Last week Tom and I tried a new ice cream place, Moo Cow Ice Cream. I usually get my ice cream from St. Simons Sweets, but it was very busy, so we decided to walk to try the new place. I had been wanting to try Moo Cow Ice Cream ever since it moved into …
Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd
When I read history, I usually prefer biographies to historical fiction. Sometimes the fiction is so fictional I wonder why it is called historical. Not so with “The Indigo Girl” by Natasha Boyd. The only parts of this story that are fictional are the imagined conversations and friendships with the enslaved people. “The Indigo Girl” …
African American Heritage Festival at Fort Frederica
As part of Black History month, Fort Frederica hosted an African American Heritage Festival on February 29. The day was cold and blustery but clear and we had almost 900 visitors. Anytime we host a special event, it requires a lot of behind the scenes work by the volunteers. Denise and Bob Verba, especially, stayed …
Standing Between the Living and the Dead
In Numbers 16, the Israelites are grumbling against Moses and Aaron – again. The chapter starts with outright disobedience among some of the priests. “Who do Moses and Aaron think they are, to set themselves above us?” they say. God opens up the earth which swallows these disobedient men and their families. But the next …
Fourth Letters to London Post: Jr. Rangers
This is our fourth year at Fort Frederica National Monument and my fourth post about the Letters to London that the Jr. Rangers write. During March and April, more than 300 Jr. Rangers complete the program at Fort Frederica. It will be interesting to see if families keep to their plans and come to the …
Coronavirus Cancels Our Big Trip to Europe
Coronavirus and the measures associated with it have been all over the news lately. Tom and I have been paying particular attention to it, but not for the usual reasons. We had a big trip scheduled to begin April 22: a four-month cruise to Europe. We had been planning and paying for the trip for …
Keeping the Park Open and Visitors Center Closed
Last week, after several weeks of constant cleaning, Fort Frederica decided it was keeping the park open and closing the Visitors Center for the duration of the Coronavirus pandemic. We tried keeping the Visitors Center open and limiting the number of people in it at a time. But I was still (as the inside person) …
Climbing a Mountain One Step at a Time
Climbing a mountain is something I have done frequently in my life. Now, I don’t climb well and I certainly don’t climb fast, but the view from the top of a mountain is a thing of awesome wonder. Most of the mountains I manage to climb are little ones, 2,000 to 3,000 feet gain in …
Sick of Winter? Some Blooms to Give You Hope
Are you sick of winter yet? Our family and friends in Ohio has been enjoying a very mild winter. But mild still means lots of gray days with slushy snow and cold rain. Not what we get here on St. Simon’s Island. So I thought I would share some of the pictures I’ve taken of …
Invasive Species in the National Parks
Invasive species in the national parks are a problem throughout the park system. Azaleas brought in as landscaping plants or camphor trees planted to slow down erosion are two examples of invasive species at Fort Frederica. Most national park sites are working to eliminate invasive species and their impact on the environment. At Fort Frederica …