“How did you learn about the island?” is a common question we hear from family and friends when we tell them of SGI.
Well, let me tell you a bit about the beginning…
Back together on the beach in 2009!
A dear friend with whom I grew up with, Melanie (Finch) Roberts, has family from the Tallahassee area which is about an hours’ drive from SGI. She moved to her family hometown of Crawfordville in the 80’s to join her parents who had returned just a few years prior. Upon graduating from Mercy as a Registered Nurse in 1983, I flew down for a week as a graduation gift to myself (with the blessing of family).
I had no idea what to expect as we drove to St George Island from Tallahassee; she and extended family had rented a house on the beach for a week and we were going to join them.
Oh, what a magical week it turned out to be, I was enthralled! I had never been to the Gulf but I felt like I had come home. Days spent sunning, swimming, shelling, gorgeous sunrises & sunsets, and the seafood! This Iowa girl felt that there was nothing else like it!
Fast forward a few years (maybe decades) and the island never left my soul. We’ve since traveled coast to coast; from high rises in Los Angeles, resorts in Orlando to camping in Yellowstone yet the Gulf continued to tug at me.
One wonderful trip back to the island with family in tow sealed the deal. Renting a house is the perfect option for us. Everyone gets their own space and we don’t have to eat out every meal! The first island vacation charmed and delighted us plus amazed our kids…no small feat in busy, techno filled lives! Imagine how happy I was to find the island unspoiled, almost unchanged from my first visit. Miles of quiet, white sand beaches, brilliant skies, dunes, sea oats, sea life, and salt air.
Truly my happy place and “Nothing else like it…”