August 1 - The Rainy Ride Home

Well, after I typed last night’s blog we had a little problem. It was starting to rain and get windy out so Bill wanted me to bring in the awning. No problem! Then it started raining harder and he remembered the cactus was sitting out in the rain and I had taken the globes off and didn’t want the water to get inside and ruin the electric, so I put the awning out a couple of feet to keep me dry and get the cactus. Then as I tried to bring the awning back in, it went out. I tried several times and it would not come in but kept going out. Geez! So Bill called the guy we called when we first arrived in Savannah who dealt with our battery issue and he said he could have someone out to work on it at 8:30 today. Well, that meant we would not be on the road by 9. We worried when the wind got worse and the awning was rattling that we’d end up loosing it all together, but when we got up it was still there.

Bill let me sleep til 8 since there was really nothing we could do in case he needed to order something and we might not get to leave as planned. So we had our cereal and I did up our dishes and the RV tech arrived on time. I was telling him about the awning motor having been replaced when we first got the RV, and yada yada and he was pushing the same button Bill and I pushed and the awning went in. He attributed it to a wiring issue but as long as it was in, we could pack up and get on the road and have our RV guy at home look into it. Too bad we didn’t give it one more try. Oh well.

We didn’t get on the road til 10:30. Bill had to put air in 3 of the RV tires, which is a slow process. I hitched on the first try and then on our way out Bill took our keys to the park to the office and we were officially on the road. We had found the best way to get to the I-95 on the south side of Savannah but it took a while to really be on the way home. We stopped at noon for a multi-purpose stop. I bought peaches, Bill bought lunch at Wendy’s and we all got a potty break.

We ran into rain the first time around Jacksonville. We also started having trouble with the passenger windshield wiper. The rain got worse and the wiper got worse so Bill told me to turn them off and get off the road. I told him I couldn’t see to get off the road if I turned them off, so he repeated himself and I pulled over. He was working on the wiper and, oops, it wasn’t turned off, but lucky for me he didn’t have his hand on it. I tried not to smile since there he was, out in the drizzle, trying to fix it. It stopped raining as soon as we got back on the road and luckily when we stopped for fuel Bill worked on the wiper again and then I finished getting it back in the track. We still need a new wiper. Good thing we got it fixed as we ran into a lot of rain in the Daytona area and then again from Maitland to Ocoee. The weather sure made our unloading and parking a pain. We got to the house about 6:30, unloaded pretty much everything but the refrigerator and freezer and then took the RV back to the warehouse. I was not at my best parking this time. I was tired and couldn’t get my right and left straight, but Bill managed to get me into the space and we emptied the fridge, called First Choice to deliver some Chinese for dinner. We got to eat at 8 and it was yummy.

Then I looked at all the bags of food and clothing and laundry to be emptied and put away, ugh! But it was a great trip, a super experience and we look forward to the next time.

July 31 - Visiting Savannah One Last Time

Bill says today is the real D Day. We had our normal Sunday breakfast and then set to getting things ready to leave tomorrow. We took down the bird feeder, the cactus, the lights, the clothesline, the dog pen and put them all away and then the ladder. We loaded all of our scrap wood and things we thought would help with the fridge cooling issue in the truck to take to the dumpster. By then we were soaking wet from the humidity. After a cold drink we showered and headed to the VC to turn in our shirts and badges. On the way we did stop at the dumpster and the lid was shut, so I opened it and there was a raccoon inside. I told Bill he would need to put the climbing limb in for it that was along side the dumpster, as they get in there frequently when the lid is left open. When he looked in he said there were 2. Sure enough when he put the limb in I went for the camera and we just stood there and watched the 2 just climb up and out and slowly walk away into the woods. It was really pretty neat.

Bill, Rangers Ron and Patty and Kelly

At the VC we got to say our goodbyes to Ron and Patty. Ron hadn’t realized we were done and apologized that he wasn’t prepared for us. He gave Bill a book and a Ft Pulaski patch and gave me a really nice glass ornament of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and a patch also. He’s going to send us letters of recommendation for future park applications but also said we could always have the parks call and give him as a reference. While we were there in came Cathy and her husband Tim. She was off today but came in to tell us good bye. She is so nice and we really enjoyed working with her in the bookstore. She gave me her marinara sauce recipe that I will try very shortly after we get home. They have a place in Bradenton and we hope to see them when they are in Florida.

We went to the fort to see Nancy and Wanda. Wanda manages the bookstores and we wanted a Cockspur Lighthouse patch and a magnet and when we went to check out she asked it that is all we wanted and I said yep and she said take it. I think she really appreciated that I always offered to do extra for them in the bookstore whether it suited the rangers or not. I hate just sitting all the time so I did stocking and cleaning and straightening. I think too she appreciated the baked goods.  Nancy was getting ready to range guard for the musket demonstration but we did get a quick hug and good bye and I gave her our card with our emails, etc. We both told Tramas and Brian goodbye just before they did the soldier and musket demos, so it was time to head back to the truck.

We made a quick run to Chu’s for a Sunday paper and then home for BLT’s for lunch. I made extra bacon this morning since we were out of lunch meat. We had some fruit, carrots and a cheese stick to round it out.

After lunch we went stopped at Wal-mart for a new egg crate pad to use in the truck for the animals and then we went into Savannah to Paula Deen’s Store, which is right beside her restaurant, Lady and Sons, or whatever it is. We did a little last minute shopping and checked out the Nathanial Greene monument in the square where we parked, and on the way back decided on our route for tomorrow. So many of the streets have those beautiful low hanging trees that we needed to have a good plan for our exit. We stopped for a few things at Walgreens and then Bill topped off the gas tank.

We relaxed for a bit and read the paper and Bill took a nap. I cut the egg crate for the back seat and we put it in the truck. We went to dinner a little early as we had things to do still when we got back. I still had some credit on my Crab Shack gift card so we went there and there was no waiting since we were there about 5:30. Bill had pork bbq and I had a steamed shrimp and crab cake dinner. Again the crab had too much filler but it was seasoned well and the shrimp were good. We drove to Tybee to see where Cathy and Tim live and they are just about as on the beach as you can get. She said we are welcome any time and if they are gone in December when we come back she’ll leave us a key. Not that we’d go to the beach in December but it’s nice that she made the offer. I could walk to the lighthouse every day!

It was getting gray and rumbly out so we changed clothes quickly when we got home and set out to finish our prepping for tomorrow. I greased the hitch while Bill took the slide stabilizers down, then we put the bike rack on and the bikes. We put the sheet on the back seat for the girls and all that is left is for Bill to drain the tanks in the AM and put the hoses away. Tonight before bed I will turn the recliners around and pack up the laptops. We’re going to stop for lunch so will only have cereal bowls and the bacon rack to wash and put away. I’ve put the antenna down and secured the bedroom TV so we hope we get going at a reasonable time.

We have certainly enjoyed our time here. So many new friends that we hope to keep in touch with and meet again. So many great experiences that we would never have had any place else. We really do like it here, if it just wasn’t so darn hot!

July 29 & 30 - Time is Running Out

July 29 – It was my last day in the entrance station. I did all of the blogs through yesterday and some email so won’t be finishing the trip blog until I get home on Monday. The morning went pretty fast and it has gotten really hot again so it was not fun facing the sun in the booth all morning. The afternoon in the VC was pretty slow. There were 4 of us on duty until 3, then Patty left for the day and the other volunteer left. Bill and I were on our own until our quitting time. Joel came up from the fort until closing time. Nothing exciting went on so I read a while then tidied up the bookstore, then read, then tidied up the break room. I don’t think anyone does any cleaning there if the job isn’t specifically assigned to them. Wonder how clean their homes are?

Before making dinner I put a pineapple cake in the oven for the rangers. I also made a new cookie dough as Bill wanted something to take Reiter and Jennifer at breakfast tomorrow since they won’t be coming to the fort. Then I made pork chops for dinner with some sautéed apples and we finished the waldorf salad and had the rest of the fresh green beans. After dinner I baked the cookies, frosted the cake, did a load of wash and then we took up our outdoor carpet and put it over the truck bed to dry out.

Then I got my shower and reset the alarm for EARLY tomorrow. At least I don’t have to fix breakfast!

July 30 – D-Day! We got up extra early to have breakfast with Reiter and Megan. Jennifer was ill and was not able to make it. We had a nice time and Reiter and Megan appreciated the cookies I took them. Reiter took a picture of us and is supposed to email it and one he took in the VC the other day.

Everyone enjoyed the pineapple cake today. It was a long day as I didn’t have much to do until after 11 since the bookstore was being inventoried and by the time they got it done and ready to open up it was later than expected. We didn’t really say our good byes to anyone but Megan today. She left at 4 and will be gone for 2 weeks, so we invited her to Florida anytime. She’s such a nice person. She and her boyfriend are going to Colorado for a week and she is working at her other job for a week and then will go to 1 day a week at Ft Pulaski until at least after Labor Day. We have to go in on Sunday to turn in our volunteer shirts and badges so we will say good bye to the people we missed then. So today wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be with the good-byes. We also want to make a few last purchases at the bookstore as they have some new inventory in that we might be interested in.

It slowed down a lot by 4:30 so Patty let us leave at 5, so that was nice. She apologized that she didn’t get to have a little going away for us as Ron had possession of the Kroger card they use to buy food for these types of things. We told her it was fine, I had taken in a cake so that was enough.

We managed to get our outdoor carpet cleaned and put away along with the grill and a few other items tonight. Then I fixed hamburgers, roasted butternut squash and salads for dinner. We watched an episode of NCIS while the laundry washed and then put it in the dryer on the way out to walk Xena. I made my last deposit in the recycle bins and stopped at the VIP room and got my fridge and freezer items out and brought back. The fridge is really getting empty.

Bill cleaned the kitchen and I cleaned up the computer desk in preparation to pack up the laptops. There’s quite a bit to get ready tomorrow before heading into Savannah one last time.

July 27 & 28 Time is running out

I really wanted a head shot but they keep their heads
in the ground so much

July 27 – And another day bites the dust! It was rainy when we left for work and it stayed “wet” most of the day but not really rain. At least it kept it cool, but darn, the mosquitoes were terrible. I worked the entrance station and it was way busier than I expected it to be. I guess the beach goers couldn’t go to the beach so they came to the fort.

I was I the VC for the afternoon and it was steady but not super busy. We got to spend time with one of the rangers who is normally down at the fort. She’s really nice and we had lots of laughs as well as more history lessons. We stayed a little late so we could say good bye to Ian as he is off tomorrow and leaves for Europe on Friday. He and his wife come to Orlando somewhat frequently so we plan to get together. We exchanged emails and phone numbers.

When we got home there was an armadillo out by the RV. He let me get really close to him to get photos. Then on the other side of the RV were some deer.

I started clearing more food out of the fridge. The goal is to not have much to haul in once we get home. I made Bill leftover steak, a baked potato and salad and I had my leftovers from Tortugas and some leftover sliced tomatoes. I baked some molasses ginger cookies to take to the rangers tomorrow and Bill walked Xena. I did a load of wash so I can have less to do when we get home. Time to watch TV and read.

July 28 – What a long day! The Thursday volunteer showed up so I was in the VC all day. And with Patty, who was in a nasty mood. She has no people skills. She doesn’t even say “You’re Welcome” when a visitor says “Thank you”!

My cookies were a big hit. Reider was there today and he immediately fixed himself a little package of cookies to take home. He’s going to breakfast on Saturday with us and 2 of the seasonal rangers. We traded info today so we can email and keep up. I will surprise him with some goodies in the mail as he is single and seems to really enjoy the homemade baked goods.  We plan to come back in December for the annual CandleLantern event.  It will be good to see some of our favorite people again.

They are doing inventory in the bookstore tomorrow and have a lot of the inventory counted so I couldn’t put any merchandise out but I did do some of the counting to help them out. I’m going to ask the bookstore manager for a letter of recommendation in the event I ever need to apply for a paid position when Bill and I are working at parks someplace.

Sunset from Ft Pulaski

We had an assortment of leftovers for dinner. Then I left for Weight Watchers while Bill walked Xena and cleaned up the dishes. After the meeting I stopped at Walgreens and Publix. On the way home I stopped on the bridge to the park to take a photo of the sun setting. I only had my cell phone but it came out pretty good. Then I saw 18 deer and 2 armadillos on the way to the RV. There were 4 deer again in front of it. Two were bucks. Suddenly we are seeing the bucks all the time after only seeing one for the longest time.

Bill was excited I got him 2 boxes of chocolate dipped frozen bananas. I hope they stay frozen in the fridge freezer.

I worked on some photos, made a CD of some photos for the Bostons and did my blog.

Now only 2 more days to work and 3 days left in Savannah.

July 26 - Cemetery and a Movie - Odd Combination

We had agreed to meet John and Cheryl at Bonaventure Cemetery today at 10:30, so after sleeping in a bit we had some breakfast and left at 10:15 to meet them. I had wanted to stop to pick up our mail but didn’t have time but I did call the Head Ranger to let her know someone got locked in the fort because one of the rangers failed to properly do the island sweep. His truck was in plain site.

Little Gracie

Cool Headstone

Once I did my civic duty we headed to Bonaventure Cemetery and The Bostons were waiting for us. Cheryl got a map in the office and we found “Little Gracie” Watson. She died when she was 6 and her father had a headstone of her carved as she looked on the Easter before she died. It’s a very real looking statue. We visited Johnny Mercer’s grave again so they could see it and we found one headstone that was a piano and then just looked at some of the old graves and the veteran section. After we finished we said our good byes to the Bostons. They followed us to Abercorn where we went to Sears and they buzzed by on the way to I-95. I had to do a return to Sears and then we headed back to where the movie theatre is. We got sandwiches from the drive thru at Wendy’s to take in the movie so we would not be late. Bill wanted to see “Captain America”. It was OK. The movie made in the 1990’s was just on last week and it was a very similar storyline but not the ending. We didn’t like the ending. Bill said it was like they didn’t know what to do with it.

On the way home we fueled up and then stopped at Krogers. Bill went to the post office and also filled our water jugs while I did the shopping. Will be cutting back since we only have 5 more days til we leave and don’t need to carry a bunch of groceries home. It was raining when we left Sears and kept it up til after we got home. I put the groceries away, put a load of wash in, baked a pumpkin cake and used the leftover rhubarb and plums to make a small crisp. The cake is to take into the rangers. Bill says they are really going to miss me. We had some heavier rains so Bill couldn’t do anything outside as he had hoped.

I made lemon pepper panko chicken for dinner with fresh broccoli with asiago cheese and I sautéed fresh green beans with olive oil and seasoning. After Bill did his dishes and I had my shower we had our dessert with some leftover ice cream. Then I settled down to journal and prep my photos to post tomorrow. The fridge is starting to get empty.

Only 5 days til we head home and 4 days to work!

July 25 - Kayaking and Cockspur

Ready to hit the waves

We were to meet John and Cheryl at 9:30 at the kayak rental place, so we got up around 8 and I made eggs for Bill and fried grits for me with turkey bacon and fruit. Thought that would give us the energy to do our paddling. They called as Cheryl told him 9 and they were early for that so we tried to move faster but didn’t get there early. They had left and gone into Tybee. By the time they got back I had signed all the paperwork so once they signed, the clerk walked us over to the kayaks after giving us each a lifejacket and a paddle. He put the seats in the kayaks and gave us briefing us on who should sit where, how to turn it, get it off the stand, where all we could go on the kayaks and about the water rangers who would be out on jet skis in case we had a problem. I had put my cameras in 2 ziplock bags and was taking a small nylon tote and could strap it down to the kayak. So we headed out to Cockspur Lighthouse which is at the end of the island we live on, but has a small strip of water even at low tide so you can only get to it by water. It was way easier than canoeing. I sat in back. It took a bit to get out of the marina as there was a large group of children and adults leaving about the same time and a shrimp boat. Once we exited Lazaretto Creek it didn’t take long to get over to the island that the lighthouse is on. We were basically at the very lowest tide so we parked the kayaks on the sandiest area we saw as most of the island is oyster rakes. Bill and I wore our water shoes but you still had to be careful of all the oyster shells. You can go in the lighthouse so Cheryl and I did. There’s a spiral brick stairs to the first level which is a wooden floor. There was a heavy plastic bag with a “guest register” in it and so Cheryl and I signed in. Then there was a wooden ladder like on a bunk bed that went to the next level where the floor was steel with a square hole cut out to climb thru to get in. Then there’s a small door hole about 28 – 30” tall to get out on the catwalk around the light house. It’s a very small lighthouse in the scope of things but was there before the Civil War started and lived through it. We did our picture taking and Bill waited at the bottom for me to bring the camera down then I went back up so he could take pictures of me up there. Of the thousands of people who come to Tybee and Ft. Pulaski every year, not many get to go in this lighthouse. The only way to get to it is by boat or with waders at low tide. At high tide the water covers the oyster rake and some of the base of the lighthouse. The stones on the rakes are mossy and slippery, as it’s under water a lot of the time. It was awesome. The whole kayaking experience was terrific.  We still had plenty of time on our rental so we paddled down towards Ft Pulasksi some then across the channel and then back into the Lazaretto Creek. We still had 2 hours left but Bill said he didn’t think his hand could have lasted any longer and it was hurting then. He did say it was not as difficult as he expected and that he really had a good time. He was not looking forward to it at all. I’m ready to buy one and strap it to the roof of our truck.

Oyster rakes

By the time we turned in our gear and got to the vehicles, it was about lunch time so the first place we tried was not open, then we went on MacElwee’s, which is OK. Today I had a shrimp salad on a croissant which was very good. She didn’t give me a choice and it came with fat crinkle fries, which I do not like so Bill shared his slaw with me. Then the 4 of us stopped at a row of shops I had wanted to visit every time we went to Tybee. I bought a lime green slap watch.

The Bostons headed back to the hotel as we headed to the RV. Bill took Xena out and I got started on my side dishes for dinner. I made broccoli slaw, waldorf salad, caprese insalada and cucumber in dill krauter sauce. I made a blackberry cobbler for dessert and called and asked John and Cheryl to bring some vanilla ice cream and hot dog buns. We straightened up a bit and got showers and then read until they got here. Just before they arrived 2 ships passed each other in the river. One was a tanker and one was a container ship. That was a first for us.

John and Bill grilled steaks, tuna filets and hot links. Cheryl and I opened a bottle of wine. Then we had dinner. I think everyone enjoyed the food and I know everyone enjoyed the time together. It’s been 3 years since our trip together to Key West. We really need to do this more often.

After more talk we had our blackberry cobbler with ice cream. They left about 9. When the got to the gate to leave the Fort there was a lady wanting to come in to give her husband jumper cables. We had noticed some fishermen and a truck still on the property after closing but figured we’d mind our own business. Well, it ended up his truck wouldn’t start and so Bill drove him and his son to the front and let him go home with his wife and told him to come back tomorrow and get his truck.

We watched some TV then to bed.

July 24 - Diamond Casino Day

Since we were meeting John and Cheryl for a late breakfast we each had a glass of juice and a banana to tide us over. On the way to meet them at the Diamond Casino parking lot we stopped at Chu’s for a Sunday paper. They rode with us to the Sunrise Café on Johnny Mercer. There were some folks waiting but we said we’d sit at the bar so we got seated right away. I had my blueberry pancakes and got to have corned beef hash as I never fix it at home since the kids are gone and Bill doesn’t like it. Yummy!

Relaxing on deck

Scenery along the way

We were still a little early for boarding as they board 1 hour prior to the noon departure. We parked in the shade and just waited a bit. The 5 hour trip is $5 per person. They wand you prior to paying your fee and check your bags. I had packed some snacks but had to take them and my camera back to the truck. Bill had to take his little backpack to the truck and he got snippy with them about it. I was still carrying a medium size tote with my book, hat, lotion, etc and it was way bigger than his bag and they never said a word to me. Bill complained to a guy inside that looked in charge and he apologized and said it was book bags that were not allowed. Anyway, we spent most of our time on the top deck under the awning and just watching the view and talking. Cheryl and I went down and got complimentary sodas and later the guys went and got some snacks. Well, Bill got us chicken quesadillas and John got a cheese steak sandwich and potato salad that they shared. Everyone but Bill took a turn at the slot machines but no one won. John and Cheryl broke even but I didn’t come close. We were told the ship would go out as far as Tybee Island, which meant it would pass the Coast Guard station and out RV so we’d get photos with our phones of from the ship. Didn’t happen and Bill and I were disappointed. They turned around quite a ways from there. We did get to see some dolphin which was nice. The boast is all smoking and until it leaves the dock the smoke is rather prevelent and it's not the cleanest place I've ever been. It could use soem serious refurbishing.

John and Cheryl headed back to their hotel and Bill and I for the RV. We were going to take Xena out, feed the pets, shower and meet them back at their hotel around 7 to go out to dinner and walk River Street. Their room is really nice at the Hilton DeSoto and we headed downtown to Girabaldi’s. They got the recommendation from their hotel valet. It was a decent walk and we checked out some of the squares along the way. Saw the Julliette Gordon Lowe House. At the restaurant we were seated right away. They had a nice menu of options. Bill, John and Cheryl went with traditional Italian meals but I opted for a seafood fettuccini alfredo. Bill and I shared a salad of raspberry, pine nuts, gorganzola cheese with baby greens which was very tasty. Everyone enjoyed their meal but me. When it was served it smelled like spoiled shrimp or fish. The seafood was mostly laying right top, so I first smelled then ate the mussels, shrimp and scallops. They all tasted OK but the pasta still smelled. I tried to eat a couple of bites but couldn’t. There was crab or fish flaked on the top and I thought it could be the culprit and I didn’t want to wake up in the middle of the night with food poisoning. The waiter asked if I needed a box and I said no that something was not right with it, that it smelled bad. He brought the menu back and asked if I wanted to pick something else but the others were done eating so I said so. Then he brought the dessert menu and said I could have a complimentary dessert so I had the tiramisu and it was heavenly. I wanted to lick the dish. Bill had a berry cobbler with ice cream as did John and Cheryl. Everyone else really enjoyed their meals and it is a pretty upscale restaurant and was very nice.

We walked down to River Street. Being Sunday it was a rather slow night and not so many people out. Only the eateries were open so we didn’t stop along the way, but headed back to the hotel. We sat in the lobby for a while, then Bill and I headed for home. It was after 10 when we got back and there were still people fishing on our bridge.

Bill watched his show and I read the Sunday paper. It was a nice day with our friends.

July 23 - Time for the Weekend

It was cereal and fruit today since we were going to dinner with the Bostons tonight. We were both in the VC today and it was pretty busy most of the day. Bill had to hand out 50 surveys to visitors before they left the VC and he got them done about 4:30. John and Cheryl arrived just before 3 as I had told them to try to be there to catch the last cannon firing for the day. So they pretty much went straight down to the fort. They didn’t get checked into their hotel before so once they toured the fort they headed into Savannah to check in. We agreed to meet at Tortugas for dinner at 7.

It was so slow and we had enough rangers today that Patty let us leave at 5. It gave us plenty of time to take Xena out, get changed and relax before leaving at 6:30. I even caught Bill getting a little shut eye. We got to the restaurant a little early, as did John and Cheryl. We took our time and caught up on things, planned most of our days together and enjoyed out dinner. We eventually made it outside and stopped to talk more and Cheryl and I spotted some raccoons down the street trying to cross the road. There was a huge bunch and we saw 5-6 get across before a car scared the rest back and we just kept watching and counted 6 more go. Must have been a family reunion.  Too bad no one had a camera.

On the way home we scouted out where we could meet for “brunch” before boarding the Diamond Casino boat at about 11:30 tomorrow. We only found one place close by so will meet them at the boat and then drive to it together. We got home about 9 and when Bill took Xena out we heard a lot of rustling in the woods and out came 2 armadillos.

We watched one NCIS show and read a bit. Only 4 more days to work and a fun weekend ahead!

July 22 - Counting Down the Days

It was a busy morning at the entrance station. Friday, Saturday and Sunday are always the busiest days. A couple that had been kayaking gave me a conch shell they found. She said they found a bunch. It will be a nice souvenir. At lunch time we took jugs of water back and put them in the RV. I saw the water guy come in the park with a big pipe so knew they were working on the water problem. We saw the equipment set up near the picnic area and it looked like they were on lunch break.

When we got back to the VC, one of the guys was there and said they finished the plumbing part and were waiting for the pressure to build up before turning it back on. He said it would definitely be back up by the time we got off at 5:30. Patty got back from her trip to England and brought us a jar of black current preserves. We were really surprised. She was in a good mood all day. It won’t last long.

After work we went ahead and put the water we brought in the tank so if we need it at some future point we’ll have it. Then I made chicken with a plum sauce. One of the summer rangers gave me a jar of plum jam she made so I took 2 fresh plums and sautéed them in a bit of butter til they were tender and then stirred in a couple spoons of the jam and cooked it down to a nice sauce and served it over the chicken. I made broccoli and browned a can of whole potatoes in butter. Bill really liked the chicken and ate the remainder of the sauce with a spoon. Then while he did the dishes I walked Xena so he could vacuum the truck while I straightened up and did a load of wash since The Bostons are coming tomorrow and I won't have so much time over the weekend to do laundry.

When our chores were done we had some peach and plum cobbler while watching some ancient black and white westerns. They were even before Bill was born and I never heard of the actors. Then time for some reading before bedtime.

July 20 and 21 Another Problem Crops Up

July 20 – Only 8 more days to work.  It has really gone fast.  I took cookies in to the rangers this morning and then headed out to the booth.  I managed to post 2 blogs today between visitors.  Ron relieved me for lunch right at noon.  I had to wait a bit for Bill in the VC til he could get away for lunch.  After lunch I helped with the bookstore register and rolled all the leftover pennies from emptying the cannon donations out last week.  It was pretty slow today.  We had plenty of help.

Molly got to go out on the leash again for a while.  She mainly likes to dig and roll in the dirt.  Gradually maybe she will just walk more.  Before getting dinner started I put an almond cream cheese cake in the oven.  I promised one of the volunteers and rangers that I’d make one this week since they missed the first one.  I made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner with salad.  Bill was very complimentary of his favorite meal.  I read the rest of my book while the cake finished and then we loaded the last 2 tires in the truck and our recyclables and trash in the truck.  After we dumped the trash I left Bill and Xena to walk back and I stopped and unloaded the recyclables off and then came home and did some outside clean up til Bill and Xena got back.  Then Bill and I  biked for about 3 miles.  We counted 32 deer.  The one missing was the new fawn but a doe went into the woods and came back so I think that was the mom checking on the baby.

 I got my shower and packed my tote for tomorrow since we’re getting up 45 minutes early to have breakfast with Raider, one of the volunteers.

7 days to go….

 

July 21 – I thought it was going to be just another day.  It started off that way.  Then I remembered we were going to meet Raider and Jennifer for breakfast in Tybee at the Sunrise Café.   It was my first time having shrimp for breakfast.  I had shrimp and grits and normally it is with peppers, onions and crispy bacon in a light garlic seasoning.  I had them hold the peppers, but it was really good.

I was in the entrance station til 12:30 and it was really hot at the window.  I posted 2 blogs and attempted once again to catch up my emails.  When Bill and I got home for lunch and I went to wash my hands there was no water.  No one told us they were shutting down the water again.  On the way back from lunch we stopped at the maintenance shed and they said it would be off all of today and probably tomorrow.  We hadn’t put more water in from the last time so we knew there was not enough in our fresh water tank to get us through.

We had leftovers for dinner and then Bill took our bucket and empty water bottles to the bathrooms at the visitor center and filled them.  Then we poured them into the fresh tank.  I took 3 gallon bottles with me when I went to WW and stopped at Kroger for a few things and filled them again, so we put those in when I got home.  We had well over 1/3 of the 40 gallons so we knew we had enough for showers and dishes.  We put our bucket and bottles in the truck to take tomorrow to work to fill them and if there’s still no water at lunch time we’ll empty them into the tank and take back to refill again.   I showered tonight but did a super quick one and Bill will do the same tomorrow.

I had some peaches and plums on their last legs so made a small cobbler for tomorrow.

July 19 - Ocean voyage, well a very short ocean voyage

Bill and our boat pilot Jason beside
our boat

As soon as I got up this morning I called in to the Bar Pilot office the make sure we were on time for our boat.  He said to call back about 10 as we were still scheduled for 10:30 but it could change.  He called later and said we needed to leave 10 minutes early, so we got ready and left to walk over to the Pilot house at 10:10.  Today was a shift change so we waited a little bit and signed waivers in case the boat sunk or something.  We rode out with the little boat pilot, 2 workers and a ship pilot.  It was pretty choppy going out so I was really glad I took my motion sickness pill before we left.  We drove out in a boat that’s at least 40 feet.  We sat in the cabin with the pilot and there are 4 more seats in the back and there’s a galley below. 

The ship pilot is climbing up the rope
ladder

The ships meet the pilot boats about 12 miles out, which is about 8 miles from the shore.  We leave from the Savannah River.  The pilot boat goes behind the ship and comes up along the side and they both move at the same speed and the ship pilot we are carrying climbs up a rope ladder to the ship.  Then he advises the ship’s captain of the sand bars, etc along the river channel.  It was so fast, I hope we got good video and pictures.  Then on the way back we picked up another pilot from off a ship he was on going back to sea.   The boat pilot did a couple of tricks for us with the boat, which was fun and then we headed back to the pilot house dock.  The ride back was much smoother since we were going with the tide.  The guys that work there have different schedules depending on their time with the company.  New guys work 4 weeks on and one off, then some are 2 one and 1 off put the pilots are 1 on and 1 off.  They have a really nice house when they’re working.  And I managed not to get sick!!!

We got back in time to go see the 2:00 3D Harry Potter movie.  Actually we had time to walk Xena and to have lunch at Wendy’s and stop at Staples.  The movie was good and it was sad that Harry is now over and gone.  It wasn’t busy at all.  On the way home we stopped at Wal-Mart, Dollar Tree and Krogers.  We were down to nothing for breakfast or lunch except cereal.  For dinner I made pork chops in the toaster oven and couscous with feta and a salad.  Bill said it was the most tender and moistest pork chop he’s had in a very long time.

 

After dinner we loaded two of the tires in the truck and drove them to the dumpster.  Xena got to ride along and then Bill walked her back while I stopped at the VIP room to put some of the groceries in the fridge and get the couch throw out of the dryer.  We’ll take the other 2 tires up tomorrow night.  Then I put bird seed in my feeder.  I put a batch of meatballs in the toaster oven and Bill did the dishes while I showered so I could do my little bit of ironing after my shower.

 

Kerry called to tell me about her yummy dinner that our apartment guests invited her to.  He’s a chef so she said she had a really nice meal and he gave her the leftovers.  I think she’s hoping for another invite. 

 

Blog typed, now to work on photos.

July 18 - Back to Playing Tourists

We really slept in today. It was well after 9 when we got up. Once we had breakfast Bill did some repairs to my bike, raised the seat, put on a new inner tube on the other tire and adjusted my handlebars. While he cleaned some nasty stuff coming off the roof of the RV I took the couch cover up to the VIP room to wash so I could hang it out while we went to town later.

Molly enjoying outdoor life

I took Molly out on the leash for the first time in ages and she really enjoyed being outside. She would take a few steps then lie and roll in the dirt. She nipped at some vegetation. Finally I put her in the pen that we have for Xena and left the leash on and she never tried to jump over, just eventually laid down and just rested. She needed brushing as she was pretty dirty. Bill brushed her while I got my shower and he showered and we finally got ready to go.

We stopped at the post office, then a little restaurant we have always seen packed when we have gone by, Basil’s Deli and Pizza. Bill had a huge pepperoni calzone and he said it was really good except it didn’t have any ricotta on it. They had quite a selection of Greek food so I had a combo of dolmades and spanikopita with a Greek salad. The salad was excellent with lots of feta cheese and calamata olives. The meal had a side of orzo with feta and fresh diced tomato. Yummy. I will have to make that at home. The spanikopita was excellent but the dolmades tasted tinny like they came from a can and the lemon sauce had no zip to it at all.

Telfair House

My favorite piece

Bird Girl when it was in
the Bonaventure Cemetery

We drove into Savannah to Telfair Square to the former Telfair home that was donated to the Georgia Historical Society who later turned it into the Telfair Academy which now has several area buildings that are art museums of sorts. This one leaves some of the rooms decorated as they were in the period it was built or last lived in. The larger entertainment rooms were art galleries. One was contemporary crafts that I enjoyed. One of the main pieces in the museum is the “Bird Girl” bronze statue that was in the Bonaventure Cemetery from 1936 until it was the cover picture of the famous book, In the Garden of Good and Evil. The family put it on loan to the museum to keep people from destroying it at the cemetery. They don’t allow photos but everyone who knows me knows I will sneak one if I can. They have a lady standing right by that statue but I got a side view from one of the galleries to the side of it. Had to use the video camera so doubt the resolution will be good enough to print.

Kelly under the portico at the
Owens Thomas House

From there we went to the Owens-Thomas House on Oglethorpe Square. It was a tour but since it was late in the day we were the only 2 on the tour. This house was completed in 1819. It passed through several owners and was at one time an apartment building. Then it was eventually turned over to the Telfair Academy. The house was used in the movie “ TheConspirators” produced by Robert Redford. It was about the people involved in the killing of President Lincoln. The main focus of the movie was on Mary Suratt and her lawyer. It was out in theaters sometime last spring. It dealt with whether or not she was guilty and if the government had the legal right to try her. Bill has talked to many people that have seen it and they have all said it was really good. Some of the movie was also filmed at Ft. Pulaski.  The house had running water and flush toilets before the White House due to its installation of several cisterns. The rooms were furnished with period pieces, some original to the house. One of the house’s claim to fame was a visit from the Marquis de Lafayette who stayed there 2 nights as a guest of the City of Savannah and gave a speech in English, then in French from the balcony along the side of the house in 1824 or 25. Later his son, George Washington Lafayette stayed there but in a different room.

Time to go to the mall. I had gotten a voice mail from the Bar Pilot guy I spoke to earlier and we got OK’d to go out on the boat tomorrow to meet one of the ships. We have to call in when we get up to verify the time but if nothing changes we will meet the ship at noon but have to be at the Bar Pilot at about 10:30. I must remember to take my motion sickness pill for sure as the water has been pretty choppy this week and I don’t want to embarrass myself or make a nasty mess for Bill to clean up. I was so thirsty by the time we got to the mall that I headed straight to Star Bucks for a mocha coconut frappucinno. Oh, it was so good. I did manage to give Bill a couple of sips. He went to the ATT kiosk about his phone, then to several places about a replacement watch band for his watch while I went in Bath and Body Works. Then he tried Sears and I found they had a big sale on Lands End clothing so I left with 2 things and he left without a watch band. They wanted $35 for the band and to put it on so he will wait til he gets home to our regular jeweler.

Buck taken from about 20 ft with video camera

The plan was to stop at the grocery but since it was 6:30 when we left the mall we just went home. I really was not hungry due to the big late lunch and knew we could manage til Tuesday for more groceries. When we pulled in there was a 4 point buck and a doe right by our RV that we videoed and took some photos of. We will have 100 deer pictures by the time we leave here. Then I made cookies to take to the admin office, the maintenance office and the fort in the morning. Everyone has really been nice to us, well, except for one ranger, that I wanted to thank them before we leave. Once the cookies were done, Bill wanted some grub so I fixed him a Lean Cuisine and he was happy. I had a banana with PB2 on it and we both had a couple of cookies.

We got a call from our friends, the Bostons and they are coming up on Saturday so we will plan some fun activities for next week’s days off. I know we will have a great time with them, as we always do. They will stay over in Tybee at the beach. Time now to download and resize some photos and watch our TV show.

July 17 - Work and Play

Ah to sleep in! Poor Bill was up twice to take Xena out so he really was not ready to get up this morning. Then just after 8 there was a banging on our door and a coast guard guy said we were not to use the water as they had to prime the pump on the island and someone would be back over to let us know once it was OK to use. No big deal. We had our Sunday breakfast and Bill was going to do some things outside using water but decided he couldn’t so it was a good morning to do some serious cleaning. Bill used Orange Glo on all wood in the RV and cleaned the tops of the slides inside which were pretty dirty. I did a very thorough vacuum job and used the attachment to clean the furniture also. There was so much cat hair everywhere.

We took Xena and made a quick run to Tybee Island to get a Sunday paper and after lunch we still had not heard back about the water, so I turned our pump on and we used the water from our fresh water tank to take showers. We left about 3:30 to go to the movies. First we stopped at Target which is in the same plaza and I got a new mouse to use with the netbook. We went to see “Horrible Bosses” and it was so funny. The sad thing is there really are bosses out there like that. Then we headed into downtown Savannah for our 6:30 dinner reservation at The Olde Pink House.

The Olde Pink House

Dessert

The house was built in 1771 as the Habersham House and became called the Old Pink House as the brick began to bleed through the plaster changing the color to a Jamaican Pink. It sits on Reynold’s Square and was the property of a wealthy planter. Later it was the Planters Bank, the first bank of Georgia. The old vaults are now used as wine cellars. During the Civil War General York set up shop in the mansion. Over the years the mansion was a bookstore, attorney office, and a tea room until in 1992 it was restored to its original elegance. Everyone says it has ghosts especially in the handicapped restroom. The room we ate it was upstairs and was set up for all couples. Each table had a single white taper lit. It was a bit dark at our table to read the menu by. Would have been better to have gotten a window table. The food was excellent. I started off with a peach martini, yummy! The bread basket contained mini corn muffins, biscuits and herbed yeast rolls. We shared a salad called a BLT. It had fried green tomatoes with sweet bacon and a black pepper thyme buttermilk dressing over a bed of spring greens. For dinner Bill had a filet with twice baked potato and asparagus. I had Crispy Scored Flounder with Apricot Shallot Sauce with grits and collard greens. It was a whole flounder without the head that was cut in diamonds on each side then a crust and was flash fried. The meat came off the bone in sections due to the diamond scoring. I only managed to eat one side and brought the other side home for leftovers. We were going to pass on dessert but then relented and shared the house specialty, Praline Dessert Cup, which was a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream topped with fresh fruit served in a waffle cone type cup of almond praline. . It was the perfect finish to such a fine meal.

Huge Tanker

We thought about driving around a bit since it was so nice out but figured we had left Xena long enough so headed home. As we came down the highway we could see a huge boat headed up our side of the island. From the end it looked like 2 boats side by side or that they were not moving and one was off loading from the other. We hurried home to maybe catch was what going on. As we drove further we could see the boat was barely moving. Once in the park and on the road to our RV we could see it and pulled over to the river side to watch. It was just one boat, a tanker, and it was being towed by a tugboat, explaining why it was going to slow. There were 2 more tugs following behind. It was the biggest we’ve seen on the river by far.

We did manage to count 20 deer on the way in but might have missed some in our haste to catch up to the boat. Bill did up the day’s dishes and we read and watched a show at 10. I read for as long as my eyes would stay open, which was not long.  No one ever got back to us on the water so we just started using it again.

July 13, 14, 15 & 16 Another week at work

July 13 – Ron was back from being out with bronchitis for 2 weeks.  I did the morning and he did the afternoon in the entrance station.  The morning was kinda slow so I got caught up on downloading photos and then doing my blog.  Made a couple of phone calls and paid some bills on line.  So I had a productive morning.

We stopped at the Admin office at lunchtime to pick up our mail packet.  Nothing of major interest there either.  The afternoon was better and went faster as Ron had Bill come out and get his keys so he could empty the donations from the canon in the VC and a box down at the Fort.  Then it was Bill’s and my job to sort count and roll all the money.  We ran out of penny wrappers but got the rest done.  I felt like I was back at the bank.  It was only about $800 but it was all folded and crumpled.  What a mess.

 

I made tri-color tortellini with a chicken pasta sauce and salad for dinner.  Then we kinda layed around reading the mail for a while.  When we walked Xena I took the movie camera in case we had a boat come in or saw any animals.  I was doing a panorama of the area of the park we live in and it included the mama and baby deer, and a raccoon.  From a distance I thought it was the armadillo we sometimes see in the same area and it disappeared and reappeared on the other side of the road.  There was a culvert there and then he was back on the other side and all that I could see what his head.  Then as we got closer with the dog he took off for the woods but I got him on video.

I made a strawberry weight watchers pie for tomorrow.  Bill’s watch band broke today so he’s going to take me to my meeting and go get a new watch band and then we’ll stop at Krogers on the way home.  Watched some TV and wrote some postcards.

July 14 – I worked the entrance booth for half the day today.   I get aggravated when the visitors interrupt me when I’m trying to do stuff on the computer!  Working the booth and using the internet there keeps me from having to go to the library and to McDonald’s, but sometimes I like to just work along with no interruptions and get done.

It was getting windy and looking bad out by the time we finished lunch so we put the awning in.  At first the awning would not come in but I shook the arm and then tried again.  We were a little concerned that it was time to head back and we might have a problem.  We were both in the VC for the afternoon and it was pretty boring.  When the ranger in charge doesn’t have anything to do they help run the register or want to chat and I can’t even take time to read when there are no visitors without being rude. 

 

We had leftovers for dinner so I could go to Weight Watchers and Bill wanted to get a watch band.  His broke yesterday at work.  It was starting to rain and looked really nasty out.  Since we got a late start Bill waited for me to go weigh in and then he dropped me at Krogers for a few things while he went to Wal-Mart.  He didn’t have any luck with his watch band so he got back just as I was filling our water jugs.  I called Cheryl Boston on the way home to see if she and John came up with dates to come for a visit.  They want to come the end of the month since John changed his Sunday work with someone, but it’s really better for us if they come the weekend before that.  They are going to see if John can change back.  We talked about what activities we will all do while they are here.  Bill and I talked about what restaurants we want to take them to.

I made a batch of coconut macaroons for the rangers.  Bill says they will really miss me when I am gone.  It got pretty ugly out with rain and some lightning by the time we got to bed.

July 15 -  What a nasty night.  We lost power for 5 hours.  I woke Bill and told him to set his watch alarm.  The lightning was terrible and the rain was noisy and it was hot and I didn’t sleep too well.  Xena chose to sleep right up beside me and that made me even hotter.  We had a time getting up since it seemed like a really short night.  I made fried grits for me and scrambled eggs for Bill with turkey bacon and toast. 

I was in the entrance station this morning but it still looked like rain any minute and was so windy.  I drove the enclosed little golf truck but geez, I could probably crawl faster.  At least I knew I wouldn’t get blown to bits or wet when my shift ended.  I was whipped when it was time to go to lunch.  I was so tired of opening the window and having my hair slapping my face over and over.  I did catch up on a bunch of email but that is about it.

It was a cooler but windy day all day.  We were glad we had our awning in.  It was a slow afternoon in the VC.  It’s strange how the crowds come and go and you have absolutely no one in there.  That’s when it’s time to read.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the macaroons.  There was one left and we shared it on the way home today.  I promised 2 of the guys I’d made another almond cream cheese pound cake next week since they missed the first one.

I made a bag of P F Changs Orange Chicken and some brown rice for dinner.  This chicken comes with veggies, which was really good but a bit spicier than Trader Joes’s.  I will buy it again but it does have a pretty high fat count.  Later we had piece of WW pie.  Xena enjoyed a nice walk but it was getting really windy out and getting ready for another rainy night.

July 16 – It was windy the minute we got up and stayed that way all day.  I was so glad I didn’t have to work the booth today and have that wind whipping my hair in my face all day.  The volunteer who worked it said it was even raining in the window.  I’m double glad I wasn’t out there today.

 The VC was busy on and off and I did some stocking and pricing for the bookstore.  The day went pretty fast.  The visitors all enjoyed their day since it was not hot out at all and the wind kept the sand gnats and mosquitoes off.  A big part of the afternoon Bill and I were in charge of the VC.  It was fine but we were told there is always a Ranger to be in the VC.  The one who was there doesn’t like to be there so went to the fort and never came back.

Normally on Saturday night we go out to eat but by the time we get home and change and walk Xena it’s late and the wait times are bad, so we decided this time to eat at home and go on Sunday instead.  So I made trout, corn on the cob, cauliflower and cornbread.  Bill ate all of his fish like a good boy!  He says he “forgot” the cauliflower.  Yeah, right!

After relaxing for a while we took Xena on a long walk and saw an armadillo and raccoon.  The wind was picking up so we might be getting some bad weather again tonight.

July 12 - Shopping, Lunch and a Movie

Our last day off. Since I was having the dental issues we didn’t really plan much in the name of tourism. So once we had breakfast and showered, we headed into Savannah to do some errands and see a movie. We stopped at the post office, JoAnn’s, Pet Supermarket, then we headed back to the side of town where we go to the movies and had lunch at Wendy’s.

The movie selection today was “Larry Crowne” which was a nice comedy with some real acting and a nice story line. Staples is next door so I got some things I’d seen in the ad on Sunday and we headed towards the islands. I have wanted to visit the Savannah Bee Company as I’ve seen some of their products in various shops and knew the factory and a showroom were on Wilmington Island. We stopped by and I picked up a few gift items to take home. Then we headed for the fort.

Today's big ship

On the way home we spotted a big boat that would soon be passing our campsite, so Bill let me off at the administration office to see if our mail came and I could get a better spot to take some photos and video of the boat. The admin office was closed at 4:15 and that ticked me off. They are supposed to be open til 5. I only had the still camera to use so hope the video turns out OK.

The plan was a quick dinner and go to the library to use the internet. I made some tacos with ground chicken and they were pretty good. We left about 6:30 for the library and each used one of their computers so we could print things. Then I set up our laptop to try the demo CD that came with Bill’s phone. We don’t understand providing a CD that has to have an internet connection to work. Duh! I ended up downloading the manual to a flash drive so Bill can look up stuff at home.

When we got bad to the park, traffic was backed up at the gate. Normally once the park closes an arm gate is put down and we use a key pad to get it to lift. Well, Eric our neighbor and a guy from the pilot house were stuck outside as were we. Someone had closed the swing gate and used combination locks on it. The pilot guy knew the combo but said he could not get it open. We tried calling Ron, our supervisor but he didn’t answer. Then I drove to the entrance booth and looked for a combo or info on who to contact. I called the Tybee police to see if they knew who to contact. Once I got outside I could see Bill walking in my direction and drove up and could see the other trucks going through the gate. Bill said one of the bar pilots on the other side said the combo was correct on the locks and then Bill and the guy stuck a t-shirt through the locks and pulled them open. They had been rusted shut. So we all got to go home but Bill was ticked that someone in the park locked that gate. He’s going to talk to Ron about it in the morning.

As we pulled into our spot a guy from the coast guard called. I guess he got called from the Tybee police and was going to come to our aide. I told him how we got back in and all was well. We finished off the peach crisp and Bill did dishes as I journalled and we watched some TV.

July 11 - Root Canal - Ugh!

Not a terribly exciting day. We waited to hear from the dentist about my possible appointment for today. Finally got the call around 9 that my appt with the Endodontic was at 2. So we showered and took Xena for her last trip out before leaving around 11. We went to the computer place to pick up my laptop. I spent about 30 minutes there testing it and it did fine.

I wanted to stop at Michaels and there was a Panera Bread in the same plaza so we had a good lunch there. It’s one of my favorite lunch places. We both had the ½ sandwich with a ½ salad. With the purchase we could both get any item from the bakery for .99 so we each got a breakfast bread muffin for tomorrow. I know Bill wanted a cookie or pastry but when I told him I would not share my muffin tomorrow he decided to have the same. After lunch I ran into Michaels but they didn’t have what I was looking for. Will try Joann’s tomorrow.

Bill dropped me at the dentist while he went to gas up the truck and go to McDonald’s to use the internet while he waited for me. I didn’t get in to the chair until 2:15 and was in there until 3:45. She was really good. She found that one root of a root canal I had done 2 years ago was not done and that was causing my tooth pain. She numbed me but not so much that I was numb for hours after. I felt really fine and wasn’t drooling and unable to eat dinner.

We went to the Super Wal-Mart for some things I knew were cheaper there than the grocery and to look at bikes. They have a couple I like but I just can’t commit to buy one while mine still works, as much as I’d like a new one. We got home about 6.

Bill grilled a nice NY strip steak and I made him a white potato and me a sweet potato and salads. It was a delicious steak and he cooked it perfect. It was a one pound steak about an inch thick and was enough for both of us. I got it on mark down yesterday at Kroger.

After dinner we walked Xena and then went on a 3 mile ride on the bikes. We took a load of things to the recycle containers. The deer count tonight was 25. We each had a bowl of peach crisp and I started working on the “repaired” laptop and Bill cleaned the kitchen. The laptop is still not right. It doesn’t completely shut down but the screen goes black then comes right back on to where I was. May end up having to send it to Dell to fix.

We watched the new season opener of Rizzoli and Isles.

July 10 - Trek to the Lighthouse

AAt the top of Tybee Lighthouse

– Ah, the joy of sleeping in! I made grits for me and eggs for Bill and we had our fruit, turkey bacon and juice to get the day rolling. Once we showered we headed to Tybee Island to visit the lighthouse. We stopped at a gas/mart for a Sunday paper since we wouldn’t be making our normal Sunday trip to McDonald’s. My tooth didn’t hurt all night but I had put 2 aspirin on it before bed so was glad to get a decent night’s sleep.

Lighthouse and Keeper's
House

When I told the lighthouse people that we were volunteers at Ft. Pulaski they let us in for free. It’s not one of the places on the passes we have from the fort so that was a nice perk. Bill had not planned to go up in it with me, but I asked if he’d go to the second level and just look out. He ended up going to the top, all 178 steps but he didn’t spend much time at the top outside. He’s really not good with heights and lasted long enough for someone to take our pictures, so hope it at least turned out good. He was chatting with the guy on duty when I finally got back down. I took lots of video and photos and took my time. When I came down we toured the lighthouse keeper’s house and then spent some time in the gift shop cooling off. The keeper’s house was really nice. It’s a 2-story with two huge bedrooms upstairs and another one downstairs. They did a nice job with restoring it all.

House built on the bunker

Across the street from the lighthouse is their museum in the bunkers of Ft. Screvens that was built for the Spanish American War. The museum covered the use of the fort as well as the history of Tybee Island. It was pretty interesting. The really strange thing is the entire fort was sold to the city of Savannah Beach who sold it to various people and/or companies who continued to break it into smaller parcels. Savannah Beach later became Tybee Island. A lot of the bunkers were not torn down but now have condos built right up to them and some have been turned into houses and one had a second floor added and is now owned by the Shriners. By the time we finished there and went up and down those stairs, I had jelly legs for sure.

We went home to have lunch, rest and cool off so around 4 we headed in the other direction. We went to Wal-mart so I could get some water shoes since the ones I had and didn’t use for 3-4 years dry rotted and fell apart the first time I used them. We plan to kayak to the lighthouse and will need them then. Then we picked up more photos I had printed at Walgreens and Bill dropped me at Kroger while he took the truck and vacuumed it. It was after 6 when we got home and I did some pasta and chicken simmered in seasoned diced tomatoes and we had a squash medley again.

After dinner we walked Xena then did a 3+ miles bike ride. The deer count tonight was 25. I made a small peach crisp and Bill cleaned up the kitchen and we settled in to watch tv, journal and read some before bed.

July 8 & 9 Another Week Winding Down

July 8 – It was a long and tiring day. Once I got to the entrance station I started getting a real toothache. I’ve had some twinges for a week or so but was hoping it would stall off til we got home to my regular dentist. I called my dentist but he’s out camping in the woods someplace. Since he’s from Georgia I thought he might have a dentist friend here to refer me to. One of the rangers was going to the dentist today and recommended his dentist, so I called and they are going to let me know if they have a cancellation for Monday or Tuesday. They do accept our insurance and are just 2 islands over where the Wal-Mart is, so it’s pretty convenient, that is, if they can get me in. They are the #2 rated dental office in Savannah, so they must be pretty good. So I used some ibuprophen and aspirin to get through the day.

Ranger Patty received word that she finally got approval for her trip to England for a seminar that she applied for and was chosen but the Park Service was dragging its feet getting her travel arrangements and paperwork approved. She leaves tomorrow and actually most of the employees, as well as us volunteers, are joyful that she will be gone for 10 days. She has to be one of the moodiest people ever and it changes in minutes. No one can figure what triggers her but she gets nasty. I think she’s bi-polar.

Tonight was fish night. Bill was not excited but he likes tilapia about the best of any fish so I did lemon pepper panko on it and baked it and it was nice and flaky. I made some risotto with some leftover broccoli in it and asiago cheese. Yum! Then a nice salad. By then my tooth was hurting although I didn’t chew on that side at all. I didn’t feel all that good and was super tired so totally unlike me, I went to bed at 9:30.

July 9- Last workday of the week! I love this day. I slept pretty good and didn’t have any trouble with the tooth during the night. Even had my fruit and ham-cheese toast with no trouble but then the tooth woke up by the time I got to the fort. I put 2 aspirin on it and that seems to tame it for a while. We had a severe shortage of staff today. Two are normally off on Saturday, 1 is on vacation, 1 asked for the day off, 1 called in sick and Patty is now off for her trip, so we had to rob Peter to pay Paul to get lunches covered for the booth and the VC today.

The dentist office was able to get me an apt for Monday until she found out the problem is a molar and they don’t do root canals on molars there so they are going to see about getting me into an endodontist on Monday. Drats!

I had to close the booth today. My money count was right so I just put it all in the bag and headed for the VC to finish the paperwork as it was making some loud thundering north of us and I didn’t want to get caught in the rain in the golf cart. We had a slight discrepancy in the Senior passes sold. I sold 4 but apparently 2 of them did not pick them up in the VC. I described one family as I had told them we had a wheelchair available if they needed it and they borrowed it but didn’t pick up the pass. So I guess they will show me over for the day. I forgot to take the tape out of the register so Bill drove me out in the truck to get it and once I took it in we were headed home. It was late for us, after 6. Bill took Xena out and I changed clothes and we went to Tybee for dinner at the Sundae Café. It’s been written up and was highly recommended. It’s a small place in a strip plaza but very nice with white tablecloths and the waiters all in black. They were booked with reservations but we could order dinner at the bar, which ended up being the case for several other couples. Rather nuvo cuisine.

The prices would have been fine except my crab cakes were overcooked. You should not have to cut a crab cake with a knife. They did some with a nice tomato preserve relish and the low country risotto was excellent as were my mixed veggies. The bread with herbed olive oil was really tasty. The portions were perfect so there were no leftovers to take home. My tooth acted up a bit when I started eating the hot food but I quickly became more careful and ate really slow.

When we left it was raining a bit and we were tired and ready to get home.