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We are staying at a beautiful RV park called Sun Outdoors. It has very nice sites, an amazing heated pool, some nature trails, fishing pond, and enough area to go for long walks or bike rides. Close by is a dollar store which we occasionally visit for the odd need. Every Friday night a food truck comes on site and we learned the line-ups get long. We heard about these food trucks from our neighbours Karen and John (from Baltimore) who we met at the pool. They are coaching us to show up early to make sure we get served. More on this later.

One of the important items we need addressed while here are the stairs. We fortunately already had a mobile repair man coming to look at our furnace. He spent about 3 hours with us and serviced the furnace and fixed the stairs. $700USD later we are feeling great.

Given we are within Uber distance to the historic town of St Augustine, we plan a day with LOTS of walking and history.

The Florida Cracker culture: the very foundation on which frontier Florida was settled. In the early 1700s unauthorized immigrants from the Carolinas were a problem for colonial Florida. Cracker in 16th century England meant a braggart or a fast talker in America. The names Cracker and Criminal were often interchanged. The Alcazar Hotel was opened in 1888 and had the largest indoor pool in the U.S.A. The hotel closed in 1932 due to the Depression and re-opened in 1973 as the City Hall and Lightner Museum. The first Spanish muster site in Florida: the Florida National guard honours Sept 16, 1565 as the 1st muster of Florida’s Militia and therefore the birthplace of the militia in what was to become the U.S. The Fountain of Youth commemorates the 1513 arrival of Ponce de Leon and the legend of the Fountain of Youth. People have lived on this site for over 3,000 years.

After 2 months in Savannah, we head off to Florida. It’s just over a 3-hour drive, what could possibly go wrong? Well all was fine and dandy; roads relatively smooth and all 3-lane, so easy driving. Gas prices have increased, however still cheaper than Canada. $3.39 a gallon! We stopped at a Flying J, HUGE truck stop. We filled up and were happy to get back on the road…………and our electric stairs won’t go in.

We call the mechanic from Triple C Mobile repair out of Jackson Florida, who we had pre-booked for a furnace issue. His answer for our stairs, “drive with them out”, and he will fix them when he meets us at our RV park in St. Augustine. He then added “just don’t hit anything”. AHHH OK…….

Barb called Jayco, then the stair company Lippert. We were told to remove the pin and tie up the stairs until we could get them fixed. Easier said than done. SOOO, off to look for a trucker to help us (there are advantages to stopping at truck stops). Found one without a load, so not on the clock, and he was kind enough to take out his toolbox, pull the pin and tie up the stairs nice and tight. So off we went 1 1/2 hours later. It was extremely hot out, we were not dressed light enough for the heat, so not a great stop.

Landed in St Augustine at the Sun Outdoors RV Park and hit the pool! YAY

Next day we went into town and did the Hop On Hop Off tour. Nice little town, historic, architecture really cool.

Here are some photos of the area, including the ocean front.

There were some beautiful churches as well. We have not gone in yet, but hear they are really nice inside.

Henry Flagler was the founder of the most expensive hotel in the U.S., which is now Flagler College. The hotel had restaurants, a casino, a bowling alley, and the first indoor pool. He also brought the railroad down from New York so the rich could come and stay at his hotel, for a measly $10,000. We are unclear if the $10,000 was for a month? Or a week? Regardless, that amount back in 1888 was A LOT. At the time Flagler was the second richest man in the U.S. Not sure who was #1. The hotel/college is huge and apparently quite spectacular. The hotel had lighting before the White House. There are three Tiffany bay windows which apparently are priceless at the front which is the dining room. Each classroom now has a huge fireplace, which of course used to be hotel rooms. We are going to see if we can get a tour, but there is a lot of construction going on at the moment.

Lastly we had lunch at the St. Augustine Fish Camp. Menu was confusing, or maybe it was our waitress who disclosed to us that she had been put on warning due to her lack of attention to guests…….. We forgot to take a picture of our main course, which was blackened mahi mahi, shrimp, and scallops, with potatoes and zucchini. The starters we did take pictures of as you can see below.

It was a hot day so ended back at the pool!! Friday night we are off to Columbia Restaurant which serves Spanish cuisine! Can’t wait!

Caroline and Geoff came over to spend the day with us. This time popping into Savannah we had two goals. 1. See the inside of the JW Marriott and 2. Go to a hot spot for lunch.

The JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District is located in the heart of historic Savannah on the riverfront. The original power plant has been repurposed as a contemporary riverside retreat while still looking like a power plant. The lobby is HUGE, housing a chrome-dipped dinosaur, and many gem gourds on display which were amazing.

There was also a cool bar in the lobby:

Back out onto the street, the buildings were just as cool as the last time. The stairs getting from the river walk to the upper street were steep but manageable.

Next stop lunch at The Crystal Beer Parlor. In the early 1900s, what was to become the Crystal Beer Parlor opened as the Gerken Family Grocery Store. Sold in the early 30s to William “Blocko” and Connie Manning, The Crystal was one of the first American eating establishments to serve alcohol after the repeal of Prohibition. (Probably because the booze was already on the premises). It’s rumoured that Blocko ran illegal hooch and operated a speakeasy during Prohibition.

Native Savannahians still talk about The Crystal. Some got engaged there, had their first date, or first beer there. Many of the pictures on the walls depict scenes from Savannah’s past and some of her more famous and infamous citizens. There is also a photo album in the Monroe Room, which is lovingly named after Monroe Whitlock, who, along with A.G “Smitty” Smith, were servers here for almost 45 years. During COVID the restaurant almost closed. When the citizens heard this, they set up a Go Fund Me page to keep it open. HOW COOL IS THAT!! You have to love a place to make that happen. The meal was great and our server Emily was excellent. The word “no” was not in her vocabulary. We had extra crab dip and instead of more chips, we wanted toasted pita instead. Not only did Emily deliver, she brought two plates of pita “just in case”. We started with fried green tomatoes, crab dip with homemade chips and onion rings. Geoff had a BLT, Caroline had a smash burger. Barb a Greek salad with blackened chicken, and Lori had a N.O.G.S burger. Here are a few pics of the place. No pics of the food (we forgot).

Glad we went and so happy to get together with friends a final time. Tomorrow we are off to St Augustine Florida. We are packed up (as packed up as one can get) and ready to head out in the morning!!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN !!

Running water, heat, air conditioning, electricity. The simple things in life that make living comfortable, easy, joyful.

What could possible go wrong, or not work well in an RV?

1. Water: We have never had an issue with water. We have either had a tank full for when we don’t have city water, or we have had city water. What we didn’t have apparently was pressure. Given we are new RV owners we thought, ah well the water pressure is not like in our homes because we are in an RV. So showers took a little longer, filling the Brita took longer. Getting the hot water on demand to work took longer, and at times took us turning on a couple of taps to get it kicked in. Then a long came an RV maintenance guy (Tod) who we hired to clean our tanks, as you should get this done at least annually. He suggested that we buy a regulator and place it at the source – you know, one with a gauge to tell you the water pressure you are getting. He said, you won’t be sorry, it will make a huge difference. SOOO, into Amazon I went and got it within a few days. I installed and WTF!! We have serious water pressure, we have hot water immediately on demand, AND we have shaved 5 minutes off our shower time! Wish we knew this 7 months ago. Life is glorious when it comes to water!
2. Heat: When you are down south you would think you wouldn’t need the heat. Well in fact, the temperature swings can be significant here. Tonight it will go down to 1C. That is a little chilly even under the covers. So when the gas furnace stops working, you need to get on top of it! So once again, we hire Tod. He cleaned our furnace, and we got him to do the A/Cs (we have 2) at the same time. He found some animal hair (go figure), a little wasps’ nest (and I mean little), and some stink bugs (which were alive and out of season – again, go figure). There was some corrosion on a furnace part, so he got rid of that. Perfect! We are all set for a very chilly night………..until the furnace kicked out early evening. Texting Tod he now thinks it may be the thermostat itself. That would take ordering and he won’t get it for 4 days, at which time we are in St. Augustine…….so that won’t work. Well, we still have electric heat……..right? It is 5am here, I have been up since 4:30 because the thermostat has decided to be finicky. It’s a smart thermostat, meaning that when the electric has to work too hard, the gas kicks in. Well the thermostat doesn’t like the gas function anymore…….so what am I doing up so early FFS?? Trying to MacGyver the thermostat into keeping the RV warm enough so Barb and the animals don’t freeze. 1. Turn thermostat off. 2. Turn thermostat back on and to 70F. 3. Turn it to the electric function 4. Wait for place to heat up. 5. When electric stops working (which it now has at 5:00am), then you turn off the thermostat, wait (while the temp drops) and then turn back on and push it to gas furnace hoping it gets to the desired temp. (As I am typing I have now set the temp at 75F, hoping I can get out of the two blankets I have wrapped myself in to make myself a cup of tea). Stay tuned on this new development………….
3. A/C: Well, I don’t know if this works or not at present as this is also using the same thermostat, and I AM NOT trying the A/C at the moment when it is 1C outside……..so shit, more to come on this as well. Not only do I not like extreme cold, I really can’t sleep when it’s warm. A/C is my best friend most nights.
4. Electricity: Other than the thermostat electric function, knock on wood we have no issues at the moment.

Okay, it is almost 5:30 and the gas furnace is still pushing the temp up to the 75 mark. Fingers crossed!!! I am wide awake now so will make some tea and read my latest book, continuing to monitor the thermostat and keep this place liveable. Maybe when Barb wakes up she will make me breakfast……………

It is such a pleasure to be close to friends when down in the U.S., and when you are this close it is great to spend time together.

Caroline and I spent the better part of the day wandering the Historic District of Savannah. We hit the largest square Forsyth Park. The fountain, which is historic, was purchased to emulate the Fontaine des Mers in Paris. The fountain in fact was purchased from a catalogue. Tour guides tell us it was the Sears catalogue…..but that is incorrect. It was purchased from the Janes & Kirkland Co. Catalogue and was called no 5. So the fountain was purchased from a catalogue that based their product design on a piece shown at an exhibit in London, by a French designer for a Parisian ironwork co. There is hope however that somewhere down the line, the fountain does somehow have ties to Paris. So there you have it! The truth according to Google.

Forsyth Park on a Saturday is full of SCAD students and other artists selling their product. The quality is outstanding.

I also took some more pictures of the architecture of Savannah. I can’t believe some of these homes, which are now either museums or offices. And of course one can’t have a photo gallery without a church.

When travelling, who doesn’t like to eat out and taste the local cuisine? Savannah is #4 in the top 10 in the USA of best cuisines! So other than seafood boils, which I had already tried, I wanted to try southern fried chicken. I wanted to go to Mrs. Wilkes’ Home, but they are on vacay until Jan 30th, total bummer. Anyway, I thought, how about Paula Dean?! She is famous, is on cooking shows, and has numerous restaurants in the U.S. So off we went to her flagship restaurant, The Lady and Sons in downtown Savannah. I have to say, I don’t think I have ever been MORE disappointed in a meal. This is a family-style, all you can eat restaurant. You have choices of mains and sides. These are unlimited, and it comes with dessert. There are NO to-go boxes, which I knew ahead of time, so in anticipation I did what one does in this situation…….I brought a large ziplock!

Caroline and I ordered the 2 mains of roasted chicken and southern fried chicken. The sides: broccoli casserole, beans, collard greens, and poppyseed salad. We got 2 cheese biscuits with garlic butter to start. I ordered unsweetened tea and Caroline had a Diet Coke. What did we think? I loved the fried chicken and liked the salad. Collard greens OK, beans looked and tasted like they were out of a can. Broccoli casserole had a spice I didn’t like, as did the roasted chicken. There is not much I don’t like, but that spice…… hmm, not my taste. Total bill for each of us with tip was $35, with NO alcohol. NOT worth it. I am just glad I had my ziplock and was able to slip 2 large pieces of fried chicken in my purse! A small consolation for a disappointing experience.

We continued on our merry way after lunch, heading back to the vehicle. Much to my dismay I could not believe what I was seeing and frankly it took me a moment to break down what I was seeing.

Caroline and I had to stop and look around to see what the hell was around us. We discovered we were beside the arena that holds all sorts of events, today was an expo…….so I guess they had to get rid of the ice? No other explanation because I can guarantee you it did NOT snow down here in Georgia. But it did stop us in our tracks. LOL

One of my favourite things when travelling is the plants and flora. I love the moss and I love all kinds of flowers.

Barb is back on Tuesday, so we will finish up here in Georgia, seeing our friends one more time, then head down to St. Augustine Florida. Stay tuned for the adventure to continue as we say fare-thee-well to Georgia!

To refresh everyone’s memory, a nationwide constitutional law prohibited the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcohol, from 1920-1933. Seriously, what a disaster!

Savannah has the only prohibition museum in the U.S. Here are some “fun facts”: in 1850 the American Temperance Society reached its highest membership numbers with over 238,000 individuals supporting the cause. As a radical member of the temperance movement, Carrie Nation embarked on a decade-long era of saloon-smashing with the aid of her famous hatchet. The Anti-Saloon League, founded by Reverend Howard Russell in 1893, was the leading organization lobbying for prohibition. Bill McCoy was a rum smuggler, known for selling premium liquor and top brands, although he was never a drinker himself. Rum-running was profitable and it was said several ships carried over $200,000 in contraband in a single run. (That’s a lot of money back then). Juice joints, also known as speakeasies, were where smugglers often brought their cargo. Moonshine came about as soon as Prohibition came in. XXX on a moonshine jug signified it had been run through a still at least 3x resulting in almost 100% pure alcohol. Tainted booze, more than 10,000 people died from low-quality moonshine. Flappers became a “thing” when Prohibition started. This generation of women were some of the first to drive cars, get jobs outside their homes, and socialize with men in public. The “IT” girl – famous silent film star Clara Bow, was one of the most famous flappers. The dance The Charleston was born and swept the nation, peaking in popularity in 1926. Most importantly, Prohibition brought forth gangs. Al Capone and his crime network brought in $100 million a year during Prohibition, where the average worker brought in $1,000 a year. There was a 78% increase in the homicide rate in large cities across the country compared to the pre-Prohibition era. Feb 14th 1929, it is believed that Scarface himself ordered the St. Valentine’s Day massacre where 7 of his rivals were brutally slaughtered in Chicago. The Model T was created by Henry Ford and due to Ford’s efficient assembly line process, 15 million Model T’s were built and were the first cars affordable to the masses. Given the Model T was incorporated into many 1920 movies and songs, it became an instant classic. (It was also the car of choice for gangsters.) Speakeasies, also known as Blind Pigs, were secret establishments where alcohol was illegally served to the masses. To enter these hidden saloons, you needed to whisper a code through a small opening in the door. The Age of Jazz was ushered in through these underground saloons. And most importantly, mixology was born as bartenders were forced to get creative with cocktails in order to mask the taste of poor quality liquor.

Okay, so there were some GOOD things that came out of all of this: Jazz, the Charleston, the Model T, the ability for women to socialize with men in public, NASCAR, and of course the cocktails. Other than that, again, what were they thinking!

Here are some pics of the museum. If you ever get a chance, this is a must-do for its information and entertainment. There is a speakeasy in the museum in which we did partake of a cocktail of the era.

I have a lot of pics of the museum but this should give you a taste of what it has to offer. Loved it!

Now I think we can all agree, with slavery, the Civil War, and lord knows what else that went on down here in the southern U.S., that there were a lot of people who lived and died here in horrible ways. In fact I think it is Charleston N Carolina where the waterfront was built over slave graves. Seriously rude.

Sharon and I did the Savannah Hop On Hop Off when she was here over Christmas, and this time we went into two homes. The first was the Kehoe House. The Kehoe family consisted of 10 children, and it is said that two of them died in this house. Not sure if that is true or not, but what the hell – let’s believe it. While I didn’t see/feel anything, Sharon did say she felt cobwebs on her neck most of the time she was in the house.

Now onto the next home, which is where Sharon got a couple of photos of a ghost. First let’s look at the house itself and its contents.

OK, now onto the ghost. I will capture content in each picture. You can decide if we are losing our minds……or if indeed we captured a spirit.

I wish these pictures showed a clearer view. On our cameras, with the picture on the left where you can see the back of the lady’s head/hair in a bun, you can enlarge and see the detail of the lace around her neck. It is quite extraordinary. We showed the picture to the lady at the ticket counter, and without blinking an eye, she said “oh you got a picture of her too, that’s wonderful”. We would like to think this is Juliette Low, founder of the Girl Guides, but that is just a guess.

Like I said, you decide. If you want me to text you the picture so you can blow it up on your phone to take a better look, then send me a note. Or you can just roll your eyes and chalk this up to “Lori is losing it”. HA !

First off – this is NOT going to be a history lesson; lord knows how much I “loved” history when I was in school!

What this post is about is some of the things I have learned about the South – i.e. Georgia in particular.

There is a difference between Yanks and Damn Yanks. Apparently Damn Yanks are from Illinois? Huh

Georgia is very prejudiced. Now this statement came from a black man. I can say that, as he himself looked at me and said, “I don’t know if you noticed, but I am a black man”. He was my Uber driver. While you don’t outright see it, prejudice is flourishing here apparently.

I have found the people here very friendly. Very hospitable, and generally surprised when I tell them I have been here since Dec 1. They wonder why. I reply “why not?”. I find Savannah and surrounding area very beautiful. Tybee Island and Hilton Head, which I have already posted about, are fabulous.

I have seen ghosts; I have pictures that Sharon took to prove it. That will be my next post….

When people ask me where I am from, I say Toronto Canada. It is not uncommon for people to say, I am from the north as well. Now when someone says this to a Canadian, one thinks, “ahh, Michigan/Minnesota/Buffalo/Seattle etc.” But NOOO that is not what they mean. To them “north” is north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Well shit, one more thing I had to look up as I pretended that I knew what they were talking about.

Apparently the Mason-Dixon Line, for those of you like me who didn’t listen in class, is a demarcation line separating four U.S. States, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia. Apparently there was a border dispute in the 1700s. Of course there was… So, north of Mason-Dixon is really most of Pennsylvania. Not sure why one just can’t say, I’m from Pennsylvania. Would make conversation that much easier. I guess the most important distinction of this “line” is that it became informally known as the boundary between the Southern slave states and Northern free states.

Then there is the War of Northern Aggression as the Georgians call it. We know it as the Civil War. Apparently, and frankly no surprise here, there was a dispute on the “naming” of the War. It tells you a lot about the culture in the South. In fact, did you know when you look up War of Northern Aggression, you can find it listed under the Uncyclopedia (no idea there was such a thing) which states the War of Northern Aggression was a tremendously unjust war instigated by Abraham Lincoln and his Northern elitist cronies in 1861. Now if you read further in the Uncylopedia you can see this is a bit of comic relief. But seriously, I might have to read more from this “Uncyclopedia”.

On a high note, Savannah is the most haunted city in the U.S and has more paranormal researchers here than anywhere else. It is also the #1 tourist destination for St. Patricks Day in the world….according to the locals. I have not verified this with Google.

While Lori remained in Savannah I returned home on Dec 7th.

Jim had hip surgery Dec 9th and all went really well. It was fabulous to be home, helping Jim recuperate and getting everything organized for Christmas. I had done lots of shopping in the U.S. and had sent a lot of it home so I just needed to do some wrapping and had very little running around. Extremely relaxing.

One must-do however was getting a Christmas tree. I went and picked it out and had it loaded into Jim’s truck. When I got home I realized I needed help to get it into the stand. Luke came over and helped me. Fantastic! I decorated and voila we were ready!

Now the biggest adjustment for me was the weather. On Dec 4th I was swimming outdoors in Savannah. Dec 11th the snow was falling in Burlington and we were doing light shovelling. By Christmas we had lots of snow. Luke and Vanessa had gone away to Hawaii and were having a blast. At least until they were due to fly home for Christmas and, thanks to severe winter storms, had their flights cancelled. It was a really tough time for them sitting on airport floors for hours and then paying an enormous amount for a hotel close to the airport that was essentially a dive, as all other hotels were booked. They didn’t get back home in time for Christmas. So it was a quieter Christmas Day for sure as we waited for news of their return. Several days later we were able to get together and celebrate with a traditional dinner and gifts.

Lori’s car was stored at Jim’s place and her brother Brad wanted to borrow it, so Jim’s first outing post surgery was to help me bring Lori’s car home on Dec. 26th. Of course snow was once again a challenge. Both Brad and Scott came to our place to pick it up which was really nice as we had time for a coffee and relaxed a bit before Brad had to make his trip back home to Sudbury.

Our big news was that Luke and Vanessa were expecting in March. Super exciting to celebrate as our family grows. Michelle and I had planned a Jack and Jill shower. Much of that Michelle did while I was away. And of course, like any event, the days leading up to it are always hectic. Pictures below capture the night before as we are blowing up balloons and getting decorations ready. Some hilarious moments that night for sure!

I stayed in Burlington well into January to enjoy the shower and to make sure Jim was cleared to drive and had his independence back before I returned south. It was great to be home for an extended period to enjoy everyone. I was also very excited to get back to the warmth and join Lori on our continued journey!

I had been in Bluffton years ago with Barb, Caroline, and Elaine, but it was nice to get back to revisit the town. Sharon & I travelled to Bluffton and met Caroline, toured the area, then headed off to Caroline’s home to drop off her car and continue the Hilton Head tour in the Jeep I had rented.

The next pics are of a beautiful church with Caroline and me, and other pics of Hilton Head Island and of course our lunch! It was another fabulous day down south!

And let’s end this short post with a great selfie of the three of us!! All retired BMO employees and all very happy!!