So long, old friend. Godspeed.

If things have gone as planned this morning, Dylan the sea turtle has been returned to the wild and is (I hope) happily exploring her new home in the waters off Jekyll Island. I suspect she had plenty of friends to see her off and wish her well.

Dylan's release marks the end of a chapter in a story that began 10 years ago, about the same time I came to the Georgia coast. She and a sibling, Bob, were rescued as hatchlings and were being cared for at what was then Coastal Encounters Nature Center (now Tidelands Nature Center). Cathy Tobler and Georgia Graves, who ran the center, were among the first people I met. (I still run into Georgia here and there on the island -- hi, Georgia!)

Dylan responded very well to the care and attention, which was considerable. She grew so much, in fact, that she was moved briefly from Jekyll Island to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta where she made thousands of new friends, aquatic and human. She returned to Jekyll Island last May, as one of the first residents of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. 

Her residency was not intended to be permanent. Rather, the staff at the Sea Turtle Center began preparing Dylan for life on her own, independent of humans. When her carapace, or upper shell, reached more than 50 centimeters long and she could hunt and capture live food, it was determined that she was ready.

Thus began the preparations for her release. Newspapers throughout Georgia and, I presume, the rest of the country have been telling Dylan's tale in preparation for this day, which has been called "bittersweet" in some headlines. There were even rumors that ABC's "Good Morning America" would be covering the event. 

In this day of what seems to be a never-ending stream of bad, depressing or simply depraved news stories, it's nice to read a story that has some heart and soul.

I wasn't there for Dylan's release, just as I wasn't there when she was rescued. Nonetheless, I and countless others, have some connection with this magnificent creature. 

Take care, Dylan. Safe travels. God bless you.

If you want to know more about Dylan and her friends at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, just click here. They do great work and are worthy of your support.

Savannah: A not-so-hidden treasure

My friend from Japan, Noriko, visited our family last month. It was a real treat, in that we haven't seen her in 16 years. We met her as a college student, who stayed in our home as part of a cultural exchange program. We've stayed in touch over the years, which strikes me as a not terribly common thing, especially when the participants live in different countries on opposite sides of the world. 

Noriko wanted to visit Savannah while she was here, so we treated ourselves to a road trip. I must say, I haven't been to Savannah just 'for fun' in quite awhile. Last time I was there, it was to attend the annual weiner dog race, which turned out to be something less than fun. 

We began our sightseeing jaunt with lunch in the City Market. If you're not familiar with it, the City Market is cool little enclave of shops, restaurants and galleries, located between River Street and Broughton Street. It's not quite as crowded as the waterfront and definitely worth a visit. 

While she was in Savannah, Noriko wanted to find and photograph the park bench from "Forrest Gump." After asking around (yeah, just paint 'tourist' on my forehead) we determined the bench was located in the Savannah Visitors Center, which was some distance away. We took two pedicabs, which turned out to be a nice way to get from point "A" to point "B." It's a pretty good deal, too, because the 'drivers' work for whatever you're willing to give them. 

We went into the Visitors Center, which is located on MLK Boulevard in the old train station. We learned that the bench was in the museum, which was (conveniently) located in the old train shed. After paying our admission, we proceeded into the museum which was filled with exhibits illustrating various aspects of Savannah history. 

Honestly, given the depth of Savannah's long history, this museum doesn't quite do it justice. I am, however, a tad bit biased having worked for one of the country's best museums.

One thing that intrigued me was the exhibit that showed a dentist's office from 50 or 60 years ago. It brought back memories of visiting my aunt's dentist near Claysburg, PA as a small child. Same ominious-looking chair, implements of dental torture and the neat porcelain sink where you got to spit (That was the best part of going to the dentist for me). 

As an aside, I'm not sure I want to know what it means when you visit various scenes from your life in a museum. Hmmmmm.

We found "the bench." It was roped off, of course. God knows we wouldn't want anyone to actually place their butts on the same piece of furniture as Tom Hanks. 

We maneuvered around to try and photograph Noriko with the bench, in such a way as to make it appear that she was sitting on it. Ultimately a rather lame and fruitless effort. So we headed to Chippewa Square, where the scenes were filmed. There, we found a similar bench and took a picture of it. 

We walked around on Broughton Street and visited this very cool store that has imported furniture and stuff from Asia. Can't remember the name of it, but it's in the old Woolworth's Building (I think). One of the women there had a HUGE male St. Bernard -- more childhood memories. 

We visited the shops along River Street and then headed to Forsyth Park to see the fountain. It was the first time I had been back to the fountain since we visited Savannah during our honeymoon 25 years ago. And I've been here in Georgia for ten. Go figure. Anyway, it was beautiful and I managed to get some pretty neat shots including some where the water spray makes kind of a rainbow effect.

It was a great way to spend a spring day, here on the Georgia coast.

Beach Week a great way to learn about our coastal environment

Ever since I was a kid, one of my favorite parts of going to the beach has been collecting seashells and other items washed upon the shore. In my mind there is nothing more impressive than God's handiwork and no better memento of these good times. Intact, unbroken sand dollars or conch shells were among the "holy grail" of shorefront finds. 

Hermit crabs have long been a popular beach souvenir. I remember, as a nine year-old, going to a friend's house and marveling at the hermit crab -- replete with its own plastic hermit crab house -- brought home from the Jersey shore. They're still popular. You can buy your own hermit crab -- and varying sizes of plastic hermit crab homes -- in the village on St. Simons Island.

According to a local ecologist, some of our treasure-seeking may be doing more harm than good.

Jill Andrews, manager of ecological resources at the Coastal Resources Division of the Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources, says beachgoers typically make several mistakes when they visit the shore. Among their top mistakes are picking up sand dollars for souvenirs, walking on sand dunes, and taking hermit crabs home for pets.

During DNR's annual Beach Week, Andrews and her colleagues will show why something as simple as taking a sand dollar home as a souvenir can harm our coastal ecosystem. 

Beginning June 30 and continuing through July 4 weekend, DNR staffers will set up educational exhibits and informational sites on the beaches of St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island and Tybee Island. The goal of the Beach Week program is to help visitors and local residents understand and appreciate the importance of caring for our beaches and their inhabitants. 

To learn more about the Coastal Resources Division and its programs, visit them online.