GOOD TIMES WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Friday, August 27…Continued – While we were downtown, we also took a drive through the historic area of Fernandina Beach. Awesome OLD homes.

Bailey House built in 1895.

Notice what is on the porch.

Tabby House built in 1885.

The rest we don’t have any information…just super homes.

Saturday, August 28 - Hit the beach early again this morning. Paul and Michael went for a very long walk (2 hours) down the beach. Then we all sat in the sun most of the afternoon. After cleaning up we went out to eat at a restaurants that Michael chose…Espana Restaurant and Tapas.

 

It was a Spanish  & Portugal restaurants. We have never eaten anything like this before. Michael started us out with Almejas Borrachas (Drunken Clams), Gambas al Ajillo (Shrimp in Garlic Sauce), and Entremes (Spanish Antipasto).

For our main course, Paellas…Spain's most traditional dish. Paellas are cooked in a traditional Paella pan; a shallow flat pan with two handles, made in and imported from Spain. It is the combination of garlic, onion, peppers and tomato, seasoned meats, homemade stock and rice. Once the rice is cooked, the paella with diced roasted peppers, English peas and fresh cilantro. We had the Paella Marinera (Seafood Paella)..Clams, shrimp, scallops, mussels, calamari and Lobster.

If that wasn’t enough, he ordered two desserts and one red and one white pitcher of Sangria.

A wonderful meal that Michael ordered for all of us and picked up the tab.....WOW! Man can that guy eat. Thank you Michael and Pennie for a wonderful evening!!! If you are in Amelia Island, do not miss eating here!

Sunday, August 29 – Woke to the pitter-patter of rain on the roof of the motor home. It actually sounded more like a down pour and a guy on the roof with a hammer.....jeesh! RV's are not the quietest abode when it's raining. Finally decided to get up rather than try to get back to sleep.

Marsha and I have nearly opposite sleep patterns. Paul goes to bed and “BANG” out like a light. The place could burn down around him and he wouldn't wake up. Around 4 a.m. any little “bump in the night” wakes him up and he has difficulty falling back to sleep.

Marsha, on the other hand, has difficulty shutting off her brain. She has to sit up and read until she starts to fall asleep. This may take until one or two in the morning. Finally, she's tired enough to go to bed. (Just about the time Paul's getting up.....goodness!). Luckily she then sleeps soundly until 7:00 or 7:30, not being bothered by Paul making coffee or messing with him computer.

So between the two of us, one is usually awake at night....crazy. Bella (the cat) has no trouble sleeping on the window sill, regardless which one of us is awake. She catnaps all day long so having one of us up all night long doesn't seem that unusual to her.

Thanks or stopping by. Enjoy your day. See y’all soon.

LIFE’S A BEACH!!!

Thursday, August 26 – We hit the beach early this morning....at 9 a.m.......BIG BEACH DAY!!!

Paul enjoying the water…but he better look out!

He recovered!

Took a l-o-n-g walk down the beach (almost 2 hours) then sat and enjoyed reading and talking with family and friends.

We did have a little visitor when we first arrived to our beach spot.......a baby sea turtle trying to make his way to the ocean. We was successful with a little help from these human friends!

There are quite a few sea turtle nests staked out along the beach. Nice that they protect these wonderful animals. I hope we didn't break some Federal Law by helping this little guy to the ocean.....LOL

Later, Paul and his brother, John, did some fence repair behind the house. Since John has so many visitors at the beach house with pets, we replaced some lattice that has broken over time. Now they can roam around without escaping....it also keeps other creatures out!

You can tell these two ARE NOT plumbers! Thank goodness. Marsha better watch out making these comments, her dad is a retired master pipe fitter.

Marsha prepared a delicious dinner tonight. Baked spaghetti with garlic bread and salad. We, of course, all over-ate, including seconds-some even had thirds, right Michael-of her naughty dessert...SEX IN A PAN! Now that's some desert!!!

We finished off the day back on the outdoor patio/porch enjoy the cool evening rain shower. Seems like we've had a thunderstorm or shower every evening. No problem for us. John has a beautiful covered patio area to keep us dry!

Friday, August 27 – Rainy day today. Marsha and I walked around historic Fernandina Beach this morning looking at the various shops. The beach is located on Amelia Island. It is referred as the “downtown” of Amelia Island. Didn't really buy much....just looking.

Nassau County Courthouse 1891

There are different statues of the shrimp on many corners.

We stopped and helped the local economy by having a raspberry stick and cup of coffee in this really nice bakery.

We then went over to the beach house to relax. Did some reading and some visiting. Paul took a long walk on the beach in the afternoon.

We went out for dinner at Sliders Seaside Grill, one of the many restaurants in town. Sliders is one of the most popular places in town. John ordered an appetizer of fried pickles. We have never had them…YUM…really good.

John, Michael, Pennie, Marsha, Paul and some refreshments.

We had a good dinner and a fun time. Afterward we returned to the MH for the evening.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope y’all visit again real soon.

HAVING FUN AT AMELIA ISLAND

Tuesday, August 24 – We went to the beach for some sun and relaxation. Notice how many people are on the beach. Yep, we had it all to ourselves.

Picture of the group minus Marsha. John, Michael, Pennie, Paul

While at the beach we quite a few dolphins and even saw what we believe were sand sharks feeding on bate size fish. It was really weird. You'd see 100's of fish jump out of the water and then the shark would be jumping and flopping as he fed. Tried to get Marsha to wade out for a good picture, but this is the best she could get...lol

Dark skies chased us off the beach.

We found this fellow by the pool. John said there a few of them that sun themselves each day.

After cleaning up and picking up Bella (our cat), we returned to “the beach house” for dinner and drinks. Had a great time sharing stories and of course Michael broke out his cigars. Michael is quite the purveyor of good cigars. They even got Paul to have one....eeek!

The ride on the island is gorgeous.

Cigar smokers…notice no women.

Doesn’t John look important.

Wednesday, August 25 – Got the Jeep AC blower switch replaced. We've been living with just the two highest speeds, which usually means Marsha is freezing. So we decided to get the switch replaced since there is a Jeep dealer just across the street from our campground.

Paul then took care of the monthly MH servicing, and Marsha ran to the grocery store in preparation for treating the gang to supper tomorrow night.

We rode to Fort Clinch State Park on Amelia Island to check it out for a future campground. We had called them but they said 36' was the largest RV they could accommodate. Driving through the park, we discovered they can handle just about any size RV. It appears very nice and HUGE.

We then went to the house for more visiting and of course a few adult beverages. We want to share with you all John’s “beach house”. This house belongs on a golf course. It is so spacious and lovely. While on the beach a neighbor came over to us. The affectionately call him the “Mayor”. We talked to him about the housing market. He has an empty lot next to him that is for sale for a mere 3 million. Marsha just about feel off her chair. She said really loud, “No way!” But he said, “Absolutely.” The house one down from him is for sale for 6M. He said that is a deal because it cost 8 million to build. Guess we won’t be John’s neighbor anytime soon.

That is Cooper, John’s dog.

We had dinner at the Cafe Karibo…excellent food!!! Back to John’s for more bonding time, and home by 10:00. Another super day with Paul’s bro.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all soon.

From Savannah to Amelia Island, Florida

Sunday, August 22- Went to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Ascension today in downtown Savannah. The church was organized in 1734. In 1741 The congregation was founded, but the building wasn't built until 1844.

 

After the installation of the magnificent Ascension window in 1879, the congregation’s name was used for the first time. Between 1921 and 1936, six windows depicting the life of Christ were given as memorials.

On the front of the marble altar you'll find a copy of DaVinci's Last Supper;

Ceiling

above the altar is an open Bible and a chalice which reminds us that the basis of the Lutheran Church is word and sacrament. The window on the back wall shows Martin Luther before the Diet of Worms.

 

The organ in the balcony was dedicated in 1983.

The windows on the sides of the sanctuary present the life of Christ in stained glass.

Interestingly, the sanctuary is on the second floor.

As you enter the church, you arrive at the lower narthex and the Crumley Hall auditorium. You walk up either spiral staircase or ride the elevator to reach the sanctuary.

The service was very traditional and very well attended by local parishioners. I believe we were the only tourists at the 10:00 service. Pastor Roen greeted us and thanked us for visiting.

After church we visited a couple more historical homes in the downtown area then drove out to Bonaventure Cemetery. Bonaventure means "good fortune" in French. It was a family cemetery on the plantation that formed the nucleus of the present-day Bonaventure Cemetery. In 1848, roughly 70 acres were set aside for the cemetery. This cemetery is still being used for burials.

The roads are sand and lined with Live Oak trees.

The cemetery was made famous after John Berendt's book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was published. Marsha loved seeing where these literary characters are buried.

Johnny Mercer was born in 1909 and died in 1976 and was buried in Bonaventure Cemetery at his family plot near the Savannah River, the same river that inspired the lyrics to his song Moon River. Mercer was a cofounder of Capital Records. was the setting for the murder in the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil book and movie.

Conrad Aiken was born in Savannah in 1889 and at age ten his father killed his mother and then committed suicide. After that Aiken was raised by family and later became a famous writer of poetry, short fiction, and novels.

Aiken's tombstone is a bench. He wanted this so that visitors could stop by and enjoy a drink of Madeira at his grave. The bench is inscribed with, "Give my love to the world," and "Cosmos Mariner—Destination Unknown." His story is also told in the book.

Little Gracie Watson was born in 1883, the only child of her parents. Her father was manager of the Pulaski Hotels, where the beautiful and charming little girl was a favorite with the guests. Two days before Easter, in April 1889, Gracie died of pneumonia at the age of six. People from all over the world stop by to honor her story and memory. Many count her as a kind of unofficial dignitary for all of Savannah and she appeals to the child in all of us.

Additionally, a small section of the cemetery is designated as a veteran's cemetery.

We then returned home to do various chores in preparation for tomorrow's travel.

Monday, August 23- Arrived at Lofton Creek CG with no problems....the MH rode very nice! Since our Freightliner service, our MPG has increased too!!!

Lofton Creek CG is a little shaky but we're only going to be here a week. The price is right and it's only minutes to my brother's place.....we'll survive!

Many permanent residents. The fellow next to us (Martin) used to live on a boat in Hawaii. He came to the CG to visit his daughter for a couple weeks. That was a year and a half ago and he's still here.....LOL He's got a few possessions tucked under his awning and a few beer cans saved up.

It is raining here. We hope to get to the beach today. Hopefully, we will have some beach pictures in the next blog.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see you back real soon.