Vacationing on Jekyll Island GA 3' 12

You may remember from an earlier post in 2010 that we had stopped  overnight at Jekyll Island  while we were en-route to Florida.  We had been favorably impressed with what we saw then,  and had vowed to come back and spend more time exploring this Georgia State Park Sea Island.  The week of our anniversary seemed to be the perfect time to fulfill this vow.  We always  take a  romantic get-away  trip for our anniversary, and this historic sea island seemed to offer us the perfect combination of luxurious creature comforts and rustic adventure.

 One of the things we did not have time to see during our first pass through of the Island  was it's historic district. In 1886, Jekyll Island was purchased to become an exclusive winter retreat for America’s most elite families, known as the Jekyll Island Club. For more than half a century, the nation’s leading families, including the legendary Rockefellers, Morgans, and Pulitzers, came to Jekyll Island “to secure an escape.”  Many of their "cottages" are still here. 

Today, the Jekyll Island Museum tells their stories, giving an inside look at what life was like for both club members and their employees. 

 Offering exhibits, tours, and a museum store, the Jekyll Island Museum provides an introduction to the vibrant cottage life of the National Landmark Historic District and important landmarks beyond such as this colonial era tabby structure.

 or this Plantation Oak which is estimated to be the oldest Oak on Jekyll Island.

 While we did not take any of the formal tours, we did spend a significant amount of time riding our bicycles through the historic district homes and gardens 

  stopping to read all of the historical markers along the way.

The island has an extensive set of  well maintained bike trails  which allowed us to traverse the entire length and breadth of the island without the use of  a car .

Many of the bike paths are under the shade of the massive heritage oaks making it not just a  beautiful place to ride ones bike but a comfortable one as well

The bike paths not only go through out the historic district, but

 the harbor, 

the maritime forest, 

 The maritime forest

 the marsh 

  and  even through the dunes onto  the beach.   

 We were very impressed with the measures that the State of George has taken make such treasures accessible to the public, while protecting these same areas from use.  E.g. look at the viewing stations set up on the dunes so that people can watch the sunrise without trampling the fragile dune vegetation

 All along the way there are bike racks for those that want to stop to explore an area of the island a bit more. We took full advantage of this , especially when it came to exploring the beaches.

We had seen the Boneyard Beach on our previous visit, but had not had time to fully explore it.

This time we were able to park our bikes 

 and walk completely around the north eastern leeward end of the island 

along the river

having a picnic along the way

then back across the marsh to where our bikes were parked

On a different day we explored the opposite end of the island checking out the river

and the small marina under the Talmadge Memorial Bridge

 Most early mornings were spent on the beach watching the sun rise

 and taking pictures of the beautiful dunes for a series of paintings CC is working on

 

Evenings were spent back in the historic district dining in one of their many fine restarants, 

 

  and walking their beautifully lighted gardens.

It's impossible to name which area of the Island CC enjoyed the most, but for Bruce it was a no brainer.

Jekyll Island has been a heralded golf destination since 1898, when members of the Jekyll Island Club created the Island’s first golf course. In the decades that have followed, Jekyll Island has maintained its reputation as one of the premiere golfing destinations in the nation. Bruce made sure to take advantage of that feature

 The challenges of Jekyll’s 63 holes on four courses are matched by the sheer beauty of their location, set in a coastal environment of warm breezes and sunshine. Using the Island’s natural landscape as inspirations for creating classic course designs alongside spectacular scenery, the Island’s four golf courses provide users not only a challenging game, but also a striking setting for play.  

We chose to play the small Great Dunes nine hole course because it runs right along the ocean with some very tough  fairways shots and some very serious hazards

I think it is fair to say that we will be back to visit Jekyll Island again some day

Spicy Lamb Merguez Sausage

Spicy Lamb Merguez Sausage

 Our neighbor, Mary Paul LeCler made us a fabulous  dinner with home-made Lamb Merguez  Sausages last night.  It was so delicious I had to share the recipe.

These spicy North African sausages are popular in Morocco, where they're served plain, with couscous, in sandwiches, with eggs or stuffed into pastries. They can be made from ground lamb, ground beef, or a mixture of the two.

In Morocco one can buy fresh merguez in thin 3" links. When making merguez at home, you can opt to feed the mixture into sausage casings or simply shape the mixture into patties or cylinders. You'll want to first have   Merguez Spice Mix and  Harissa  on hand.

Step 1: Prepare Merguez Spice Mix

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons ground fennel seeds
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander seeds
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• -------------------------
• 4 teaspoons powdered sugar (optional)

Measure all ingredients into a bowl and stir to combine. Sift once, stir again and transfer to an airtight container for storage up to six months.

Step 2  Prepare Harissa  Seasoning

Tunisian in origin, harissa  is a delicious chili pepper condiment now accepted as part of Moroccan cuisine. Dried red chili peppers are ground to a paste with garlic and spices. Lemon juice and olive oil are used to moisten and thin the paste. Some Moroccan recipes also include tomato paste or puree.
You can use a small processor or blender to make harissa, but I think this quantity is easiest made in a mortar and pestle. Add harissa directly to a dish as it's cooking, or offer it on the side.
Yields 3 tablespoons.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 12 to 15 dried red chili peppers (approx. 1 1/2 oz. or 100 g)
• 3 or 4 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground caraway seeds (optional)
• 2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice
• olive oil

Remove the seeds from the dried chili peppers and place them in a bowl. Cover them with very hot water and leave to soften for 30 minutes to an hour.
Drain the chili peppers, and gently squeeze out excess water with a paper towel. Using a mortar and pestle (or a blender or mini food processor) grind the chili peppers, garlic, salt and spices to a paste. Add the lemon juice and just enough olive oil to moisten the harissa, or add additional olive oil to thin it.
Store unused harissa in an airtight container in the fridge. For long storage, lightly top the harissa with a little oil before covering.

 Step 3 Make Merguez Sausages

As with any sausage, fat is key to flavor and texture. Try not to skimp too much if you feel the need to adjust the recipe.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. (500 g) ground beef or lamb
• 4 oz. (120 g) ground or finely chopped fat
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
• 2 tablespoons merguez spice mix ( see above)
• 2 to 3 teaspoons harrisa  ( see above)
• ---------------------------
• sausage casings, optional

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, kneading the mixture well to evenly distribute the spices, herbs and harissa. Shape as desired. (Alternatively, you can pass the ingredients through a meat grinder and feed the merguez into sausage casings.)For best flavor, allow the merguez to sit for 30 minutes (or longer in the fridge) before cooking.

Lloma McCarron, RIP '12

In loving memory of CC's friend and long time pen-pal Lloma McCarron who passed away from renal failure on Feb 26, 2012 in Queensland Australia.

Quilt Show at Myrtle Beach '12

My friend Janet and I managed to take in a wonderful art quilt show this morning, then browse an estate sale in the early afternoon. I found a beautiful Asian ginger jar at the estate sale; it is the perfect prop for a still life paintings. We were having a great time until the tornado warnings forced us to go home.

This quilt was huge and so cheerful. It made me happy just looking at it.

Happy Valentines Day Everybody

6'x6" oil painting by CC

 Happy Valentines Day, Everybody !

My sweet BJ baked me a cake for V day.

Sunset over Hywy 17 SB

This evenings sunset

Mr Vernon '11

Tourist Entrance

We also visited Mt Vernon---- George Washington’s plantation on the Potomac River near Wash DC…..  It is huge - 8000 acres which were separated into five different farm sites and multiple buildings    

  

The entry for tourists is from the inland circular drive, but the residence can also be approached from the Potomac River. 

The back of the residence faces the Potomac 

  

Looking South

with sweeping views of the river in both directions.

Mt Vernon Dock House on the Potomac

 At Mount Vernon you can explore the mansion, the outbuildings, the gardens and the new museum and learn about the life of America's first president and his family.

The dining room on the main floor

All the rooms on the main floor were decorated for Christmas in a manner consistent with Washington's   lifetime 

George and Martha Washington's Bedroom on upper floor

 We were especially lucky, in that  we got to tour not only the main rooms on the first floor, but all of the upper floors rooms as well.  The stairways are very narrow and cannot handle the volume of people that want to tour the building during spring, summer and fall.  Normally tourists are only allowed onto the first floor of the residence.  Just before Christmas the crowds slack off, and visitors are allowed into the inner sanctum.

G. Washington's Office at Mt. Vernon

We toured all of the out buildings

Slave Quarters – had had over 500 which he freed upon his death

Slave Quarters – had had over 500 which he freed upon his death

 and gardens in the estate

Espaliered fruit trees in herb garden

Then we headed to the new museum dedicated to George Washington's life

and to his contributions to the nation. The exhibition reveals the real George Washington not only as a general and president, but as a young land surveyor, experimental farmer and savvy entrepreneur. Washington’s views on religion and slavery, and the influence of his wife, Martha, are also explored.

Washington's Grave

An amusing highlight of the museum was an exhibit of the only surviving complete set of Washington’s famous dentures,    No, they are not wood.... Sorry to disappoint you, but apparently all four sets of Washington's dentures were made of ivory, human teeth and animal teeth.  

G.W Dentures

Another interesting aside is that one of his step great grand daughters ( from Martha Washington’s son by her first marriage) married Robert E Lee.

All told, the tour of the estate and museum took us the better part of a full day, but it was well worth it  for the appreciation we gained into the courage and genius of  George Washington

Shirley Plantation '11

We also visited the Shirley's Plantation near Richmond... it is the oldest plantation in Virginia. It was established in 1613, was the birthplace of the Confederate President & General Robert E Lee, and has been in the same family for eleven generations. It was a very interesting tour. Most of the other southern plantations were destroyed by Sherman during the Civil War. Seeing this one intact, made me realize how much of our cultural roots we lost in that war.

Shirley Plantation

  As the story goes, the husband / owner of the plantation was off fighting for the Confederacy when the Union troops arrived at the plantation.  They were in bad shape after a particularly bloody battle.  The Plantations matriarch told her servants and slaves that they had a moral obligation to help the wounded no matter what side they represented then proceeded to cook food for and administer medical attention to the injured.   When this was reported to the Union General McClellan, he issued a document declaring the Shirley plantation property and its inhabitants were not to be harmed.  A less mentioned motive might have been that McClellan was a gentle soul by nature.  He had been childhood friends with and had gone through military training with Robert E Lee, and out of courtesy would have spared his childhood home..

 Lee, by the way, no longer lived at Shirley Plantation during the Civil War..  When he married G Washington’s step great granddaughter, he had moved into his wife’s plantation in Arlington VA.  When the Civil War got too close, he and his family moved inland to a second home in the Shenandoah Valley.  When the Union soldiers took Lee’s Plantation at Arlington, they were not disposed to treat it kindly.  They turned the property into a cemetery for the Union dead… This is how the land became the Arlington National Cemetery, where the USA buries all of our fallen troops and Presidents even today.

Holiday Greetings from Pawley's Island

It's official... 

The Christmas holiday season is upon us.

Visitors crossing the North Causeway onto  Pawleys Island

 are being greeted by  a Santa Claus fishing the tidal creek

Volunteering for Habitiat for Humanities' Souper Bowl '11

Once again the Habitat for Humanity in Georgetown has asked the members of the Seacoast Artists Guild to volunteer their skill set in painting Soup bowls.

Yes that's right... Bruce is painting a fired bisque ware bowl .

His and five hundred other one of a kind bowls will be sold  at

the HfH fundraiser known as Souper bowl.

People purchase a ticket to get into the event, where they can choose on of the hand-painted

and then the can select from a dozen or more soups being offered ( in Styrofoam cups) by the local restaurants who are also volunteering their services.   All of the proceeds go toward building new homes for those in need in the Georgetown County.

Brookgreen Night of a Thousand Candles '11

One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is to visit Botanical Gardens at night.  Quite a number of them decorate with special holiday light shows and have all kinds of family oriented holiday activities .   We visited the Lewis Ginter Gardens in Richmod on this trip, but Brookgreen Gardens  in Pawleys Island SC  is still  my favorite.

 

Dec 3^rd  was the opening night of Brookgreen Gardens Night of a Thousand Candles.  I and my camera spent the evening documenting the spectacular beauty of the gardens at night.

Every year, for three weekend evenings,,  Brookgreen Gardens come to life  with holiday spirit amid the soft glow of more than 5,500 hand-lit candles and countless sparkling lights.

   

The sculptures are even more beautiful at night than they are by day. They almost seem alive

  The  sculptures in the pools and fountains appear to be dancing

The  heritage oak trees take on an other worldly look and seem even more ancient and massive at night

 

Pavilions with jazz musicians, gospel singers, and  classical musicians  offer cheery shelter to foot-weary garden guests

And the old kitchen offers a cheery place to relax with some warm  mulled cider

It's a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays.