Boating

Fourth of July we took the Sea Ray out for the very first time. Some things are worth the wait, even when the weather wasn't cooperating as well as we would have liked.

The following week the weather was much better and the kids got to tube. Buck Creek was a little bit cold for mom and dad!


I'll try to get closer shots next time!

Savannah - Day Seven

Fort Pulaski National Monument

On April 11, 1862, defense strategy changed worldwide when Union rifled cannon first overcame a masonry fortification after only 30 hours of bombardment. Named for Revolutionary War hero, Count Casimir Pulaski, Fort Pulaski took some 18 years to build and was the first military assignment for a young second lieutenant fresh from West Point - Robert E. Lee. It is estimated to have been built with 25 million bricks and has 7 1/2 foot thick walls.


We toured the Fort:





We saw a cannon and musket firing demonstration.



After visiting Fort Pulaski we went to Tybee beach one last time.

I did forget to mention that Miley Cyrus was filming her newest movie on Tybee Island the week we were there. One day earlier in the week a bunch of adults and kids went to walk on the beach in the evening, and walked toward the set. They did get to get a glimpse of Miley as she got out of her car and walked toward the movie production area. A highlight for some...

Well, that was our trip. An enjoyable trip, but very exhausting. I can't quite call it a vacation, since I think of vacations as more relaxing. The next day (Sunday), our car left at 5:53am while the rest left around 10:00am. We wanted to get home at a decent time. We pulled in the driveway at 5:30pm...record time!!

Savannah - Day Six

Our first stop on Friday was to the Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation, a historic rice plantation along the Altamaha River. We walked beneath live oak trees to the home furnished with fine antiques. We could gaze from the porch past magnolias and camellias to the marsh where rice once flourished.





Around 1807, William Brailsford of Charleston began carving a rice plantation from the virgin cypress swamps along the Altamaha River. His son-in-law, James M. Troup, acquired additional land along the river. By the time Troup passed away, he owned 7,300 acres of land, 357 slaves, and several homes.

Until the outbreak of the Civil War, the plantation produced rice steadily. War, hurricanes, and lack of abundant labor led to the fall of the rice empire in 1915. Brailsford's descendants converted the plantation into a dairy that distributed high-quality milk in Glynn County. Due to a combination of reasons, the dairy closed in 1942.

The house remains as Ophelia Troup Dent's granddaughter (also named Ophelia) left it when she died in 1973, willing the property to the state. Antiques collected over five generations of Brailsford's descendants remain in the house.






We then had a picnic lunch on the plantation grounds and then headed to Jekyll Island, Georgia's smallest barrier island, to swim.



The men and boys did not go to the plantation and Jekyll Island. However, they did rent bicycles back on Tybee Island. Sadly, I don't have any pictures of that as the men just didn't take pictures. Dalton did love riding on the beach!

Savannah - Day Five

Juliette Gordon Low was a remarkable woman who contributed much to society. One of her many accomplishments and the reason for our trip, she was the Founder of Girl Scouts.


Our day at the birthplace began at 9:30 with a shopping spree at the gift shop. After about 30 minutes there we were then given a scavenger hunt to be completed in the two beautiful squares close by that are framed by quaint cobblestone streets lined with stunning oak trees strewn with Spanish moss.

Yes, I know the year on some of the pictures isn't correct. We had a couple of cameras and forgot to take the date option off of one. Rest assured the pictures were taken in June of 2009.

Chippewa Square is the sight where Forrest Gump was sitting on the bench waiting for the bus. There isn't actually a bench there (remember it's here). It was placed there for the movie only.




We then had our Scouts Own ceremony where each girl said what friendship means to them and then they each received a pin. We were on the beautiful back porch overlooking the gardens.

We then started our tour of the house with a power point presentation. Aah air-conditioning!

Her birthplace is spectacular. It is restored beautifully to represent 1886 and features original Gordon furnishings and art from Juliette herself. You get a real sense of what life was like for the Gordons. Juliette was well-educated and very artistic. Yet, her privileged life was marred by many personal tragedies. She was a survivor determined to give back in her own way.



After the tour and lunch we had a special activity in the afternoon, Parlor Games. We played alot of the Victorian parlor games the Gordon's would have played in their day. We dressed in a Victorian dress and learned lady-like ways to sit and hold our hands. We capped off our special activity by making yarn dolls. While the birthplace itself was beautiful the special activity was alot of fun and Miss Cissy, our instructor, was wonderful!!

Later that evening, near dusk we went on the Ghost Talk Ghost Walk tour in Savannah.

Savannah is considered one of the most haunted cities in America. The Ghost Tour walked us through the historic district and it featured local legends, and stories of ghosts and house hauntings. Apparently this is a very popular excursion and it really was quite interesting.

One stop on the tour was the Marshall House. It’s been used as a hospital three times --- twice during Savannah’s 19th century yellow fever epidemics and during the Civil War by the Union Army. “Ghosts” have been reported in the hallways and in the foyer.

Kehoe House was built in 1892. Hauntings perpetrated by twins that died while playing in a chimney in one of the rooms. The staff also has had several of their own incidents including hearing voices of children and doors unlocking and opening by themselves.

A few of the other stories we heard about:

Sarah, Juliette's Grandmother who still roams and protects her beloved house ... how she sits in her rocking chairs on the porch and how she still roams her beautiful garden ...

The Colonial Park Cemetery - Built in 1779, this beautiful yet creepy cemetary holds many Patriots of the Revolutionary War and victims of the great fires and yellow fevers that ravished Savannah three times over!

The Olde Pink House where patrons of this restaurant claim to have found themselves in conversation with James Habersham Jr., who supposedly hanged himself in the basement in 1799. It is said that his restless spirit frequently wonders around his old home on quiet Sunday afternoons.

Savannah - Day Four

This day we didn't really have anything planned, but decided to go on a dolphin tour. On the tour we passed the Cockspur Lighthouse.


Just a short distance from Tybee Island, this sentinel rises from a tidal creek. Cockspur was established in 1849 marking the South Channel of the Savannah River. Another light marked the North Channel designating these lights as range lights. Boats were unable to navigate the South Channel and the beacon was discontinued in 1909 and abandoned in 1949. Restored in 1978, the light is part of Fort Pulaski National Monument.




Can't say this was very exciting. Yes, we did see dolphins, but just swimming. None would jump up in the air so you could get really good pictures. Plus, we didn't see a whole lot of dolphins. A handful at the most, just swimming around.





Probably the best part of the tour was seeing the huge cargo ship, the Yang Ming, out of New Jersey. Each of those rectangle shapes are actually individual semi-truck compartments. Not sure what they are called, but you get the idea of how big that ship was.