Friday ramblings........................

One more week for Sam to work. He got a real good review from his boss. They told him they would love to have him come back next year and even offered to give him an easier job. Probably not....but never say never.

Guess we'll be leaving here next Sunday (9/26). Looking back, six months went by pretty fast.

We've taken a volunteer position at O'Leno State Park just north of Gainesville, Fla. for November and December. Due to arrive there 10/27, in time for their Alligator Festival.

A couple of weeks ago, doctor found a tumor on Sam's bladder. He had outpatient surgery and ended up staying one night. Just 4 days later, pathology reports showed no further cancer cells and at his follow up appointment, doctor said the tumor was low grade and non-invasive. We were very happy for that.

We spent Labor Day weekend at my Mother's house on Lake Lanier. Also there: daughter Samantha & family (Nathan and kids Kyle, Logan & Tyler), brother Jim & Helen w/pup Lacey, son Scott & family (Angelia and kids Mackenzie & Ethan). And we had our pup, Buddy!

My mother with Buddy

Kyle at Lake Lanier, Labor Day

Logan taking his turn. Tyler wouldn't try it!

Kyle, Tyler & Logan on the dock


Papa with all 5 grands: Mackenzie, Ethan, Kyle, Logan and Tyler

Chillin' in Georgia

I haven't posted for a while but I am in Georgia visiting with family. Been here for 2 weeks and have 3 weeks left on my visit. Time is flying by. I must admit that I do prefer the weather in Texas right now vs. Georgia. We're having a lot of storms and rain and tornado warnings around Atlanta. But all in all, it's great to be here in the Spring with the dogwoods and azalea's in bloom. Can't wait to get back permanently to the GA/FLA area!

Thanks to all the rain, Lake Lanier is up about 10 feet and is only 8 feet below full pool. Here are some pics at Mother's lake house.

Project 365 Day 45

A Magical Night of Lights

Snowflake Tunnel

Sunday night we went with my son and his wife and 3 of the grandkids through the Magical Nights of Lights at Lake Lanier Islands. It's a beautiful light show and billed as the world's largest animated light extravaganza! Here's a few examples....................

Gingerbread House

Carousel at the Mall of Georgia

Tuesday night we took Kyle to ride the carousel

Tuesday we spent doing some last minute shopping and just plain goofing around in Buford. I was really surprised at the lack of Holiday traffic. For several years we lived two minutes from the mall and traffic at this time of the year would be grid-locked. Today and tonight looked like a typical Saturday.....we even got a close parking spot at the mall entrance.

One day while we were here we drove down GA Hwy. 20, Buford Drive, to see the progress on the new baseball stadium. The Atlanta Braves' Triple A farm team are moving here in 2009. They are coming to Buford from Richmond, VA, and will be called the Gwinnett Braves. We look forward to seeing them play next summer during one of our visits.

Project 365 Day 44

It must be good.....they're eating!

Menu:

Honey Baked Ham

Hashbrown Potato Casserole

Creamed Corn Casserole

Green Beam Casserole

Sweet Potato Souffle

Macaroni & Cheese

Cranberry Salad

Dinner Rolls

German Chocolate Cake

Brownies

Chocolate Pudding Cream Cheese Dessert

Cup Cakes

Sweet Tea, Beer, Wine, Cokes

Project 365 Day 43

Christmas dinner table setting at Mother's house, ready for Saturday's family dinner.

~ Letter to the Honorable Sonny Perdue, Governor of Georgia ~

Dear Sonny,

I don’t want to see on TV, read about, or hear another !*&%*^! word about the !*&%*^! scallops or oysters or clams or any other slimy (yet tasty) creature in Apalachicola Bay, Florida. Lake Lanier in northeast Georgia can not give them any more water! The dock in the first picture is my Mother’s dock in front of her house on Lake Lanier. The boathouse is supposed to be hooked to the dock, not 40 feet down a hill.

The dock....high and dry

The drought in Georgia has taken a toll on the area lakes, and this one in particular. Florida keeps yelling about more fresh water needs to be sent down the Chattahoochee River (which they call the Apalachicola River after it crosses the border) to keep the scallop and oyster beds alive. If Lake Lanier dies (and it’s pretty close now) just as many people in Georgia will be out of work as in Florida. There are marinas, boat dealers, restaurants, rental homes, boat repair shops, boat dock workers/builders, campgrounds, etc., all relying on the lake for their businesses……not to mention the decline in property value for home owners on the lake. All the recreational value of the lake to Atlanta and the surrounding area has dried up. People are afraid to go sailing or jet skiing because the water is so shallow and the Corps of Engineers can’t mark all the hazardous areas fast enough. And who would want to go swimming in that, even if you could make your way down to the water’s edge through the gunk?

Come on Sonny. Hold your position and don’t give up any more water. You wimped out on the flag issue but don’t wimp out on this!

Sincerely,
Susan Shepard, a concerned Georgia citizen.

This picture shows the second dock which is totally grounded while down below is the floating dock and pontoon boat.

Looking to the left along the shore

Looking to the right along the shore

Footnote: These pictures show only one cove on the lake, which has 700 miles of shoreline. The entire lake is in very bad shape.

~ A look back….. ~

Walkway to beach.

Our first volunteer position was October, 2007, through January of 2008, at St Joseph Peninsula State Park, Cape San Blas, Florida. The park is directly on the Gulf of Mexico with St. Joseph Bay on the back side. It’s a beautiful park with 119 sites, all with water and electric. We love St. Joe and have plans to return next year.

The most beautiful beaches!

As volunteers, we worked 20 hours a week, or 5 mornings for 4 hours each. Duties included clearing underbrush near sites to get ready for the burn, walking through the campground to pick up trash, occasionally cleaning restrooms, and a few scattered days filling in at the museum in Port St. Joe. This park had the most structured work schedule of the 3 parks we’ve volunteered for, so far. The months we were there were very slow. Some weeks there were less than 10 sites occupied. Of course, the park was full around Thanksgiving and the week between Christmas and New Year's.



Us working.

Fires burning.

After the burn.

The rangers were friendly and very laid back. Park Manager, Brian Addison, was friendly and accessible. One month he and his wife hosted a Pasta Dinner at their home in the park. At Thanksgiving they supplied the turkey, and the volunteers (there were 6 couples and 1 single) brought the side dishes for a fun gathering. Ranger LeeAnn Hinson was volunteer coordinator and worked with all of us for special needs. We were able to go home for Christmas and be with family over the holidays. Our oldest grandson, Kyle, returned with us and his whole family followed for a short beach vacation.

Kyle, Logan, & Tyler

Tyler's first beach!

Kyle & Dad Nate caught fish!

Had to do Some'mors!

The only down side to this park is it's isolation.....which could be it's saving grace. If it were more accessible and better known, I'm afraid it would be overrun by locals and tourists alike, similar to St. Andrews where we are now. We love St. Andrews also, but the two are as different as day and night. St Joe State Park is 20 miles from Port St. Joe, the nearest town with groceries (Piggly Wiggly), and a whopping 55 miles to Winn Dixie & Wal-Mart. Being from Atlanta, I am used to having 5 Wal-Marts in a 12-mile radius and Kroger, Publix, & CVS on every corner! But there is a great Mexican restaurant in Port St Joe - Pepper's - the best one we've found in Florida. (Happy Hour on Wednesday's, 6 to 9 pm!). Makes the 20 mile drive worth it!

Nate, Kyle & Logan @ Pepper's

There is a nice lighthouse just outside the park. The houses are currently being renovated.

Cape San Blas Lighthouse and the lighthouse keeper's house.

Here's a few of my beach buddies...

And some glorious sunsets just outside our motorhome...

And we met one courageous German Shepard!

We also took a trip over to Appalachacola to see what the fuss was about regarding the lack of fresh water for the scallops and mussels over there. They are wanting more water to be released in Georgia to allow more fresh water in the mouth of the Appalachacola Bay. All I can say is looks like there is plenty of water coming into the bay from the river down there and our lake back home, Lake Lanier, is still 16 feet below full pool. 'Nuff said. We did find a great little diner with great food - The Hut. And it is only 30 miles from St. Joe. We visited The Hut three times.

Yum-yum.

Beach houses along Hwy. 30E. Fishing boats on the river in Appalachacola.

The Gorrie House in Appalachacola. He invented the Ice Machine (maybe where the fresh water went?).

This turned out to be a long blog, but there was a lot of catching up to do. I want to remember how beautiful this park is. We look forward to returning next year and to enjoying a little solitude for just a month or two.

(Click on any pic for bigger view)