Family Fun in Savannah, Georgia

The kids arrived for March break in Savannah and someone quickly discovered Leopold's Ice Cream just down the street from us.

Damian will be 8 in May, and I couldn't believe how grown up he seemed even in the two months since we last saw him. He's a huge hockey fan and the "hockey flow" hairdo was a must.

Dominic would be celebrating his 6th birthday while he was visiting. Love the  missing front teeth! Yes, that is a Sudoku puzzle that he completed with only a bit of help at the end from Grandma. He is not in Grade 1 yet. I feel for that teacher trying to keep him occupied.

Two boys at that age? Hard to get a photo where they aren't acting up. They loved the selfie stick!

Well, this is a turn of events. I developed this lump in the arch of my foot which was diagnosed as plantar fibromatosis. Man, getting older sucks.

We decided to take a quick side trip to North Carolina to visit a high school friend of my sister's, who is both a physiotherapist and a perdothist. We figured while we were in her neck of the woods, we'd get her opinion. Dinner out with Patricia (Pat's mom); Pat; Jim and me.

Pat decided to do a bit of physio and figured I might need a glass of wine first. In the first photo, her eyes were closed. Round 2, the other extreme!

Pat breaking down some of the scar tissue on my Achilles tendon. OMG, I wanted to cry but started laughing instead. Where's that wine? Thanks for your time and expertise, Pat!

Back in Savannah, we headed out with the family to Tybee Island on a beautiful day. At last! Some warm temperatures...

The family at the top of the Tybee lighthouse...

Grandma with her boys...

The surroundings of Tybee...

A nice family photo...

Followed by a goofy one!

There weren't too many people on the beach even though it was a lovely day. I hope the parents took the baby that was in the carrier...

Chilling at the beach...after a very long and very cold New Brunswick winter, Jeff was happy to sit and soak up the sun.

Family photo...

Nadine and I practicing with the selfie stick...

Getting the hang of the stick...

Dominic was having fun...I had many, many photos to choose from! He has a quick trigger finger.

Bye to Tybee...hope to see you again next year.

We went to Juarez restaurant, which was one short block from our place. We spent many happy evenings there in February. They make amazing pitchers of margaritas and the food is great and very inexpensive.

Oooh...mama! Looking good!

Someone celebrated his 6th birthday. At Christmas we had given Damian a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey. At the time Dominic said he didn't want one, but after seeing Damian with his, Dominic said "you could buy me a Patrick Kane jersey." Mission accomplished!

It was a Ninja Turtle birthday...see the word "ooze" on the front of the package? Yup, found that gooey stuff in a few places.

This is what happens when an almost 8 year old picks out presents for his 6 year old brother. Nadine said "oh, I thought it was just a stuffed toy." Go Ninjas...

Happy 6th birthday, Dominic! xoxo

Playtime...

We went to the Pirates House for a birthday supper. Ahar, me hardies!

The "pirate" bringing Dominic his birthday dessert...

Damian with my reading glasses...

And all too quickly, the visit came to an end and it was time for us to pack up. On my last morning walk, I noticed this huge line-up of green jackets at the cathedral.

"Savannah's sons and daughters of Ireland gathered at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist on Sunday to honor their ancestors, remember the struggles of those early immigrants and offer prayers for peace in the old land. An important color missing as the Mass began was blue, specifically blue as in blue skies. Chatham was under a tornado watch, the winds were at times brisk and worsening gray clouds greeted worshipers as the ceremony began."

Well, great! I didn't know we were under a tornado watch until I read it in the paper.

On our last evening, I did a quick walkabout. Past the singing church and Bradley's Lock and Key...

The beautiful cathedral...

And one more photo of the Presbyterian church...

This is the Kehoe House, situated on Columbia Square almost kitty corner from our house. It's a very nice B&B, a popular photography venue for weddings, and the place where Tom Hanks stayed while filming Forrest Gump in Savannah.

Another wonderful two months has flown by in our favourite city. We hope to be back again next year!

Whirlwind Month of February in Savannah, Georgia

See this fuzzy, out-of-focus photo? Yup, that pretty much sums up the month of February in Savannah. At one point, there were 10 people we knew either renting or visiting. There was a lot of eating out and drinking too much. This photo is from Marg's birthday dinner or at least that's what I was told! Florence (in the background) and her husband, Chris, were in Savannah for a week and rented a place close by.

Marg and Mike's son, Douglas, visited for a week and we tired him out completely. Hard to keep up with us "old folks." Doesn't the woman in the background look impressed? She was probably expecting a quiet dinner out.

Douglas and Mike were going zip lining, so we decided to give it a whirl. Douglas had a great time making fun of my selfie stick, but it worked great for group pics.

I have no idea what I'm doing here, but I do know I was trying to keep my nerves under control. Was this really a good idea?

Jim kitted out and ready to go...

I have no idea what any of the stuff is for but we looked good.

Mike is looking a bit apprehensive, while Douglas is chatting up the ladies...

A demonstration from one of our guides...he made it look pretty easy.

We're going up there? Gulp...

I was actually more nervous about walking across this suspension bridge. I had a visual of the last time I was on a suspension bridge and Jim jumped up and down on it just to see my expression.

We're way up there now...

The guides were great. They spent about 15 minutes initially explaining everything, and we all had a chance to practice on a baby rope at ground level. By the time we got up here, I wasn't feeling nearly so nervous.

Kim coming over!

Jim coming in for a landing...

They kept telling us to enjoy the scenery while we were up there. Yeah, that wasn't going to happen on the zip line. I had my eyes focused totally on the landing platform.

Nate, one of our awesome guides...while you were on the platform waiting your turn, they would ask you all kinds of questions. Anything to keep you talking and not thinking about your next jump.

Douglas sailing through the trees...

Here comes Mike...

And this was our last jump. On the other 7 jumps, we would slow ourselves down by putting pressure on the cable overhead with our hand. On this one, we would be stopped by a blocker at the end....I hoped!

Because we didn't have to worry about stopping ourselves, Nate was telling us all the different positions we could go down in...starfish, pretending to hold a dance partner. It all sounded good until we jumped.

This jump was the only dual one in which we got to race against someone. Oooh...competition. Jim and I jumping off the 75 foot platform....

Dang, he's beating me!

And at this point, I could see the platform coming closer and closer. Where the heck was the blocker? Boom! Oh there...that was a bit of a shocker.

It was a lot of fun. If you have the chance, do it!

That night we went out for dinner with Barb and Ed and their friend, Lorraine who was visiting. Lorraine went home after and quit her job. Wonder what we said that night??

This was Escape Savannah. They are becoming quite popular in many cities now. You go into a room and have to look for clues within the room to escape. You have an hour; it took us 45 minutes. It wasn't easy, but we are apparently smarter than the average ghost!

The Georgia Day Parade each February celebrates the founding of the Georgia colony...

We had to do a little googling on Hernando de Soto. Although there is a Hilton de Soto Hotel in Savannah, I had never wondered where it got its name. He was a Spanish explorer who led the European expedition into the southern US, and was the first European to cross the Mississippi River.

And good ol' James Oglethorpe, the British General and founder of the colony. He was a social reformer who hoped to settle Britain's poor in the New World.

Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts...

The school kids are encouraged to dress in period costumes....

There were several interesting banners depicting Hernando de Soto...

The kids were having a great time...

Happy Georgia Day!

The next day, we had a little surprise up our sleeves. Barb and Ed would be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in April, and while we would love to go to their party, it just wasn't going to be in the cards. So we decided to plan a little party for them.

The table was set...

Those little circular 50's got a workout later...flickers, we call them. In our family, no good celebration dinner is over until the flickers are being flicked across the table at each other.

The banners were flying...

The cake...well, let's just say the thought was there...

We went to Mike and Marg's first for appetizers...

And then arrived at our place shouting "Surprise!!" Only Barb and Ed couldn't see a thing because their glasses were too fogged up from the cold. That joke was on us...

Happy Anniversary, Barb and Ed...a wonderful couple!

With their fur baby, Maggie...

I'm not sure Ed should be handling that knife...

We gave them a plate showing all the different squares of Savannah around the border, so that they would remember our great times together here.

A new use for the flickers!

A great evening...best wishes on your 50th anniversary, Barb and Ed!

The fountain in the park froze again in February...I guess this is now a regular occurrence.

Even if the trees were blooming, it didn't quite feel like spring temperatures.

The centre path through Forsyth Park...

Next door to the singing church is Bradley's Lock and Key. This place is a step back in time...

This is the front window display. Cracks me up...it's probably been like this for 50 years...

We went in to get two keys cut and, don't let the outside fool you, they know where everything is inside. It's filled with old photos on the walls and a gab session area for the men.

This is James. You'll see him most days in Wright Square. You'll probably hear his big booming voice before you see him...

As guests of Lucky Savannah rentals, we are always treated to lunch at Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room. No standing in line for an hour with the other tourists. We get to sneak through the back door, through the kitchen and are escorted to our table. My cousin, Richard, and his wife, Lynn, also came to Savannah for a week and rented a lovely apartment on Chatham Square.

Do you think there is enough food...it just keeps coming and coming. Fried chicken, spareribs, beans, squash, coleslaw, cucumbers, potatoes...on and on. Oh! And did I mention biscuits? Mmmm...

Our lovely host, Hope. Hope to see her next year as well!

Phew...that was the crazy, busy month of February. Our time is winding down, but we have family coming to visit for the March break. We better rest up!