June 13, 2021 Sunday morning in the city

 

 

 

 

June 13, 2021         

 

 

 

I see it.  I know I can get it.  Just stare…  I don’t know what it is but the ground is moving and I want it.

                            

It is a cloudy morning.  We decided to go to the historic district for our walk.  We get to the Chippewa Square area at about 7:45 and there is nobody around.  It was easy to find a parking place and Spouse was ELATED when he found out parking is free on Sundays.  You could probably have heard his happy dance across the country.

 

We had not encountered any homeless people to speak of until now.  Lots of people sleeping on benches and occasional beggars take some luster out of the area.  The squares have the beautiful live oaks and other landscaping, a monument to something or another, and benches… that are somewhat occupied.  We weaved in and out of the streets, enjoying each square nonetheless as well as the buildings surrounding the squares.  We had it all to ourselves basically.

We headed to the riverfront.  Hardly anybody is out yet, stores are not opened, which is no big deal for us as we really aren’t much into shopping.  Church bells ring in the distance echoing through the silence of the morning. 

 

    We climb down the ancient stairs to the waterfront.  A humongous cargo ship is being escorted by three tugboats.  It is fun to watch the action.  It doesn’t look like it will fit under the bridge but it does.  It is quite cool and comfortable, maybe about 70 degrees.  It is perfect for trolling the waterfront.  As stores begin to open, people begin to show up.  As usual, several souvenir shops line the street, along with restaurants, bars and tourist trolleys. 

Some of the architecture is quite odd.  There are balconies in places but only windows open onto them.  That is because they used to be taxed on the number of doors, so if they had a big window instead of a door, they saved money.

We ended up on Broughton Street where we saw a restaurant and settled on a crabcake benedict brunch.  The crabcake was on cheesy grits, topped with a sunny side up egg and a beet hollandaise sauce and it was beyond delicious!!  It was an oral orgasm all the way!

        

By now, there were people. Lots of people.  We wandered some more, checked out a few stores off the main streets as the sky dripped a bit of rain.  When we finally got back to the truck, there were lots of people!!!  And the truck was boxed in.  We still could have sold the parking spot, but after a few back and forths with me guiding the Spouse, we were able to get out and flee the crowds.

The night ended with playing bingo at the Elks lodge.  These people are serious and they turned into animals if the games did not start right away.  MEOW!  Those were fangs I done saw!  Down!  Back!  We didn’t win a single game but had fun at the zoo anyway!

 

                                                

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 12, 2021 Tybee and Bubba Gumbos

 

 

 

June 12, 2021

 

Humans, I am getting bored.  MEOWT!

 

My morning walk took me around the neighborhood.  This Elks club is in a residential area with streets named as if we were back home.  Pasadena, Burbank, La Brea, Ventura… I could go on.  The homes are modest but so many of them have the beautiful live oak trees adorning them.

                                     

Today, we decided to go to Tybee Island.  It is one of a gazillion barrier islands of the Atlantic coast.  Over the years, I have heard what a getaway it is for rich and famous.  Not that I care about them, but I wanted to see for myself what makes it so popular.  It is about a 20 mile drive past towns, then past tidal marshes and creeks.  These marshes are ginormous with homes here and there with their own docks with boats elevated to accommodate tide swings.    Onto the island we see beach scenery.  Small hotels, kayak rentals, restaurants, homes and apartments.  On most of the side streets, there are walkways to the beaches.  The entire island is one big parking meter.  We ended up at the pier and pavilion area.  It was early and we were able to find a parking space (that we probably could have sold by the time we left!).

Shops with tourist stuff… cheap tourist stuff – line the street.  We walked on the beach (I had to get my feet wet – temperature in the low 70’s I’d say).  Lounge chairs and umbrellas are for rent.  People are doing the normal beach things, such as boogey boarding, swimming, and causing skin cancer.  It is only 10 am and there was a whole lot of sunburning going on.

On the pier, as we listened to Ray Charles’ version of Georgia, we walked to the end and talked to the fishermen.  There is a sign not to catch sharks as we watched somebody reel in a small shark and throw it back.  These people seemed religious in their fishing, some with some pretty elaborate setups.  Upon entry to the pier is a post with measurements of the tidal surge during various categories of hurricanes.  Let’s just say if there is a category 4 or 5, the building across the street will get flooded!

                                    

We decided to give up our fabulous parking space and head to the lighthouse.  It was originally built in the 1700’s, then partially destroyed and rebuilt in the 1860’s.  Oh those wars are so into that.  Only 178 steps to the top… Spouse was grumbling…  he tried to shame me out of doing it.  I said he didn’t have to go but he would not have it that I went and he didn’t so up he went.  This lighthouse was in use during the revolutionary war, civil war, war of 1812 and other skirmishes.  It offers great views of the Savannah river and neighboring islands.

                                

Wanting lunch, we did not want to head back to the tourist area, so we pointed to home.  I had seen a tiny marina and restaurant where you cross over the bridge tucked away so we headed there.  Bubba Gumbos was just opening.  It is a funky seafood shack with more charm than any of those touristy places on the island.  There is some tourist stuff going on here, but I think this is more of a local place.  There are kayaks, and you could catch a boat tour to wherever, but there are no frills, dirt lot parking and not a lot of it and it pegs the funk-o-meter in a good way.

 

 

 

                                        

         

I am glad we checked out Tybee.  I am sure there are places on the island that are not overpopulated, you just have to know where they are, probably off all those side streets.  But we are not much into sunbathing anymore.  But we do like our food and Bubba Gumbos definitely rang our chimes!

After stopping to fill our propane tank and get Rudy more food (we wouldn’t want him to claw our throats while we slept), we headed back to Hannah as the rain began.  And it rained.  There was lightening, and thunder and rain.  And there was rain.  We were cozy and dry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 11, 2021 Savannah

 

 

 

June 11, 2021

 

MEOWT!  My humans let me out, but I am still tied up.  Loud noises are coming from the sky!  And stuff is falling!  HUMANS!  Let me hide under this car.  HUMANS!  HELP ME HUMANS!  I AM SCARED!  My maternal human opened the door.  MOMMY LET ME IN!

I took a quick walk this morning and we readied Hannah for an early departure.  We are heading to Savannah and we are going to try and get one of the two RV sites that the Elks Club has.  It is only 114 miles away according to Lady Gagarmin. We head onto the Savannah Highway away from the traffic.  It is green with lots of open space. There is a home here, a car lot there all spaced way far apart.  Soon we see lots of forest with varying sizes of pine trees, obviously due to forest management with logging.  There are tidal marshes, streams, and ponds with lotus flowers.  It is a very peaceful drive until we get to I95, which will take us into Savannah.

We stopped at rest area for Spouse and Rudy to use the restroom, then let Lady Gagarmin steer us to the Elks Club.  Oh… we see a rig there…   but that is the only one!  The other space is ours as long as we can shoehorn ourselves into it.  At first Spouse pulled forward… oh, that is not going to work so he had to back out, turn around then back in – easy as pie, right?  Let’s just say there was a lot of back and forth before we were able to get situated.  It is pretty hard to back a beast with precision but Spouse ultimately got it done.

                                        

Our neighbor Rosemary graduated the same year as I did from Granada Hills High School (I was Grant High).  Maybe we know some of the same peeps… Her husband Dick told us he had real trouble trying to get an RV site in Savannah, so he was happy the Elks had room. 

Once we were set up, we went to the Visitor Center in Savannah and hopped on a city tour.

Like Charleston, Savannah is rich with history from the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.  The historic district is strictly monitored so that all external architecture conforms to period standards.  What stands out about Savannah are the beautiful squares set up throughout the district.  All of them are beautifully landscaped, some with live oaks that witnessed both wars.  And it seems each square has some statue in the middle commemorating one thing or another. 

The Savannah River allows the city to be one of the busiest ports in the country.  The river district has roads paved with stones that were once used as ballast for the sailing vessels.  They came in with rocks, off loaded them, then loaded the cotton, which created ballast.

We hopped off the bus for lunch at the Café in the market district.  Shrimp creole over grits with collards  for me (and it was beyond fabulous!) and Spouse had a shrimp with lemon pasta that was great too.  It is warm and humid, but there is a breeze, and there are ceiling fans so it really was quite comfortable.  We finished the tour and headed back, doing a couple of errands along the way.

 

                                     

 

 

 

 

Rumble rumble… is that thunder?  It’s raining.  Where is Rudy?  Spouse is watching him through the window.  He is ok so Spouse says… I opened the door… poor guy flew up the stairs.

I have been asked about why we use the Elks.  IN this case, we don’t really know how long we are staying.  It may be 3 days, or maybe 4.  It is a weekend, and this is one busy town from what we hear so for us, this is less aggravating.  It is cheaper, but we don’t have sewer hookups, or a dumping station, so we have to be somewhat prudent with water usage, but we don’t have to be austere.  As for the black tank, we won’t come close to filling that even if we get dysentery!  Many of the Elks that have RV sites are in great locations.  Here, we are a about 10 miles from town, but so are most of the RV parks.  And now that schools are out, we expect it to get busier in RV parks. 

But alas, when we leave here, we will be turning west, towards home.

 

 

 

 

 

June 10, 2021 Bye Butch and Lynn and Hi Angel Oak

 

 

June 10, 2021

 

 

My humans did not fill my food bowl.  It was only half full.  I must wake them and let them know I will not be having this.

Woke up this morning to sunny skies.  Wow, haven’t seen those in a while!

My morning walk had me risking my life walking to the grocery store.  I now know how to cut the corner and I can cross the street.  But from there, do I walk down the Savannah Highway or do I walk down the side street?  I check it out.  The side street looks much more survivable.  Once these semis move on, I think I can time the traffic to make the 100 yard push.  After surviving that and getting our breakfast stuff, I now have to get back.  It’s only 100 yards…  And the light is in my favor.  The light is so long that I can almost make the entire distance before having to take evasive action.  SCORED! 

Butch and Lynn arrive, Spouse cooks a good breakfast and we chow.  It has been a short visit, but wonderful nonetheless.  We were so thankful that they were able to squeeze us in given that they are getting ready to head north for their own excursion.  Off they go back to the other Carolina!

                                                    

We decided to go see Angel Oak.  This is an oak tree, so what’s the big deal, right?  It is about 400 years old and spans an acre with its broad branches.  It gets a little help from some wood beams on some of the branches so they don’t come crashing down.  Think about it… it was here when the revolutionary war happened!  What stories it could tell!  Ferns are growing on many of its branches.  There are workers who are spraying wood chips around the park area.  Sure makes me wonder… Are they spreading part of Angel Oak?  Say it ain’t so!  There is a tiny oak sitting in front of old Angel that is from one of her acorns.  It is only 3 years old…  Live lone and prosper my little one!

Back at Hannah, we had to do some responsibility things.  Our stairs are bent and falling apart.  They are like walking on a swinging bridge.  Spouse has braced them.  At first, it was a hillbilly fix with wood and scraps.  Then he took some of our chalks and a jack and propped them up.  Not sure when we can get new ones.  He has made some calls and sent emails but has not gotten a response.  For now, the chalks and jack will have to work.

                                    

Spouse is no longer griping about transferring the bike rack from Hannah to the truck.  He so enjoyed the bike ride yesterday, that he totally forgot why he even griped about it!

Tomorrow, we head to Savannah, which is our last leg before we start the journey back west.  As for this RV park, the WI-FI sucks.

 

 

June 9, 2021 Biking with the Weavers

June 9, 2021

I got to chase a fly today. It was fun.  Then my humans left me by myself.  All alone…  I slept.

Another cloudy morning greeted us.  Rudy loves it here, he really wants to explore.  Since the street is so busy, my walk consists of weaving in and out of the RV aisles.  The RV park is quite large so you can work up some steps.  I talk to people and manage to make it fun.

Back at Hannah, we do some cleaning as our friends Butch and Lynn Weaver are coming from the next Carolina over.  It’s about a 4 hour drive and they are bringing their bikes.  Spouse had to transfer our bike rack from Hannah to the truck.  He grumbled and moaned, but did it nonetheless.

Butch and I worked on the same projects at our respective Blue Cross plans.  When there were conferences in other cities, we connected.  Then our companies merged.  We visited them when they lived in Ohio, and then again a few years back when they moved to Whispering Pines, North Carolina. And now they were going to smuggle us pass the gates onto Kiawah Island.  I love scofflaws!

It’s about a 15 mile drive to the island and we have to caravan because of the bikes.  At one point, live oaks line both sides of the road, forming a spectacular canopy with the Spanish moss dangling.   It is an amazing drive.  We parked in a shopping center and off loaded the bikes.  They have done this before so we put our trust in them.  The bike trail starts right out of the shopping center and passes tidal marshes.  The tide is out when we started.  It is kind of easy to sneak by the gates because of the foliage, so off we went.  Bwaaaahhhaaa!

                            

First thing of note are the beautiful golf fairways and greens.  Nobody was playing though.  I don’t get it!  There are about 5 golf courses on the island, and the pros just played the Ocean course, where Pete Mickelson stunned the world with a win last week.  The bike trail is lined with trees – live oaks with the draping Spanish moss, palmettos, and of course, magnolias.  Although it was somewhat humid, the shaded trail was quite comfortable.

There are beautiful homes where it seems they compete for the most incredible trees.  Since any removal or changing of trees must be approved behind these gates, I think people bought lots with the idea that the artsiest trees must be on their property.  Then they design their house around the trees.  The plantation style and colonial style seemed to fit in to the island, but occasionally there would be a house with a design that just didn’t work.

Butch and Lynn have a friend that lives here so we breezed into their beautiful home.  Bill has quite the wood shop and built some of their furniture. The pieces were stunning! No, they were better than stunning.  They were jaw dropping.  Beth is quite an artist also, with oil paintings and quilting.  It is evident that their décor was a true reflection of who they are as artisans and as people.  It was a treat to meet them.

Back to the trail, tidal marshes weave in and out of the area, with gator warnings posted on signs and written on the sidewalk. When we started, the tide was out, but now the tide was in.  Egrets are feeding by the dozens.   Spouse did see a gator and some deer as he lagged behind us for a while.  At the end of the ride, we ended up at the Ocean golf course driving range where you can see the whitecaps on the ocean.  It is pretty windy here, not sure how helpful the driving range would be to anybody!  Maybe that is why nobody was there. 

When we turned around to head back, we noticed there were some very angry skies above.  Will we beat the rain?  The wind was blowing in from the ocean so that might hold the storm off…  We hear some rumbles.  We feel a drop or two but managed to get back before we got wet.  Let’s not talk about not being able to find our car in the parking lot…We are so thankful to Butch and Lynn for taking us on this ride.  It was 20+ miles of utter botanical beauty and awesome homes and golf courses.  And it is not in any tourist guide book!

We decided to stop at Gilligans Seafood for dinner.  It is right on the road home… if only the traffic would move…  The development of Kiawah Island brought all sorts of people to the area.  However, the road infrastructure has not changed.  As a result, the few roads in and out are clogged during rush hours.  It took almost an hour to go about 5 miles.  At least the food was good.

Butch and Lynn are staying a hotel, and are coming to breakfast in the morning.  We said our good night and got home to our beast, who wanted out!  Yes Mr. Bitchen… you can come out for a while…

 

 

 

 

 

June 8, 2021 The streets of Charleston

 

 

June 8, 2021

 

I like to sit between my humans.  That way, they both get to show me attention so sometimes I have to force it to happen, but I usually get my way.

It is a cloudy morning.  The clouds make the humidity quite tolerable.  Spouse and I walked around the Oak Plantation RV park.  There are some huge spaces, some under the giant live oak trees.  All the sites are a decent size.  For a park of this size, the sites are quite impressive.

                                            

Spouse wanted to try a Waffle House, and since there is one right across the street, why not.  I guess it is time to pop his Waffle House cherry…  All we had to do is cross the busy Savannah Highway.  Bear with me here, this may be hard to follow…  It shouldn’t be but it is!

Being from California, we thought it best to walk to the corner and cross at the light.  Sounds easy, right?  Hmmm… there is no sidewalk or shoulder, so let’s walk along the grass away from the highway.  Ok, there is a creek, and it is just wide enough that it would be too long of a jump.  Look, back there… there is a culvert.  We can cross on that into the parking lot, then cut across to the light.  Now, we are at the light, but the crosswalk across the highway is on the other side of the street, so we have to cross away from our target to get to the crosswalk, that has probably never seen a pedestrian in its life.  But, us naïve Californians have to use the crosswalk, even though there is no crosswalk for us to use to cross the street to get to the crosswalk!  We make it across the first step.  Now, to cross in the crosswalk, where a truck is totally blocking the crosswalk because there is no such thing as pedestrians in this neck of woods, we have to move into traffic to avoid the truck, whose truck driver greeted us good morning (thank you very much you road hog), but we made it to the other side.  Now we have to cross back, with no crosswalk back to our target.  Using the light, we make the crossing, but there is no solid land on which to step.  There is the right turn lane then bushes and weeds.  Ah, we see a couple of footprints so we climbed through the weeds up into a parking lot which once belonged to a Burger King.  The Waffle House is in sight!  Actually it was never out of sight, but we are not there yet.  Now we have the option to walk on the busy highway, or climb through some brush, pass the palm frond, which is what we did.  WE ARE ON CONCRETE AND WE HAVE ACHIEVED OUR TARGET!  Bottom line, to get across the street, we walked a half mile and did heroic stunts… for a Waffle House… the basest of eateries on the planet!

Inside, we ordered our breakfast, which (surprise) included a waffle.  This place is so high end, it doesn’t even serve real butter!  It is a heart clogging spread to help optimize the mediocrity of the food.  Actually, the food is not horrible, but it certainly is not exciting.  And our waitress Jackie was a kick. 

                                        

To get back, we figured it was easier to play Frogger and cross the highway.  Piece of cake!

Then we headed to the Visitor Center in downtown Charleston.  Lady Gagarmin recommended a route, but when my eyes saw a sign that said Visitor Center, I actually got Spouse to follow the signs.  Ha!  Fooled you GPS gods!  We got onto a city tour that took us around the high points of the city.

The city is rich with history, from the revolutionary war and the civil war.  The entry of the harbor holds Fort Sumter, where the Civil War started.  There was a major fire in 1863 that destroyed most of the city, then a 7.3 earthquake in 1888 that destroyed more of the city.   A preservation society has ensured that the historic town maintains its original character on the outside.  So although many changes have happened (such as a sea wall was built and what was a stream is now a street), the original character and charm has been maintained, and it is beautiful.  Some of the homes are built such that they do not face the street.  They have an entrance, but their porches face the side.  There are elaborate Victorian houses, tiny row houses and of course, all the public buildings including the old Customs House where the slave auctions were held. 

We weaved in and out of the streets, along the battery with great views of Fort Sumter off in the distance along with 3 other forts on Sullivan and James Islands.  The tour was definitely worth it.  There are a gazillion tours of individual houses if you want.  We chose to walk down King St. to the market place.  King St. is the Charleston version of State Street in Santa Barbara.  It has a mix of stores and restaurants in heritage buildings. 

The Market Place is a long corridor of artisan stuff.  Hats, cigars, preserves, jewelery, tshirts and all sorts of useless stuff that is fun to look at.  Since Spouse was fearing he was going to have a hunger pang, we had a late lunch at Harrys Jazz place (I think that is the name).  I was drawn in by the crabcakes… that they were out of.  Had to settle for Jambalya, damn it!  It was pretty gosh darn good!

                

We walked back, drove back and kicked back!