From an aerial viewpoint, Hilton Head is a foot-shaped, or ankle-boot shaped, island albeit without any visible toes. It lies roughly 95 miles south of Charleston and 31miles north of Savannah and is one of over 100 Sea islands on the Atlantic Ocean, along the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia and North Florida.
The Sea islands form a chain of tidal and barrier islands along the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia and North Florida. It is sometimes referred to as a barrier island. A tidal island is a piece of land connected to the mainland by a natural or man-made causeway exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide. The terrain of a barrier island includes a dynamic beach system with offshore sandbars, a pounding surf and shifting beaches, as well as grassy dunes behind the beach, maritime forests with wetlands in the interiors, and salt or sand marshes facing the mainland. Using those defining characteristics, the north end of Hilton Head would be classified as a tidal island and the south end a barrier island. The barrier and tidal halves of Hilton Head Island are separated by Broad Creek, a land-locked tidal marsh.
Hilton Head is roughly twelve miles long and 5 miles across at its widest point. It is surrounded by the Intra-Coastal Waterway on the mainland side and 13 miles of beachfront on the Atlantic. Those 13 miles include ten prominent beaches with public access (although some are tucked away inside gated communities with limited access). The beaches are what draw many visitors to the island. But those who deem to explore a little beyond the sandy shores are rewarded with at least 22 public parks and nature preserves, as well as, 64 miles of leisure trails (shared by foot traffic, bicycles, and the occasional Segway) spread across its 42 square miles of land.
Hilton Head Island is also known for its rich history that dates back thousands of years to the seasonal occupation by Native Americans. The historical accounts of the island continue with its sighting by William Hilton in 1663, the arrival of English planters who grew indigo and rice, followed by the introduction of cotton after the American Revolution. Hilton Head became an important base of operations for the Union blockade of Southern ports during the Civil War.
One of the things I most enjoy doing on the island is to pack up my camera and set out by foot, bicycle or car for a few hours of exploring along the beaches or inland areas. Those times have garnered me a large collection of photographs, some of which I have included in this book. This book is not intended to be a travelogue or tourist guide. I don't have photos of all of the various species of wildlife, or the top spots to visit. Instead, I consider this book the testimony of a love affair between a girl and an island, much like what I wrote about in books 3 and 4 of my Georgia Ayres novel series. In this case, I'm the girl, although I have long passed the age where that description could be used accurately!
Within this book, I have tried to present a sample of what I find to be the heart and soul of Hilton Head Island: the sunrises and sunsets that start and end each day, and the various interior contributors to the total beauty and charm of the island. I hope you enjoy the visual journey!
Gannon: - Jack Gannon began his literary career with high school best friend Cyndi Williams-Barnier after they were both retired from their respective careers, writing the stories they talked about way back in high school. YBR Publishing was born when Jack wrote and published his first solo book, "I WALKED IN SANTA'S BOOTS", a coffee-table-sized hardbound autobiography about his quarter-century as Santa Claus for Beaufort, SC.His decades in print media gave him the experience to put together that first book in a unique and attractive scrap-book style, and now serves as the Production Manager for YBR Publishing. Jack works one-on-one with each author to create a distinctive visual signature in the book from cover to cover, a trademark style individual to each author with YBR Publishing. In addition, Jack is YBR Publishing's webmaster, online manager, and finance manager.Jack also serves as the Proclaimer Ministry chair for St. Peter's Catholic Church in Beaufort, as well as the Emcee for its annual Fall Bazaar every October.He is retired from The Beaufort Gazette & The Island Packet after 24 years in management plus another ten years prior as a motor route delivery carrier and intern reporter.In January 2021, Jack was double honored by Marquis Who's Who with inclusion in the Marquis Who's Who Top Executives and the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award for his lifetime careers in print media and publishing. Jack was just included in the ninth edition of "MILLENIUM: Honoring the Legacies of Professionals from Around the World" for his career in publishing (he can be found on Page 57).Jack lives in Beaufort, SC, with his wife Mendy. Their beloved Pomeranian, Tasia, passed in July 2022 just three months shy of her 16th birthday, and has been succeeded by a new solid black Pomeranian they named Kieran. Also, they have Mister Grey, an 8-year-old Russian Blue who is "a lot of cat"!
St Charles, Annell: - Annell St. Charles began her professional life working in the medical field. After receiving a PhD in Nutrition Science and Exercise Physiology, she embarked on a path that focused on helping individuals understand how their lifestyle choices co-mingled with their family health history and current risk factors to form their own health concerns. She was the first Director of Employee Wellness for Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, after which she started a private practice in the Nashville area. In the late 90s, she began delivering continuing education seminars to health professionals in all areas of medical care across the entire United States. During that time, she also wrote over 25 continuing education booklets that were sold at those seminars.Upon her retirement from her work in health care, she immediately began producing works of fiction and photography. At the present time, she has produced a four-novel series, a book of poetry, and three books of photography. Most of these works have been published by YBR Publishing Company, LLC, out of Beaufort, South Carolina. For the past 25 years, she and her husband, Costas Tsinakis, have divided their time between Nashville, Tennessee and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. In October 2023 they moved to Hilton Head making it their permanent residence. Her last two novels, as well as two of her books of photography, including the current one you are holding, feature Hilton Head Island.
