Follow the Art Updates! Our Time in Georgia
Feb 2: We started our drive toward Savannah, GA! Spanish moss and cobblestone roads brightened the way. Our first stop was Thunderbolt, Georgia. Back in the day, Thunderbolt was a quaint village where my dad worked as a deckhand on a shrimp boat in the Summer of 1967.
What was once a harbor filled with shrimp boats is now a bay of condos lining the shore. Dad was prepared for change but shocked to see the empty docks with no trace of his summer's past. During our visit, we were determined to track down some locals to discover what happened to the vital shrimping industry.
Next, we drove down the street to the historic Bonaventure Cemetery. We met up with my photographer friend Alan and wandered the roads by the water at high tide. Pelicans and egrets filled the sky, energized by the salt sea air.
Around 6 pm, we got together with Rick Kolb and his wife, Jeannie. They put us up for several days in their beautiful Savannah home. My dad and Rick go back more than 50 years as working artists. Our night was filled with great dinner and lots of stories and reminiscing. It was good to see them together.
Feb 3: We woke up and went straight to the Thunderbolt Museum Society Inc. Three years prior, I visited this location hoping to find photos in the archive of Dad's old boat, the Donna Lee. With no luck, I settled for some scans of newspapers and a T-Bolt shirt for my dad, which I gave him for Christmas. In planning this trip, I knew we had to revisit this place together.
When we walked in, the gal at the front desk gave us a warm southern welcome. We told Shirley what we were up to, and she allowed us to film in the museum. She helped us track down people who might have more information on what happened to the shrimping industry. Long story short, we met up with the old mayor of Thunderbolt, talked to some fishermen in the parking lot, and managed to find two shrimp boats on the river. We approached the boats and met an old-time shrimper who told us that the remaining shrimpers were working out of Darien, GA, further down the coast. We made a note to stop there on our way south.
Looking at the weather, we knew we had a couple of days of rain ahead, so we decided to make the most of the sunshine. We met with Alan again and walked Savannah's streets, squares, and alleys. We took lots of photos and film.
Beth Logan and her husband treated us to a delicious shrimp and grits dinner in the evening. We connected with them through our friends from Northport! It is such a small world and such good new friends!
Feb 4: We started our day by visiting a beautiful southern home near the vast tidal marsh. We met Rick and Jeannies's family there and got a full tour of the Rick Kolb Gallery. His art is breathtaking. Afterward, I set up to interview Rick. I asked him questions about his early days in Leelanau County, his involvement in the arts, and his lifelong friendship with my father.
That evening, we all sat together to watch the Grammys. The rain was pouring harder than predicted, and the lights were flickering on and off. It was right after the legendary Traci Chapman and Luke Combs performance that we lost power entirely. Outside the window, we heard a strange sound. We walked out to see what the commotion was, and BOOM! The transformer box exploded, and I somehow caught it all on camera. Like a true video journalist, I stood out there soaking in the rain with my video camera for another few minutes until the fire truck arrived. We lit the candles and told stories for another hour before bed.
Feb 5:
The power was back on. We bid farewell to our friends and headed on our way. We made some pit stops at Isle of Hope and Wormsloe Plantation. A couple of hours later, we made it to Darien, GA. As we crossed the bridge, we saw a fleet of Shrimp boats along the harbor and made our way to the docks.
Along the way, we met a friendly man named Millage. He had a deep Southern accent and stories from his 30 years of fishing. I was determined to interview him, but he would have nothing of it. He said, "Cameras don't like me, and I don't like 'em; it's nothing personal." He told us we could go out on the docks and take photos of the shrimp boats. While out there, we met Captain Greg Boone. He owned several boats in the fleet and has been a shrimper for over 50 years. I asked him if he would be up for a quick interview, and with a smile, he said, "Well, I don't care." He welcomed us aboard his boats and invited us on future trips! Dad explored the deck while I grabbed shots of Greg in the pilot house.
Afterward, we drove to Brunswick and stayed the night.
Feb 6:
We explored Jekyll Island. Dad shrimped along the coast of Jekyll many years ago but had never been ashore. I was excited to take him to some of my favorite sites there.
First, we went to Driftwood Beach on the Atlantic shore. We walked amongst the sun-bleached remains of gnarly trees. While setting up the camera to grab some shots for the film, we made several new friends who were all curious about our project!
Knowing Dad's love for stained glass, I had always wanted him to see the windows in Faith Chapel. The windows exemplified every possible stained glass technique at that time with total mastery. We took the tour and were left in awe by the history of the building and windows.
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