
B. J. finished her commitment to St. Simons Island United Methodist Church Summer School and she is footloose and fancy free for the remainder of the summer. We have a fun summer agenda. In the meantime, an eventful weekend was shaping up.
On Sunday, it was Sunday school, church, and lunch at Iguana’s with Cindy and Sonny Doerhing, Len and Susan Hoshall, Ann Rewis and some other friends (this may get to be a habit).
After our fundelicious lunch and happy amity, B. J. and I moved on to Magnolia Manor where I preached twice and served communion. The wonderful St. Simons United Methodist Church provided the music and assisted with the communion. Cindy was our pianist. Boy howdy, she knows how to make a piano sing.
Later Sunday afternoon, our long-time friends and former church members, Gene and Sue Sammons, drove down from Lumber City for a visit. Gene and Sue is a fun couple. There is never a lackluster moment with these two. They helped us get moved into our home on Asbury Street when we first retired.
After visiting and cutting up and carrying on for a while, we removed to Mullet Bay where we commandeered a cozy booth. Shortly, our lively, petite and cute server arrived with a winsome smile and a cheery greeting. She presented us with menus and we ordered up shrimp and lobster. Yum yum the fare was ever so tasty. More delightful, however, was our enjoyable dinner companions, Gene and Sue.
Following our savory meal, we mounted Big Red and bridled him in search of a parking place in pier village. Because of some notable events occurring on the weekend, crowds had gathered on the island. Desirable parking places were hard to find.
After a thorough search, I found no parking place near the pier so I bridled Big Red to our secret parking place - Alex Johnson’s “stall.” I tied the spunky Mustang up and we “got down.” We took a leisurely stroll through and around Pier Village and Neptune Park. Jazz in the Park is a musical event that takes place from time to time on St. Simons. A jazz band comes and provides spirited entertainment for jazz enthusiasts; it was going full blast.
We just hung around and took the dynamic entertainment in for a spell. Sue, a vivacious redhead has music in her blood. She is a pianist and a singer and she loves energetic music.
The music could be heard throughout the park so we resumed our happy ramble reminiscing about old times.
Finally, we ambled onto the pier, found a seat with a good view and waited for the rise of the “Supermoon” at 8:49 p.m. A Supermoon is the coincidence of a full moon or a new moon with the closest approach the moon makes to the earth on its elliptical orbit; it occurs about every fourteen moons. The result is a huge, brilliant spectacle. The Supermoon is especially awesome when it casts its gleaming glow over the sea.
There was a brisk breeze. The tide was coming in strongly, splashing breakers against the rocks and sprinkling us with salt spray.
Then our anxieties rose as clouds moved in and a haze covered the sky. It caused serious concern that we might not be able to see the Supermoon.
However, we bided our time and patience. Friends came by and chatted as the haze lingered. B. J.’s school principal, Mary Brittain was there. She came over to talk and introduce B. J. to her parents.
Finally, my friend R. C. Johnson who had stopped to chew the fat pointed to a spot across the water in the haze, “There it is; see it!”
“I see it!” B. J. replied.
Sue and Gene saw it but for the life of me, as of yet, I had not seen a thing.
Ultimately, the haze cleared and there was the Supermoon--radiant and remarkable.
We arose from our seats and hotfooted it along the sidewalk to a dark area where we could view the Supermoon better and take pictures.
Basking in the aura and enchantment of the Supermoon was the grand climax to a fantastic island weekend.