Jekyll Island (by Sunshine)

We had fun making the birds fly.

We knew Jekyll Island would be one of our longer stops because there are so many fun things to do in the area and my Aunt Sharon and Uncle Randy live on the island so we had a home base from March 15-24. We spent the first day getting organized for our Burro repairs, getting groceries, rearranging, etc. Luckily there was still time for Walden and I to visit the beach which he loved. As we walked down the path near the beach access Walden asked, “Are we allowed to go in the ocean?” Then we went down the boardwalk and stairs and I bent to remove his shoes and he said, “Ooh, I was wondering if we got to do that.” I had to explain to Walden that we could not make sandballs and throw them like snowballs like we do at home in Wisconsin. We both had lots of sand in our hair and clothes but I think he understands now. A treat for both of us was seeing a dolphin just off shore. We were only going to wade in the water (I hadn’t unpacked bathing suits yet) but by the time we left Walden was stripped down to a diaper, covered in sand, and we were both smiling.

Exploring Driftwood Beach on Jekyll.

Sandpipers at Driftwood Beach on Jekyll.

Our second day was the best weather day of the week so we went to Driftwood Beach to explore. Walden climbed on giant gnarly trees that had been stripped of their bark and smoothed by the waves. There were jelly fish washed onto the beach, oyster shells, and a rope swing. We also had a great adventure walking way out into the ocean on a sandbar that can only be reached at low tide.

Ready for 'gator hunting.

Each evening we’d take a ride on the golf cart to the golf course down the road to walk the dogs, Zoe and Noah, but our real mission was ‘gator huntin.’ By weeks end we’d seen one baby and one 4-5 footer in the ponds on the course. Uncle Randy even let Walden drive the golf cart, showed him how to hit a golf ball with a club, and, the best part, pull down the golf flags and let them boing!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star per Walden's request.

We took a day trip to Savannah to explore the historic squares and walk along the riverfront. Seeing the giant old cathedrals, graveyards, and historic homes was more interesting to Jim and I than Walden. Walden’s favorites were seeing the horses pulling the carriages, playing at the best playground we’ve ever seen, and putting a dollar in the hat of a saxophone player who played Walden’s request of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Finding shells on St. Simons Island.

Another day trip was to Saint Simons Island to visit Fort Fredericka and the historic lighthouse and coast guard station. We took a long walk on the beach and got up close to a pelican on the pier. It was a fun trip down memory lane for me because I had a summer job on Saint Simons 17 years ago that led to me change my major to environmental education. My whole life might have looked different if it wasn’t for that decision.

Biking fun on Jekyll Island.

One day we rented bicycles and rode around Jekyll. Walden chose to ride in a kid seat on the back of Jim’s bike rather than a trailer like he is used to. He loved the feeling of freedom and we all loved biking again. Best of all there was a playground at the bike rental place for Walden to burn his energy off.

Family photo at Jenna and Nelson's house.

Feeding cousin Jenna's pig Daisy.

A visit to cousin Jenna and Nelson’s house was so much fun for us all. We got to see baby Della again which didn’t hold Walden’s attention for long. They have a donkey (Petunia), miniature pig (Daisy), ducks, chickens, roosters, and a dog which did hold Walden’s attention. Walden got to feed all the animals which entertained him over and over. He also found a remote control from an old toy and ran around the yard pretending to control the chickens. It was hilarious!

Grandpa Kapusta fixing the Burro refrigerator.

Intertwined with all our adventures was a long list of Burro repairs including lots of caulking around windows, fixing the broken shelf in the closet, packing the wheel bearings, fixing the refrigerator, washing and waxing. My Grandpa was a big help in getting it all done. Thankfully he is still here in Georgia at the end of his winter visit. We also had a sensor light go on in the CRV. It is within 2000 miles of the warranty ending so we wanted to get it fixed. We went to the dealer four (4!) times. First they thought it was due to two tires being over inflated. Then they thought it was due to three sensors going out so they replaced those. Finally, they decided it was due to all of the chargers we have plugged in to the car for our phones, tablet, iPad, and laptop interfering with the signal that the sensor sends to the control panel. We figured the dealership was just tired of us coming back and came up with a story to get rid of us… but it turns out they were right! Unplug the charger, and the sensor light goes off. Too much technology – who’d a thought?

In all, we had a fabulous time on Jekyll exploring, visiting our family, resting, and repairing the Burro. See lots of Jekyll photos. We are ready for the next leg of our adventure…