May 28, Wednesday – Our First Fort

Leaving the RV at the state park and taking the Jetta Hannah and I decided to check out the barrier islands near the city of Brunswick. Hannah took on the role of being the navigator and planned a trip to St. Simons. We found that our first site was closed until later in the day. The Maritime Center at the Historic Coast Guard Station gave way to the St. Simons lighthouse. But before we went through the light keeper’s house and climbing the 129 steps to the top, we strolled the waterfront park walkway out to the fishing pier. We sat in the shade under the cover over the pier and talked. I so highly value our talks, which seem to spring up at unannounced times and places – a very joyful occurrence. We also marveled at the age, race and physical shapes of the people fishing and walking on the pier, especially the huge muscular black man gutting his catch at the fillet table with a white kid hanging on the rail next to him asking him one question after another.
We finally succeeding in climbing the spiral steps to the top of the lighthouse (1872) with its commanding views 360 degrees around.
To end our day on the island we drove to Fort Frederica (1742) to witness the ruins of a military town of 500 soldiers, families, tradesmen, merchants and farmer. The town/fort was the focal point of the British driving out the Spanish in the Battle of Bloody Marsh (as in blood in the water). This battle was in response to the British laying siege to St. Augustine, Florida two years earlier. The Spanish finally withdrew all their population from Florida and Georgia.