3/27/2016

Weekly Update 3/27/2016

HAPPY EASTER

This was a busier week. And my allergies seemed to get a little better through the week. I spend a couple of days working on the egg tree that is the craft project for Easter this year. Some of the creativity was fine; some not so good (like when my blue egg exploded as I was trying to dye it - what a mess!). Overall, I think it's ok. I hung my poor little decorated eggs on the tree and waited until Sunday when the others will bring theirs. It took a lot of time to make this craft, but it may be the last one we do. 

painting the branches

blowing the eggs

 

The Lunch Bunch met at a new Italian Restaurant, Bella Napoli. It's owned by the same people who own Little Italy on Wilmington Island. I had a very very good penne with vodka sauce and chicken that was really good. 

there was a large group this time

 

In the afternoon, I went out to Fort Pulaski because there was supposed to be a tour for Coastal Museum Association members. When I got there, I was the only one! I had a tour all to myself, and it was great. I didn't learn a lot, but because it was only the ranger and me, we took a golf cart and rode around the site, to some places along the river that I haven't seen in a long time. It was great. 

I loved the color on the tree near the fort

 

Friday was very busy. I went to DH in the morning to help give tours to bus loads of 5th graders who were visiting. In the afternoon, during my regular tours, there were busloads of adult tourists coming through, so my tour was all out of order as I tried to avoid the other tours. It was difficult, but hey, I can do this! By the time I got to The 90, I was so-o-o ready for a drink! Not only was I exhausted from the long, harried DH day, but it had been a while since I've had a drink since I've been taking so much allergy medication. Never has a key lime martini tasted so good! 

kids in the garden and on the porch at DH while the school bus waits on Habersham St

Lisa, me, Donna, Liz & Kay at The 90

 

My poor little azalea plant, that I'd purchased for the front of my condo two years ago, is making a comeback! Last year, someone cut it (not pruned for better growth, but cut to kill) and the purple plant (I don't know what it is) is taking over. So, after one blooming season, my plant was gone. What a surprise this year when I saw a blossom! 

2014

 

2016

close up

Since Dave and Lisa are moving back to UK next week, I had asked if there was any museum that they had wanted to visit in Savannah that they had never seen. They both agreed that they wished they had visited Pinpoint. Well, how lucky is this? I'm a member and could get us in for free! So, we met there on Saturday afternoon and toured the crab and oyster factory that made up a big part of the African-American community known as Pinpoint. It was a cloudy day, but it was interesting to see the factory and hear the history. We got in for free, they gave candy kisses and lollipops on the tour, and Lisa won a copy of the Clarence Thomas biography My Grandfather's Son. We did, however, have to pay for our dinner at Tequila Town. 

Dave, me and Lisa at Pinpoint

 

It always happens - Sunday was my turn to open BC but the morning volunteers didn't show. So there I was, with no one to replace me, and company coming for dinner in less than 3 hours. So, I called the volunteer coordinator and explained that I was going to to lock the visitors center up and leave because I just couldn't do the morning shift. Luckily, the afternoon volunteer has keys to the visitors center, so she could unlock, spend the afternoon handing out the maps and then lock up again. But, the one time ever when I had something to do and couldn't fill in was today.

Lisa, Dave and Donna all arrived in the early afternoon. They proudly hung their craft Easter eggs on the tree I had sweat bullets over earlier in the week. I thought it looked great. We sat down to eat the ham dinner I had prepared, and we were enjoying each others company when there was a loud crash. The egg tree had fallen! All our hard work was lying spread all over the floor! I guess since this is likely to be the last craft we ever do, it went out with a bang!

a very attractive, creative egg tree...

...that just wasn't meant to be

but dinner was pretty good

3/20/2016

Weekly Update 3/20/2016

I have very little to write this week, because I did very little. I have been suffering with allergies. I haven’t gone outside unless I've had to and I've slept A LOT! I should have taken a picture of my car, but I had to wash it before I could get in it to drive - you could hardly see through the windshield for all the pollen.

On Monday, before my nose and eyes got really bad, I did get to the pool for the first time this season. I was only there for about an hour because many other residents had the same I idea I had and wanted to enjoy the sunshine. And, I try to be very careful the first few times I go and not overdo it and suffer with a sunburn.

Thursday was St Patrick's Day in Savannah - a HUGE event. So, in addition to not wanting to go out, I would not have ventured downtown all day anyway. I watched the parade on tv. Just after supper, there was a little knock on the door, and my neighbor in 4208 Walden Park Drive handed me a package that had been delivered to them by mistake. The return address was Savoia Pastry Shop! I called Ishy to thank her, but she claims she hadn't been the one to send them. So this is a mystery. But I LOVED the great Italian butter cookies! There is nothing like that in Savannah! So, if you're reading this and are responsible for sending me the cookies - Thank You!

Saturday morning, I had to go out early to unlock the visitors center at BC. The Wilmington Island Farmers Market moved to the school right across the highway from me, so I stopped there on my way back home. It was a little disappointing, as there were soaps, framed photographs, doggie treats, and bakery products, while only three booths actually had produce. I bought some strawberries that weren't too bad , some Brussels sprouts, and a tomato. Nothing I couldn't really get at the Publix, but now I can feel that I support “local” farmers.

Sunday evening, Donna invited Barbara and me to her home for a nice dinner and then to watch the video of Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil. Barbara lives in Mercer Point, but has only recently moved to Savannah, so she knew very little about the story. That was a nice way to end this miserable week.

I plan to have a better week next week.

3/13/2016

Weekly Update 3/13/2016

All of us (me, my visitors Dave, Kerry, and Ishy) were all up early Monday and ready to tour Savannah. We took the trolley ride half way around the city, with a stop at the middle for lunch at the historic Pirates House Restaurant. After we were finished in historic Savannah, we drove out to Tybee Island. While it's not a big attraction for me, and Ishy has seen it before, a view of the ocean is not something those who live in Kansas City to see often. The evening was spent visiting at my condo and playing some board games.

lunch at the Pirate's House

Tuesday we started out in the downtown area again, because their son had recommended that a visit to Goose Feathers for breakfast would be good - and it was! I had missed going there at the Book Fest this year because I was too interested in the speakers, so this worked out really well. Kerry wanted to make a quick stop at the Paula Deen Store, which was close by, and she bought a souvenir mug - FOR ME! How sweet, thanks! Because my brother, Dave, is a veteran of the Air Force (he was stationed in Missouri at the height of the Vietnam War, and that's why he lives there today. He was not a career soldier, but he spent four years protecting missile sites in the Mid-West when he was in the service), I thought a visit to the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum might be of interest. So we did that on Tuesday, and I think he enjoyed it. It is very interesting, and not one of my go-to museums when I have visitors, so I really liked it. Driving back to the condo, we made a detour through BC, and I could point out some of my favorite places there. We went across the highway to Wiley's for barbeque for supper (notice how I'm living up to my reputation of not cooking, even when I have guests) so they could compare KC barbeque to good southern cooking. That evening, I got out a deck of cards to play some games because we had played a lot when we were growing up. To my surprise, Dave wanted to play the Wikipedia game again. We laughed so hard! That was great. 

 

memories for Dave from a long time ago

Ishy must have won this round, while Kerry is wondering how that happened

 

Dave and Kerry wanted to get a good start on the long drive back to their home on Wednesday, so soon after we got up, they took off. It was wonderful to have them visit here, and I hope they will come again. Ishy and I played BUNCO at the clubhouse in the afternoon, and watched tv and videos in the evening.

Thursday, since neither Ishy nor I do a lot when we are alone, I had thought we would just hang around. But she announced that she had never been to any of the forts in Savannah on any of her visits here. We went to tour Old fort Jackson. I was really surprised that there was an interpreter giving a cannon firing demonstration when we were there, but that really added to the interest. No visit to Savannah is complete without a trip to Leopold's Ice Cream, we did that next. How cool is this? - the flavor for March is Guinness! It doesn't taste like beer, but it was GOOD! We then walked for a few blocks so I could show Ishy The 90, where I spend nearly every Friday evening, and we drove around a little so I could point out some other non-touristy things (like where Jim and Connie live). We met Dave and Lisa at The Crystal Beer Parlor that evening for supper. Then we watched a little more tv. 

Ishy at OFJ

oh man! Guinness ice cream!

Ishy's flight back to Rochester was Friday morning, so I had plenty of time to get her to the airport before going to DH. Then, I was back on schedule - DH, The 90. Friday was also the Greening of the Fountains in Savannah, when the water in all the fountains in Forsyth Park and the squares is turned to green for St Patrick's Day. Columbia Square, where the DH is, had the water turned green while I was doing my tours.

 

quite pretty and very Irish

Saturday, I went downtown in the morning to enjoy some of the Tara Feis festival, which is the family-friendly event leading up to St Patrick's Day. I met Lisa and Dave there, and we had a little lunch (a hot dog? where's the corned beef?) and watched some entertainments. I like the Irish dancers, especially the little kids. I even recognized a few from last year's event. And the always popular, always entertaining Harry O'Donough sang some Irish fold songs and told some jokes. In the evening, Donna had invited the Besties to her condo for a wonderful home cooked roast pork dinner. The food was great, and the friendship and camaraderie can't be equaled. 

Irish folk dancers

and an Irish folk singer

 

By Sunday, I was all caught up with laundry. I still have a lot of extra food to get rid of, but that's not as big a problem as the extra washing of sheets and towels. I remembered to turn my clocks ahead and was at BC on time for my tour.

3/6/2016

Weekly Update 3/6/2016

This was a busy week!

Monday, I got up and hopped in my car for a drive to St Augustine, FL, to visit friends, Marcia and Andy Lloyd who were vacationing there from Rochester. It was about a 3 hour drive for me, and I had no problems. Whew! Since it was a lovely day, temps in the low 70s and sunny, I drove with the top down on the car. That was a big mistake! I got a sunburn on my face and I was really red. I had mistakenly reserved a room at a hotel in St Augustine BEACH, not St Augustine, which is not the same thing. The beach is about a six mile drive away from the city, and I had hoped to be able to walk to the attractions. It wasn't to be, but the B&B where Marcia and Andy were staying graciously allowed me to park my car there when we visited. They had been up since about 4 am to catch their flights, so after we visited, had a light dinner at Ann O'Malley's, and took a ghost tour, that was all we could do the first day. Ann O'Malley's is an Irish pub, and the owners are from Buffalo NY. So, I was expecting a lot of Bills posters or jerseys or something, but the only thing that connected me to the finest 2017 team in the NFL was a small logo on the napkin holders. While we were having our sandwiches, a few men in kilts came in, one with a bagpipes. I'd never seen a camouflage kilt before, but I have now! The ghost tour was fun. I don't really believe in that stuff, but this was interesting. We got off the trolley in a few selected places, and there were live performers that told some of the interesting haunted stories. I enjoyed it. 

at Ann O'Malley's, Marcia laughing at me in the background

our  ghost tour trolley

  Tuesday, I checked out of the Castillo Real and went back to join the Lloyds for more adventures. We took the hop-on-hop-off trolley around the city, and got off at the historic fort, the Castillo. We spend more than an hour there, learning about the history of the fort (which mirrored the history of the city as it changed hands from Spanish to British and back again, and finally to the US). Very interesting. We went past the fountain of Youth, the Ripley's Believe it of Not Museum, Flagler college, the Bridge of Lions, and a lot of other high points, but didn't hop-off. We finished on George Street, the historic roadway that is closed to traffic now and has lots of shoppes, a few historic museums, and several restaurants. Sylvia had told me about a great place to dine, The Columbia, so we went there. My omelet was so-so, but Marcia's salad and Andy's gazpacho and sandwich were very good. Then it was time for me to get back on the road and head home, leaving them to enjoy their vacation. It was so great to see them both! 

Ponce de Leon in the square

the oldest school  in St Augustine

happy tourists at the Castillo

  Wednesday, I was back home, but I didn't have time to rest. I got caught up on Things That Need To Be Done. And, I attended a lecture at TLC on ghost stories in Savannah (again, I'm not sold on these fantasies, but it's interesting to hear them), played bunco with a nice group of ladies at June's, and then went downtown for training for the Savannah Music Fest because I've volunteered to usher at two performances. Thursday, I went to the Mall to get my bagels, then turned right around and went back to the Islands to get a pedicure. I visited with Sylvia and told her all my stories of St Augustine (she and Charles love that city). And in the evening, I went to the MP book club. The book was A Tale of Two Cities, and I didn't finish it, but the talk and exchange of thoughts was interesting.

Ishy arrived Friday evening. She was kind enough to try to arrange her flights around my schedule, so I was able to finish my tours at DH and then go pick her up at the airport. We had something to eat at a Scottish pub near the airport, and then just went back to the condo to talk and get caught up with each other. On Saturday, I had already committed to volunteering at the DH Oyster Roast Fund Raiser, so I left Ishy alone in the condo while I spent the afternoon smiling, pretending that I knew these people and that I was one of them, and emptying garbage cans. Good enough. As soon as I got home, I made Ishy go to Bruesters for an ice cream sundae - I needed one.

getting set up and ready

oysters!

 

Sunday, Ishy and I went for an early morning visit to Krispy Kreme for donuts and a newspaper, and we just hung around (I napped), until Dave and Kerry arrived about 5. It was good to see them. We had a little dinner, and visited, and then settled into watch the finale of Downton Abbey. Dave wasn't that interested, but the three ladies wanted to know how it all turned out for the Crawleys and their staff. It all turned out peachy. Imagine! 

watching Downton Abbey for the last time