Savannah Christmas

Tuesday 12/10 – Savannah Christmas

A month ago Tina and I decided to have a short get away and signed up for a four day trip to Savanah with a tour company. Another couple, Irwin and Ming, decided to join us and twenty other couples for the trip. Irwin is one of my poker buddies and Ming is a retired concert pianist. A fun couple to spend time with.

Up at 4:30am to shower and get ready for our trip. Everything was packed last night and arrangements made for Lenny (My Favorite Pet Sitter) to visit the kids four times a day. Got Tina up at 5am and loaded the car while she got ready. We were out of the house by 5:45am and made a stop at Starbucks for coffee and a breakfast sandwich. Left Starbucks as the sun was breaking in the east and drove to Village Walk to catch the bus for the eight hour drive north to Savannah!

After loading our bags and parking the car we boarded the bus where we met Rita, out tour director and Pete, our driver. We left promptly at 6:30am and drove to Bonita Beach to pick up some more passengers, then on to Ft Myers for the rest of our tour group. By 7:30am we had everyone on board and returned to I-75on the first leg of our trip. The first “comfort” stop was around 10:40am and then a lunch stop at a food court in a mall around 12:15pm before we got back on the road headed north.

As we neared Ocala our driver “Pete” left I-75 for FL-301 towards Jacksonville, making another comfort stop near Westside. On the road again, with the wheels on the bus going “round and round”, we arrived at our stop for the night, the Comfort Inn in Brunswick just over the Georgia border. The time was just 4:00pm, making it the longest bus ride I've taken since I left the service and returned to Seattle back in the 60's!

We had several texts from Lenny during the day letting us know how the dogs were doing on their walks and eating. It seems they are quite happy to see him when he comes to take them out of feed them their breakfast or dinner. Looks like they are well taken care of!

After checking in everyone retired to their rooms for a break and to get ready for dinner. At 6:00pm we all trouped back to the lobby and boarded the bus for a half hour trip to St Simon Island and the Georgia Sea Grill, a four star restaurant with an ambiance of casual elegance. Irwin and Ming had secured a table for four and motioned us to join them. The food was very good and the conversation lively. After a desert of Key Lime Pie we all returned to the bus and a well deserved night's sleep.

Mike, Ming and Irwin seated in the Tram

The next morning we got up around 6am to pack, take our bags down and grab some breakfast, then it was onto the bus for a trip to Jekyll Island just south of Brunswick. We boarded an open air tram for a 90 minute tour of the Historical District. Our tram driver and guide gave us a well prepared history of the island.  At first, it was the farm and home of John Eugene duBignon. But, with the help of his brother-in-law Newton Finney, it became what Munsey’s Magazine called “the richest, most inaccessible club in the world”, the Jekyll Island Club.

Club members included notable names such as J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, William K. Vanderbilt, and Marshall Field, to name a few. Members prized the island for its “sense of splendid isolation,” as well as its beautiful landscape and moderate climate. At a time when the idea of a modern seaside resort was a novelty, members experienced unsurpassed levels of luxury and service that were remarkable, even by today’s standards.

Ready for a carriage ride!

Members and their guests enjoyed hunting, horseback riding, skeet shooting, golf, tennis, biking, croquet, lawn bowling, picnics, and carriage rides. Several members built “cottages” which, though fully elegant, were simple in comparison to their other home estates. Designed simply yet with a regal touch, these winter retreat homes certainly met the comfort levels to which Club members were accustomed. Today the island is owned by the state and the clubhouse is an elegant hotel.

Gingerbread Show at the Westin

After the tram ride we went to the museum and gift shop before boarding the bus for our ride to Savannah and the Westin Hotel to see the annual Gingerbread competition and stroll along the riverside promenade. It was a bit chilly outside, maybe 56 but with a breeze blowing we didn't stay outside long. Then it was back to the bus for the drive to Paula Dean's restaurant, Lady and Sons” for lunch.

Tina already knew that Paula was doing a book signing so we quickly got arm bands for the signing, bought some tea towels and a book to be signed, then joined Ming and Irwin for lunch in the restaurant. After a delicious meal, Tina and I went outside to join the lineup to meet Paula. We got in line about 2:20pm and at 2:55pm I left Tina to join the bus for our hotel, the Holiday Inn Express located on historic Bay Street just above the river. Actually only about five blocks from the restaurant but I needed to get our stuff off the bus and up to our room. With key in hand I made it to our room, got things set up then walked back to the book signing where I joined Tina. 

Mike & Tina with Paula's Family

An hour later we finally made it into the room where all her family, brother Bubba, husband Michael, Paula and her two sons, Jaime and Bobby were all seated at a table signing books. Finally, around 4:30pm we got to the table where we met with the family, shared a few words in greeting, had our items signed, were photographed and made our way outside for the walk to the hotel. After getting settled in our room we took a well deserved break before venturing out for dinner.

After deciding we wanted a light meal and someplace close to the hotel, I did a google search and found the Cotton Exchange Tavern located down on the river side. It was a short walk across Bay Street and down to the riverside quay.We were quickly seated and ordered a bowl of French Onion soup for Tina, a bowl of Clam Chowder for me and some bacon wrapped shrimp as an appetizer. Very good!

Leaving the Tavern after dinner, we made our way back to the hotel to join our fellow travelers for a short bus ride to the Historic Savannah Theater where we saw a production of their famous “Christmas Tradition”, a series of musical and dance performances followed by an arrangement of Charles Dickens, “Christmas Carol”. The entire performance was extremely well done and was given several standing ovations. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and by 10pm were back at the hotel where we tucked ourselves in for the night!

Thursday morning and we decided to sleep in rather than take the Savannah tour as we did that a few years ago. After dressing and a cup of coffee, we went downstairs and let Rita and Pete know so they wouldn't be looking for us. Then we headed up town to Henry's for breakfast. A little chilly, maybe 48 degrees but we were dressed warmly and had hats and gloves.

Colonial Park Cemetery

After breakfast we did our own walking tour. Leaving Henry's we made our way up town. Our first stop was Colonial Park cemetery, one of Savannah’s most beautiful restorations, is the final resting place for many of Savannah's earliest citizens. Established about 1750, it was the original burial ground for the Christ Church Parish. We spent time just strolling the grounds looking at headstones and noting the dates. The cemetery was already closed to burials before the start of the Civil War and no Confederate soldiers are buried there.  From there we continued South through many of the city parks.

Along the way we marveled at the many churches and architecture of buildings comprising both business and residential. One church, the Cathedral of St John the Baptist was exceptionally beautiful. Construction began in 1873 and was completed with the addition of the spires in 1896. Made of brick in the French Gothic style, the interior of the building has a light and airy feel. 

Cathedral of St John the Baptist

The structure was nearly destroyed by fire in 1898 but through diligent effort was rebuilt by 1899. Going inside it was easy to see the beauty of the building. Leaving the church we continued on our walk, passing through the parks in Central Savannah all the way to Forsyth Park, which occupies 30 acres in Savannah's historic district. The park contains walking paths, a café, a children's play area, a Fragrant Garden for the blind, a large fountain, tennis courts, basketball courts, areas for soccer and Frisbee, and home field for Savannah Shamrocks Rugby Club. We walked the perimeter of the park stopping to talk with people and pet their dogs! 

The city of Savannah was founded in 1733 by General James Oglethorpe. Although cherished by many today for their aesthetic beauty, the first squares were originally intended to provide colonists space for military exercises. The original plan resembles the layout of contemporary military camps, which were likely quite familiar to General Oglethorpe who laid out the plan for the city. A square was established for each ward of the new city. The first four were Johnson, Percival (now Wright), Ellis, and St. James (now Telfair) Squares, and themselves formed a larger square on the bluff overlooking the Savannah River. The original plan actually called for six squares, and as the city grew, the grid of wards and squares was extended so that 33 squares were eventually created. Two points on the grid were occupied by Colonial Park Cemetery, established in 1750, and four others—in the southern corners of the downtown area—were never developed with squares. When the city began to expand south of Gaston Street, the grid of squares was abandoned and Forsyth Park was allowed to serve as a single, centralized park for that area.

View of the river from Kevin Barry's Irish Pub

Working our way back towards the river we ended up at the City Market Shops. After checking out the shops, and since it was about 12:30, we decided to go down to the river front and find a place for lunch ending up at Kevin Barry's Irish Pub. Taking a seat on the balcony overlooking the river we ordered a light lunch, Corned Beef on Rye and a cup of Potato Leek soup. Delicious!!

By now it was near to 1:30pm so we made our way back to the hotel to rest up before dinner. I spent a couple of hours catching up on email and banking while Tina took a short nap. At 5:30pm we got ready and went downstairs to visit with members of our tour while we waited for the bus. At 6pm we boarded the bus for the five minute drive to Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House Restaurant. This is a famous Savannah institution.

Started in the early 1900's as a boarding house for local workers, it was purchased by Sema Wilkes in 1943 and boasted rooms for 11. Since it was originally a boardinghouse, meals were communal and as time went on, Mrs. Wilkes was convinced to open her dining facility as a restaurant. Today it serves up dinner for 80 guests every night. Mrs. Wilkes' is noted for its homestyle traditions, in which guests are escorted in shifts into the dining room, where a variety of dishes are already on the table (no menu; items are selected by the restaurant). The guests sit at the table and pass the dishes around to one another. There are usually long lines waiting to get in. Mrs. Wilkes died in 2002 but the restaurant is still run today by the forth generation of the family.

We were ushered in to dinner about 6:30pm after a twenty minute wait. We had four tables of ten diners each. As soon as we were seated staff began bringing out bowles and dishes of food. From black eyed peas to candied yams, mashed potatoes, pulled pork, lima beans, okra, beef stew, fried chicken and more. We must've had 20 different choices. An hour later most dishes had been nearly emptied but there was still a lot of food left. Finally we were able to meet the grandson of Mrs Wilkes who thanked us for coming and talked about how the restaurant got to be what its today. Then it was back to the bus and off to the hotel for a post dinner cup of coffee before everyone retired to their rooms.

Friday morning dawned early with the sun peeking in the window around 6am. With  packing done we took our bags downstairs and grabbed some breakfast before the ten hour trip home. Long ride but got home around 7:00pm to an excited pair of girls!! Nice homecoming to end a nice trip!

To see more of our photos click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Miami Beach Art Deco District

Wednesday, November 6^th – Miami Art Deco District

Well it’s 5:45am and I’m getting up. Why the early start? We have a 7:15am appointment with a bus for a trip to Miami Beach. Tina got up at 6:00 and after taking care of our morning routine we took the dogs out for a quick walk. We’d made arrangements with Mary across the street to check in on them a couple of times so we knew they’d be taken care of. By 7:00am we were in the car and headed for Starbucks to grab a quick bite and a cup of coffee and by 7:20 we were parked and on the bus.

Miami is about 115 miles from here across Alligator Alley and we’d be going through commuter traffic over there so the bus driver headed for the freeway promptly at 7:30 while our tour guide gave us an idea of how our day would go. It was a beautiful day with light breezes and temperatures in the mid-seventies, great for a walk about!

With one stop for a brief break we made it across I-75 and though Miami to Miami Beach by 10am where we picked up our guide Kevin for the tour of the Historic Art Deco District. For details of the district, click on this link - http://www.miamiandbeaches.com/places-to-see/south-beach-art-deco-district .

We started our tour in the bus heading south along Ocean Blvd to the end of the island. Kevin described the history of South Florida and Miami Beach along with some of the districts history and why it exists today. Miami Beach is a man-made island, known as the "Billion Dollar Sandbar," separated by Biscayne Bay from the Miami mainland.

Beach Patrol Headquarters

Miami Beach began as a 165-acre plot of land intended for planting and harvesting coconuts. Henry and Charles Lum, Quakers from New Jersey, purchased the land from the federal government in 1870 for $.25 an acre. Eventually, they sold it to John S. Collins and Thomas Pancoast after the coconut venture proved a bust. In 1913, John Collins and Carl Fisher became partners. Fisher envisioned how to develop the mangrove barrier island into an oceanfront jewel and, along with the Army Corps of Engineers, dredged the thick mangroves into a man-made island paradise - Miami Beach.

A beautiful day on Miami Beach

When the depression hit, the beach experienced a rough patch. It had been a popular playground for the rich in the 1920s (hence the Art Deco architecture) and was a Mafia hangout in the 50s. By 1979, however, it was a Mecca for the elderly and the poor, and many of the once-swanky hotels had become retirement homes. Old-time beach residents remember when octogenarians in rocking chairs were a common sight on Ocean Drive. 

So what is Art Deco? The name art deco itself comes from the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs Industriels et Modernes held in Paris in 1925, which promoted art deco architecture in Europe. Although art deco looks ultra-modern, it dates back to the days of Egyptian tombs. Specifically, the discovery of King Tut's tomb in the 1920's opened the door to this enticing style. The stark lines, bold colors and zig-zag architectural features were added to objects placed in the tomb to entertain and enlighten the sleeping kings. 

A small Boutique Hotel

This style greatly appealed to Americans, who were going through the "roaring 20's" and loved the eclectic look. They saw it as a symbol of decadence and extravagance, qualities their generation embraced. Art, architecture, jewelry and fashion were all heavily influenced by the bold colors and sharp lines of the movement.

But the buildings were never built with today’s codes in mind and as they became run down the property was worth more without the buildings. The Beach Preservation League was formed because they were concerned about the many historical hotels that were being razed by developers. So they brought together architects, businessmen, politicians and residents to help revitalize the area and garnered headlines in 1980 when artist Andy Warhol asked the group for a guided tour of the area. In 1984, the entire world was introduced to Miami Beach when the hit TV show “Miami Vice” used many of the neighborhood’s buildings as a backdrop.

Versace Mansion (Savoy Hotel is to the right)

We ended the bus tour of the island back on Ocean Blvd and walked out to the beach where Kevin continued his talk about the district. From the beach we walked along Ocean Blvd where we learned about the many historic buildings in more detail including the mansion, now a part of the Savoy Hotel, once owned by Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace. On his first visit to Miami Beach he saw the old home and fell in love with it. He lovingly restored the home to its original glory and brought international celebrities to party there. (Think Madonna and Elton John).

We made our way along Ocean Blvd for several blocks stopping to take pictures and learn a little more about the area. Then it was time to head for lunch at the Lincoln Road Mall, an eight block long outdoor pedestrian mall. Tina and I made our way along the mall until we came to “100 Montaditos”. Based on the atmosphere of a traditional 19th century Spanish tavern, the restaurant specialized in montaditos, crunchy Spanish rolls baked to order and jam-packed with traditional ingredients as Serrano ham, Spanish tortilla, chorizo sausage and Manchego cheese. We had a great lunch and spent another half hour wandering the mall before returning to the bus.

Yachts and Miami Skyline

Our last stop of the day was Bay Front Park Marina and Shopping mall where we were going on a boat tour of Biscayne Bay which separates Miami from Miami Beach. We boarded our tour boat and cruised out of the marina into Biscayne Bay. No matter where you looked, the skyline was spectacular. We motored past the industrial heart of the bay, the Port of Miami, with dozens and dozens of container cranes and ships. Past the port were numerous small islands, preserves of the rich and famous, with mansions and mega-yachts tucked into lush gardens of palms. On the other shore were high rise hotels and resorts giving Miami its touristy feel. Ninety minutes later we were back at the marina headed for the bus ride home.

To see more photos of our trip, go to:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/106900722556866920891/albums

and click on the album.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Wednesday, April 3^rd – Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Well it’s 6:30am and we’re getting ready to drive out to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Why the early start? Tina has duty at the Conservancy at noon and it’s about a 45 minute drive so we wanted to leave early. After taking the dogs out for a quick walk, we grabbed a cup of coffee and headed for the freeway.

Not much traffic on I-75 so we made it to our exit in jig time (the correct one this time – heheheh)  and headed for Immokalee. As we rounded the last bend before heading into Immokalee, I told Tina I thought we would be coming up on our turn about a mile or so down the road. Well the mile or so became two, then three, then four and finally, a couple of miles before town, we realized that we missed it. So we turned around and headed back finally finding our road just at the end of the final curve instead of 1 ½ miles past it. I don’t think we’ll forget it in the future (and we’ve been out here several times before – go figure).

Map of Boardwalk and ecological habitats it crosses

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary occupies approximately 13,000 acres in the heart of the Corkscrew Watershed in Southwest Florida, part of the Western Everglades. It is primarily composed of wetlands. These include the largest remaining virgin bald cypress forest in the world (approximately 700 acres), which is the site of the largest nesting colony of Federally Endangered Wood Storks in the nation.

Starting our morning hike

In addition to the wood stork, Corkscrew provides important habitat for numerous other species, including the Florida Panther, American Alligator, Gopher Tortoise, Florida Sandhill Crane, Limpkin, Roseate Spoonbill, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, White Ibis, Big Cypress Fox Squirrel and the Florida Black Bear. Several rare plants are also found here, most notably the Ghost Orchid.

We finally made it to the CSS parking lot and made our way to the entry. We were told that it should be a good walk as, with the water disappearing, there were lots of birds. With a 2.25 mile boardwalk, we will actually traverse a number of different ecological habitats – Pine Flatwoods, Wet Prairie (River of Grass), Pond Cyprus and Marsh lowlands, and Lettuce Lakes. As we walked along the boardwalk we marveled at how healthy everything was. The Cyprus were covered in a rich green mantle and the Sabal Palms, Pines and Palmettos were dense and lush.

We traveled about 1 ½ miles with very few sightings of birds. We saw one Pileated Woodpecke fry off across the grasslands, several smaller birds far off in the branches but not much else. Then, as we passed dried up an alligator wallow, a crowd was gathered ahead of us with cameras out. At last, a sign of what we were here for. 

Small Alligator wallow with two alligators and about a dozen Ibis

In a small wallow were two good sized alligators. Surrounding the pond were about 15 mature and immature Ibis plus a small Night Heron. The Ibis were circling the pond in a dance, picking bugs out of the mud while the alligators were herding fish out of the deeper part of the pool towards the shore where they would twist their head to the side and snap up the fish. Each time the alligators caught  fish the Ibis would go into a flurry of movement just in case they were too close and might become lunch.

We watched the action for about twenty minutes before moving on. We came upon one of the Audubon Naturalists pointing towards the trunk of a bald cypress tree located 150 feet from the boardwalk and about fifty feet up. He was pointing at a Ghost Orchid. 

Ghost Orchid

This is a very rare species of Orchid, one of only a thousand thought to exist in the wild. Ghost orchids are so-called because the bloom appears to float in mid-air. Area biologists nicknamed this Corkscrew specimen the "Super Ghost," since this particular orchid has had as many as twelve blossoms; typically ghost orchids might have between one and three blossoms per year, each bloom occurring one after the other. 

The Corkscrew orchid now has one bloom. Thought to be decades old, Corkscrew's ghost orchid was discovered in July of 2007, when two visitors looking for barred owls spied it though a new opening in the trees. We looked through the spotting scope and sure enough, there it was. Couldn’t get a photo so this one is attributed to Andrew West.

Further on we came to another group with cameras out looking over a large pond filled with wading birds and a baby alligator. We watched in fascination as a Roseate Spoonbill plucked at the tail of the baby alligator causing it to turn around and snap at the bird in irritation causing the spoonbill to dodge away from the snapping teeth of the baby. 

Birds galore!

Elsewhere in the pond were Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, several Blue Heron, Storks, Ibis, Two Great Blue Herons, a Green Heron, another large alligator and raccoons on the shore looking for a handout. Below us, around one of the support posts, was a cottonmouth snake trying to soak up some sun.

Mother Barred Owl

Leaving the pond behind we came across a Barred Owl mother resting on a branch about twenty feet away from her nest. A naturalist told us they thought there were at least two baby owls in the nest. She was just sitting there watching everybody take pictures.

After taking a last photo of mama owl we headed back to the car for the drive home. Another exciting day outdoors in the Florida back country!

Koreshan Historical Site

3/31 Easter Sunday visit to the Koreshan Historical Site

This morning we decided to take advantage of a day with no commitments and drive out to the Corkscrew Sanctuary for some birding. We’d been getting reports that the storks were nesting and with the low water, feeding opportunities were attracting lots of migrant birds.

At the Koreshan Historic Settlement

After a quiet morning with our traditional Sunday breakfast of Blueberry Pancakes finished, the kitchen cleaned and the dogs walked, we headed north on I-75. We’d been having a pleasant conversation about upcoming trips when I realized we had passed our exit by a good six miles. Oooops! Oh well, being flexible I asked Tina whether we could get there from the next exit. Using her phone to check Google Maps, we could do it but it would be pretty roundabout having to go to Immokalee first.

As we were taking the next exit I saw a sign for Koreshan State Historical Site. Since t/his is one of the places we have been meaning to visit, we chose to go there and then do an early morning trip on Wednesday out to Corkscrew. Two miles west of I-75 we came to the entrance. The Historical Site is actually part of the Koreshan State Park, so after paying our entrance fee we followed the signs to the parking lot arriving just before 11am.

After parking the car we started a self guided tour of the facilities. Originally settled as a utopian community by Cyrus Reed Teed and his followers in 1894 with the intent to build New Jerusalem for his new faith, Koreshanity. The colony, known as the Koreshan Unity, believed in celibacy, hard work and that the entire universe existed within a giant, hollow sphere.

Art Hall

Our walk along crushed shell paths took us past the “Art Hall", a large building that served as the Religious, Educational and Cultural hub of the community. As we walked through the grounds it was also evident that the Koreshans believed in beautification through gardens. Everywhere along the walkways were imported trees and shrubs that provided color as well as shade.

Next was the Planetary Court, home of the seven women “Planetary Chamber”, the governing body of the community.  This two story building has been remarkably preserved with furniture brought from Chicago and all the hand poured glass windows still in the original frames.

Planetary Court

From there we walked over to the “Bamboo Landing”, the original entrance to the community until the 1920’s when the Tamiami Trail (US-41) was built. Located on the Estero River, transportation to and from the community during the first twenty years was entirely by boat.

Damkohler Cottage

Not far from the landing was the Damkohler House, named for the original owner of the land that was given to the Koreshan Community and on to the “New Store” built in 1920 to replace the old store.

Bridge to Monkey Puzzle Island

Continuing our tour we passed the Bakery and the “Mounds” before crossing a bridge onto “Monkey Puzzle Island. Originally there were two Monkey Puzzle trees planted here but one was lost in a hurricane. Since then two new trees have been planted as replacements. The remaining tree must be over 60 feet tall and is probably the most beautiful tree of its kind I’ve ever seen.

Hiking along Estero River

It was a fascinating tour and as it was still early, decided to go for a hike along the Estero River eventually ending up at the old Machine Shop where volunteers were serving Easter Bread which had been baked on site. By this time we had completed the two and a half mile circuit of the property and decided to call it a day.

Machine Shop Building

Inside the Machine Shop

Powerhouse Building

Inside the Powerhouse

Returning to the car we headed back to I-75. Tina wanted to stop at Target so we got off on Immokalee only to find the store closed for Easter Sunday. So we stopped at “Chilly’s Restaurant for lunch (very good) then headed home. Another excellent adventure in beautiful and interesting SW Florida!

Ta ta for now.....