The lighthouse is the tallest landmark on the Sapelo skyline.
I really miss the heavy, fishy, salty air. This is the first time I’ve been able to say this after a vacation at the coast. Usually, I’m glad to be back inland in north Atlanta. But after our recent trip to Sapelo Island, everything has changed.
I think part of it is that we–my husband and 2 kids–immersed ourselves in the outdoors all day long every day. We got sweaty and grimy and just stayed in that state all day, moving from one activity to the next. This kind of initiates you and toughens you up.
Sapelo is a gem. A masterpiece. It’s left alone, except for us outsiders who pay to come look at it. The folks in Hog Hammock are, for the most part, decendents of the original slaves who lived on the island. It’s a no-frills, authentic place. Hand-made signs mark out the post office and the stores.
Sapelo Island (pronounced /ˈsæpəloʊ/) is a state-protected island located in McIntosh County, Georgia. The island is reachable only by airplane [1] or boat, with the primary ferry coming from the Sapelo Island Visitors Center in McIntosh County, Georgia, a seven mile (11 km), twenty-minute trip.[2]
Approximately 97 percent of the island is owned by the State of Georgia and is managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources; the remaining is under private ownership. The western perimeter of Sapelo is the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve (SINERR)[3]which is part of NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve system (NERR).[4] The University of Georgia Marine Institute,[5] which is focused on research and education, is located on 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) on the south end of the island. The Reynold’s Mansion, a Georgia State Park,[6] also lies on the south end of the island. Visitors to the island must be a part of an organized tour or guests of residents on the island. The island also has a small private airport run by the State of Georgia. [1] — from Wikipedia
It wasn’t RJ Reynolds stupid mansion with all it’s rooms and cooridors that left me longing. Nor the lighthouse. Nor even the secluded beaches. It was Hog Hammock. People living in their own community, creating their own culture, quietly. Daily.
And really that’s what we’re all doing in our own way, daily. Only we’re more accessible. “Outsiders” come and go in our space more often than they do at Hog Hammock.
So here’s to creating and embracing and living legitimately within YOUR OWN culture. What are you doing to make it unique? To make it your own? What are “outsiders” going to notice looking in?
Atlanta. I live here. 