Tybee Island - Mt. Pleasant

Before leaving Georgia, we headed to Tybee Island to see what there was to see.  It was a beautiful day at the beach...until the clouds started blowing in.  

 I'd waded out into the water a bit before we walked along the beach and heard a teenage boy squeal that a jellyfish had touched his foot.  We didn't think much of it until we saw 4 or 5 jellyfish laying on the sand.  I stayed out of the water after that!  I don't think I've ever seen one in its natural habitat before!

 

 The clouds rolled in, dropped some rain on us (and the several school groups there) and then rolled on out.

 I don't have any pictures as proof, but here's a little story before our vacation continues.  The first evening we were in Savannah, a black car drove by - Dodge Charger or something similar - and the driver looked just like The Rock (Dwayne Johnson).  Identifying celebrities isn't generally my area of expertise, but he just caught my eye.  Fast forward to our Savannah trolley tour where the tour guide mentioned that Pamela Anderson and The Rock were in town filming a Baywatch movie.  We just had to laugh at the possibility that I might have actually seen and identified The Rock.  When we tried to park at Tybee Island, we found that a large part of the parking lot was taken up by large trucks with huge lighting racks and such being loaded up.  There was even a sign at the beach that filming was taking place and that passing that sign gave your consent to be IN the movie!  I'm pretty sure nothing was actually being filmed while we were there, but we might have to watch the Baywatch movie just to see if we recognize any of the places.

After leaving Tybee Island, we headed toward Charleston, or more specifically, Mt. Pleasant where we stayed.  We had a great balcony that overlooked a restaurant's outdoor seating area and the water.  It was a cool place!  The boardwalk in the picture above was part of a wetland park right outside the front of the hotel.   

Off to Charleston tomorrow!

Savannah

We got into Savannah near dark and walked around exploring and looking for something to eat.  The next morning, we put on our walking shoes and set out.

 The humidity was impressive to say the least.

 It was a beautiful place, and I'm disappointed that I didn't take more pictures.  We took a great trolley tour around town which was a nice chance to rest our feet and learn about the city.

We had a delicious lunch, and ate way too much, at Paula Deen's restaurant.  All of the food was good, but my favorite was the chocolate chip gooey butter cake for dessert.  It might have been the thing that pushed me over the edge and left me feeling crummy all afternoon, but I almost think it was worth it!

Gatlinburg - Great Smoky Mountain National Park - Tail of the Dragon

David is great at planning our vacations, even down to details like where we should eat on the way.  My favorite meal of the whole trip was at Flamingo Row in Paducah, KY.  Of course I would like the tropical themed decor, but it was the food that really stood out - coconut crusted chicken on top of salad with a honey horseradish dressing.  With fried green tomatoes on the side!  I'm pretty sure it would be worth the drive back to Paducah just to eat this again.

 From Paducah we headed on to Gatlinburg to spend the night at this neat hotel with a balcony overlooking the river.

 The sun played peek-a-boo the next morning while we traveled through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

 If we'd had our hammocks with us, we'd have had to stay awhile!

 But our next adventure was calling us - a popular section of road for motorcycles, sports cars, and one Subaru Outback - the Tail of the Dragon.  It's not a long road - only 11 miles, but in those 11 miles, there are reported to be 318 curves.  I lost track counting, so I'll have to take their word for it.

 Along the way, people are set up to take pictures which you can later purchase online.  It's not quite as impressive as the pictures of the bikers with one knee nearly touching the ground, but it was fun!

Once we were in North Carolina, I convinced David to stop at a roadside stand for some boiled peanuts.  I honestly couldn't remember whether or not they were good, but I did remember stopping for them on a family vacation though the south many years ago.  David wasn't such a fan, but I really liked them!

Boiled peanuts in hand, we headed to Lake Luke where parts of Dirty Dancing was filmed before continuing on to Savanah.

My Friend, Grandmother

My friend's son Max refers to one of his grandmas as "my friend Grandma."  I've never figured out whether there is a comma in there meaning my friend, whose name is Grandma, or if it's Friend Grandma which makes "friend" part of her name.  At any rate, I was fortunate for nearly 40 years to have a friend who I called Grandmother.  Max and I are very lucky indeed.

I always loved staying at Grandmother's house.  There was always something fun to do - making a tutu, watching a movie (not one necessarily approved by my parents), taking a bubble bath in her "fancy" tub with the jet faucet.  Even a trip to Wal-Mart was fun.  At some point, I started staying with her on Thanksgiving night so we could decorate for Christmas the next day.  Once I had a house of my own, she stayed with me after Thanksgiving one year.  Somehow she talked me into taking her to do a little shopping on Black Friday afternoon.  I never go out on Black Friday, and wouldn't have done it for anyone else.

Last fall, I asked to borrow her sewing machine so I could experiment and see if I could sew worth a lick.  She gave it to me, and I've had a great time seeing what I could make.  I think she enjoyed the fruits of my labor even more than I did.  I made her a little Raggedy Ann doll and a pillow with the words to a song she used to sing a lot stitched on it.

About 6 months ago, she moved to an independent living apartment closer to my mom.  I saw her more often as she was a little closer to me as well.  Before Christmas, I went to help Mom decorate her tree.  We picked Grandmother up and she was able to sit and visit while we worked.  We all got a kick out of that visit I think.

A month or two ago I went to visit her, realizing that she and I hadn't had a "just us" visit since she moved.  We spent the morning together having a great time.

I didn't realize at the time that we were experiencing some "lasts."  Grandmother's last Christmas.  Last birthday (89!).  Last visit.  Last phone call. While David and I were on vacation, she fell in her apartment.  No broken bones, but dislocated her shoulder.  She left the hospital and moved to the nursing home after a few days.  As soon as I could once we got home, I went down to see her.  She was happy to see me and asked about our trip.  The next day, she became less and less responsive.  In the days to follow, she was alive, but my Friend Grandmother was already gone.  She passed away with family at her side.

I miss her lots, but mostly I am thankful for the nearly 40 years I had with her.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Grandmother, Mom, and me, and how I picture her now when I think of her.

Weekend

It was a wonderful weekend at the lake.  The iris are blooming - some pale purple, some white, and what looks to be a yellow and dark purple on their way.  

 It was finally warm enough for the dogs to swim.  They got in three good swims over two days.

 I managed to work in some hammock time.

This is my view from the hammock.

 Swimming really wears a dog out!

 Emma and I went with Todd on a paddle boat ride.  David and Riley couldn't be convinced to come,

 so they waited on the shore.

 I realized the only pictures I had of the outside of the cabin were from early March, when things were not nearly so nice and green.  Now they're nice and green...and yellow from the pollen.

We have lots to do to get the house ready for the floors to be refinished, but it was sure nice to play most of the weekend anyway!

Moving In

We have had the best time arranging and rearranging, decorating, grilling, even raking was more fun at the cabin!  Well...David did all of the raking, but it looked like more fun. ;)

The indoor is almost completely furnished now.  Mom and I liked the way the previous owner had decorated, but I think I like it with our stuff even better. :)

 I've never looked at a house (or cabin or apartment or anything) where I didn't want to change the paint color or flooring or doorknobs or SOMETHING!  I've always laughed at the term "move-in ready", but this was!  We love the colors and it was so spotless.

 Every window has pretty wood blinds, so we won't even need curtains.

 Eventually the black blanket chest will hold a small TV, but in the meantime, I'm enjoying the quiet!

 The new bed was a bit of a challenge to assemble, but I sure like it now that it's done!

 I had fun getting some things up above the cabinets.  I'm sure it will change, but it's a good start!

Riley is enjoying being a lake dog, especially since his best buddy Emma and her person have a cabin nearby.  If he's good and worn out, he's content to lay in front of the screen door on the porch and watch the world go by.

Little Cabin in the Woods

At the beginning of March, Mom, Dad, David, and I looked at a little cabin by the lake.  I was immediately smitten.  Like Goldilocks discovering that all of Little Bears things fit just right, it seemed the perfect fit.  Two little bedrooms and two bathrooms and a nice size kitchen and living area.  The backyard was already fenced, and the porch oozed charm.

 Mom and I started decorating long before it was official. :)  I couldn't resist this old Coleman lantern and twig stool.

 Or a new quilt, perfect for one of the red bedrooms!

 Every chance I could, we visited flea markets in search of a table and chairs that was just the right size.

 There are no closets in the bedrooms, so we were also hunting a wardrobe to hold a few things.

 It seems like a long wait, but was less than a month from the time we looked that we were moving things in.  After closing, Mom and Dad moved in the new-to-us table, and then

 immediately hit the docks for some fishing!  I hope Dad gets to do a lot of this down there...as long as I don't have to eat it.  The dock is just a short walk away, down a gentle hill.

We celebrated the first night with pizza - of course!  

 It was hard to leave and go back to work, but David and I were able to return the next night and spend the weekend.  Mom and Dad came on Saturday with more furniture, and it really started to look homey!

 Riley was a little unsure of where exactly he was supposed to lay before there was furniture.  It took a while, but he finally accepted that the dog bed was his! ;)