Atlantic Ocean – Wandering Dawgs

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #389 – Time to Relax

March 14, 2026March 14, 2026Posted in Photography, Travel, Georgia, Road TripTagged Atlantic Ocean, beach, Jekyll Island, Lens-Artists, Nature, Photo Challenge, Relax, Seascapes37 Comments

Anne’s challenge is Time to Relax. For this challenge she is looking back to the challenge from July of 2018. She asks us “But what relaxes you? What gets you away from the stresses of daily life. What’s your passion?”

This challenge couldn’t come at a better time. I haven’t been able to travel or go on photo excursions for several months due to health issues. My husband and I were badly in need of a break. We finally were able to go for a short two day getaway this week The beach is my happy place and being by the ocean is my favorite place to relax so we chose Jekyll Island for our destination.

Jekyll Island became a Georgia State Park in 1947. The island is managed by the Jekyll Island Authority. Most of the island is undeveloped to preserve the natural beauty of the maritime forests. There are 24 miles of bike trails, miles of beach with several parking lots and picnic areas, a beautiful National Historic Landmark District, wildlife, hotels and restaurants, and a golf course.

We like to stay off interstates so we took a leisurely drive south to Jekyll Island on the Coastal Highway, also known as US Highway 17. Our goal for the trip was to kick back, relax and not have an agenda. We succeeded!

We stopped for a lunch of wild caught Georgia Shrimp at Skippers in Darien. I had to take some photos of diamond back terrapins in a pond just outside the restaurant.

Diamond Back Terrapins in Darien, Georgia

Our room had a balcony overlooking the pool and maritime forest. Beyond the trees is the Atlantic Ocean, Other guests were relaxing by the pool while we were relaxing on our balcony.

The hotel pool was a great place for guests to relax

I enjoyed seeing the ocean and hearing the waves when we walked out on a walkway too the beach. There were only a few others relaxing on the beach on this warm, sunny March day.

I couldn’t resist capturing this guy chill-axing at the beach.

This cardinal was easy to spot in the tree.

The next day we visited the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, the only turtle education and rehabilitation facility in Georgia.

Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island

The beaches on Jekyll Island are a great place for a relaxing family vacation.

Thank you to everyone who shared you memorable journeys for Ann-Christine’s challenge Journey in 5 to 10 images.

Many thanks to Anne for this week’s challenge. If you would like to join the challenge please be sure to tag your post with Lens-Artists and include a link back to Anne’s post Lens-Artists #389: Time to Relax.

Be sure to check back on Saturday, March 21 at noon eastern time when Egidio will be hosting the challenge

If you don’t want to miss any of our challenges you may want to think about subscribing to the Lens-Arrists team members websites: Tina, Patti, Ann-Christine, John, Sofia, Anne, Egidio, Ritva, Beth.

For information on how to join the Len-Artists challenge please click here.

Every Day is a Gift

Cellpic Sunday – September at the Beach

September 21, 2025Posted in PhotographyTagged Atlantic Ocean, beach, Cellpic Sunday4 Comments

Here are two photos of people enjoying a beautiful day on the beach. One is real, the other a zigsaw puzzle.

Shared with John’s Cellpic Sunday

Every Day is a Gift

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #314 – Shorelines

September 7, 2024Posted in PhotographyTagged Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Lens-Artists, Pacific Ocean, Photo Challenge, Shorelines20 Comments

Anne introduced this challenge by starting out with the question “Where do you find peace and relaxation?”

The rest of her introduction says “I find mine wherever water touches land. Yes, any type of shoreline. It may be a beach, a lake, a pond, a creek; you know where I’m going. I’m heading to the shore.”

I agree 100% with Anne. Wherever water touches land is where I want to be. Being near water soothes my soul.

I have thousands of shoreline images from our travels. I narrowed down my selections for this challenge to include American shorelines along the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, and Alaska.

Here are a few Atlantic Ocean shorelines from Maine to Florida.

The next gallery features some Florida and Texas Gulf Coast shorelines.

Gulf Islands National Seashore at Ft. Pickens, Florida

Pacific Coast Shorelines from the United States west coast and Hawaii.

I’ll finish with some Alaska Shorelines.

Many thanks to our host Anne for her challenge Lens-Artists #314 – Shorelines

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #313 – Cool Colors

August 29, 2024Posted in PhotographyTagged Atlantic Ocean, beach, Blue Ridge Parkway, Caribbean, Clouds, Cool Colors, Lens-Artists, Photo Challenge, salt marsh23 Comments

Our host Johnbo asks us to feature cool colors for this challenge. He tells us “Cool colors evoke calmness, serenity, and tranquility, feelings often associated with water, sky, and nature.” I’ve included a few of my favorite cool colors for this challenge.

Blue umbrellas on the beach under a cloudy sky

A river runs through the Georgia Salt Marsh

Green Palms against a brilliant blue sky

Many thanks to our host Johnbo for the challenge Lens-Artists #313 – Cool Colors

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #203 – Local Vistas

June 18, 2022Posted in Georgia, Lighthouse, PhotographyTagged Atlantic Ocean, barrier island, beach, Coastal Georgia, Favorite Place, Georgia Coast, home, Lens-Artists, Local Vistas, salt marsh29 Comments

The Georgia coast is about 110 miles long and includes 15 barrier islands, miles of salt marsh, the city of Savannah, historic towns, and beautiful beaches. Jekyll, St. Simons, Sea and Tybee are the only islands accessible by car. The rest of Georgia’s islands can only be reached by boat. Cumberland Island National Seashore and Sapelo Island can each be reached by ferry.

Tybee Island is Georgia’s northernmost barrier island. Just 20 minutes east of downtown Savannah, Tybee is a popular tourist destination with miles of beach, many fun restaurants, the tallest lighthouse in Georgia, and Fort Pulaski National Monument and Cockspur Island Lighthouse nearby.

South of Savannah, St. Simons and Sea Island are the next islands that can be reached by road. With miles of beach, a village area by the fishing pier, Ft. Frederica National Monument, and golf courses, St. Simons is a popular beach destination.

The southernmost island that can be reached by road is Jekyll Island. Jekyll Island was once the winter home for many of America’s wealthiest families. Visitors to Jekyll can see many of these historic homes, ride bikes on its many bike trails, and enjoy its beautiful driftwood beach. Jekyll Island is owned by the state of Georgia.

Most of Sapelo Island is owned by the state of Georgia and is one of the barrier Islands that can only be reached by boat. A ferry runs from near the town of Darien.

Ancient Live Oaks dripping in Spanish Moss, spring Azaleas, salt marsh, waterways, shrimp boats, fresh seafood, and wild life are all part of what makes coastal Georgia so special.