the dirt and a little watering, it is now thriving.

Zinnia

Daylily

Fiddler Crab on milkweed

Zinnias in the butterfly garden

Zinnia

Some days are perfect for a boat ride.

20190707-Sandbar-with-Bela-(32) — Driftwood on a Georgia sandbar

The hummingbirds come by each day and a painted bunting bunting pair and other small birds come by the feeder regularly. Wading birds are frequent visitors in the neighborhood.

20190704-Egret-Catalina-(21)-wide — Great Egret

Have a great summer!

Happy Birthday America!

July 4, 2019July 4, 2019Posted in Georgia, LighthouseTagged American Flag, Independence Day, July 4th, Patriotic, Red White and Blue, Tybee Island Light Station, USA10 Comments

Wishing you a safe and happy Independence Day!

20190704-Tybee-Lighthouse-American-Flag-Sony-(2) — Flying the American Flag for Independence Day at Tybee Island Lighthouse, Georgia

Pink Spring Blossoms

April 2, 2019Posted in Flowers, Georgia, NatureTagged Coastal Georgia, pink blossoms, spriing flowers, spring blossoms, springtime18 Comments

Where I live in coastal Georgia, March is the month when our azaleas and some flowering trees show off their brilliant colors. Some of the beds in my yard are filled with azaleas I planted about 30 years ago. Every spring they still delight me with their beautiful blooms.

Spring Georgia Peach Blossoms

Pink azaleas

30+ year old azaleas

Pink and white on the same azalea

Many of the blooms are gone now and after our first April shower this morning, a lot of the remaining flowers now lay on the ground. I’ll have to wait another year for the pink blooms to return.

McQueen’s – Tybee Island Trail

March 25, 2019Posted in Georgia, Nature, WildlifeTagged explore Georgia, hiking, McQueen-Tybee Island Trail, Rails to Trails, salt marsh, Savannah, spartina grass12 Comments

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy nonprofit organization has created a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines. The McQueen’s – Tybee Island Trail near Savannah, Georgia is one of the those trails. The gravel trail is a popular place for walking, biking and jogging.

The trail suffered extensive damage in 2016 when Hurricane Matthew came through the area in October. Less that a year later, Hurricane Irma caused more damage. The work to repair the damage is still not complete and parts of trail are closed.

As of now, the only access to the trail is a parking area at the trailhead near the entrance to Fort Pulaski National Monument. Starting at the trailhead, we walked until we came to a damaged bridge that still can be crossed safely. In all we went about about a mile and a half round trip.

20190310-Rails-to-Trails-(7) — The bridge to Fort Pulaski National Monument as seen from McQueens – Tybee Island Rails To Trails, Savannah, GA

20190310-Rails-to-Trails-(8) — McQueens – Tybee Island Rails To Trails, Savannah, GA

20190310-Rails-to-Trails-(12) — McQueens – Tybee Island Rails To Trails, Savannah, GA

20190310-Rails-to-Trails-(18) — McQueens – Tybee Island Rails To Trails, Savannah, GA

20190310-Rails-to-Trails-(4) — This bridge was damaged during one of the storms that went through the area

20190310-Rails-to-Trails-(36) — A great place to sit and enjoy the view

20190310-Rails-to-Trails-(37) — Driftwood in the salt marsh beside the trail

We spied some wildlife along the trail.

20190310-Rails-to-Trails-(16) — This little diamond back terrapin was crossing the trail in front of us

20190310-Rails-to-Trails-(25) — Great blue heron in the salt marsh beside the trail

It was a gorgeous March day to get out and explore close to home.

Sunsets and the Okefenokee Swamp

February 13, 2019March 14, 2019Posted in Georgia, Nature, RVing, State Parks, Sunset, Tourist Attractions, WildlifeTagged Alligators, Georgia USA, Laura S Walker State Park, Okefenokee Swamp Park, only in Georgia, Waycross GA10 Comments

We are off again on our first RV trip of 2019. Our first stop was Laura S. Walker State Park in Hoboken, Georgia. We were there during the weekend and the park was full of families enjoying their days off. The park was a perfect home base to explore the Okefenokee Swamp Park which is a short drive away.

Sunset at Laura S Walker State Park, Hoboken, GA

Crescent Moon over Laura S Walker State Park, Hoboken, GA

View from our campsite at Laura S Walker State Park, Hoboken, GA

During the last 12 years we have visited the Okefenokee Swamp several times from the southern end in Fargo. I posted about our last visit there at The Land of Trembling Earth It’s been over 40 years since we visited the Okefenokee Swamp Park in Waycross. Our two young children were with us back then. Oh, the memories!

This well run and well maintained private park has been attracting visitors to the swamp since 1946. There are boardwalks with views of the swamp, a train ride, educational exhibits, and wildlife presentations which are all included in the entrance fee. For an additional fee, visitors can take a guided boat tour through the swamp.

Not all of the boardwalks were open when we were there. Some are closed due to the high water level caused by heavy rainfall in December and January. One of the boardwalks that is open took us by several American alligators in their native habitat.