Civil Rights Legends in Atlanta State Capitol
The gathering at the State Capitol building in Atlanta
To honor the August 28, 1963 March on Washington and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, two civil rights icons spoke on the civil rights movement Tuesday in the state capitol in Atlanta.
The Rev. Joseph E. Lowery
The Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, who helped Dr. King establish the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and U. S. Congressman John Lewis, former head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (1963-66), spoke about that day 49 years ago when they weren’t sure who would show up for the March, and then were overwhelmed by the enormous crowds. Read the rest of this entry »
Critters of Jekyll Island
Here are some of the critters I saw on my recent visit to Georgia’s Jekyll Island: (Note – I now have ID confirmations on my questionables, thanks to the great help from the Georgia Birders Online list)
Royal Tern, Jekyll Island, Georgia
Loggerhead Sea Turtles on the Georgia Coast
Loggerhead sea turtles are one of those “awwww….” creatures. They inspire protective instincts in many of us, especially those who are aware of the sad state of many of earth’s species such as these, fighting for survival.
Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Jekyll Island, Georgia
I went to Georgia’s Jekyll and St. Simons Islands this week in hopes of seeing at least one of these amazing animals. I knew that the females come ashore only to lay their eggs. I knew they come at night and leave a trail in the sand, and that volunteers and biologists check every night and morning to see where new nests are. I knew the babies generally hatch at night and make their desperate break for the sea, hoping that they make it before gulls or crabs snatch them from their destiny. Only one in 4,000 of these babies will make it to adulthood and reproduce. These marine reptiles, on the Endangered Species List, grow up in the North Atlantic and around the Sargasso Sea, then the females return to the beaches where they were born, drag their 200 to 300 pound bodies up past the high tide line, scoop a hole in the dunes, deposit a clutch of 60 to 100 or more eggs , cover them up, smooth out the sand, and drag themselves back to the sea. Males never come ashore, unless they are sick or injured. Read the rest of this entry »
Driftwood Beach Sunrise
First light, Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia
Here’s a lovely way to spend the morning on Georgia’s Jekyll Island. Dawn comes to Driftwood Beach. Read the rest of this entry »
Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area
Cairns mark the trail on the exposed granite
It isn’t much of a mountain, but it is unique. Arabia Mountain is an outcrop of granite or granite-like rock a few miles southeast of Atlanta – a smaller version of Stone Mountain. This monadnock (an isolated hill rising conspicuously from the surrounding land) had been quarried at one time, but is now preserved as a park with a bicycle trail leading to sister-monadnock Panola Mountain State Park. Read the rest of this entry »
