Georgia

Road Trip: Brunswick Georgia and The Golden Isles

November 10, 2011 Karen 3 Comments

me and polly — Me and Polly showing our “biscuits” on the pier at St. Simons

Both nights that we were in town, Polly came over and spent the evening with us in our room, before heading back over to here school for the night. We had a laugh-fest, that’s for sure! We talked about everything and anything, just as you would expect when getting together with friends. She told us this story:

“I decided to make some home made biscuits, and I thought they turned out pretty good. I munched on biscuits for several days while sitting at my desk. A few days later, I happened to notice a line of ants marching down the kitchen cabinet and through the dining area towards my desk. I thought the ants were going over there to eat up the biscuit crumbs I dropped on the floor under the desk, but NO! They were eating up a dead roach bug that I had swept over by the door and hadn’t picked up yet to put it in the trash. Can you believe that even the ants wouldn’t eat my biscuits?” That had us laughing even harder than before.

The last night we over to St. Simons Island to Barbara Jean’s for dinner. I forgot to take a picture of my food! If you have never been to Barbara Jean’s you have to go. Fabgrandpa had squash casserole and buttermilk fried shrimp. I had a “Coastal Platter” that came with a grilled fish fillet, grilled shrimp, and a crab cake with no filler on a bed or rice. Polly ordered the chicken fried steak and a baked potato. All of it was sooooo good! You can order crab cakes from their website and have them shipped anywhere in the country, so guess what I am getting for my next birthday (which I am changing to next week!)

After dinner we walked down to the pier. It was so nice down there, it was hard to believe it was the first week of November. The view at night is awesome, too. This photo doesn’t do it justice:

The evening was over much too fast! We went back to the motel and said our goodbyes. I missed her as soon as she walked out the door.

Road Trip: Brunswick Georgia and The Golden Isles

November 9, 2011 Karen 2 Comments

While our friend, Polly was in class the next day, Fabgrandpa and I drove out to Saint Simons Island and Jekyl Island. I never knew you could go crabbing in Georgia! Now that I know, we are planning a trip down to Jekyl Island sometime soon.

st simons georgia — Going over the water to St. Simons

Look at that beautiful sky! and the water!

That bridge is awesome. Can you tell I love bridges?

Wonder what the catch of the day is?

Waiting for the fish to run.

st simons — it’s a jungle out there–with spanish moss and sawgrass

Look at that jungle foliage. It is quite different from the Arizona desert.

It was a cool 75 degrees with a gentle breeze. Nice!

Oh, how I love this view!

on the pier at st simons — Taking time out for ice cream

We shared a cup of rainbow sherbert. Yum!

Now I know for sure we will be back! They said they catch 20-30 a DAY!

Suspension bridge to Jekyl Island — I love suspension bridges, This one to Jekyl Island was great!

I wish I had a better picture of this bridge! Those huge cables hold it up.

jekyl island campground — The Jekyl Island Campground

This is a very nice campground, with spanish moss in those trees. $32 a night gets you full hook-ups and access to the public pier. We are definitely going back to spend some time there with our RV.

jekyl island pier — The public pier at Jekyl Island

Fishing, crabbing, and chartered boats can be found at this public pier.

coastal georgia — Going back to the motel over the Jekyl Island Bridge

We drove back over the bridge, and back to our motel, where we waited for Polly to get out of class. More tomorrow.

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Road Trip: Brunswick, Georgia and The Golden Isles

November 9, 2011 Karen 1 Comment

Fabgrandpa and I got up later than we had planned to start out on our trip. As we were packing the truck, we remembered that the time changed so it wasn’t quite as late as we thought. We drove down US Hwy 27 from Bremen to Columbus, where we got on Hwy 520 that took us all the way across south Georgia. We went through lots of agricultural land, where the farmers grown peanuts, cotton, sorghum, Christmas trees, and pecans. There were lots of pecan houses where you could buy nuts by the pound both shelled and unshelled, but they were all closed because it was Sunday.

south georgia — Lots of farm land in south Georgia

We were going to Brunswick to visit a very dear friend who lives in Miami, but was in Brunswick for training. I can’t tell you her name or show you pictures of her because of the nature of her job, so I will call her Polly for now. She is so fun to be with, and has adopted Fabgrandpa as her brother, so I am her adopted sister-in-law.

south Georgia Christmas tree farm — A Christmas Tree farm

I have to say that once Fabgrandpa got the hang of taking pictures with my camera, he did a pretty good job. I just had to remind him to take pictures when we saw something interesting.

This isn’t something that interesting, but it does show what the south Georgia area looks like. The roads were wide, straight, and pretty flat. There wasn’t much traffic, either, probably because it was Sunday.

south georgia cotton field — A cotton field

We saw lots of cotton still in the fields. I wonder when they will be harvesting this field?

sylvester georgia — Sylvester, Georgia had a pig statue

Sylvester’s welcome sign says they are the World Capital of Peanuts, but we say a pig statue in town.

satilla river waycross georgia — Crossing the Satilla River near Waycross

The Satilla River is gorgeous!

georgia coastal water — Our first view of the Georgia coastal area

We arrived in the town of Brunswick about 4:30 p.m. After checking in to our motel room, we met up with Polly and went out to dinner at Longhorn Steaks. It was sooo good to hear Polly’s infectious laughter! I wish we could see her more often.

Tripping Again IX

October 27, 2011 Karen 5 Comments

Yesterday was the last day of our roadtrip. We started out in Corinth, Mississippi, getting a late start because we slept in. We got all the way to Tupelo before stopping for breakfast at the Cracker Barrell there.

Mississippi Countryside — Mississippi countryside along Hwy 72

The leaves are just now starting to change around there, so it looked very autumny all the way. We took Hwy 45 to Hwy 78, and followed that all the way to Birmingham. Ah, Birmingham. I could have done without going through that city! So much traffic, going so fast, and right through downtown! At least it wasn’t at the lunch time rush.

I-20 in Birmingham — Acckkk! I hate all that traffic in Birmingham!

Once we got on I-20 eastbound, there was lots of construction. I was kind of hoping it was finished–my daughter went to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa from 1992 through 1997, and I can remember the roads being under construction back then, too. But no–it was torn up in many places between Birmingham and the Georgia line, with signs out for “Trucks Use Left Lane” every time there was construction going on. I was never so glad to get off a highway! (well, except for that bumpy one in Oklahoma City).

construction on I-20 eastbound in Alabama, east of birmingham — Construction--just one of many places along I-20 east of Birmingham

We arrived at Jellystone Campground in Waco, Georgia around 4:30 p.m. eastern time. This is a really nice campground, only three years old, and most of the sites are long pullthroughs. The monthly rate is $300 plus electricity deposit–not bad at all.Oh, and it is only about 3 or 4 miles from Cracker Barrell, Wal-Mart, and Ingle’s Grocery Store.

fall colors on I-20 in the Talledega National Forest — Fall color along I-20 Eastbound in the Talledega National Forest

I haven’t been to see any of the family or friends yet. I haven’t had a hair cut since February, except for when I cut my own bangs at the entrance station when they got too long for my hat. Becky is coming to spend the night with us on Saturday, and she will give me a great hair cut. Can’t wait!

jellystone campground waco georgia — Our home for the next month or so at Jellystone Campground.

A Flicker Feeding Its Babies

September 20, 2011 Karen 1 Comment

When we had our house in Georgia, there was a dead tree next to the deck. We had almost decided to cut it down when a pair of Flickers moved in. It took me 10 rolls of film (yes, film) before I was able to get this photo of the male feeding the chicks!

Flicker and babies — Male Flicker feeding his young

male flicker with chicks — Male Flicker feeding young

flicker feeding babies — Flicker feeding young chicks

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Boots, Bras, and Barbecue

March 30, 2011 Karen 7 Comments

When we got to town yesterday, I had a shopping date with my daughter, Emily and my friend, Suzanne. We went to the mall so I could shop for boots and bras. Yeah, my two favorite things in the world to shop for. Not!

Last year, we went to a shoe store in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to buy our boots for the job. I bought Wolverines on the recommendation of someone who has worn them all their working life, and paid quite a bit for them. They were comfortable and fit the criteria of being brown polishable boots. But after only two months of wearing them on the job, they started coming apart at the seams. That left me to represent my employer in raveled, ugly boots.When I emailed Wolverine, they pretty much told me they were not going to do anything to help me, that I should expect some wear and tear on a pair of work boots. Well, yeah, but you would think that a pair of boots that cost over a hundred dollars would last more than two months. Even at the Grand Canyon. Especially since I am required to keep them polished and clean. So, sorry, Wolverine. You don’t get any more of my money.

men-craftsman-sport-boot-dark-brown_9767076_175 — Crafstman 6" Sport Boot

This year, I bought a pair of Craftsmen 6″ Sport Boots from Sears. They looked pretty good on me, were comfortable, and were on sale. I hope they last through the season. If they don’t, I hope that Sears will stand behind their product.

After spending half the day finding boots, it was time to shop for the dreaded undergarments. And you know what a hard time I have shopping for bras! I wanted to buy five new ones, but it seems that most of the women in this town wear the same size as me. With three of us searching, I could only find two bras in my size. Sad but true. At least I didn’t come away empty handed.

After the shopping trip, we all went to our favorite barbecue joint, Hudson’s. It was delicious as usual. I have to tell you about Suzanne. We met over 40 years ago when we were both working at Southern Bell. She was my first room mate when I moved out of my parents house. We kept in touch with each other for about 10 years but then lost each other as life went on. Then, a couple of years ago, we hooked up on Facebook. Yesterday was the first time we had seen each other in at least 30 years! It was really fun to see her again.

me and my first roomie — Suzanne, her husband, Bob, and me. She was my first room mate way back then.

My son in law Tommy and grandson, Spencer met us at the restaurant, too.

Spencer is like most other third graders I have known, and puts off doing his homework as long as possible. But because Emily is a teacher, she makes sure he does it. Here he is working on his homework while we waited to be served last night.

Becky And Rafe Got Married

February 22, 2011 Karen 12 Comments

I know you have all been waiting for pictures, so here ya go! It was the most beautiful wedding and we had so much fun! On Friday night, we went over to the Cornelia Community Center to meet up with Rafe’s parents and their friends Evelyn and Gabe, and Rafe’s Aunt Ann to decorate the venue and set things up. It was hard work, setting up tables and chairs.

We put out all the linens–table covers, chair covers, sashes for the chairs. Candles. Lots of candles. and tyed some more bows.

wedding linens — We tied all those bow! I think there were 85 of them.

Cornelia Communtity Center — The fireplace decorated with greenery and candles

On Saturday night, we attended the Non-Rehearsal Rehearsal Dinner. We met so many people, and met up with our daughters there:

Left to right: Emily, Becca, Me, Becky, the bride.

Nacoochee Grill Helen Georgia — Me and my girls--I am in Mama heaven here.

I wish I had taken pictures of the food. Becky and Rafe made sure there was gluten free food at the rehearsal dinner and at the wedding. I felt so special just for that! At the rehearsal dinner, which was held at The Nacoochee Grill in Helen, Georgia, I had Shrimp and Grits with Grilled Asparagus. OMG was it ever good! FabGrandpa had Flank Steak, and it was so tender he could cut it with a fork.

Here I am with the mother of the groom, Nancy

FabGrandpa and I really hit it off with the parents of the groom. At the rehearsal dinner, Nancy and I both stood up and said our little piece, and we both got all choked up and cried. (and of course our husbands and children laughed at us!) We are both just so very happy for our children.

charmaine's Inc. Hair Salon — The primp party!

On Sunday morning, Jenna Carros from Charmaine’s Inc. came to do everyone’s hair and makeup. I went first. Jenna did a wonderful job and made me look stunning! She put my hair up in a loose bun in the back, and my makeup was not too much. I loved the finished look.

wedding attire for men — FabGrandma all dressed up!

When it was time for FabGrandpa to get all dressed up, his daughter told him “Dad, put on your black Converse sneakers and let me see how they look with your suit.” She deemed it appropriate, and said “That is so “Dad”.”

P2200199 — The Bride and her Grandparents

P2200212 — The Groom and his Parents: Buzz, Rafe, and Nancy

P2200186 — Fabgrandpa. The Bride, and me getting wedding photos taken

jim and becky — Becky and her Daddy walking down the aisle

becky and rafe 01 — Saying their "I Do's"

and then the party started! There are so many more photos, I may just post some more tomorrow.

Can I Get A Woooo Hooo?!

December 10, 2010 Karen 3 Comments

I have been sick for almost a week and sleeping most of the day. I have gotten up long enough to take my medicine, do only the most necessary tasks, then back to bed. Finally, I am feeling better. Strep throat is no fun.

I have so many things I have wanted to write about, so this first post is going to be about some good things that have made me say Wooo Hooo! lately.

First, our friends, Lynda and Charlie were here for not long enough, only two days, but while they were here, I showed Lynda my rash, that YES, unfortunately has come back and was still itching. I knew if anyone would know what the heck it was, it would be her. And sure enough, she did. She took one look, and said, “Kid, that’s ground itch.” Now, I had never heard of that, but looked it up, and it does sound like what I have been experiencing. And the first doctor I went to in Flagstaff prescribed something that is recommended to cure it, so he was paying attention when I went to him in April. Lynda said to paint it with clear nail polish. So, I painted the area with nail polish and it has cleared up some. Talk about old fashioned remedies! but, by gosh, WOOOO HOOOO! it is helping me.

snow in north georgia unicoi — Camp hosting at Unicoi State Park

We had been talking about looking for a volunteer position in Oregon for next winter, but we have also been talking about buying a little house in Georgia. After talking with several lenders, we have come to the conclusion that if we are going to buy a house in Georgia, we’re gonna have to BE in Georgia for a little while to pull it off. So, we started looking for a winter volunteer spot in Georgia, and last week we confirmed with the volunteer co-ordinator at Unicoi State Park. We’re going to be there from November 30, 2011, through April 10, 2012. And before we head up into the mountains in the north of Georgia, we’ll be spending the month of November at an RV park in west Georgia near our daughters. So, there ya go, another WOOOO HOOOO! Actually three of them, one for BEING in Georgia, one for BEING NEAR our kids, and one for having our volunteer spot BOOKED for next winter already!

I have always loved hair combs–not the kind you use to comb your hair, the decorative kind you put in your hair to be pretty. It may be because I always admired the way they looked in my Aunt Ada’s hair,but, my hair is thin, and combs have never stayed in. A couple of weeks ago, I found this cute little hair gadget at the grocery store. It has two combs that are attached to each other with elastic strands. You put them in and they sort of pull on each other to keep them in place. I am LOVING them. They look so pretty to me.

When we went to Georgia the last time, we were in Best Buy, so I decided to upgrade my phone on my “new every two” with Verizon. So, I picked out just a regular cellphone. It was a decent phone while we were in civilization, but the farther out in the country we went, the less signal it had. By the time we got to the trailer, I had no signal at all. My old phone would at least make a call here. So, the next week, we went to Tuscaloosa and tried to return the phone. Because I didn’t have my old phone with me for them to reactivate, I couldn’t do it. So, a week later, we went back up there and took the phone back. I told the guy at Best Buy that that phone wouldn’t get a signal if I was sitting under the tower! After that transaction was completed, we went over to the Verizon store, where I got a Droid X!

I never thought I would be the person who had one of these things. All I ever wanted my phone to do was make a phone call, period. But I have to say, this thing is great! I can get my emails, Facebook stuff, look things up on the internet, play games, and on and on and on. I walked out of the store not even knowing how to make it make a phone call! It took me about a day to figure things out, but Wow! This thing will even get me on the internet with my laptop through a USB connection! And, if I wanted to pay an extra $20 a month, it can be a 3G wireless hotspot! WOOOO HOOO! to that!

While I was at it, I upgraded my Wireless Aircard to a MI-Fi. This little thing is about as big as a credit card, and lets us both get on the internet at the same time! And,even when the phone doesn’t get a signal, this does. I am so amazed by it! I was sitting in the woods, in the middle of nowhere, updating my status on Facebook. Now THAT is connected! WOOO HOOO!

That’s about it for now. What Woooo Hoooo moment have you had lately?