11/26/2017

Weekly Update 11/26/2017

This exasperation with trying to get music onto some portable device so that I can listen to my tunes while walks continues. The MP3 I got at Walmart last week was a waste. I ordered an iPod exactly like the 2 I have that don’t work any more from eBay. I thought that I could just load my tunes and I wouldn’t meed a charger or any of that stuff since I already had it all from the other iPods. Nope. I couldn’t get iTunes to recognize it, and after spending a half a day trying, I took it to my geeks. Because the old iPods are so old, iTunes doesn't support them, and ‘m never going to get my tunes loaded. More money down the drain. I actually thought about buying a new iPod for $200, but just to listen to music? I don’t need a place to play games, or another camera – I JUST WANT MUSIC. The Geek suggested that I could load some of my iTunes playlists to the phone, but I was running out of memory when I was in UK and taking photos, so I didn’t think that was an answer. Perhaps there is none.

But wait! I have become increasingly frustrated with Facebook, to the point that I deleted my profile. So, if I'm not going to use that, I can delete the app and free up a lot of space. And that’s what I did. Perhaps I won’t have to give up on my walking routine just yet.

I did walk at the Y a few times this week. And I saw this lovely white heron by the pond. Leaves in Georgia are no match for Western New York, that’s for sure, but we do get a few colors. This lovely, big white bird, sitting in a tree with green, gold and red leaves, reflected in the still pond waters was amazing.

In case anyone was worried about me not having enough to eat on Thanksgiving, rest at ease. Not only did I have a feast on Thursday at The 90, But I was also invited to Barbara’s condo on Wednesday evening for a pre-turkey dinner turkey dinner. After all the Lean Cuisine I’ve been having lately, real food tasted very good. But it will be hard for me to get back to my regimen.  

Barbara with her turkey

A full plate

at The 90

Chef Jim

After I got home, I watched some really bad NFL games, relaxed with pumpkin spirits, and kept smiling at the picture Allen sent. 

this stuff is GOOD

Allen van Field

Saturday, I started out really early to drive to Kay’s house, and from there, she drove us to Fernandina Breach on Amelia Island. Dave and Lisa were visiting her dad and stepmom in Florida, and we arranged to meet for 24 hours half way between here and there. We both arrived at the hotel at the same time, and it was so good to see them! We went into downtown Amelia Island to do some eating, drinking and shopping. The small town is full of antique shops, art galleries, restaurants and boutiques of every kind. We ate at a very good Mexican restaurant, and later stopped at The Palace Saloon. Built in 1878, and converted to a saloon in 1903 for the sailors who arrived at Fernandina Docks from all over the world. It survived prohibition by selling special wines and 3% near beer, and is known as Florida’s oldest continuing service bar. And you can smoke in there! I didn’t think there was any place in America where you could sit, drink some suds, and enjoy a Marlboro, but here it is! After we drove around the town for a some time, we went back to the hotel where we enjoyed a lively game of Scattergories. Then, we walked to the restaurant across the street from the hotel, and had more to eat and drink. It was just grand to be with these great friends!  

Mexican for lunch

tin ceiling, brass foot rail, mirrored bar - it's all so cool

a swinging bar stool at the last stop of the evening

We had breakfast at the hotel in the morning, then Kay, Lisa and I walked on the beach and collected seashells until time to check out. We were all reluctant to say good by, so we visited a State Park nearby, the Kingsley Plantation. Located on Fort George Island, Zephaniah Kingsley purchased the plantation in 1814 when the area was still Spanish territory. Because his wife was African, when the United States gained the territory in 1821, the civil liberties of free blacks were lost, and the Kingsley family moved to Haiti by 1837. The plantation manor house and ruins of many of the slave cabins remain. The last person to live on the property, Willie Browne, died in 1970, donated the land to The Nature Conservancy before his death, and the National Park Service acquired in it 1990. It was interesting to walk around and imagine what it must have looked like when it was huge cotton plantation. Then, we all said sad goodbyes and parted ways. Driving back to Savannah, I kept “watching” the game on my phone NFL app. Finally, we have a victory! 

Kingsley Plantation manor house

the ruins of the slave houses

11/19/2017

Weekly Update 11/19/2017

Because Monday was Barbara’s birthday, we went to Crystal Beer Parlor for lunch. She had never been there before, and I think everyone should go to that wonderful restaurant. That was nice. In the evening, there was a lecture at the Jepson about plans to renovate the Owens-Thomas House to interpret the slave experience not unlike what DH plans.

then...

...and now

Tuesday, after my final lecture in a series about the Spanish Civil War, I went downtown. I wanted to tour the OT House before they close to begin the changes. And, being at the Jepson the evening before reminded me that I had not yet seen the Rodin exhibit. I’m glad I was able to do that, as the sculptures were really amazing. And in the evening, there was a talk by Robin Williams, architectural historian and professor at SCAD, at the Victorian Society about the sidewalks and pavements in Savannah. I’d heard this one before, but it was so fascinating, I wanted to hear it again.  

the sculptures were wonderful

Thursday, I drove neighbors John and Dave to the airport. They will be selling their house there and celebrating the holidays with family and won’t be back until January. I’m plant-sitting again (I guess they were undaunted by the care I gave the violets all summer). The Lunch Bunch met at a new restaurant that has opened in an old building near DH. Instead of fries with my burger I asked for the brussel sprout / sweet potato hash – good choice! It was wonderful, and I don’t like vegies! 

the new East End Restaurant

My iPod died. It’s beyond repair (I got 8 good years out of it, I can’t complain). But that’s where I had all my songs stored. So I tried to load songs from iTunes to my phone, and I broke the phone. That’s really bad because I use the phone ALL THE TIME. It has all my contact info, my email and messaging, my football score updates (and tennis when there’s a major tournament), my diary, my news apps. I must look at my phone every 15 minutes all day long for one thing or another. I have most of that info on my iPad, but not all of it because I use the phone so much more often. This was Friday evening, and I was sure that I would be without the phone all weekend. How was I going to communicate with Allen during the NFL games? How would I know what was on sale at the Publix? How would I know if I needed a sweater when I went to BC?

So I got up at the crack of dawn Saturday and went to a repair shop at 9 am. I’d not been to this shop before, but the one I like didn’t open until 11. I’d spent a sleepless night, thinking my data was gone forever, and I’d need to buy a new phone. He said “maybe” he could restore it in about an hour, or if he couldn’t, it may need parts and would be costly and wouldn’t be ready again until Monday. I did not want to buy a new phone (I have only heard bad reports about the iPhone 10). So I left the phone there so he could work on it. And, of course, if I don’t have my phone, how will he contact me to tell me it’s ready or that there was bad news?  Luckily, I’d taken my iPad with me when I left the condo, and this shop was not far from the Mall. I went to Barnes and Nobles, hooked onto their WiFi, and played games until he emailed. He was able to fix it!  And all my data was still there. I get out-of-control upset when things don’t work well and there’s been a lot of that going on around me lately – the ipod, the car, the phone. I don’t do the unexpected well.

And speaking of thing that don’t work well, how about those Buffalo Bills? It would have been a nice day to watch at Coach’s because there were only 3 late games, and the place was empty. I had a booth all to myself, but I couldn’t stand watching, so I left at the half. 

woe is me

11/12/2017

Weekly Update 11/12/2017

On Monday, I went to a short concert of Johnny Mercer songs. Local singer, Roger Moss, and wonderful piano player, David Duckworth, showcased a couple of the most famous songs written by Savannah native, Johnny Mercer. Since I always include his family plot on tours at BC, I feel a special link to him. The music was outstanding!

Imagine my surprise this week when I received the MP proposed budget in the mail, and it included a $24 REDUCTION in monthly fees! I’ve been asking about this for months, but never received an answer from either management or the Board. I was delighted to see it, but am still put off by the lack of communication (with this and other questions I've asked).

Jane and I went to the annual St John’s Holiday Bazaar on Wednesday. The lunch is served in the Green Meldrim House, which is the house where General Sherman had his headquarters when he occupied Savannah in 1864 with the Federal troops. It is now used as the church hall. I look forward to a pimento cheese sandwich and a bowl of chili there every year. And to top it all off, the church ladies contributed homemade desserts, and it was so difficult to decide which one must be the best. The annual Holiday Bazaar seems to be expanding, with a tour of the church, and a “garage” sale included, in addition to the crafts, books, plants, and lunch. There’s a lot going on in Savannah during the holidays, and this seems to kick things off.

booths on the lawn between the church and the Green Meldrim House

oh my! those wonderful homemade dessets

inside the beautiful Episcopalian church

The annual Bonaventure Historical Society meeting / dinner was held on Thursday. I’m a member of the Board there, so of course I needed to attend. Not so fast! It was rainy, cold and dark when I set out to find my way to the Knights of Columbus Hall, and as I was about 3 miles from home, the light on my dashboard alerted me to the fact that I had a flat tire! Again – the third time this year? I pulled into a fire station, and got out to see if I could find which tire it was; they all looked ok to me. I waited for a few minutes and got out again, walking around the car, kicking the tires, looking for an obvious flat – nothing. By this time I’m soaking wet. I decided that I should just try to get to the Goodyear place and have them check for me. It was about an hour before closing for them, and I knew this mechanic wanted nothing to do with replacing a tire, but I convinced him to at least look at it. He checked the pressure and found that it was low in every tire, which (he claims) is not unusual when the weather turns colder. He added air to all tires, told me it was free, and I went home. It was too late for the dinner, I was soaking wet, and I was mad, as only I can get.

Friday was DH and The 90. Saturday was slow. Polka Dots, a wonderful little gift shop near my Publix, had a holiday open house that I wanted to go to. I often can find cute things there for gifts, and I saw some items, but didn't buy anything. I can go back any time if I want to, and I really have very little holiday shopping to do. So much of Saturday was sent just watching tv.

Football this weekend was terrible. Not only did UGA lose, and Syracuse gave away a big lead, but the Bills looked like amateurs (where was the defense?). Depressing.

But, in happier news, guess who’s in the outhouse now?

  

11/5/2017

Weekly Update 11/5/2017

This was the scary week of Halloween. I (again this year) did not get any little beggars at my door. Who’s gonna eat all those M&Ms and Nutter Butters? Again, I dressed up as a Buffalo bills fan, which isn’t that hard for me to do. But what was worse is that Charles and Sylvia dressed Rupert, their spaniel, as a NE Patriot player. Not funny! 

Rupert, dressed up for halloween

me, ready to give out treats

This was the week of Anna Colquitt Hunter. She was one of the Seven Ladies who founded the Historic Savannah foundation in 1955, and saved the Davenport House from demolition. I have talked about these ladies on my tours for so many years, they almost don’t seem real any longer, but merely historic figures. A new book has just been written about the force behind the Seven Ladies, Mrs. Hunter, and an opera was written about her as well. There was a book signing at DH on Monday, and Kay and I went to the opera, also at DH, on Friday. She is much more real to me now.

Louise Staman, author of Restoring Lost times:Savannah's Anna Colquitt Hunter

the opera in the drawing room at DH

A quick update on my energy costs. Last spring, I purchased sun-blocking drapes for the west facing windows in my condo in an effort to reduce some of my high air conditioning bills. I calculated the costs of 2017 against 2016, and found that last year I’d spent $1,105 for the hottest months, and this year my total was $420. Well, that was worth it!

I had two interesting lectures at TLC this week. On Tuesday, I attended the first of a 3-week course about the Spanish Civil War. I think it’s confusing, and I’ve never had a clear understanding about what it was. After the first talk, I still don’t have any idea. On Wednesday, I went to one of the noon-time programs about liquor sales in grocery stores in Savannah in the 1850s. It wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be, but it was interesting.

I had problems with my laptop. It would not turn on. Since I’m not very tech savvy, and since my techie moved to Wales, I was stumped. Through some google searches, I discovered that the problem may be solved by “popping” the battery out and putting it back in again. Easy for you to say! I followed the youtube instructions which required me to take all the screws out of the back of the laptop, and carefully lift the plastic cover. When the plastic cover refused to “carefully” be lifted, I put the screw back in, packed everything up, and went to the repair shop. He took the narrow battery off the back in a matter of seconds, put it back, and I was cured. But, I left it there anyway for a virus check and clean up.

When I went back the next day to pick it up, I decided to walk on the Robert McCorkle Bike Path on Wilmington Island. I do not like to walk for exercise, and try to find ways to make it more interesting. Well, I couldn’t find the trail, and there was no place to park near the wide walkway along the road. I left my car at the nearby church, hoping it would be safe there, and trying to find the trail on foot. I did see one path, it went into the woods, and there was no one else walking there – no thanks. I continued on along the road way. The sidewalk ended where there was utility construction going on, and I was forced into the road; I didn’t like that. I kept looking for a way to get back to the car without having to go past the ditch digging, but apparently Wilmington Island has a big pond in the middle of it, and a creek that runs right down the center of the island – unless I wanted to swim, I’d have go around that. I kept going, and used my phone map to get an idea of where I was going (that’s how I discovered that nasty pond / creek thing). I finally made my way to the Kroger, and bypassed (with great effort) Domino’s Pizza. I also found that my google maps on the phone show not only where I am, but also where I’d parked the car. That’s good to know.

Saturday, I went to see Charles in a “play” with the Island Comedy Players. It wasn’t really a play, but more of a reading. There were no scenes, no costumes, no dialogue committed to memory. Back in the days before TV and movies, people who did not have a theater nearby could still hear a good comedy or drama on the radio. The parts were read by actors who would create the characters purely with their voices and the playwrights’ words. So at this performance, the actors sat on the stage and read from “You know I Can’t Hear You When The Water’s Running”, “You Can’t Take It With You” and others. I enjoyed it very much.

Charles and his fellow actors at the reading

The Bills didn’t play Sunday – they actually didn’t play Thursday, either; the Jets did, but the Bills didn’t. So I didn’t have to go to Coach’s. Instead, June and I went to a Christmas Craft show.And Donna had a little get together at her condo in the evening that was very nice.

guests, having a good time at donna's condo