I got to start my day with a visit to the Altamaha WMA .Great way to start any day if I say so myself .The egrets ,herons , coots, ducks and song birds were incredible .
Of course the marsh isn't a bad thing to view this time of day either .
The early morning light twinkling off the spider webs on the banks looked like lacy flowers . Hard to get pics of how exotic they looked .
The Altamaha River
This may be part of how Savannah acquired her name . Another facet of the Georgia coast .
The old abandoned rice fields are maintained by Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources not only for the wildlife but also for the hunters , fishers , and wildlife observers . The dikes are well maintained and the walking is level and easy . A good telephoto lens helps .
I couldn't stop in Darien without trying to photograph the world famous shrimping fleet . ( shameless plug -- Always ask for Georgia Wild shrimp at your grocery stores . It is the sweetest shrimp you will ever eat , bar none . )
If you are a fan of the logging shows on TV , you may like this . I don't know if the captain was collecting driftwood or diving for salvage logs . If I remember correctly , the Georgia permit for salvaging sunken logs from our rivers is $10,000 per two miles . Besides shrimp , Darien is also known for being the terminus for millions of logs floated downriver from inland log operations . The history of the giant rafts of logs makes for some fascinating reading .
There always seems to be a few characters to enlighten you anywhere you find fishermen . Fisherwomen tend to not be quite as colorful . Unless they are like my wife . Anyway ...
The story I got from the gent repairing the public dock ,in preparation for the upcoming Blessing of the Fleet , about this old gal was that she was slowly being stripped for spare parts . Seems the owner couldn't keep up two boats as he was getting up in age . He couldn't sell because they were part of a co-op including the boats ,dock and the building . The other partners didn't want to sell so there she sits .
Just a short distance downriver are the commercial docks and boatyards . This steel boat originally caught my attention . It was on the hard ,as they call not being in the water .
When I pulled into the boatyard , this airplane motor looked to be their centerpiece . After asking permission to take pictures , I inquired about the motor . ( character cue ) . It seems that the crew of the Smokin' Joe had a wee bit too much fun on the night before . When they showed up late the cap'n said ''T' hell with y'all !'' and left them on the dock . He probably regretted this decision about ten miles south of St. Augustine . After a long run , by himself , and getting his nets out , by himself , the nets got tangled in something on the bottom , by their selves . He had to pull them up , by himself . If that wasn't bad enough he had to pull the entangled motor on board and untangle the whole mess . You guessed it , by himself . Rumor has it that they are from the ''Bermuda Triangle '' fiasco . Maybe not the famous one but still ....
Another tale as told by another salty gentleman . The Shrimp Stalker ; not the original name ,couldn't recall what it was , was sunk by a log with a six or eight inch stub sticking up . Put a hole in her big enough to put her right , slap on the bottom . She was bought , raised , salvaged , and put right back to work . Of course it took the new owner a while to get her working , and she's still a work in progress . From the looks of the sorting table on the back of her , she may have a bit of age on her .
These tabby walls are from the 1700s . As you know , I'm not real big on the whole shopping , B&B type experience so these are about the only shots I got of the town .
If you get the chance , visit this area . Some of the friendliest folks I have had the good fortune to meet . They allowed me a glimpse of their lives that most tourists never get . Always ready with a smile and a story to share . All for the price of saying howdy .
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