Pinnochio Ice Cream

     We are just a short waddle down the road from a great ice cream shop.  The lines are usually really long, but tonight we had about a ten minute wait which is longer than you might think if you don't  know what standing in line with four kids who really want ice cream is like.  We have a washer and dryer in the condo and may have all the kids strip to their undies as they walk in the door - they are covered with ice cream!  It was hard to keep it from dripping on this warm spring night.  For now they are having one last bike ride for the day to try to wear off some of the sugar before bed.

     The kids started the day by consuming a whole pan of scrambled eggs before biking out to the lighthouse.  It isn't a very impressive place, but a fun destination for biking.  Then it was pool time again to cool off and practice swim strokes.  The day was calm whick made it perfect for lunch on the beach.  We ser up an umbrella and the pop-up sun shade.  The kids had a great time in the water and found a bunch of sand dollars.  We are soaking them and rinsing often to get the sand out and get them bleached clean.  I still have one that i found 10 years ago.

     Stella took a walk with the two grandmas and was very interested in the many tiny lizards that like to hang out on the boardwalk.  She strolled down the beach and waves to all the passing joggers as though she was royalty.  When we got back to our front yard we found a small flock of snowy ibis.  They are such pretty little birds.  Not new ones to my list, unfortunately.  

     We are falling into a wonderful rhythm of warm sunshine, swimming, playing on the beach, and sitting on our screen porch watching the birds.  A week will not be enough.  It is just so wonderful to have this time with the whole family.

     

Wild Times With the Wild Bunch

     We have a gaggle of grandchildren here and it is wonderful and wild.  Technology is our friend a they find games and stories (and even schoolwork) on their ipads.  It is especially critical to have something quiet for early morning entertainment.  Bennett sneaks silently into my bed and plays games for an hour until Kellen wakes up.  Then both boys play Minecraft until Carter and Stella get up.  The grandmas drink coffee and watch the sun rise on the ocean and some ducks swimming in the pool.

    Then the games and the chaos begins.  Lots of space outside for running and toys in the storage locker.  The condo owner has grandchildren too.  We had a slow morning because Stella was dehydrated and feeling sick.   We got her to drink lots of water, milk and juice until she was raring to go again so we took off for a visit to the Ding Darling National Wildlife Center.  About a third of the acreage of the island is protected wetland area.  Hundreds of species of birds, alligators, racoons, and bobcats can be seen in this area.  

     The boys really liked the exhibits that they could touch and the many buttons to push in the displays in the nature center.  It was lunchtime before we got out of there and so we skipped the wildlife drive for the day in favor of going to a huge, shaded playground.  We had a good picnic lunch and lots of running off steam.  The island traffic is horrible during this busy Easter week, so we have been staying on the backs roads and doing a lot of biking.

     Everyone had big naps again and then we were back in the swimming pool.  The water is just the perfect temperature for the kids to have a great time.  They are all wearing life jackets in the water so we don't have to worry so much as we watch them swim.  I am enjoying the many new birds that I am identifying here including a beautiful hawk that likes to stand on the sandbar and look for fish - a Swainson's hawk.

     The parents took their bikes for a ride to dinner and left grandparents and grandchildren relaxing at the condo with pizza.  Amanda told me to order big so I got an 18" pizza for the four little kids and they gobbled most of it down.  They ate more than the grandparents who had the very loaded "Island Special."   Putting the very tired kids to bed was no problem - in fact Stella asked to go to bed.  The parents brought back some key lime pie for our desert.  Fantastic until the heartburn hit at 2 am.  Yikes!

Seagrape Lane, Sanibel Island

     Everyone got to bed late and woke up early, but it was a perfect day and we were all together T the beach, away from Minnesota cold and snow.  The island is the perfect place for bicycling - nice and flat with good bike trails everywhere.  Everyone except Rick and me rented a bike and rode back the two miles from the rental place.  Stella enjoyed the ride behind Mommy so much that she had a short nap. The kids had a great time and got to see some of the back roads of the island.

    The swimming pool called my name and I was floating around when eveyone returned hot and sweaty.  I was soon joined by the boys while their sister napped.  The breeze was a little cool, but the water was comfortable.  After lunch on the pool deck we all crashed for a couple hours.  

     The guys and Amanda took off for the market while the rest of us took advantage of low tide and went out to the beach to look for shells.  We saw lots of varieties - most of them populated with sea creatures.  The kids found plenty of shells to start their collections.  We saw several live starfish and a lot of shore birds.  Stella really liked wading in the warm, shallow water - her first experience with the ocean was a big success.

     Our neighbors in the townhouses are also from Minnesota, and are a group of grandparents, parents and grandchildren - three boys there as well.  When they all get in the pool it is a rowdy place, but, fortunately, no one from the other two condos are using the pool.  We grilled some burgers on the outdoor grill by the pool and had some pina coladas.  The kids crashed into bed with the adults following soon after.  What a perfect day.

Off to the Beach

     We had a great breakfast with Ed and Betty and then packed up for our drive south to Sanibel Island.  On the way we passed through Tampa/St. Petersburg and had a quick lunch with our former Minneapolis neighbors, Charlotte and Bob.  It was a slight detour which took us across two massive bridges.  The day was cool, but we enjoyed the bright sunshine.  I thought that it was a clever idea to leave portions of the old bridge as fishing piers.

     We got to Fort Myers in mid afternoon, and then spent over an hour buying groceries, swim diapers and sunscreen for the family.  When I got back to the car I was worried about getting to Sanibel in time to check in with the place that manages the prperty we rented.  Indeed, when I called the office ot was closed for the weekend, but the message said to press "1" for afterhours help.  I did so, but the person who answered seemed to be clueless as to what we should do.  So we drove to the property on Sanibel and looked for the "lockbox by the right side of the door" to get the key using a code sent to me.  No lockbox anywhere.  Finally I pulled on the sliding door and it just opened so we went in.  

     This is a nice place.  There are two double townhouses with a small pool in the backyard and the Gulf in the front yard.  Like all new construction here the first level is parking and storage.  The second floor has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, kichen and living room.  The third floor has a loft, bathroom, and third bedroom.  The views are just amazing, out over the dunes and across the broad white sand beach.  We have just glorious breezes.  BUT, we had to haul groceries, porta crib and highchair, beach towels, luggage and electronic stuff up the stairs.  Offdah.  Thats a lot of steps.

     We had a quick dinner, admired a gorgeous sunset as we crossed the causeway, and then went to the airport to pick up the family.  I was so happy to see the whole gang.  Stella had a bad plane ride due to a cold and clogged eardrums, but she was cheerful after landing and happy to see Papa and Grandma.  We settled into our home by the sea and got rested up for a busy week.

The Villages

     Some places just have to be seen to actually get an understanding of the scope.  This area called "The Villages" is one of those places.  It sprawls across three counties and covers an area about 25 miles long and ten miles wide.  Most of it is populated by over 55 folks, although some of the villages are for families.  The homes vary greatly in size and cost.  Some "Village" development communities are pretty large, some are pretty small.  Interspersed among the houses are nine-hole golf courses - 22 at last count - and swimming pools.

     The villages are clustered around three town squares - each one with a theme.  Last night we were at the Spanish Springs square - lots of adobe buildings, fountains, iron work.  Today we visited a square with a western theme with bronze statues of wild horses and lots of log buidings.  The third square is on a lake with a boardwalk, sunken ship, bridges, and sea shells.    Some of the buidings are given a fake history and have plaques on the front telling the visitor that it was built in 1855 by an oil barron, for example.  The architecture and decor is done to the "nth" degree to fit with the story.  It is all very "Disney does retirement world."   The themes certainly add character to the neighborhoods and avoids the cookie cutter appearnce that some new developments can have.

     The landscaping is beautiful with annuals blooming everywhere and replaced four times a year.  Clusters of nice restaurants and shops all housed in appropriately themed buildings surround the town squares.  Miles and miles of paths wind around the villages, past the golf courses and swimming pools and through tunnels to take the thousands of golfcart driving seniors to their dozens of hobby classes, exercise workouts, music and dance sessions, and clubs for every special interest under the sun.  It is a busy place.

      And yet it is peaceful.  Acres of green space.  Big live oak trees.  Porches and rocking chairs.  Outdoor bars and restaurants.  Walking paths and lots of benches.  I enjoyed a peaceful morning sipping coffee on Ed and Betty's big porch watching the golfers meander past.  We finally pulled ourselves away from the porch and took a tour, had a great lunch buffet, and then napped the rest of the afternoon away to the sound of a thunderstorm.

     Reaxed to a state of almost complete inertia, we wandered back to the porch for some wine and cheese and then had another delicious home cooked dinner finished with Caramel Apple cake.  I am so spoiled!  It has been a great break.  Tomorrow we head for Sanibel and the troops arrive for their week of fun.

Driving Central Florida

     Sunshine again this morning - now that we are leaving Georgia!  This blog has become a daily weather report, but then the weather just keeps changing.  Connie and Terry left early for their drive back home.  We had such a good time traveling with them!  Rick and I sat at the cottage and enjoyed the sunshine, watched the news,  and had a slow morning.  Finally we packed up and said "goodbye" to our second home on the road.

     Our drive today was relatively short - through Jacksonville and then south through central Florida, past Ocala and into the big community called "The Villages" where friends Ed and Betty live.  (If you know my brother, Betty is Joyce's sister).   Most of the area that we drove through was ummmm, wellll,  to say it clearly - ugly.  Lots of decrepit motels that were nice in the 50's, used car and RV lots, really crummy gas stations (so bad I wouldn't use the restroom), and liquor stores and gun shops.  We looked for a park to stop at and eat our lunch, but gave up and ate our sandwiches in the car in a Walmart parking lot.

     Then we got to the area outside Ocala.  There was lots of green grass, rolling hills, AND horses!  You could have quizzed me on the main "industry" near Ocala and I would have guessed hundreds of things before I got to breeding, training, and running race horses.  The city claims to be the "horse capital of the world." In the 40's the area was found to have perfect conditions for breeding and raising race horses. Large pieces of property were purchased and turned into horse farms.  Today, Marion County is a major world thoroughbred center with over 1200 horse farms.

     In the 70's a large mobile home park was built near Ocala by developers who wanted to create a retirement community.  Over the years some of the original horse farms were sold and the property was added to the planned community that is now called, "The Villages."

    Ed and Betty are enthusiastic promoters of the area.  They took us by golf cart (a standard form of transporation in the area) to one of the three big town squares.  Every evening starting at 5 there is music and dancing in the square.  We watched little kids and many seniors line dance and rock and roll to live music.  We had some beer, then went back to Ed and Betty's house on the golf course for wine, a big dinner, desert and decaf coffee.  I promised myself that I would do my blog before I fall face down on the bed.  

     

Submarine Museum

    The sun came out today and it was beautiful.   Connie and I took off to do some laundry and have breakfast while the guys had some brother bonding time.  After lunch we went back to St. Mary's to enjoy the town in sunshine.  We went to the submarine museum that was closed on Monday.  The King's Bay Naval Submarine Base has 16,000 acres adjacent to St. Mary's.  It is the Atlantic home port for the nuclear Trient missle subs.  The little museum has a few interesting historical displays.  However, it also had a terrific informational film about the Trident submarines.  The last part of the film showed a sub returning from a six month deployment and being guided up the river by tug boats to the port.  I thought of "Hunt for Red October" and want to see that movie again after learning all about the subs.  The state park we are staying in is just outside the gates to the base.  We have seen lots of pizza delivery cars going onto the base - a perfect cover for a spy.  Or maybe I have been reading a few to many thrillers lately.

     We also took a tour of the Cumberland Island museum which is only open in the afternoon.  While much of what can be seen on the island is from recent history of the Carnegies, the island was inhabited as early as 4000 years ago by the Timucua people.  Then came the Spanish and later the British.  Sea Island cotton (great for quilting), rice and indigo were profitable island crops.  It was good to get the wider perspective on the island history.

     With the sunshine and warmer weather came a desire for ice cream -  mmm the very best coconut pineapple Hagen Daz was just a few steps away.  We sat by the water and watched boats come and go.  Eventually we went back to our cottage for a last afternoon sitting on our rockers on the porch.  On our first night with Connie and Terry we went to a steak house for dinner.  Tonight we had a goodbye dinner at a steakhouse.  Tomorrow we head further south and they head back towards snowy Minnesota.  It has been such fun.

Cumberland Island

     Cumberland Island National Seashore is the setting for still another mystery by one of my favorite authors, Nevada Barr.  I have always wanted to go there, but forgot that it was because I read the book.  On a misty, windy day we took the ferry from St. Mary's, down the St. Mary River out to the island.  It was a 45 minute ride.  We had to bring water and lunch as there is no cafe on the island.  We  left the boat at lunch time and found a less windy spot under a big tree to have our lunch.  It was actually not bad out of the wind.  For a while the mist stopped and it seemed fairly warm.

    Some of the island is private property, but a large portion was owned by the Carnegie family.  On the south end of the island they built a 37,000 square foot mansion.  There was also a recreation complex that included an indoor swimming pool, garages, barns and other outbuildings.  Huge!  Most of it is now in ruins.

     The island is home to many wild horses (about 130), deer, armadillos, wild pigs, and bobcats.  Lots of varieties of birds, too, including a bunch of wild turkeys.  We saw lots of horse dung and one horse, and a couple of armadillos.  In reviewing my pictures the armadillos look like rocks, but they were fun to see.  We were warned several times not to approach the horses who were pretty accustomed to people, but likely to kick if approached.  

     We did a lot of walking around the island, but didn't walk the half mile deep sand path over the dunes to the beach. However, despite the chill there were a fair number of young folks in shorts and flipflops who were heading for the water.   Many folks come to backpack and camp on the island.  There is a campground across the island from the northern ferry stop.  We were amazed at the piles of stuff that the some of the current campers brought with them - coolers, camp chairs, huge tents, and mountains of duffle bags and plastic boxes.  Clearly these folks weren't backpacking.  

     The ferry returns to St. Mary's late in the afternoon.  It leaves from two docks.  We walked the mile and a half to the more northern dock where the ferry loads first so that we could sit down inside for the 45 minute ride back.  It was a long walk at the end of a tiring day, but beautiful and so quiet under a canopy of live oaks and Spanish moss. Kids who had been running around the island all day were still full of energy and raced around the outside deck of the ferry.  We dozed in our seats.  By the time we got back to the dock it was drizzling heavily again.  Warmer day tomorrow, we hope.

Amelia Island and Fernandina Historic District

     The day started out with disappointments.  Rain again.  Then we got to downtown St. Mary's and I discovered that I left the SIM card for my camera in the adapter that I use to download photos to my IPad.  I decided to use my phone to take photos and got the message that my "storage is full."  Aghh. I sent a few things to the ICloud and got ready for a good day.

     Well St. Mary's rolls up their streets on Mondays after busy weekends.  Maybe things are more open during the summer.  So we went to the Cumberland Island National Seashore office to get tickets for a special six hour tour tomorrow.  We were sent down the street to another office, only to find out that the tour is fully booked until late April.  Ah well, we would visit the Submarine Museum.  Nope, closed Mondays.  So we would buy tickets for the ferry and make our own tour tomorrow on Cumberland Island.  Whoops, have to go back down the street for tickets for any time other than today.  Sigh!  Time to regroup.

     We left St. Mary's and drove to nearby Amelia Island which would be five minutes by boat, but was 45 minutes by car.  This area has so many rivers, backwaters, and salt marshes.  There are no direct routes.  By the time we got to the historic downtown of Fernandina on the island it was time for lunch. We had some very fresh shrimp and fish at the "Crab Shack."  Such a delightful lunch.

    We walked along the waterfront and watched huge, brown pelicans hanging around waiting for fish cleaning scraps.  There were some big sailboats in the harbor and a few really nice cruisers, but the wind was brisk and chilly.  We found a brochure which had a walking tour map.  Fernandina has a 50 block historic district with many beautiful old buildings.  Our favorite was the Bailey House, a grand old Queen Anne with a wrap around porch.  Some of the posts holding up the porch roof were carousel horses.  The one in my picture here was another favorite as it was guarded by a cat sitting by the front door - The Baker House.  These great old houses were built during Amelia Island's golden years (1875-1900) when tourists came by steamboat from New York, shipping was booming, and the cross Florida railroad arrived in Fernandina.  

Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation

     We left our beautiful cottage at Fort McAllister and drove to our new home in Crooked River State Park.  The drive is less than a hundred miles so we did some sightseeing along the way.  Georgia does not have many plantations still standing.  Dozens of them were burned during Sherman's march to the sea during the Civil War (remember Gone With the Wind?).  The Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation is one of the few remaining rice plantations that were along the Georgia coast.  William Brailsford acquired land in the Cypress swamps along the Altamaha River.  Eventually he owned 7,300 acres of land with over 350 slaves.  Rice growing was a very profitable business until after the Civil War when slave labor was no longer available.  The plantation eventually was turned into a dairy.

    The grounds are covered with huge live oaks - some of them over 800 years old - and blooming azaleas and wisteria.  The lady who identified the wisteria told us it is a nuisance vine and we don't want it in Minnesota.  We thought that the purple flowering vines were beautiful as they climbed the trellis outside the door to the summer kitchen.  The day was a bit overcast, but Connie and I both thought that the cool grey weather enhanced the ambiance of the moss draped oaks.  

     The house was left in good shape with all of the original beautiful wood furniture, including a priceless, handcarved four-poster bed.  Our tour guide told us that naps were to be taken only on the nearby upholstered "day bed" so as not to mash down the feather mattress on the "night bed."  High ceilings and large windows kept the air moving on the second floor.

     This home was more of a two-story farmhouse than the typical sprawling plantation home.  Our tour guide told us that the family lived in this house in the summer when it was extremely hot along the Savannah River.  He described the process of flooding the rice fields and growing and reaping the rice.  It was a very labor intensive process that was only economically reasonable using slave labor.  The brick wall in the photo was outside the laundry area and provided an enclosure in which to hang laundry away from cruious animals (and probably children).

     After lunch and some grocery shopping we arrived at our new cottage in Crooked RIver.  It is a three bedroom, two bath cabin with a big screen porch.  It is somewhat older and not as elegant as our previous cottage, but very roomy and comfortable.  Our view from the porch is the Crooked RIver.  There are lots of interesting water birds, as well as some turtles nesting in the area behind the cabin.  It is a cozy and comfortable spot for our next four days.  The weather is turning a bit cooler and bringing some rain with it, but we are happy not to be in the snow in Minnesota.

Fort Pulaski and Tybee Island Lighthouse

     In the early 1800's a series of forts were built along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts after the War of 1812 showed the newly formed United States that their huge coastline made the country vulnerable to attack.  Fort Pulaski was built on Cockspur Island to defend the entrance to the Savannah River and prevent attacts on the city of Savannah and valuable shipping.  The fort became a factor in the Civil War when the Confederates seized the fort to protect their seaport at Savannah.

    The fort had 7.5 foot thick walls built on massive piers which still support the walls so well that they have never cracked.  The Fort was considered to be impregnable.  However, the a new type of cannon used by the Union gunners had a much greater range, accuracy and most important, penetration power.  The Union pounded the Confederate-held fort for a day and a half and pretty much destroyed the wall which protected the magazine containing 40,000 pounds of gunpowder.  Rather than being blown up, the Confederates surrendered.  This was an important win for the Union.  

    I find the Civil War history interesting, but two other pieces of history struck me more.  First, after the fort was taken over by the Union Army it housed Union troops and was used to prevent Southern ships from resupplying troops near Savannah.  Pictures and old journals show that the large grassy area inside the fort walls was used by the troops for playing an early version of baseball!

    The fort also became part of the Underground Railroad to help runaway slaves move out of the South to safety.  Quilts with special patterns hung in the fort to help the runaways learn where to find  the next safe station on the road north.  

   We had a picnic lunch outdoors again today, but were tormented by no-seeum's.  They are just thick now, but don't bite, thank goodness.  Then we drove to the next island and toured the Tybee Island Lighthouse.  The first lighthouse on this site was built in 1773, before the Revolutionary War.  The next lighthouse that was built was burned by the Confederate Army to prevent its use as a signal for Union troops.  The current lighthouse was built in 1867 and is still in active use.  The light can be seen 18 miles out to sea.  Although at one time the lighthouse keeper had to haul gallons of oil up the 178 steps to keep the light burning, the current light automatically switches bulbs when one burns out.

    We walked down to the beach to catch a view of the lighthouse from the water.  It was a perfect day for the beach with warm sunshine and only a light breeze.  The water was pretty chilly, though, so I only got my feet wet.  As we entered the parking lot we saw a sign with high water marks from various hurricanes.  I definitely don't want to be on that island if a hurricane is on its way.  Nearly everything would be under water.

     We went back to our wonderful cottage for one last beer on the porch and then had a great dinner at Molly MacPherson's Scottish Pub.  After some Bangers and Mash, Shepherds Pie, and lamb chops we rolled ourselves back to the cottage to pack up and get ready to move tomorrow.    

Springtime in Savannah

     Although there was a thick coastal fog when we got up this morning, the rain had stopped and the weather warmed as the fog burned off.   It was a beautiful day for touring historic old Savannah.  The azaelias are in full bloom in twenty beautiful city squares around which Savannah was built.  We took a guided trolley tour which told us about the history and architecture of the well preserved and restored old homes, churches, schools and businesses.  Savannah has the largest National Historic Landmark District in the U.S.

    The buildings cover many eras of architecture from a stone buiding on the riverfront which was built in Colonial times to classic Federal style, Gothic and Greek Revival, Regency and Romanesque.  I couldn't identify all the styles but could certainly see the amazing craftsmanship and details on the buildings.  In the late 1800's one measure of wealth in Savannah was the amount of ironwork on a home.  Many of them have beautiful scrolled balconies, stair railings, window guards, and fences. 

    Our tour was a hop on - hop off ticket, so we hopped off at the riverfront and strolled along the line of restaurants and shops located in restored old warehouses.  Some of the streets in this area are paved with 200 year old cobblestones using ballast stones discarded by the early ships after they made port and loaded up with American goods.  Lunch was at Barracuda Bobs for fried grouper and crab cakes!  Delicious.

     We finished the tour and then drove to the edge of town to Savannah's most famous and beautiful cemetery.  It was featured in the book and movie. "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."  Huge, ancient live oaks dripping with Spanish Moss give the cemetery a spooky aura even in full daylight.  Night tours of the cemetery are offered and Connie thought it would be interesting.  Too creepy for me.

     We walked around the grounds of Fort McAllister enjoying the warm sunshine and then relaxed on our front porch with some books and beers.  It was a perfect way to welcome Spring.

Moon River and Me

     It was a rainy today, but a very successful sightseeing day.  Our first stop was at a small community just south of Savannah called Pin Point.  It is Chief Justice Clarence Thomas' home town.  A new museum has been opened in a former oyster and crab processing site.  The factory was an intregral part of a small community which was settled by former slaves in the 1890's.  They were known as "Gullah-Geechee."   At the height of the community, Pinpoint had about 400 inhabitants.  Now there are about 180.  The land in this area which overlooks the salt water marshes along the Moon River is just about the only land along the water still owned by the original residents.  

     Yes, I said the Moon River.  The very river that is referred to in the song.  The lyrics were written by Johhny Mercer who lived in this area within sight of the river.  I hummed the song all day.

    But back to Pinpoint.  The very tightknit community of extremely hard working crab and oyster fisherman and the women who processed their catch had strong beliefs in education and family values.  The short film in which many of the residents talked about growning up in the community included reminiscenes from Clarence Thomas and his mother.  The very interesting man who gave us a tour of the processing factory grew up in the community and so did his relatives for three generations.  Facinating tour!

    After a picnic lunch in the car due to the rain we drove to nearby Wormslow Plantation.  Our entry to the old grounds was under a stone arch and then down an avenue of 400 huge Live Oaks that were dripping with moss.  Very "Gone with the Wind."  These massive trees are evergreen and only lose some leaves in the spring.  They are very sturdy and can be pruned to grow at big angles.  At Wormslow they arched completely over the top of the road.  It was a beautiful approach to the Historic site.  

    Wormslow now is primarily just ruins of a fortified "tabby" house built by Noble Jones who was one of Georgia's earliest residents.  Tabby is a building material made of crushed oyster shells, lime, sand and water - all materials which were very available in this area.  We learned that these original Georgia settlers vowed not to have slaves - they believed that the land owners would become lazy and the colony would fail.  However, eventually that philosophy was changed due to economic issues.

    The chilly, rainy weather has driven us off the screen porch, but did not hinder our sightseeing spirit. It was a great day of history.  We are four "drifters off to see the world, There's such a lot of world to see."

          

Cottage at Fort McAllister

     When I started to plan this trip Rick and I thought we would be taking our camper.  We planned to meet Terry and Connie near Savannah so I looked online for a place where we could camp and they could stay in a cabin.  We have been to Georgia before and knew that the state parks are beautiful so I was looking at staying in a state park near Savannah.  I found that Fort McAllister State Park had "cottages" as well as campsites and looked at some photos.  WOW!  They were two bedroom cabins with a nice porch and a full kitchen.  It looked like a good place for all of us to stay and we would leave the RV at home.

     The park is situated about 25 miles from Savannah on a point of land extending into the Osssabaw Sound.  The northern side is along the Ogeechee River which flows into the Atlantic Ocean.  Our cottage looks out onto the salt march.  Archeological evidence shows that the area was inhabited by Native Americans as long as 3000 years ago.  More recently early settlers in Georgia lived here including Joseph McAllister.  At the outset of the Civil War, McAllister agreed to the construction of gun defenses on his land to guard the approach to Savannah.  Addtional fortification was built and the fort continued to guard the Ogeechee until General Sherman's 60,000 troops began to approach Savannah.   The restored fort opened in 1963 a hundred years after the major Union shelling.

     We had a leisurely morning at the motel in Macon and then had a beautiful three hour drive to the coast.  We checked in at the park headquarters and drove out to the cottage area.  Our two bedroom, two bath cabin is just beautiful!.   Each room has two queen beds with big windows looking out on the marsh.  A big screened porch is across the front of the cabin and each bedroom has a door to the porch so we can feel the breeze and smell the salt march.  Big french doors open from the porch into the big living room as well.  Outside we have a fire ring, barbecue grill, and a picnic table.  Inside we have a huge kitchen, table for 8, fireplace and big screen TV.  

     After days of driving through hectic traffic we spent the late afternoon in the rocking chairs on our porch, sipping some wine.  Glorious.  The day has been warm and breezy, but cooler weather is moving in and there will be rain tomorrow.  

Tonight we sleep under fluffy comforters, in a cozy cottage on the edge of the marsh

    

Tennesee and Georgia Highways

    Much of our drive through the southern edge of the Appalachian mountains today was beautiful.  Lots of small, rushing streams and mini-waterfalls spilling out of the cracks in the rock walls on both sides of the freeway.  Flowering bushes and trees showed pink and white between the dark trunks of Georgia pinetrees.   The starting point of th Appalachian hiking trail is in Georgia.  Many folks who set out to hike the 2180 miles of the trail begin in early spring so that they can get to the northern end in Maine before the snow flies in late fall.

    But we didn't have much time to enjoy these amazing views.  The traffic was just horrible.  Sometimes there were as many big trucks on the road as cars.  In the mountains the trucks labored up the steep inclines on a freeway too narrow to have a lane for slow moving vehicles.  On the steep runs down the hill the trucks tailgated more cautious drivers as they barreled down to the valleys.  It was disconcerting to see that the runaway truck ramps were on the left side so out of control trucks would have to clear several lanes of traffic before getting to the safety ramps.

    Finally we were in Georgia, out of the mountains, and onto a freeway that was 10 lanes wide, all of them full of traffic as though it was rush hour.  Just solid traffic from Chattanooga, through Atlanta, and most of the way to Macon.

     Terry and Connie planned to meet us at a hotel in Macon.  When we got there we looked around the lot for a Minnesota car and found that they had arrived just a few minutes before we did!  Today is Connie's birthday so we walked to a nearby steakhouse for drinks and a great steak.

     The temps went over 80 today and we could see daffodils blooming on the hillsides.  Time for me to put on my summer clothes.  Tomorrow we get to the low country along the southern coast.

Driving into Spring

     I always think of Chicago when I think about Illinois and somehow have in my mind that the state is a big, cosmopolitan, metro area.  NOT.  We drove from one end of Illinois to the other and saw miles and miles of flat, brown, farmland.  BORING.  Our route took us far to the west of the busy roads going into and around Chicago, so at least we weren't fighting with heavy truck traffic.  The roads were good, the sun was shining, and I had some good tunes on the radio.

    As we got to southern Illinois we noticed much more standing water, and rivers swollen with snow melt.  By lunch time we finally found some green grass (and trees instead of farm fields) at Lake Rend.  We had our picnic lunch at a beautiful reststop by the lake.  The ice was off the lake and dozens of white and black birds were everywhere - a big flock migrating north.  The sun felt great.  

    I am on a quest for sightings of new birds on this trip to add to my bird list.  My brother and I have an informal contest going.  I am sure that sighting birds in Georgia and Florida will give me the edge.  If I could win by the quantity of birds I have seen I would be the winner already.  We have seen dozens of flocks of geese heading north.

    Not only are the geese heading north, so are the "snow birds."  We can't begin to count all the RV's on the road heading north.  Some were pulling pickups with golf carts in the bed of the pickup.  I just know that these folks have spent the winter at some nice RV/Golf resort in Florida.

    Our other signs of sping:  Bugs on the windshield (none on the first day of driving) and a beautiful gold color on the trees from the budding leaves.  

    We are now in Kentucky after crossing several very high rivers.  I love the rolling hills and forests.  We are staying outside Fort Campbell which is home to the only Air Assault Division in the world.  The sky is full of helicopters.  The area outside the fort has dozens of motels and restaurants (tatoo parlors, liquor stores and bars with naked ladies too).  We had a good dinner at "Pancho Villa's" Mexican grill.

    Tomorrow we meet up with Rick's brother Terry and our sister-in-law, Connie and head to the coast. About 570 more miles!    

Heading to Savannah

     Last year at this time we had piles of snow on the ground and it was really cold.  It looks now like taking our camper out of storage and driving it south would have been ok, but who knew!  The warmer weather this week has really encouraged us as we start off on a 1500 mile drive.  We are in no real hurry so the plan is for us to do the drive in three and a half days.  
     We are driving the Odyssey and it is pretty full.  The weather is going to change from early spring to hot summer as we go further and further south so I have a jeans, fleece and a warm spring jacket as well as shorts and bathing suits.  We like to picnic as we go so we carry a cooler and food.  Also, of course, we have a bunch of stuff for the comfort and safety of the grandkids during our week at Sanibel Island - life jackets, beach towels, porta-crib, diapers, etc.  Yup, its a big car, but it is well loaded.
     We packed the car yesterday and kept it in the garage.  It makes leaving relatively early much easier for my night owl husband.  It is exciting to be on the road again.  I have the GPS programmed and all the paperwork for our many reservations printed - just in case I can't get at the info in my email when we get to our reserved cabins.  This is a busy time for traveling due to the Easter Break for many schools so I made reservations for most of the stops in Georgia and Florida.

     The weather has been so nice and it was a perfect day traveling, just a little wind in the afternoon whoch would have been tiring driving the RV but wasn't bad in the van.  However the breeze made the  air too cool for outdoor picnicing so we sat in the car and read the Sunday paper while we ate our egg salad sandwiches.  As always I worked hard to use up the perishables in the fridge before we leave home for a month.

     Our stop tonight is just across the Illinois River in Ogelsby, Illinois.  A tiny town that only has motels and restaurants because it is near Starved Rock State Park along the river, which is the top park in Illinois according to the websire.  It is a very pretty area although mostly brown and dry right now after the snow melt and before spring rains.  We didn't see any open campgrounds so this would have been a motel night if we had the camper.  I certainly miss sitting outside on my lawnchair after a long day of driving, but the motel is nice and we are 400 miles closer to Georgia!  

A Southern Car Trip

     I am antsy to get back on the road.  We missed our fall trip last year, and, instead, mostly finished remodeling the cabin bathroom.    In two weeks we will be leaving cold and snowy Minnesota and driving our car - not our motorhome - south and east.  It will be quite different for us to stay at motels instead of campgrounds, but we decided that Midwest weather will still be very unreliable in mid March and we hate to drive the RV on icy roads.
     Our first destination is Savannah, Georgia.  We will be staying in a Georgia State Park cabin just outside of Savannah.  Rick's brother, Terry and his wife, Connie, are joining us as we tour the old Southern town as well as wonderful plantations, and historic forts.  Then we move on to a State Park cabin near the wild beaches of Cumberland Island.
     After ten days of sightseeing in Georgia, Rick and I will head further south to visit friends in The Villages in central Florida.  Easter Week will be spent in a town house on Sanibel Island with our children and grandchildren. Midweek my niece and her family will stop by as well.  I am excited about watching them all enjoy the wonderful white sand beach.
    We have been to Florida several times before, but have never made it as far as Key West, so this trip Rick and I are driving to the southern tip of the U.S.  This is not supposed to be hurricane season, so hopefully we won't be caught out on the long chain of islands with only one highway.  One of our excursions from Key West is to Dry Tortugas National Park - another place I learned about from reading Nevada Barr books.
    I am finding it hard to pack.  I am used to having many items in the RV - binoculars, first aid kit, rain gear, etc.  I have been making lists and more lists.  We like to stop and eat picnic lunch at waysides rather than fast food restaurants so I also have my list of picnic items to pack.
    Our trips are often pretty solitary, but this trip will be filled with friends and family.  I can hardly wait to stop packing and start driving.  Hoping for clear weather!