Illustrated ’35 Natural Wonders’ celebrates Georgia’s outdoor gems
My colleague, “Wild Georgia” columnist Charles Seabrook, is one of the all-time great treasures of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He retired from the AJC in 2005, but his weekly column extolling the state’s natural beauty has continued to run for a staggeringly impressive 31 years.
But one Monday in 2008, Seabrook sat down to write, and, as happens to us scribes from time to time, he found himself void of anything to opine on that week. Scanning his bookshelf for inspiration, his eyes fell upon the book “1,000 Places to See Before You Die,” and he got an idea.
The result was a column listing 35 natural wonders in Georgia to see before you die. And although it was published 17 years ago, he still gets approached by readers who tell him the column resides on their refrigerator door and they’re continuing to work their way through it.
Then along came Woodstock artist Ann Litrel. In 2017, she became certified as a naturalist through the Chattahoochee Nature Center and decided to do a series of paintings that captured the natural beauty of Georgia. Not sure where to start, she did a little digging and came across Seabrook’s column.
At Litrel’s invitation, the writer and the artist met for lunch and forged a friendship that led to a beautiful collaboration. The result is the gorgeously illustrated coffee table book “35 Natural Wonders in Georgia to See Before You Die” (UGA Press, $39.99), which publishes next month.
Litrel and Seabrook will discuss the book at the Decatur Book Festival Oct. 4 on the Georgia on My Mind panel, along with Jonah McDonald and Zana Pouncey. For details, go to decaturbookfestival.com.
The book is first and foremost an art book. Litrel’s stunning watercolors and sketches take pride of place, and they are truly arresting. They are accompanied by Seabrook’s captivating observations on the topographical and ecological significance of each destination, while Litrel provides personal essays about her experience as a first-time visitor to the sites.
Among the places on the list are plenty familiar to Georgians: Okefenokee, the Marshes of Glynn, Amicalola Falls, Tallulah Gorge, Brasstown Bald and the islands of Cumberland, Sapelo and Ossabaw.
But there are plenty of lesser-known ones, too, like Oaky Woods Wildlife Management Area near Perry. The grasslands area is home to 260 species of grasses, wildflowers and herbaceous plants.
“You might not be overwhelmed by the beauty. I am, but it’s very unusual,” said Seabrook. “It’s one of the most endangered habitats in Georgia. … I chose it because it’s such an unusual and rare habitat for Georgia, and it has other types of habitats. It has a black bear population, one of three in the state.
“Another place is Graves Mountain,” he said. “I chose that because people around the world know (it) better than the people in Georgia.” Rock hounds come from far and wide to this twin-peaked mountain about halfway between Athens and Augusta to dig for rutile and lazulite crystals, among other rocks and minerals.
Also off the beaten path is Ohoopee Dunes Wildlife Management Area near Swainsboro. “When you see these places, (you think) well, so what?” said Seabrook. “But then you start looking and see all the rare and native plants, some found nowhere else in Georgia.”
While Seabrook has spent decades visiting these sites, Litrel had a lot of catching up to do. It took her seven years to visit all the destinations. There are two she’s eager to return to for the splendor they offer in artistic inspiration.
“The site that I really want to return to as an artist is Ebenezer Creek (near Savannah), with the 1,000-year-old trees. It was utterly magical,” said Litrel. She also cites George L. Smith State Park, halfway between Augusta and Savannah ― “especially in the fall when the cypresses turn golden. The water in a lot of these places is stained with this dark tannin and is very quiet and still … it is a mirror, literally a mirror, and you are dazzled.”
Visiting all 35 sites was a transformative experience, said Litrel, who was lucky to have Seabrook by her side on a couple of visits.
“Even though I was a nature lover, I think, like a lot of people in Georgia, I did not appreciate the sheer diversity of Georgia’s geology, wildlife and natural history,” she said. “I did not comprehend that you have ecosystems on the coast that are utterly unique in the world and all the way throughout the state, all the way up into the mountains, places that are utterly unique in the world. Georgia is an immense, immense, beautiful state. And honestly, I had no idea of the scope until I started this project.”
A Cappella Books presents the book launch for “35 Natural Wonders of Georgia to See Before You Die” Oct. 15 at the Jimmy Carter Library. For details go to acappellabooks.com. And an exhibition of Litrel’s watercolors and sketches from the book will be on display at Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville Jan. 6-March 1. For details go to boothmuseum.org.
Suzanne Van Atten is a book critic and contributing editor to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She may be reached at Suzanne.VanAtten@ajc.com.
