• Chris Johnson

    Jekyll Island — Rich in history and well worth it for island and beach lovers

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    Jekyll Island — Rich in history and well worth it for island and beach lovers

    JEKYLL ISLAND, Georgia — I’ve been going to Jekyll Island for at least 40 years, and it truly has changed in that time. And, like myself, the place only gets better with time. When it comes to Georgia’s beautiful and historic Golden Isles, it’s honestly a toss-up between St. Simons Island and Jekyll, but I’ve never done a travelogue from Jekyll. Until now. Here’s my report from a July 2025 visit to Jekyll with some scenes from a multiple other visits to this island. https://youtu.be/Qs4pDMbZhG8

    Columbus, Georgia knows how to keep on rollin’ with the flow

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    Columbus, Georgia knows how to keep on rollin’ with the flow

    Columbus, Georgia knows how to keep on rollin’ with the flow COLUMBUS, Georgia — They say you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. There may be some truth to that, although I don’t understand how you’d know something’s gone if you didn’t know you got it to begin with. I’d like to add a twist on that old adage after spending just a couple of days in Columbus over the Fourth of July weekend — you don’t know what you got until you’re gone. And I’ve been gone from Columbus for nearly 15 years. Now I know that […]

    Stuck in the middle with … nobody

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    Stuck in the middle with … nobody

    If America has a problem, I think we can all agree that it’s that no driver understands what the word “yield” means. Perhaps those signs would be more effective if they read “Hey, buddy! Slow yer roll!” If America has two problems, however, I think we can all agree that it’s gotta be extreme polarization — which is fine for sunglasses and some white bears who drink Coca-Cola around Christmas. Actually, we can’t all agree on anything in America these days, except that polar bears should wear sunglasses and yield when a seal is turning right. Our nation hasn’t been […]

    Getting to know Billy Faulkner

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    Getting to know Billy Faulkner

    OXFORD, Mississippi — There is no credible list of America’s greatest writers that does not have William Faulker in the top 10. Most would put him in the top five, while many others would list him No. 1. Yet, I knew very little about the man behind the words until I visited Oxford a couple of weeks ago for a conference and to document the story of a Fuller Center for Housing home dedication. In my free time, my wife and I explored the college town and tried to get a feel for its atmosphere. I found it to be […]

    “Dye, egg! Dye!”

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    “Dye, egg! Dye!”

    I woke this Easter morning to a beautiful spring day to the sounds of birds chirping in the backyard and light jazz wafting from the sunroom into the house along with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. This would not be an atypical Sunday morning because my wife usually wakes before me so that she can do yoga, which I believe is a little dude from “Star Wars.” Usually, this jazz is from one of those YouTube streams on the television where they play bossa nova jazz — or whatever relaxing music you prefer — against the backdrop of drone […]

    Saved by the smell

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    Saved by the smell

    So far, the year 2025 has been about as enjoyable as a soggy Vegemite-and-onion sandwich. It stinks, has stunk, and there’s more stinkiness in the forecast. Not that I’ve inhaled all the stinkiness that 2025 has had to offer … so far. I can’t inhale it all because my sinuses are clogged with about half of Georgia’s record-setting pollen. Spring never bothered me before, but this year it’s making up for giving me a half-century pass on allergies. Apparently, Trump’s not the only one on a vengeance tour — so is Mother Nature. I know that I need to stop […]

    Jimmy Buffett taught me to play guitar — then life gave me the middle finger

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    Jimmy Buffett taught me to play guitar — then life gave me the middle finger

    I was supposed to keep this top secret — and very few people know this, so don’t go texting it to anyone at The Atlantic or Pete Hegseth — but Jimmy Buffett taught me how to play guitar. Seriously.  In fact, it’s so top secret that not even Jimmy himself knew he was my guitar teacher. It’s just as well because, quite frankly, he didn’t do such a great job. I wonder if Jerry Reed might’ve done better. While my dad taught me the few basic chords any 9-year-old kid needs to survive on the honky tonk circuit — G, […]

    We need more than just donkeys and elephants

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    We need more than just donkeys and elephants

    Many Americans — and by “many” I mean me and some lady named Gladys in Topeka — long for an alternative to our nation’s current two-party system. With so many Democrats determined to shoot themselves in the foot at every turn and finding new ways to whine, and with Republicans lacking integrity and spine to stand up to authoritarianism and oligarchy, the two-party system has hit a wall. The only thing Democrats and Republicans can agree upon these days is that they don’t want any third parties at the table. Awesome! Something that can bring them together! And they said […]