1/17/2016

Weekly Update 1/17/2016

This week began with a very busy Monday. I had been invited to a guided tour of the Mighty Eighth Museum as a member of CMA (Coastal Museum Assoc). I made reservations for myself and a guest (Donna), and on Monday we did that. The Mighty 8th Division of the Air Force was started in Savannah in the early part of 1942 and is still active today. It was involved in heavy bombing missions aimed at destroying factories and bases in Germany, many which set off from airfields in England, during WWII. There are pictures, stories, videos, airplanes, and displays of all sorts that tell the story of the units sacrifices and victories during the War. It is very interesting, and a grim reminder that Freedom is not Free. Following that, we stopped at a good fried chicken place that Donna had seen on a cooking show on TV. It was very tasty. Then, I went to the library for adult coloring time. I had experienced this a few weeks ago at the Tybee branch Library, but since this was going to be at my home library, I decided to try it again. It's supposed to be relaxing and calming, but I found that I spent a lot of time comparing my creations to those of the others participating, and I came up short - I'm NOT an artist! Back home, I had just settled into working to get my VISA card straightened out, when Anne and Suzy knocked at my door and encouraged me to go for a walk with them. I didn't want to go, but I did. And then, to end the day, I met with some friends at Kevin Barry's Pub on River Street to have dinner and listen to the entertaining Harry O'Donoghue. He has a wonderful voice and very funny banter. We all enjoyed it. 

the tour guide at the Mighty 8th Museum

my creation, started at the library, finished at home using my gift  markers

Harry O'Donoghue at Kevin Barry's

 

I did get my VISA canceled this week, and I also received a new one in the mail. I was disappointed that no one either at the bank or the VISA center could tell me what had happened - was it an on-line issue? a hacker with a “big box” store? something with a small local vendor? I wish I knew because I might be better able to protect myself from having this happen again. I was able to find out that there had been no unauthorized purchases using my card, so that's good.

I was having a little bit of trouble finding a person or team to install the tiles I'd purchased for my foyer. I was given a name, but that didn't work out and I spend a few days waiting for returned phone calls and messages that never came. I finally found someone else, and on Thursday, two kids not older than 12 showed up to do the work. I think they did a great job, and I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Of course, anything will look good when it's new. I'll give it a little while, and then if I'm still happy, I may think about replacing the kitchen floor, which now will look even shabbier compared to the entrance. 

this is why I needed to replace the floor - it was curling away from the the door and looked terrible

now it's much improved

I'm back to my normal routine this week after taking some time off during the holidays. On Wednesday, I attended a lecture at TLC about Savannah Architecture. It was informative and interesting. In the evening, I went to June and Jimmy's for Rummikub. On Thursday I was back at The Rail with Lisa and Dave.

Friday I had a break from DH. They were closed this week for cleaning, so I didn't have to give those tours. Instead, I tackled another Thing I Need To Do - I made reservations for Allen and myself to travel to Europe next fall. We'd been talking about this for a while, but now it's for sure as we are booked to travel in October. We'll be taking a Viking River Cruise on the Rhine River. 

from Amsterdam to Basil Switzerland

 

I gave a tour at BC on Sunday afternoon. It was for a group of about 20 students at Auburn University. To my surprise, at the end of the tour, they presented me with a basket of “goodies” from local shops near the university. I've been offered tips before, but never a full basket of stuff. I don't know if I can legally accept this, but the kids were so cute and sincere, I thanked them and accepted the gift. I'll take it to the next BHS board meeting. 

how cool is this???

Then I waited for friends Vicki and Mark to arrive.  They will be spending a few days here in Savannah, and they are staying at my condo.  I wasn't sure when they would get here, but that was ok, as I was watching the playoff games for most of the afternoon anyway.