Turtle Tales

Sunday, May 11, 2014

North Carolina & the Pea Pod Project

It has been a few days since we blogged, but there is a good reason for not posting! We had set a goal of getting to New Jersey by Saturday, May 10th, so that we could surprise Jim's brother Rob for his Birthday. He follows our blog regularly, and if he knew we were in NC and heading north he would want to know if we were going to swing by and visit with them. We didn't want to give him that opportunity - it would ruin the surprise- so we chose not to post.

Our visit with our son Jason and his family in North Carolina was so much fun! The grandkids are growing in leaps and bounds and are involved in numerous activities. It was fun to be able to watch them interact with one another and to help them with their homework and various projects. The weather was delightful and it was so nice to feel the warmth of the sun and enjoy the mild temperatures.

We took the time the children were in school or napping to catch up on cleaning the Turtle, washing clothes and taking care of correspondences as well as planning the next leg of the trip.

Jason's family recently acquired a golden retriever puppy whom they named "Abby", and Lacy and Abby had a great time playing and just hanging out with one another. I think Lacy was sad to leave her new friend and playmate.

One of the highlights of the trip was to be able to deliver 50 preemie kits to the neonatal department of the hospital where our Granddaughter Elliana (Jason and Shannon's daughter) was born and died in October of 2012. She was a preemie that had a fatal genetic disorder called Trisomy9. I started a ministry I call "Ellianas' Angels". The ministry involves crocheting preemie kits for other preemies or newborns that, for whatever reason, end up in the neonatal care unit of the hospital. The kits consist of a blanket, a hat, hand mitts and booties. To date there have been over 500 kits made and distributed to neonatal units in Texas, Washington State, Tennessee, North Carolina and New Jersey. Delivering the kits to the hospital where Elliana was born, held special meaning, and I am glad I was able to finally have the opportunity to do that in her honor. The nurses were most receptive and appreciative of the gift. A special shout out to all the "Angels" that assist in this ministry, especially my sister June, who taught me how to crochet and has spent countless hours crocheting kits for the ministry and to my Emmaus prayer Sisters who have supported the ministry through prayer and contributions of money and yarn!

One of Jason's sons' Levi, was reading a book on planting pea pods as part of his homework assignment one night, and the next day "Gramps" surprised him by purchasing the items needed to plant his own pea pods! Levi was so excited to be able to share that experience with Gramps, and was looking forward to telling his classmates about it. Hopefully we will get an update and a picture as the peapods begin to grow! Memories in the making......

Thanks to Jason, Shannon, Elijah, Levi, Missy and Seth for a fun visit!

"Abby"

Seth and Missy watching big brother Elijah play ball!

It's a family affair!

Neonatal nurses with Elliana's Angels Preemie Kits!

A classic Oldsmobile - circa late 50's

Pigs of Lexington, NC

(Pork BBQ in this neck of the woods!)

Gramps and Levi and the Peapod Project

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Sunshine and Heading North!

Our plan for today was to head to Jacksonville and wait for our friends Stan and Susie Marshall to get closer to Jacksonville (they are friends of ours from Port Lavaca that are cruising on their 36' Monk "The Pearl" ) and meet them for lunch or dinner. We got to Jacksonville way ahead of schedule and Stan and Susie were just leaving their anchorage to head towards Jacksonville and weren't sure if they would arrive in the area on Sunday or Monday, so we decided to move on and head towards North Carolina to visit with our son Jason and his family. We hate that we couldn't get together - this is the second time we have tried to rendezvous with them, and it just hasn't worked out! The stars will align one of these days, and it will happen! To follow Stan and Susie on their cruising adventure, check out their blog at: www.sscruisingadventure.blogspot.com

As you know, we have been followed by, or heading into rain storms since we left home, and today was no exception. We had thunderstorms all night and it was raining lightly when we left Carrabelle. By the time we got to Tallahassee, we met up with the storms we had during the night. And it rained until we hit the Georgia line. It was so nice to see the sun!

We are staying in Hardeeville, S.C. tonight, which is about 15 miles north of Savannah, GA. So, after dinner we headed to Savannah to see a navigational light which is located in Emmett Park in downtown Savannah. The light is called the Savannah Harbor Light. It is different from any other light or lighthouse we have seen. The light was completed in 1858, as the rear range marker for the Fig Island Lighthouse. It was constructed to match the street lights on Bay Street, but taller, bigger and brighter with a red light! In 1869 the light was discontinued due to changes in the channel. In 1958, the Centennial year of the light, the Trustees Garden Club developed a part of the park where the light now stands. In August 2000, the light was disassembled and repairs were made and the lenses were cleaned. On January 11, 2001, the restored Old Harbor Light was relit. Taking the picture of the light was a bit of a challenge as it was Saturday night, the place was packed and traffic was crazy! The picture was taken from the inside of the moving truck, as we could not find a parking place......are we crazy? Reference www.lighthousefriends.com (select Georgia, Savannah Harbor Light) for additional information on this light.

And last but not least, a Happy Birthday to our youngest son Jeremy! He is currently deployed with the U.S. Army and we are sorry we could not spend this day with him! Hope his battle buddies made it special for him!

A short blog but a successful travel day once the rain disappeared!

Remember, these pictures were taken on the fly - and yes, I have a piece of debris on my camera lens that I cannot get off - suggestions readily accepted!

Savannah Harbor Light

(Old Bay Light)

Mode of transportation in Savannah - pedicab rickshaws

Bridge over Savannah River

Downtown Savannah from the bridge

Friday, May 2, 2014

Interesting Meanderings.......

Our goal today was to seek out four lighthouses; Crooked River, Cape St. George, Cape San Blas and St. Mark's. We were able to see three of the lights. Cape San Blas is on Government property and they had the access road to the lighthouse closed. We thought about going around the long way and walking the beach, but it was a long hike and rain was threatening, so we decided against it. They are actually in the process of moving the Cape San Blas light and the keepers quarters to town which will make it much easier for lighthouse fanatics to view which makes sense as the lighthouse is no longer used for navigational purposes.

Par for the course, it rained on and off all day today. Some times it was a light shower, and other times it was a heavy downpour. All this wet weather is getting old fast! Wiping the dogs feet before entering the RV is getting old as well. Now even if the sun makes an appearance, Lacy stops at the door and waits for her feet to be wiped dry!

When we visited the Crooked River Lighthouse in the early 80's it was for sale, abandoned and off a hard to drive dirt road. and overgrown. It was to say, in very bad shape! Now many years later, it has been purchased and operated by the Carrabelle Lighthouse Association, has a keepers house and a bright coat of paint - but no lens. It was built in 1895.

The Cape George Lighthouse was built in 1852, and was destroyed (fell over) in October 2005 after Hurricane David. The Cape St. George Lighthouse Association played a vital role in restoring and rebuilding the lighthouse in town, using those materials salvaged from the site of the ruined lighthouse. The interior of the lighthouse is lined with bricks that were used in the originally built lighthouse of 1852.

St. Mark's lighthouse was built in 1842 and is currently an active navigational aid, operated by the St. Mark's National Wildlife Refuge. Thanks to our Golden Age pass which gets us into National Parks at no cost, we were able to view the lighthouse without paying a park fee. There is a lot of wildlife in the area, particularly alligators, so we felt right at home!

Carrabelle, Florida is an interesting town on the panhandle coast of Florida. This area is know as the "forgotten coast", but we are not sure why, as the area is full of summer residences and many seafood eateries. We had lunch at a restaurant called Carrabelle Junction as we had heard that this was the place to go for 50's ambiance and great food including soda fountain treats. We were not impressed with the food, but the ambiance was nice. Jim's biggest disappointment was that the jukebox did not work and the prices were outrageous!

As early as 1528, Spanish explorers were in the area. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Carrabelle served as a staging area for raids on other ports. The town was founded in 1877 and was originally called Rio Carrabelle. In the following year, the Post Office was built. By 1881, the population was about 600. Today's population is about 1,303! In August 1899, a hurricane hit leaving just nine homes in the area. In 1942, Camp Gordon Johnston opened to train amphibious troops for WWII. After training a quarter-million men, it closed in 1946. On August 23, 2008, tropical storm Fay made its' record fourth landfall at Carrabelle. Carrabelle is surrounded by the Crooked River, Carrabelle River and Ochlockonee River and the Gulf of Mexico

Carrabelle's claim to fame is it boasts the "World's Smallest Police Station" . (It's a phone booth!)

The "World's Smallest Police Station was established on March 10, 1963, to allow law enforcement to make phone calls protected from the elements. it's an interesting story and you can read it at:
www.carrabelle,fl.com (select the Wikipedia site)

Of interest to us, is the number of bear warning signs in the area. Who knew?

Did I mention it rained on and off all day? Enough is enough , is enough, is enough.......