8/31/2014

weekly update 8/31/2014

Audrey finally got a trim. I've had to battle with her to open my blinds when I want some sun in my living room (and then again to close them up when I want to keep the hot sunshine out). I should lose weight that easily!

before

after

Monday was a bad day for me and my “things”. First, my phone died. Of course, this angers me no end. They make you sign up for a 2-year contract and then sell you a phone that only lasts for 1 year. Is that right? But, I settled down, went to the Verizon Store that's only about 6 mile from my condo and the customer service rep popped the battery out, and put it back in. Problem fixed. And I didn't lose all my data, which I had dreaded trying to replace. (If I don't know enough to just pop the battery out, what are the chances I can backup to the “cloud” - what is that, anyway?) Then, as I was deposing of yet another gargantuan bug carcass that seem to be everywhere in the condo this time of year, the hand vac died. Cool. Like I was going to pick this 40-pound six-legged thing off my carpet with my hands! Well, I was just about to go to the Walmart to buy another, when I looked at the vacuum. I thought I could see where I could take it apart a little and perhaps clean it up. And it worked! So now I'm back in business, without a trip to the Walmart. So, all the belly-up devises I was so upset about were little to really get in a lather about.

I went to a lecture at the Jepson Center on Thursday evening about the “weeping time”. This is the story of the largest slave auction in U S history, and it happened here in Savannah on March 2 and 3, 1859. It was interesting, and there was another program scheduled for Friday evening. I hadn't intended to go, but a couple of friends who were at the lecture told me they were going to attend, so after DH on Friday, I gathered up my courage and ventured out to find a school on the west side that I'd never heard of and didn't know how to get to. Brock Elementary School is at the site of the race track where the slaves were kept before they auctioned off, and the auction site was not far away. As a group, we walked the path that the slaves must have taken when being led from the where they were kept to the place where they would be sold. It rained for 3 straight days at that time, and that's where the term “weeping time” comes from. There was also an acting troupe that gave a short presentation of the auction. It was really quite moving. 

 

DH was very strange on Friday. I had expected that there would be a lot of tourists since it was the beginning of a long holiday week-end, but I was wrong. There was no one there at 1 pm, when I should have led my first tour. However, there were 3 new docents who were there to shadow an “experienced” guide (me), so I took them on a tour. I imparted to them the wisdom of my almost 5 years of giving weekly tours.

Saturday night I had been invited to watch the start of the UGA season with Sylvia and Charles at their home. I only stayed for the first half, but that was the better part of the game. The second half was pretty boring, and the Dawgs ran away with the game, and Clemson pretty much collapsed. If only the Bills would run the ball like that, but I don't think that's gonna happen.

Sunday found me at BC early, as it was my time not only to open the Center, but also to stay and answer questions. It was a lot busier than DH was on Friday. After I left there, I went to the Oatland Wildlife Center, which was celebrating it's 40th Anniversary. They had a some special events planned - a scavenger hunt, posted signs around the trails about historic events at the Center, and CAKE - so I wanted to go. It was really hot, and not very pleasant hiking around. Watching all the animals lazily sleeping in the sun, however, gave me a great idea and I went back to the condo and took a nap.

 

8/24/2014

weekly update 8/24/2014

I was in Kansas City, Missouri last weekend to visit my brother, David and his family. Ishy had flown out from Rochester a few days earlier, so the remaining Wahl family was all together, probably for the last time. It was a nice visit. I was warmly welcomed by Dave and his wife and they made me feel as if they were glad to have a chance to see me.

I flew out on Friday, on a very uneventful and on-time journey through Atlanta. When I arrived in KC, I picked up the rental car, gripped the steering wheel with all my might, and with much fear, headed out to find my hotel. The hotel was awful - no hot water in a shower that trickled, the most lame “free” breakfast ever (no butter for toast - ever - how can that be?), after the first day the maid did not leave coffee packs for the in-room coffee maker, no newspaper. But, sheets and towels were clean, and there was a nice pool. There was take-out barbeque for supper that night (The Wiley's sauce I'd purchased before I left Savannah to give them a taste of REALLY GOOD barbeque sauce was confiscated at the airport - I should have known). Kathy, their oldest daughter, was at their house with her three boys - Luke 8, Logan 6, and Ethan 5). Dave & Kerry's baby, Diane, and her husband, Brian, were also there. We didn't meet Chris, the firstborn, and his girlfriend, Danielle until Sunday. They had flown in from Tampa Florida, so had a lot of Chris' childhood friends to visit. We visited both Kathy's and Diane's homes - very nice. Kathy's children are darling! Both Diane & Brian took vacation time from work to be able to visit with Ishy & me while we were there. (Dave & Kerry took time off, too. I would say that Kathy doesn't work, but with three boys, that's not true at all). On Sunday, Kerry planned a huge family picnic with her sisters (she has two - Connie & Tamy) and their families. We even had time to watch some old home movies of when we were all little kids. And we also watched brief glimpses of a few preseason NFL games. Brian & Diane had a game of Logos that we played, and I'm stunned that with all the tv I watch, I was unable to come up with the products or slogans of some of the advertisements; I finished dead last. Dave drove us around Lee's Summit (the suburb of KC that they live in) because every place we thought about visiting on Monday was closed. Living in a huge tourist trap like Savannah leads me to believe that museums and historic places are open every day, but that's not true in other parts of the world. Ishy and I flew to Atlanta together, where we then had to board our separate planes to return to our separate cities. When we landed, I had just enough time to get to the gate to board for SAV, so there wasn't much time for a good-by. A quick hug and then I was on my way home again - back to palm trees and salt marshes, high heat and afternoon thunderstorms, and the pool. All in all, the vacation was very relaxing, very nice. 

Ishy, David & me - I'm sure the family resemblance is evident

David, daughter Kathy, his wife Kerry, youngest daughter Diane, and son Chris

grandsons Logan, Ethan & Luke

David & Kerry, who made me feel so welcomed and comfortable on my visit

 

Before I went on my trip, I did a couple of things in Savannah. I was treated to a luncheon by the Bonaventure Historical Society in appreciation for the Second Sunday tours I give. The lunch was at the newly opened Cohen's Retreat. It was wonderful - a nice place and great food. I think I see a visit here in the future of the Ladies' Dining Out group. I also went to see the 100 Foot Journey with Beth. It was a good movie, and with Helen Mirren as the star, what's not to like.

After returning, I was back into my routine in no time. At both DH on Friday and at BC on the weekend it was extremely slow. It's been so hot here - close to 100° for days - and there's a heat advisory to remind people to take care to stay hydrated and remain out of the sun as much as possible. So few people want to walk to a museum or around a cemetery. Saturday evening, there was a Coastal Heritage Society fund raiser at Old Fort Jackson. It was so hot, and I really didn't want to go. But I'm trying to get BC involved again in the annual remembrance for the Siege of Savannah, so I wanted to talk to one of the director. I bid on a couple of coffee baskets at the silent auction, but didn't win, and walked around for a while. But it was so hot, I didn't stay for long. Besides, there was a Buffalo Bills games on the NFL network that I was missing by being away from my tv. I didn't miss much. The parts of the game I saw were AWFUL. It's hard to believe this is a professional team that will be ready to compete in a few weeks. I was interested to see Mike Catalana, the Rochester sports newscaster from one of the channels I remember from when I lived there, reporting as sideline analyst for the game on the national NFL network, though.

8/11/2014

weekly update 8/10/2014

A little about the weather - there have been tremendous storms here, nearly every day. I wrote last week that lightning had hit one of the buildings in the condo development (the gate to the pool is still not operational). There was a tree that fell across the Truman Parkway (the main north-south expressway in Savannah) yesterday. There has been flooding in streets, making some intersections impassable, and there are threats of more flooding for the next couple of days. So, if this is what “storms” are like in the south, what will a “hurricane” bring? I'm not eager to find that out! Also, because it was raining on Sunday evening, I didn't get out to Fort Pulaski to try to photograph the super moon. I have one more shot at it - there's supposed to be another in September.

It was Book Club Monday. It seems that the group is getting smaller and smaller, but that might just be the summer time when some people escape the Southern heat and humidity. The new library that will be right across the highway from me is looking very good, and it may be open within a couple of months. Perhaps the group will get a little bigger then.

Friday, there was another lecture at DH. This was about urban slavery, and how the Davenport family might have been involved. As a docent, it's often difficult to talk about, especially if I have African-Americans on my tour. But it is history, so I need to address it. I learned a little about how “servants” in city households were very different from the plantation slaves that we all think of when we hear the world “slavery”. Still, not a pleasant place to hold in society. After that, I did my tours. I didn't change much about my talk, and said pretty much the same things I'd always done. But I may be better able to answer questions now that I have more info.

Saturday, I met Anne Nedd and Kay for a light dinner and then to see the stage production of Chicago. Ann’s step-son, Alex, had a part in the musical, so we were anxious to see him, as well as to watch the play. It was wonderful. Alex did a great job, as did all the actors. And it was great to be with Anne & Kay. 

 

I won't be doing an update next week. I'll be on vacation in Kansas City to visit my brother and his family. I'll have a double-issue (I guess you could call it that) in two weeks.

8/4/2014

weekly update 8/4/2014

This week, I did almost nothing. It's going to be hard for me to get back into having people around when Donna, Suzy, and Lisa & Dave get back into town. I may have to try to be social, and that will not be easy. For now, I'm really enjoying doing nothing.

On Wednesday, I decided to knock another item off my summer bucket list, and I went to the SCAD Museum to see the Jack Leigh exhibit. He is a photographer, and his works are actually quite amazing. He is best known for the photo of the Bird Girl Statue he took that is on the cover of the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The statue used to be a marker for a family plot in BC, and I'm often asked about it by visitors to the cemetery. It became very famous after the book was on the best seller list, and fans of the book flocked to BC to see the statue, causing damage to some of the nearby plots.  So the owners of The Bird Girl requested that she be moved and she's now in the Telfair Museum in Savannah. But the photograph is still famous. 

 

Late Saturday night (early Sunday morning, really) lightning struck Mercer Point condos. There was a startlingly loud crash, and I ran outside to the landing, fully expecting to see a fire someplace. I guess Building #3 (I'm in Building 5) and the clubhouse were the hardest hit. I think a TV and perhaps a computer were damaged, and the electricity was off. My lights never even flickered. I walked around Building 3 to see if I could see any damage, but there was none.  The electric security gates were still operational when I went out to open and close BC, but the coded entrance to the pool wasn't functioning. But it was kinda scary.

In a preview of the NFL season to come, the first game was sad. Giants 17, Bills 13. It doesn't count for anything, but I was hoping that there would be a great showing, and we could all get hopes up about the 2014 season. But, instead, it looks as if there's going to be more of the same; it's hard to tell in pre-season, though, so I'm not going to give up. There was a nice interview with Jim Kelly, however, with him talking about his current battle. You can't help but admire the guy. 

 

Without anything to write, really, I thought I might add a photo of the condo as I've decorated it for “summer”. For most seasons, there is some holiday that I can create a theme for. September - the start of the NFL season and my Buffalo collection, October - Halloween, November - Thanksgiving, and, of course, December - Christmas. But mid-summer is a rather dull time of year. I tried to add a few beach items to the table tops and empty spaces, but even that doesn't add much. I've got a couple of pink flamingos, a bowl full of sea shells, some candles, and I made a throw pillow that's supposed to look like a shell. If you look very closely, too, you can just see the tops of the tequila and margarita mix bottles on the counters in the kitchen.