Ghost and Tombstone Tour

I couldn't seem to stop taking pictures of the trees and the moss!  In fact when I got home, I decided I needed one put on canvas (along with 3 other tree pictures from Colorado) to make an arrangement in the guest bath so they are ordered and shipped out yesterday!!

 This is the largest oak tree in Savannah - it's protected by the Savannah Tree Foundation and it is massive - 54' in height, 110' in width and 65" in diameter!

 After the walking tour which ended up at the market, we decided to go ahead and get our shopping done - of course that included more stops at the candy store to get free samples of pralines!!  I found my Christmas tree ornament and bookmark right away!!  SCORE!!  Teri wanted some honey so we went to the honey store and sampled honey - that was a treat and something I've never done before!!

Patty and I had seen a cute long sleeved pullover the day before and we searched a lot of the little shops until we found them again!!  After lunch we walked back to our cottage and relaxed before heading out again late afternoon.  We went back to River Street for "Island Hoppers" at Tubby's and then ate grilled shrimp with 3 different sides!!  DELICIOUS!!

 That evening we boarded the open air trolley for the Ghost and Tombstone Tour - we had no idea what to expect but it was fun and entertaining!!

 Our guide told us ghost stories as we rode in the trolley and we stopped at a supposedly "haunted" house to tour it - it was a turn of the century home and was interesting to see the inside!  The nursery was cute as could be EXCEPT................

 for these spooky looking dolls!!  I can't imagine little ones playing with them!!

 We also went into a cavern type building where ships would store their wares and heard some history and ghost stories as we sat on trunks amidst a lot of strange noises!!  All in all a good time!!

Then it was off to The Pirate House for dessert!  This restaurant opened in 1753 as an inn for seafarers and quickly became a rendezvous point for pirates and sailors from the Seven Seas.  There are 15 separate dining rooms and we peeked in a few as we were led to our table!

Bread pudding, key lime pie and pecan pie were the choices that we chose that evening along with coffee - YUM!!

After our dessert, we had the waiter call a taxi - Patty said she wanted to peek in at some of the other rooms and Teri and I went outside to wait for the taxi!  Well the taxi arrived immediately!!  I went in to look for Patty and couldn't find her so texted her and told her the taxi was waiting!  She texted back she was lost!!  So I went back in to find her and couldn't so went back outside and told Teri and the taxi driver to wait as I was still looking for her!!

So I went to go back inside and the door was already locked - yes, it was closing time!!  In the meantime, Patty is trying to find the door to come out and all the lights are going out and with all those rooms, she was quite lost!!  She finally found a waitress and told her she was locked inside and they had to find the manager to open the door so she could get out!!  What an ordeal!!  At least the taxi ride home was a quick and quiet ride - we laughed and laughed about the episode when we got home!!

Savannah Walking Tour

Monday dawned sunny and gorgeous!  We walked over to The Mate Factor for breakfast and coffee and then headed to Forsyth Park - it's a beautiful park and a perfect picture taking venue.

 The fountain was built in 1858 and every St. Patrick's Day the locals dye the water green - now that would be fun to see!

 After strolling around the park, we headed to St. John the Baptist Cathedral - we had seen this from a distance each time we walked but wanted to get a close up look and see the inside - it was extremely beautiful!

 Time for a quick pose outside the church!

 Then it was off to our walking tour of the historic district!    I had researched several tours and had just about booked the Savannah Trolley Tour when I found a website that offered a FREE walking tour with an excellent guide!  The reviews were great and you only tip at the end of the tour for whatever amount you are comfortable with!  I  knew we couldn't go wrong so went ahead and put our names down and it was the best choice ever!!

Our guide was young (and cute!!) and boy did he know his history!!  He rattled off dates and names of people and stories and answered every question that was asked of him!!  Again, highly recommended if you ever go to Savannah!

Back to the movie Forrest Gump - do you remember at the very beginning of the movie when a feather floats down from a building and Forrest picks it up?  Well, this is the building the feather came off of!

 It was also a perfect day to get photos of the moss hanging from the trees - the moss is a bromeliad or air plant and is a close cousin of the pineapple - who knew?

It was a good day to wear our tennis shoes as we ended up walking almost 6 miles that day - the tour covered probably a mile or two but it didn't seem like it as you were listening to the fantastic stories that were told by the guide.     To Be Cont'd.......................

"Rewind" in Savannah

One of the best things about the market was the FOOD!!!  They had an awesome candy store which had 3 rooms - their specialty was pralines and every time you walked in, they would give you a warm sample right from the oven.  YUMMY!!!  I bet the grand kids would have loved this room!!

 Since the praline just whetted our appetite, we went to the ice cream shop.  I chose peach and of course it was delicious!!

 This is one of the 22 squares - squares consist of a city block that is covered in trees, benches to sit on, grass and usually a monument.  I think by the end of our stay we had been to 20 of them!

 We headed to the Savannah Theater  for our entertainment Sunday afternoon and look who was standing outside - Forrest Gump!!  He sounded just like the real thing and of course was carrying his box of chocolates!  We were all very excited to see the "bench" where he sits at the bus stop during the movie but found out the actual bench was a prop - it was filmed in one of the squares and we did see the spot but that was all.  I have a video of Forrest running but can't seem to get it downloaded from my phone to my computer but it is cute!!

 Check out the front of this car that we're sitting on!!

 "Rewind" was awesome - it was a group of singers that sang songs from the 50's, 60's and 70's and we all thoroughly enjoyed it!!  We relived song after song and it was so fun to hear the old songs.  The different sets were very unique and one of our favorites was a campfire scene, just singing around the fire! 

After Rewind we went around the corner to Gallery Espresso and sat outside enjoying a fruit and cheese tray!

After our dinner, we sauntered back to our cottage for a relaxing evening - we enjoyed our own drinks along with our pecans and more cheese and crackers.  And we laughed a lot - a whole lot!!  What an awesome day with great plans for the next day!!  To Be Cont'd...............

Glorious Savannah!

I was so tired that I never moved all night in my bed - woke up in the same position that I started in!!  And even with the time change I woke up about the same time that I do at home!

Patty had researched a cute coffee place that was only 3 blocks from our cottage so we headed there and loved it so much that we ate breakfast and had coffee there every day!!  The place was called The Mate Factor and the people there were so friendly!

 There was a loft area that we headed to after ordering and that became OUR table for the next 3 days!  They served a couple of breakfast sandwiches which were delicious and I ordered "Mayan Mocha" coffee - it was delicious!

 The bakery section looked fantastic so after the first day, we would order one sandwich and split it 3 ways and then split a muffin - my favorite was the blueberry - gosh, it was tasty!!

 On our walk each day, we passed this house and I loved it!!

 Our first tour that we had booked was the cemetery tour sponsored by Dash Tours - it's called Dash Tours because they inform you what is BETWEEN the dashes (in the cemetery, the stories about peoples' lives)  Our tour guide was Timothy and we were picked up in a van and taken out to the Bonaventure Cemetery.  It was a 2 hour tour and we learned so much about many of the people buried out there..................  The cemetery was gorgeous as you'll see from the pictures - love that Spanish moss hanging down!!

 Of course I've forgotten most of the things he told us but all of the stories were so interesting!!  Johnny Mercer, the composer, (Moon River was one of his pieces) is buried out here and all of the gravestones around him of family all had a line from one of his songs!

It was a fantastic tour and highly recommended if you ever go to Savannah!

We were dropped off at "City Market" which is a huge place with lots of shops, eating places and live music playing - right down our alley!!  Lunch was at Goosefeathers which was highly recommended and it didn't disappoint!!  To Be Cont'd.......................

Savannah Bound

The weather forecast wasn't looking good for me to fly out to Savannah for our annual sisters' trip!  Snow, snow and more snow was in the forecast - but for once I was flying out of Co. Springs instead of Denver!  I told Glenn he would have to take me down - not only was there going to be a lot of snow but we would leave the house at 3:30am and I don't drive well in the dark!

Sure enough the storm came in late Friday night - we woke up to about 6" and it was coming down hard and fast!  I was thankful to have Glenn drive me as it was not a fun trip to the airport!  Luckily the flights were still going out of Co. Springs - Denver cancelled over 700 flights that day!

Glenn hung out for a while to make sure I was going to get out and I breathed a sigh of relief when I boarded the flight for Atlanta where I would meet Patty and Teri!  The clouds were beautiful when we got above them - and yes, it was a bumpy ride for awhile!!

 Teri and Patty were waiting at my gate with sandwiches in hand for the next flight to Savannah.  I arrived late as we sat on the runway a long time waiting to de ice.  It was so good to see them and we headed to our next flight!

In 45 minutes we arrived at the airport and were surprised to find out that it really isn't in Savannah and it takes about 1/2 hour to get into the actual town!  We grabbed a taxi and soon were at the cottage we had rented for the next 4 nights!  It was just perfect for the 3 of us with plenty of room to spread out and 2 bedrooms.  The cottage was located at the edge of the historic district which meant we could walk if we wanted to or take the free bus.

 We quickly unpacked and changed and walked about 4 blocks to catch the bus to the river.  Savannah was beautiful - lots of big trees with moss hanging down from most of them!  The weather was perfect and I could already feel my dry Colorado skin soaking in that little bit of humidity!

River Street was in full swing!!  All kinds of shops were set up along the river with music playing and lots of people!  We sampled delicious pecans that had been dipped in different flavors and I bought blueberry ones - gosh were they good!!  And walking around early evening with no jacket - I loved that!!

There was a really cool looking bridge in the distance!

We ate at The Shrimp Factory that evening - and this punch recipe was on our place mat!!  Not sure I would want too much of that!!

When you're in the South, you eat fried green tomatoes!!  And that's just what we had for an appetizer - I really didn't know what to expect but they were good and that's pimento cheese on top which we found they use quite a bit!

Savannah is one of 3 towns in the US where they have an open container law.  So we stopped at the nearest bar and got 3 peach sangria's "to go" and walked around!  Fun times!!

We caught the LAST bus that evening - somehow we forgot to check what times they ran so we need to be aware of that each evening as it's a couple of miles back to our place - and not something we wanted to do in the dark!

Our cozy cottage was waiting for us and since we all had been up early that morning, we hit the sack!  Even with the 2 hour time difference for me, I fell asleep quickly and slept great!

Is This What You Do In Retirement?

Ever since Glenn and I have retired, we have worked on the new house (or the old house) during the actual work week - seems like it's just built into our blood after working for so many years that you get up and WORK during the week, play (sometimes!!) on the weekends!

Well, last Thursday Dick and Jane picked us up at 10:00am and we headed to their cabin over in Guffey for the rest of the day!!  WOW - playing on a weekday - I could get used to this!!!

Dick had brought their 4 wheeler so the guys unloaded it and we went for a ride up the mountain!!

 Jane and I have decided that the guys need to figure out a way to turn the seat around as neither one of us enjoys riding backwards!!  But it was still a great trip and beautiful scenery!!  The next picture is taken off the deck of one of the little cabins on their property.

 And an actual good picture of Glenn and I - we were happy to be out and about!!

After our journey up the mountain, we headed into the little town of Guffey for lunch!  The couple that runs it do a great BBQ outside on their smoker and HE makes all the homemade pies!!  Lunch was excellent and we enjoyed the entire day with friends!

And Life Moves On...............

IT HAPPENED!!  IT FINALLY HAPPENED!!  After all the disappointment of our original buyer not getting his money and having to re-list the old house, it has ALL come to an end!!

Monday, April 4th we officially closed on our old home - and what a great feeling that was!  The closer asked me if she should just wire the funds to our bank or did I want a check - believe me, I wanted the check in hand!!  Yes, it did go right to the bank but for a few minutes, I felt pretty special holding that check!

Our construction loan is now paid off and the small second we had on our old home is paid off - can we really be completely debt free?????   SURE - until Glenn starts building the shop!!

I do have to say it's a strange feeling to drive right by our old home now and know that it isn't ours any longer!  But it sure went to a great couple - they were so excited to move in and I know soon I'll be knocking on their door just to see how it looks with new owners in it!

Good-bye 876 Obsidian Dr!!  You were our dream home for 7 years but 63 Brittany Dr has now taken your place!

Iowa Visitors

We were thrilled when we got an email from Aunt Nadine  - her and Uncle Don were heading to Colorado!!  Their son Craig and wife Becky were driving them out to visit their daughter Laurie and family and of course wanted to come up and see us along with our new house!

Wednesday night we all congregated at another cousins' house for a wonderful dinner and lots of catching up!!  And then Thursday afternoon they headed up our way, despite the snow!!  First we met them at our old house so they could see it - and then we came up to the new house to show them around!

We had a great visit - Laurie's kids Megan and Dillon loved seeing the baby chicks and playing with the toys.  The adults visited and it was sure fun to have them here!!

 Craig and Becky come to Colorado more often now since their daughter is here so hopefully we can see more of them!!

 Laurie's husband Josh is stationed here with the army in Colorado Springs - their kids are delightful and we hope to see more of them too!

It is always great to see family!!

More Easter Blessings

After coloring eggs, it was time for the 3 girls to put on their matching dresses!!  They had hoped to wear them that morning but it was just too cold!

 Not to be outdone by those cute little girls, the boys were all smiles!!

 And we finally captured Rayna for a picture of the whole bunch!!  We are one proud Nana and Papa!

 We had our traditional ham dinner late Saturday afternoon with all the trimmings!!  It was all delicious and so nice that everybody pitches in and brings their share!!  And then sadly it was time for the Keppys and Smiths to head back to Denver!

Jill and I collapsed for a little while and after getting the kids to bed, filled eggs one more time!!

The kids and Jill left early Sunday morning as Jill had to teach Sunday School - Robby, Glenn and I met them for a wonderful church service!

 And of course the Easter Bunny came while we were at church!!  Parker carries around a yellow duck that has basically seen better days but the Easter Bunny came through with 2 new ones of different sizes - he was thrilled!!

After a quick lunch it was time for Glenn and I to head back to the mountains!!  Thanks Jill and Robby for hosting another fantastic Easter!!