My mother and step father, Steele “Sam” Gore and my mother Vivian Guest Gore lived in Valona for decades. I have taken endless photos of the area – in fact many are shots of the same places and buildings displayed here. I have talked with Hunter and Suzanne and bought live shrimp from them at the now closed building when the boats were at the dock off loading. And I pestered them to be allowed to wander on the shrimp docks – even then the dock was in disrepair. Many a morning I would sit on the dock with coffee and my parents’ black lab who was forever surprised by the dolphins leaping out of the water to tease her. Every visit I could see the shrimp boats looking shabbier as shrimpers were impacted by a variety of issues such of rising costs for fuel and even ice, as well as competing in a market place being flooded with less costly imported shrimp. Every Spring I think of those sweet Georgia browns – the most amazing tasting shrimp I have ever had! After a day in the sun, we’d head over to listen to Vic Waters play and sing or even go to a shrimp festival in Darien. It is so sad to see this way of life disappear.
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown 
My mother and step father, Steele “Sam” Gore and my mother Vivian Guest Gore lived in Valona for decades. I have taken endless photos of the area – in fact many are shots of the same places and buildings displayed here. I have talked with Hunter and Suzanne and bought live shrimp from them at the now closed building when the boats were at the dock off loading. And I pestered them to be allowed to wander on the shrimp docks – even then the dock was in disrepair. Many a morning I would sit on the dock with coffee and my parents’ black lab who was forever surprised by the dolphins leaping out of the water to tease her. Every visit I could see the shrimp boats looking shabbier as shrimpers were impacted by a variety of issues such of rising costs for fuel and even ice, as well as competing in a market place being flooded with less costly imported shrimp. Every Spring I think of those sweet Georgia browns – the most amazing tasting shrimp I have ever had! After a day in the sun, we’d head over to listen to Vic Waters play and sing or even go to a shrimp festival in Darien. It is so sad to see this way of life disappear.