I spoke today at an event sponsored by the St. Simons Island Library Foundation. For those of you not familiar with this area of Georgia, St. Simons is one of the "Golden Isles," along with Jekyll Island and Sea Island, near Brunswick. My father's mother's family was from here; he lived here as a child. And, family legend has it that when I first came here, at age 6 or so, I held my nose and said: "This place stinks." Brunswick has paper mills, you see.

My parents are longtime snowbirds in St. Simons and I visit them almost every year. I no longer think it "stinks." In fact, it's a lovely place. And it was fun to do an event that my parents were able to attend, as well as my father's aunt and my cousin. Plus -- my father's kindergarten sweetheart was in attendance, as was someone who knew a family member with whom we had lost touch! My father's kindergarten sweetheart and they remembered each other, although as she -- Pat -- noted: "I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday." She said she remembered them sitting with another student on the school steps and then mused: "Maybe we were outcasts."

Meanwhile, although I know it's easy enough to ask me questions here, consider stopping by Center Stage. I'll be there all week and there's no drink minimum.