What About the Rest of the Summer?

Usually I just write about the "big" things we do like camping trips or having Amelia come for a visit so I thought I would write about what I've been doing the rest of the time.  I'm a little disappointed with myself because I feel like I spend too much time in my recliner.  I love to watch tv, read, and surf the internet.  I admit it.  I feel guilty because I'm afraid when I get older I'm going to regret the time I spent doing nothing.  I think Bubba is feeling the same way, but the truth is that we don't really know what we should be doing.  We could travel more, but we don't really have any where specific that we want to go.  Of course there is always yard work and housework, but it tends to lose its glamour after a while.  Physically we don't know if we are on target for our age or if we are "sickly" because truthfully we don't have a lot of energy. With that being said, I would like to highlight some of our recent activities.

I keep thinking that I want to sew again.  I have a sewing machine that is approximately 40 years old that I pull out every now and then.  I wanted to make Amelia a dress so I found an easy pattern and some cute material and went to work.  It took me about three days on and off again to complete the dress.  She seemed to like it although I don't imagine that she has ever worn it anywhere; however, it gave me a project to work on for a while.  Sewing is just not practical anymore.  Prices have gone up so much on material and patterns that you can buy something ready-made just as cheaply.

Dieting has really taken a lot of the fun out of going anywhere.  Trips to town used to be centered around where we were going to eat.  Now it's typically at the same two or three places so that I can have a diet friendly meal.  So far I've lost 35 pounds.  Eating out is not as much fun, but eating at home offers a lot more variety.  I've tried several new recipes that are in line with the Weight Watchers "Simply Filling" plan that I like.  Pictured below is the chicken parmesan recipe.

Bubba and I both love fresh tomatoes.  Today we made our third trip to pick tomatoes.  They are $9 for a five gallon bucket and are totally worth it.  Pictures below are from our first trip and our last trip.  The bushes are looking pretty bad now and we were told that this was the last day the field would be open this summer.  They are planting a fall crop that is supposed to be ready in October, so we can look forward to that later on.

We have been to the beach several times this summer.  This has been the best summer in a long time for the beach.  The days have been sunny (a lot) and the water has been perfect.  It is so nice to lie in a beach chair and read and then get in cool water when you get too hot.

Bubba has painted our bathroom and is going to lay new tile on the floor.  I have cleaned out some drawers and closets and plan to get rid of even more "stuff".  

I have been telling Bubba for a long time that we needed to upgrade and get a new tv. Saying that I had to talk him into it is an understatement.  Finally I did.  We bought a 40 inch Samsung Smart TV and the really unbelievable part is that I hooked it all up and programmed it myself.  The wall mount was complicated, but between reading the instructions one line at a time and watching YouTube videos, we were able to get it done.  The end result looks pretty good.  With changing furniture around, installing the tv, and doing some work on the bookcase/entertainment center we had, we spent about four days focused on this project.  Bubba loves it and actually admits that we should have done this a long time ago.

In my last post, I mentioned that Amelia wanted me to make her a Wild Kratts bat costume and I told her that when she said yes ma'am/yes sir, etc. consistently that I would make her one.  Well she has been doing that really well for the past two months so I knew that I had to keep my end of the bargain.  This past Saturday was a miserable rainy day so I got Bubba to help me.  He is so much better at crafty things than I am.  He took care of the ears and the wings while I handled the gloves and the vest.  Since we took this picture we added a black mask and a blue shirt to go under the vest.  I'll post a picture of her wearing the costume when we give it to her.  I hope she enjoys it as much as we enjoyed making it for her.

We had planned to do a lot of fishing this summer, but the river was too high and then it was too low.  Now they've torn up the landing we like to use.  We're still hoping to get some fishing in this fall.  Bubba has a new lantern that he wants to try walking and floundering with the next time we are camped in a location to make that possible.  He did manage to go throw his cast net yesterday.  When he returned, he tapped on the door for me to hand him something and I couldn't help but get a picture of him in his mullet fishing ensemble.  He is quite the dapper fisherman!

The Best Laid Plans

Isn't is funny how you can plan exactly what you are going to do for a long time and then in a matter of hours the whole plan can change?  That has happened to us a few times but none as big a change as our 4th of July plans.  Earlier this year we made plans to camp at Seminole State Park with Joe and Judy over the holiday.  Reservations were made and when Amy asked if we could keep Amelia so that she and Darryl could participate in the Peachtree Road Race, we were excited that she would get to camp with us again.  In fact in planning ahead and anticipating the hot July weather and the lack of a good place to swim, we had purchased a small inflatable pool to take with us so that Amelia would have a place to "cool it" right at our camp site.  As the time approached for us to meet Amy in Eufaula to get Amelia, the plans began to change.  Joe and Judy have a beautiful garden and it was starting to look like their peas would be ready to pick during the week we were supposed to be at Lake Seminole.  Now we had to decide if we wanted to go without them which would not have been as much fun or camp in Opp at that state park; however, when we called for reservations we were too late.  The park was full. 

Then Joe and Judy invited us to camp in their yard.  When we arrived, they had a spot already picked out for us.  We used their electricity and water all week, had good tv reception, a swimming pool close to our trailer, and all the peas and cucumbers we could eat.  Oh, and we had wifi most of the time.  John was able to come that week so he and Amelia enjoyed playing and swimming together.  It could not have worked out better.  

We went to Opp on Tuesday and came home on Saturday.  The week could not have been any more enjoyable if we had planned it that way the whole time.  

Amy came on Sunday and stayed until Wednesday.  It was nice to have her with us for a while.  On Tuesday we all went to the beach.  Amelia loves the water.  Once again we had a beautiful day for it.  That night we had a slumber party which meant that Amy, Amelia, and I watched a movie in our pajamas and ate popcorn.

I have been encouraging Amelia to say "yes ma'am, no ma'am, yes sir, no sir," and I told her on her last visit that when she did it all the time I would make her the Wild Kratts Bat Costume she had been asking me to make.  She is doing great so I bought the materials I would need this week and plan to take it to her when we go in August.  Now this may look easy to you, but I'm telling you that these simple projects have a way of requiring a lot of time and effort on my part, but what a fun way to spend my time.  I don't know what she plans to do with it -- but she does have a vivid imagination.  She talks about nocturnal animals and non-venomous snakes.  At least Wild Kratts is an educational show.

Cute things I want to remember are:

• If you kiss someone on their cheek and they put their hand over the kiss, it saves it for later when you need a kiss.
• She knows so many birthdays.  She said that she knows Jesus's birthday, but doesn't know God's.  She says that she will ask him when his birthday is when she gets to heaven.
• She still remembers all the presidents in the order they were elected.  She can just say them, she doesn't even have to sing them.
• She knows a lot of facts about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
• John had made her gift bag with a pencil, suckers, and two friendship bracelets made out of rubber bands.  She thanked him and hugged him. He blushed.

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray."  So we didn't follow our original plans for the 4th of July, we made better ones.  We had our granddaughter with us and enjoyed the hospitality of our loved ones.  It just doesn't get any better than that.

Moving Back to Georgia - "Our Job"

As the four of five of you who read this blog probably already know, Amy, Darryl and Amelia have moved back to Atlanta from Baton Rouge.  When Amy moved off to attend college in 1993, it was her dad who did all the heavy lifting and moving.  In the 21 years since that first move, things have improved greatly.  Now our sole "responsibility" when they move is to keep Amelia.  On moving day we picked Amelia up from Amy in Mobile (half-way) and kept her the following week.

We had been promising her a camping trip to the beach for a while and had our fingers crossed that the weather would be good and that the gulf would be calm enough that she could enjoy swimming without our worrying about waves knocking her down.  Crossed fingers must have worked.  We had some great weather and the water was perfect.  For four days St. George Island State Park  provided us with a great week together.  Every single day we went down to the beach and stayed in the water for most of the hours spent there.  I rented movies from Red Box to watch in the evening.  We were all happy campers.

Amelia met some little girls from Tallahassee at the beach and they enjoyed swimming and playing together.  One special thing about Amelia is that she is always looking for an opportunity to make a new friend.  I wish that I could be as outgoing as she is.

One night her mom called and the first thing out of Amelia's mouth was "Have you heard about my back?"  She was a little pink on her cheeks and back after the second day and I put some aloe gel on it.  Her question made it sound like I had allowed her to get a bad sunburn and hadn't even used sun screen.  Thankfully, Amy is used to some exaggeration.  

Bubba and I bought her a book of mermaid stories while we were in Savannah so every night I read her at least one story from that book.  Then she would say her prayers and sing "Jesus Loves Me".  She was so sweet one night.  She had thanked God for her parents and us and closed the prayer.  Then she remembered that she forgot Joe and Judy and John so she had to pray again thanking God for them.

We came home from the beach on Friday with a ton of dirty clothes and towels and left Saturday morning carrying her back to her mom and dad.  We have decided that we don't want to travel in that direction again on the weekend.  The traffic was terrible going both ways.  

Amy and Darryl were settled into their new apartment and we enjoyed a weekend visit with them.  We were able to have lunch with our favorite cousin, Vicky, which was very nice since we had not seen her in person since Amy and Darryl moved to Baton Rouge two years ago.

I'm calling Bubba a "shirker" because I spent more time in the water than he did.

The water was so nice.  Paw-Paw had to get in.

This was taken on the third day.  Amelia is still ready for the water.  By this time we had bought more sun screen and added a visor and sunglasses.

Amelia loves to feed the birds.  She thinks they prefer Cheetos.  She throws the food closer and closer and holds her hand out like she wants a bird to land on it, but when they get too close she runs.

Amelia finds new friends on the beach.

A chocolate treat after a day at the beach and an outside shower is appreciated.

Amelia enlisted us to be in her "Buttercup Troop".  She is writing the rules in her journal.  She loves making rules and explaining them to everyone.

She is all tucked in for the night in her Dora sleeping bag.

Paw-Paw brings her hot chocolate every morning with two, or sometimes three, marshmallows.

Sometimes I have to stop and remind myself why I started a blog.  It was never supposed to be a travel log, or pictures of scenery or animals, or reviews of campgrounds.  It's my way of saving memories that are special to me.  I've already learned how quickly I forget things that I thought I never would and I want to always remember these special times that I've had with Bubba and our family.  I've already had the first two years printed into a hardback book and next year I will do that again.  I think it will probably be one of my most valued possessions.

Savannah Bound

The last time we were at Joe and Judy's, we started talking about going on a trip together and going farther than we usually do.  I suggested Savannah, Georgia.  It was far enough that we determined that we should probably take two days getting there and so the reservations were made.  Bubba, Amy, and I had been through Savannah on our way to Charleston many years ago but we had not taken time to do any sightseeing there.

We met up with Joe and Judy in Thomasville, GA, at a restaurant for lunch.  Then we proceeded on to Waycross, GA, where we had reservations at the Laura S. Walker State Park.  

This is a beautiful well maintained park on a lake.  Several lake sites were available but we opted to stay in two sites that were perfect for the night since we did not intend to unhook the trailers from the trucks.

After a good night's rest, we travelled on to our final destination, Skidaway Island State Park in Savannah.  This, too, was a great park.  Florida could take some lessons from Georgia and Alabama when it comes to state parks.  These extra large sites were shaded by beautiful trees and we enjoyed full hook-ups which meant we could afford to take long hot showers in the evening.  The first evening was spent at the park making plans for the next day and enjoying our time together.

Wednesday, we left the park around 9:00 AM and entered Savannah where we bought tickets for an Oglethorpe Trolley Tour of the town.  This turned out to be an excellent choice.  Not only did we receive a 90 minute narrated tour of the city, but we then had the option of getting on/off at various stops plus were able to call them to pick us up at specific locations.  Everyone was so pleasant and courteous. The tour was worth it just to observe the skill of the driver.  She made it through some very tight spots without losing a beat in her narration.

Savannah was established in 1733 and is the oldest city in the State of Georgia.  By lunch time we had made our way to River Street where we enjoyed lunching at Dockside Seafood.  The food was good and reasonably priced.  The building was old and interesting.

We walked from one end of River Street to the other.  There were some interesting statues and fountains along the way.  

And there were a lot of interesting shops and various food concessions. Neither Judy or I strayed far from our diet plan even though there were candy shops and ice cream parlors everywhere.

By the time we reached the end of the street, we were all hot and tired; however, they reached the decision that rather than climb the hill that faced us they would call the trolley to pick us up and tell them that one of our party (me) couldn't make the hill.  (Bubba lives in fear that I'm going to faint although I keep promising not to do it.)  The trolley sent a shuttle to pick us up and they dropped us off at our next stop, The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.  I think we were all glad we went back to go inside this magnificent church. 

It had stained glass windows like I've never seen before.  The architecture was amazing.  It was definitely awe inspiring.

Next we had the shuttle drop us at the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum which was more interesting to Joe and Bubba than to Judy or me.

The next morning we set out to visit Tybee Island.  Although the ride took us by some impressive marshlands, the island itself was reminiscent of Panama City Beach although not that developed or crowded yet.  People flock to the beach no matter where it is.

We returned to the campground where we grilled hamburgers for lunch and rested a bit before we departed for Wormsloe, the final destination on our wish list.  Wormsloe was settled by Noble Jones one of the first group of settlers in Georgia.  It is famous for the entrance road which is overhung by beautiful oak trees making a canopy and for the tabby ruins of the house built by Noble Jones.

We followed Joe, our fearless navigator, on a trail that went along the edge of the marsh.  After I began sweating profusely, I pulled out the map to make sure he knew what he was doing.

 We all had our picture made on this scenic trail.  Judy was a little camera shy this time, but she was there with us.

Our last supper out was at a seafood restaurant, The Flying Fish.  Bubba and Joe had fried flounder and Judy and I had the blackened flounder.  That evening we started putting things away so that we could start out for Valdosta the next morning which is where we had planned to spend the night to break up the trip.  When we got to Valdosta, we decided we felt good enough to make it to Thomasville.  Then when we got to Thomasville we decided to make the trip all the way home.

When we arrived at the house around 4:30, we just took in what we absolutely had to have for the night and left the rest of the unloading for Saturday morning.

We had three near misses on this trip.  When Joe was moving his truck into the parking for the trolley tour, Judy was standing in his blind spot.  I pulled her out of the way just in time.  (Imagine that - I have the slowest reflexes of anyone I know.)  At the campground, Bubba tripped and fell inside the little screened shelter we were sitting in for lunch, hitting his head on the bench of the picnic table. He was dazed for a few minutes, but seemed to have nothing worse than a headache from his fall.  At Wormsloe Plantation, we were reading the information about the tabby house when a huge oak tree cracked and fell across the trail we were about to go on. 

All in all, it was a great week.  Savannah was an interesting place to visit and of course it was better seeing it with family.  The weather was perfect.  There was a cool breeze every morning and evening.  This destination was farther away than we had been before with the camper and Bubba did a great job although he says he still won't go that far alone.  Hopefully, Joe and Judy will join us again for our next venture out.

In addition, I would like to give Bubba his due.  He didn't miss a morning bringing me coffee in bed.  I guess he took this picture to prove it.

And, I would like to give Amy credit for encouraging me to purchase a pair of Clark's flip-flops that were too expensive for my taste, but when she gave me her $10 coupon I couldn't resist the bargain.

I walked all over Savannah and Wormsloe Plantation in these flip-flops and they were so comfortable the whole time.  It turned out to be a great investment.  I guess this proves that you get what you pay for.  I don't know exactly where we are headed next.  I think we have two weeks at home and I plan to make Amelia a sundress.  I need to stay away from Joann's Fabrics.  Every time I go in there, I get the crazy idea that I can sew.  We'll see.  I'll probably post those pictures as I proceed with that project.

A Visit with the Snow Queen

One of our goals as retirees has been to spend as much time with our only grandchild as possible.  Amelia was going to be in an end of school program on Friday, August 16, so on Thursday, we started out again for Baton Rouge for what would be our last trip since they are moving back to Atlanta in early June.

We arrived around 2:30 and the house appeared to be empty with a big moving truck in the driveway.  What we found was our son-in-law, Darryl, asleep on the couch and Amy in the process of getting dressed.  Darryl along with his friend, Damian, had worked on loading the truck the night before with the largest items to be placed in storage in Atlanta.  This included Amy's piano, which I believe Damian has helped load at least four times.  I understand that he emphatically insisted that he does not intend to help move the piano again.  Darryl had enlisted the help of a day laborer on Thursday morning to finish loading the truck.  He and Damian were heading for Atlanta following Amelia's program on Friday.

After picking Amelia up at school, we proceeded to one of our favorite places to eat, Tommy's Fish House.  We had to wait a while for our food and Amelia, who had donned a crown for the occasion, amused herself with Amy's iphone.

The next morning we carried Amelia to school and went directly to the school cafeteria so that we could get a good seat.  We were on the second row and the hour's wait was worth it.

The program was entitled, "Our Year in Kindergarten".  Apparently this is the program the kindergarten classes put on every year.  It presented songs and activities that they had done as a class through the year.

Each child was assigned the responsibility of making a flower, a bug, or a butterfly and they turned into a great backdrop.  There are two kindergarten classes, but the other class had presented their program the day before.

The program started with the beginning of the school year and went on until summertime.  Amelia was the Snow Queen and her friend, Marshall, was the Snow King.  They sang "Winter Wonderland" by themselves and did a great job.  In my humble opinion, Amelia is destined to star in school musicals in the future.

Afterwards Amelia enjoyed hanging out with some of her friends before going back to class.  It was a great program and the kids were so enthusiastic with their singing.  This has been a wonderful school and we are all sad to have to say good bye, but I think Amelia has gotten a strong start with her education by attending there.  Did you know that these children know the names of all the presidents of the United States in order?  They demonstrated their knowledge in song.  I didn't ever learn that.  I tried but I always forgot the middle ones.

Here is a picture of Amelia with her proud parents.  Notice that you can see less of Darryl than in previous pictures.  

And of course we have to have a picture of Amelia with her proud grandparents.  It was a great day and we are so happy we could be there for it.

Note:  There's less of me too, but you sure can't tell it from this picture.

It Is Definitely Not a Squirrel

Since it wasn't practical to be with Amy for Mother's Day this year, I opted to spend Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday at St. George Island for some much needed rest and relaxation.  So we arrived at the park Sunday afternoon, set up our recliners, and enjoyed some down time.   Bubba grilled ribeye steaks for supper and I prepared some oven fries to go with them.  It was a great meal.  I love steak, but try not to eat it too frequently for several reasons.

On some of my earliers posts, I took a picture of the "view from my window" and sister-in-law Winifred mentioned that she enjoyed seeing them.  She is not going to like this one.  I know that I didn't.

Every time I looked out my window, this is what I saw.  I hate rats!!  I don't care if it and a squirrel are from the same family, they are just not the same. I threw oyster shells at it every chance I got, but he always came back. Trying to forget about the rat, Bubba and I packed up our stuff on our handy dandy beach cart and left this critter behind to enjoy some relaxing time soaking up some rays.

Bubba tried some surf fishing without any luck.

I think I actually went to sleep.  It was windy and pleasantly cool.  The tide was coming in and it wasn't too long before the waves began to lap up under our chairs so we moved everything back.

And eventually the waves followed us to where we were so we called it quits and headed back to the camper.

The next day we went fishing off the St. George Island Bridge again with no luck, but it was just good to be out in the fresh air and sunshine.  We enjoyed a meal at Bayside Burgers where Bubba got the fried mullet and I had a very good hamburger steak.  If you are ever in this area, I recommend this little restaurant.  I've never ordered a hamburger here, but there seafood is delicious and reasonable priced.

Wednesday we arrived home fairly early and got busy cleaning up the camper and washing our clothes.  We were leaving for Baton Rouge the next morning to see Amelia in her program at school.  We're getting quite busy living this retirement life.