Georgia

     We drove into Georgia listening to news stories about Atlanta covered with ice and snow and at a virtual standstill.  We found that the coast was warmer, somewhat.  We camped outside of Savannah and were very relieved to find that the temperature didn't fall below freezing and we had free flowing water in the mornings!  Coffee in the morning and showers in the trailer.  It is amazing how much we appreciate normal things when we go without them for awhile!

     We explored Savannah.  The town is full of beautiful old buildings and shifting history.  We signed on with a tour bus entrepreneur that had many stops where you could get off and similar buses came by every fifteen minutes.  I was uncomfortable being quite so touristy, but what the heck, we are tourists.  Each driver seemed to have a little different story about historical events, and a local exercising his dog, Mike, had even different stories.  I couldn't help but laugh as he would say "sit Mike" or "stay Mike".  Mike didn't think it was quite as funny.

     I loved the narrow streets lined with live oaks, palm trees and narrated by many tour bus companies' drivers on microphones. At first, I couldn't believe that "live oaks" were really a type of oak because they are not deciduous.  They have small green leaves that don't look anything at all like the oak leaves I am familiar with.  But then, I found small acorns under the trees.  I guess they are oaks.

      We saw houses of generals, poets, authors and musicians.  We saw houses of just common filthy rich people.  We say old houses that no one knows anything about. Some are museums, some are hotels or bed and breakfasts, some are office buildings and some are just plain old residences.   But they were routinely beautiful.

        This is the oldest, biggest or maybe just a big live oak on the tour route.  We walked through the Colonial Park Cemetery.  According to the tour guides, this old cemetery was virtually destroyed by confederate soldiers who camped inside the grounds.  According to dog Mike's owner, it has been vandalized by many people, including soldiers before the city restored it for tourists.  Whatever the history, many graves were destroyed and tomb stones moved, knocked over and broken.  The City took many stones for which they couldn't not locate a grave and placed them along the outside wall.

Life wasn't as predictable in the past.  People couldn't rely on medical science

to save them from diseases or count on reaching old age.  And old age came earlier!

                                                             Childbirth was risky!

                                                           These are not tables!

This marker is for Sophia, wife of Charles Gildon, Esq.  I am not sure whether she or her husband were from Connecticut.  However, I can't help but notice the wife is only age 11 years and 9 months.

               Carts hauling cotton used to stop under these walkways for grading.

                                                  I love the Spanish Moss!

                                           Just your average yard art pieces.

                                                                  Perhaps an Easter bonnet?

     This statute commemorates a woman who waved at passing ships from 1868 through 1943.  The tour guide said that "it is rumored" that she was waiting for a lover to come back from the Civil War.  Though I question the veracity of some of the tour guide statements, we thoroughly enjoyed our tour!

     We next went to Jekyll Island, Georgia.  Jekyll Island is owned by the State of Georgia.  Only 35% of it is allowed to be developed. There are a few hotels on the east side and shops on the west side.  There are a few houses for which the owners lease land from the State.  It has dunes and white sand beaches on the east side and swamps and small rivers on the west.  The woods are primarily live oak trees, pine trees and palm bushes are the predominant underbrush and all of the flora has Spanish moss hanging from it.  The entire island is circled by a bike/walking trail.  We stayed in the only campground which was home to many northerners staying for one to five months.  We met up with Aunt Joyce and Uncle Dick from New Hampshire who spend two months every winter enjoying the Georgia air.  Uncle Dick is an avid golfer and there are large courses on the island.  He regaled us with stories of alligators on the golf course and burrs in the grass. 

                                                  Swamp views from Jekyll Island

                                               The bike path felt like a mystical trail from a magical
                                                tale.  The trees hung over the path and the Spanish
                                                Moss reached for any travelers.  I loved it!

           I do hope that I get to experience Jekyll Island again in my lifetime.  It is a magical place!