I am learning something new every day about being an “author.” Not the least of which is that, in the future, when the author proof books arrive, I should triple check more than the cover. Argh. Okay, so if you’re reading Books 1 and 2 now… I’m reading them, too. I’m sorry! Book 3 will be cleaner on the first printing.
In fact, I read Book 1 with a red pen in my hand last night and I’m reading Book 2 today. Then I’ll fix all the typos that I’ve found (and a few readers have sent me) and hit the publish button again. This is just embarrassing and if one of my writers had done this when I was editing news stories, I would be super annoyed. But I am my boss now and I have to punish myself. I’m going to do that by taking Book 2 to the beach and I’m not allowed to come back until I’ve read the paper version all the way through to catch any more mistakes.
So, let’s talk beaches and islands because that’s an easier topic than author self-flagellation.
Jekyll Island is like a tiny version of Vieques Island. Minus the trash, the potholes, and the inconveniences. Oh, and the clear blue Caribbean water.
The water in coastal Georgia is similar to the beaches I grew up on in Bethany Beach, Delaware. Except for the bottom. We have rivers that feed into the ocean from the marshes around us and sometimes you’ll find a slimy spot underfoot. It doesn’t bother me anymore, but it sure made me jump the first few times. I do miss being able to see all the little fishies swimming around me but after all the pictures of gators bodysurfing on Jekyll and St. Simons lately, maybe I’m better off not being able to see clearly to the bottom here. It’s not going to keep me out of the water.
Like Vieques, Jekyll also has big, uncrowded beaches and mind-boggling wildlife. Our tides come up so high that the beach sand is usually pretty solid, making the beach a popular bike riding spot for lots of folks. Nobody tries to sell you anything on the beach – like Vieques – and nobody really bothers anybody else (unless you count the occasional stray football sailing past your head).
Both Vieques and Jekyll are turtle meccas. Seriously. It’s like there’s a bulletin board turtles post on to tell each other where to lay eggs. Up here, it’s Jekyll Island. Down there, it’s Vieques. Both islands have diligent turtle protection programs and although they do it differently, it works in both places.
My girlfriend, Holly, and her husband met us on Jekyll for a vacation week before we moved here. They’re from Montana. She took the cool tours offered by the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and in one week, she saw a momma digging a nest to lay eggs and she helped free some just-hatched babies who got trapped in their nest. It was the last week of August and she truly hit the turtle jackpot.
One of the biggest differences between the two islands is the fact that Jekyll Island is connected to the mainland by a causeway and a little bridge. Vieques is seven miles off the eastern tip of Puerto Rico and you have to take a boat or an airplane to get there. The roadways on and leading to Jekyll are in fabulous shape and maintained constantly. At the start of turtle season, they put up flashing signs that warn drivers to watch out for turtles. We’ve also all been tutored on how to help a turtle (help him in the same direction he was going or you’re not helping!) and when to call the turtle experts to come get them.
On Vieques, they only fix the roads before local elections. No, seriously. A pothole the size of Rhode Island got filled? It must be a mayoral election year. And for years, the ferry system has been a disaster. It was privatized a few years ago and HMS is running it now, which means it has greatly improved the general management. But the boats are still old, the docks are still dangerous (you try backing your Jeep onto a boat at a 45-degree angle on a windy day), most of the waiting areas are outside, and the way you get a cargo ferry pass to take your vehicle across is still a lot like trying to get tickets to a Taylor Swift concert.
Historically speaking, Vieques should have had a causeway just like Jekyll. In fact, the one-mile-long Mosquito Pier on the west end of the island would have been the start of that after the U.S. Navy took over the island. But then Pearl Harbor was bombed. And the Navy realized that putting all of the North Atlantic fleet behind a breakwater (like the causeway) was a bad idea. They needed more than one exit. So, they stopped building at one mile and it became a pier instead of a seven-mile causeway to the mainland.
Whether or not to build a bridge from the big island to Vieques is a hot topic – lots of people don’t want a bridge and all the hordes of people that would come over on it. Already, more than 50,000 San Juanerros boat over to Vieques for Easter Week every year. It’s total insanity. What if everybody could come?
Those who want the bridge have really good reasons for it – access to medical care, lower cost of living, etc. – but they all know there will never be a bridge to Vieques in their lifetimes. How do they know that? Because the little bridge over the arroyo on Playa Grande got washed out in a storm and it took 10 years to get it fixed. And that thing is only 10 yards long, not seven miles.
I was okay with no bridge when I lived there, but gotta be honest, after a few years, it got tiresome not being able to leave the island easily. I love Vieques just the way it is but it’s hard to live there and run a business there. Visiting as a tourist is amazing and I highly recommend it – but you have to be made of tougher stuff to live there forever. Bill always says the first five years were an adventure, and the last six years were a pain in the butt. I never expected to live there for the rest of our lives, but I have immense respect for those who stay and keep the island running for the rest of us.
And with that, I’m going to go do something now that I did in Vieques all the time. I’m going to the beach to work.
In Vieques, that meant I was running a beach party or a wedding ceremony. Here on Jekyll Island, that means I’m taking Book 2 and my red pen to the beach to find any remaining typos because I’m mortified that they’re still in there.
I’m doing a book signing at the Jekyll Market from 10:30-1 on Saturday, April 27th. It’s my first one so if you’re in the area, please come see me!
Until next time, happy reading!
Sandy