1301 October 30, 2025  Owens -Thomas House And Slave Quarters

It was the perfect combination of chilly and sunny this morning.  This buck was very intent on his meal of acorns.  He didn’t bolt as I walked by.  I gave him wide berth and he continued to graze.

Today, we went back to Savannah.  The historic district is so vibrant and lovely.  Savannah was founded in 1733.  It was the first planned city in the US.  It was built on ancient Native American burial grounds.  This city has a lot of history and it was our goal to learn more about it.  We went to the Owens-Thomas House and Slave Quarters.  We purchased tickets for the 12:15 tour. 

In the orientation room, we perused the timeline for the house.  Constructed in 1816-1819, this was the home of the Richardsons.  This mansion was built in the neoclassical style. 

This plot of land had been designated for a church or school but Mr. Richardson was wealthy enough to purchase the property for his private residence.  The orientation room was in the old carriage house.  This room also contained a Wall of Names.  Richardson and the subsequent owner, Mr. Owens, were both involved in exporting slaves and both had enslaved workers on their many properties.  Over 600 enslaved people were kept or moved by these men.  This wall has 600 blocks.  The names of the known slaves are etched into the wall.  The blank blocks of wood represent the other men and women whose names are not known.

We are in Georgia, in the south.  As you can imagine, the issue of slavery has deep roots here.  This museum did and extremely good job of presenting information in a thoughtful, factual, and non-judgmental way.  The language used was carefully chosen…the power of words…

Our tour began in the slave quarters where 6-14 men, women, and children would have shared the space.  These West African people were responsible for maintaining the house, the yards, minding the children, doing the laundry, and for preparing lavish feasts for large numbers of guests.

The ceiling in the slave quarters had 17 layers of haint blue paint.  West Africans believed that evil spirits could not pass through water.  The blue paint was applied as a protection from haints.  In rural areas, indigo was used.  In urban areas such as Savannah, laundry soap was used to color the whitewash.

This garden area would not have looked like this at the time that the house was used.  This area would likely have held clotheslines, chickens, and a kitchen garden.

The privy for use by the enslaved people was also in this courtyard area.

The well was here.

The rooms were richly decorated with lots of attention to detail.  How things appeared was very important to the owners of this home.

This residence was the first to have a system of cisterns inside for the purpose of using collected rainwater for indoor plumbing.  The cisterns contained thousands of gallons of water and were extremely heavy.  In order to accommodate the cisterns, the walls were thick and were fabricated with tabby; a combination of ash, lime, sand, and oyster shells.  There was even a water closet with a toilet.  Only the family was allowed to use the indoor facilities. 

The nursemaids for the children slept in the house on roll up bedding.  They had 24-hour responsibility for the care and well being of their charges.  Often, when the children were grown, they inherited their caretakers.

The scullery and the kitchen were located in the basement.  The enslaved women spent most of their time in these areas.

The men who owned this house were actively involved in slave trade.  They did not allow the children of the slaves to be educated.  They worked hard to suppress discussion of abolition.  Their businesses, wealth, and lifestyles depended on forced labor.  Often, the slaves were punished and abused. 

This tour explored the mansion from the perspective of the enslaved.  It is important to learn from our history.  It is possible to see how that history impacts present day race relations.  These events did not occur that long ago.  I am glad that we went to learn more, to hear the stories, and to gain a better understanding of the complicated relationships here in the south.

After our tour, we wandered back down to the waterfront. 

We ate a late lunch on the upper level of Vic’s on the River.

It was windy down on the riverfront.  We walked along the shops and stopped for bourbon pecan ice cream.

SCAD is hosting the Savannah Film Festival this week. 

1300 October 29, 2025 UGA Aquarium

It was cloudy and chilly this morning.  The dampness was wearing off as I set out for a walk.  I walked the campground and then the paved roads in the park.  I saw one deer…

And then another appeared.

Tim walked a trail.

This morning, we went to see the University of Georgia Aquarium here on Skidaway Island.  This small facility has 13 ocean exhibits featuring marine life from the Georgia Coast. 

We saw this pair of seahorses, intertwined and moving together.  Most seahorse species are monogamous.   They have a daily ritual of dancing through the water.  It is thought to be a courtship ritual that may strengthen bonds.

There is a problem with litter in our ocean waters.  We could all do better!

Diamondback terrapins are native to this coastal area.  They live exclusively in this brackish water.

Oysters are an important part of the ecosystem.  They act to filter the water.  They also from reeflike structures along the shoreline that help to stabilize the land.

Blue crabs live here as well.

Watching fish swim is so soothing.

Lionfish have venomous spines.  They are an invasive species with no natural predators.  As they feed and their numbers increase, they can affect populations of other fish in a habitat.

We walked the nature trail. 

This huge live oak is more than 300 years old.  In 1950, scientists reinforced the tree with steel rods and cables to prevent it from being damaged by high winds. 

I took a bike ride this afternoon.  I cycled out of the park and saw a sign for a prayer labyrinth at the Methodist church.  I walked the path and as I walked I made a mental list of all of the things that I am grateful for.  A spiritual experience.

This evening, we took a picnic dinner to the Rodney Hall Boat Ramp.  We finally have some blue sky and some peeks of sunshine!

We enjoyed our meal and then walked around the park. 

We were surprised to read on an educational panel that there are manatees in the Skidaway River.  We had no idea that manatees came this far north!  As we were standing on the pier, we saw a manatee surface in the water…how cool is that!

The clouds were too dense at the horizon at sunset but the sky was beautiful before that.

1299 October 28, 2025 Another Day, Another Island

The weather in Tybee Island had not been ideal.  There are beautiful beaches and I had yet to walk there because of the wind and rain.  This morning it was in the mid-fifties.  It was damp and the wind was still blowing.  I was determined to get out on the beach and walk.  I found a boardwalk that took me over the marsh and onto a sandy path.

The swallows were still there.  Thousands of birds. They are migrating and this marsh and lagoon area is perfect for feeding and bathing.  They are really mesmerizing.  They dive and soar.  Their movements are graceful and ballet like.

When I got back to the campground, I got us ready to move.  Today we had a 45-minute drive to Skidaway Island.  We got settled in our new home and then went to Publix for some groceries.  After lunch, I actually took a nap.  Tim did also and then he left to ride his bike.  He was gone when I got up.  I listened to my audiobook until it was time to make dinner.  It was 58 degrees and so Tim decided to make a campfire.  I grilled shrimp and we ate outside…warm and toasty!

1298 October 27, 2025 Savannah Charm

Tim was awake very early.  I heard him get up but it was still dark outside.  I rolled over and went back to sleep.  I woke up after 8am.  It was grey and misty.  It has rained during the night and the forecast was for rain today.  Tim got all of his stretching done and he went to the gym.  He returned and e left for his walk.  I was slow moving but I finally got out there to walk.  I didn’t finish because it began to rain…just a little at first and then it really rained.  I had no umbrella.  I got wet! I tried to take shelter on the porch of the police department.

This hawk was hunting in the dunes.

The squirrels scrambled about in the branches of the live oak tree above our site.  The acorns ping against the roof at regular intervals.  Tim thinks that maybe the squirrels are collecting the acorns and carrying them back up into the tree to drop them again.  At night, the squirrels settle and the pinging becomes occasional.

We wanted to drive to Savannah today but there was drenching rain for much of the morning.  I looked up stuff to do in Savannah on a rainy day.  Because it was Monday, our options were limited.  We decided to drive into the city anyway and we took our raincoats and umbrellas.

It took a little while to find parking.  We walked toward the riverfront.  We love historic Savannah.  It is a city full of parks with fountains and huge old trees dripping with Spanish moss.  There are beautiful old buildings.  Many of the streets are cobblestone, made of the stones used as ballast in the ships that came here from Europe.  The red bricks that were used to construct many of the old houses were fashioned here in Savannah with sand from the shore and red Georgia clay.  The riverfront area has lots of shopping and dining choices.  We walked for a long time, wandering through the market place, along the river, and in and out of shops.  There was some intermittent drizzle but not enough to stop us.  We stopped for a late lunch at Huey’s and it rained while we enjoyed our meals.  The rain had abated by the time we were ready to walk back to the Jeep.

Tim saw this woman having trouble negotiating the steep and slippery steps. He ran to assist. The other day, he helped a young mother carry her baby in the stroller down the steps in Charleston. He is always quick to step up and help…a gentleman!

We had a nice afternoon…better than we thought! 

This evening was damp and chilly. We had a small snack for our dinner. Then, I sat bundled in a blanket!

1297 October 26, 2025 Jeff Allen Comedy Show

This morning it was very windy.  Tim chose to take his walk on the beach.  I walked to the beach ramp but I found it too windy to walk out there.  There was a huge flock of thousands of swallows swooping and soaring.

I made my way to the lighthouse.

The lightkeepers house.

I walked to Jaycee Park.

I love these giant and twisted and gnarled live oak trees.

Turtles around town.

Wood stork.

I spent a large part of the day catching up with family.  I talked to my mom, my sister, my aunt, and my uncle.  I also worked to puzzle together reservations for the next week or two and then also planned a trip to Stone Mountain in mid-November.  Then, I worked to make reservations for January at Florida RV parks.

This evening, we had tickets to a comedy show:  Jeff Allen – The Human Condition:  We’re Still Not There Yet at the Tybee Post Theater.  He calls his show a story of brokenness, addiction, redemption, and hope.  He spoke his own truths about life and love and marriage and he was very funny.  I did not agree with everything he said. There were moments that made me cringe. I am not sure it is possible to go listen to a comedian and not have something strike a nerve. His message though was honest and positive and clean and we enjoyed his show.

We went to Sting Ray’s for dinner.  We shared mussels.  Tim had fish tacos and I had a fabulous softshell sandwich.

1296 October 25, 2025 Tybee Island

Happy Birthday, Kyle!  We love you and we are so proud of you!

This morning, I walked on the Spanish Moss Trail.

We left Beaufort at about 10:30am.  We had a short drive to Tybee Island.  We traveled on 95S from South Carolina and into Georgia.  The campground gave us very specific directions so that we could avoid the congestion and low hanging trees in Savannah.  Finally, we were on the Tybee Scenic Route.

We arrived in early afternoon.  It was very windy.   Tim wanted to go for a bike ride.  Unfortunately, his tire was front tire was flat…again!!!  He found a bike shop nearby and he left to get his tire repaired…again!!!  When he got back, he cycled to the water’s edge.  He saw this container ship headed to the Savannah Harbor.  There is a warning in the campground brochure.  These large ships can produce huge waves that can come ashore and cause harm.

I spent the day doing domestic stuff.  I put oatmeal in a crockpot and then took all of the laundry to the campground laundromat.  When I finished, I grilled chicken, roasted butternut squash, and made quinoa bowls for dinner.  I prepped some turkey meatballs for later in the week and boiled some eggs.  Then it was time to clean up the gigantic mess and put away the clean clothes.  Sometimes, its is nice just to have a normal day and do normal stuff.

1295 October 24, 2025 Highway 21 Drive In

Yesterday, when Tim walked, he went to the northern end of the island and there were hundreds of birds.  I decided to walk that way today.  Designated as a Critical Shorebird Sanctuary, no golf carts or pets are allowed.  Only pedestrians.  There were very few people.  It was another great fall morning and I was walking on firm sand.  There were lots of shells on the beach.  I was almost to the point when I began to see birds…thousands of birds…lots of different species.  What a pleasure to see them in a protected place, feeding and flying and free.

Today was moving day.  We were only traveling about 20 miles.  We left before noon and stopped at Walmart and did a couple of other errands.  We arrived at the Highway 21 Drive In by early afternoon.  This is a Harvest Host site.  There is no charge for boondocking here.  We needed only to purchase our movie tickets and our dinner from the concession.  We chose Screen 3. 

The movies didn’t begin until 7pm.  We rested for a while and then we were going to ride our bikes.  The Spanish Moss Trail is adjacent to the theater.  Tim took the bikes off of the Jeep and returned with “bad news.”  He had a flat tire.  Fortunately, we were 5 miles from an open bike shop.  Tim called and the guy said he would fix the tire “on the spot.”  The bike shop was a bit chaotic but the man knew what he was doing and the tire was quickly repaired.

We got back to the drive in and hopped on our bikes.

This evening, we ordered cheeseburgers. This spooky scarecrow spoke to me as I walked by, startling me!

We watched the Springsteen movie from our front seats. The movie was mostly about Springsteen’s struggles with depression. It was intense. I agree with the New York Times review that was posted Saturday morning.

I really enjoyed this experience. I have such fond childhood memories of going to the drive in. We would put on our pajamas. My mom would make a huge Coleman jug of red Kool-Aid and a brown paper bag full of Jiffy Pop Popcorn. We would drive to the Edmonson Drive In and the three of us kids would snuggle up in the backseat with the pink blanket with red roses on it. We would watch Woody Woodpecker and then at least part of the first feature and the we would be asleep. We would arrive home drowsy and happy!

Get out there and try something new!!

1294 October 23, 2025 Beaufort And Gullah Grub

Tim was going to the beach to walk.  I was going to the dumpster to take the trash.  I decided to walk to the end of the park road.  As I walked back, I passed the beach access path.  I went to look at the water and then walked down to the shore.  In the far distance, I could see the lighthouse.  I made it my goal to walk to the lighthouse.  It was a lovely fall morning, perfect for a good long walk!

We too the Jeep and drove into Beaufort.  We parked at the waterfront lot and walked in the park. 

We passed the marina.

We walked through town.

For lunch, we had wanted to go to Gullah Grub.  We had eaten here years ago and remembered the good home cooked meal that we had.  Gullah culture is an important part of low country history.  These are descendants of enslaved West Africans.  There is a strong community of Gullah Geechee people here.  At the restaurant, our server was talking with us about our travels.  We mentioned that we had been here many years before and we particularly remembered the potato salad.  He told us that the same guy was making the potato salad and we were sure to enjoy it today as well.  The chef, who had overheard the conversation, came out from the kitchen. Mr. Green is 75 years old.  His greatest joy is cooking for people.  He has a program where he recruits high school students.  He takes them to his family farm and teaches them about growing food and then he brings them to his restaurant and teaches them how to cook.  He does everything with four basic tenants in mind:  love, kindness, tolerance, and respect.  It is his belief that we are meant to be helping one another.  He also believes that educating young people and giving them skills is the most important thing we can do.  The world needs more men like Bill Green.  This is not a fancy place and this is not fancy food.  The ambiance is unique.  We had a great meal of ribs and potato salad but the best part of our experience at Gullah Grub was chatting and sharing values.

 After lunch we went for a drive in the country.  We took Eddings Point Road to the end where we came upon a farm with lots of donkeys. 

There was also a large pig laying on the pasture…we never know what we are going to find!

This evening, we drove to the Visitor Center and then found a place to sit by the lagoon.

We went to the lighthouse but it was closed for construction.

We went to sit on the beach.

We took a small picnic to the Marsh Boardwalk.

We saw a bald eagle.

We stayed for sunset.

1293 October 22, 2025 Island Hopping To Hunting Island

We found 2 sets of raccoon tracks right beside the steps to the RV…small ones and larger ones. 

I finished my walk and did some cleaning and then got the rig ready to go.  We stopped at the sanitation station and then went to fuel up.

Today’s destination was Hunting Island State Park.  It was just 13 miles from Edisto…as the crow flies.  In order to get there, we had to drive inland and then back east.  The road trip was 97 miles and took us about two hours. 

The park is beautiful but nothing looked familiar.  We were here more than ten years ago.  Since then, there have been a lot of changes.  This barrier island loses 20 feet of sand/land every year.  It is eroding more quickly than any other barrier island.  Consequently, the beachfront campground that we remember no longer exists. 

This afternoon, we drove to the Nature Center and then walked the pier. 

This heron was clearly accustomed to being around people.  A fisherman there told us that the bird had just eaten 3 fish.

We took our bikes and rode the trail to the “boneyard.”  This beach has a lot of driftwood and fallen trees. 

There was a section of cabins along this beach.  They have been destroyed by storms over the years.  There is still evidence of their existence.  There are great piles of concrete.  These cabins were actually built in the woods…far away from the shoreline…until they weren’t.

I saw a pair of large birds in a tree quite a distance away.  I saw that they were eagles.  I moved closer and took dozens of pictures.

We biked back to the Jeep and drove to the Marsh Boardwalk.  We saw hundreds of tiny crabs moving through the mud.

We saw this wood stork soaring above.

This evening, we were tired.  We decided to stay in and just had eggs for dinner.

1292 October 21, 2025 Environmental Learning Center

I walked the Cabin Road again today.  There were no new bobcat tracks but there were lots of raccoons out and about last night.

Some cool fungi.

There are lots of live oak trees and therefore there are lots of acorns and therefore there are lots of squirrels.

This huge spiderweb was awesome!

I felt good and so I continued my walk on a smaller trail.

This afternoon, we took our bikes and rode the trails from the campground to Spanish Mount.  This was as shell mound built by Native Americans more than 4,000 years ago.  The shell mound has deteriorated over time due to flooding and erosion.

We cycled on to the Environmental Learning Center.  This is a beautiful building that houses displays and information about the ecology of this area and the importance of conservation.  The center is well done and we enjoyed our time there.

We took one last trail spur to the Bache Monument.  In 1850, Bache was assigned the task of mapping and measuring the east coast of the United States from Maine to Alabama.  He used a system of triangulation with concrete markers to calculate the miles.  In the 1990’s, modern global positioning was used to test Bache’s measurements.  He was 2 ½ inches off.  That’s pretty remarkable. 

We biked back through the forest to the RV.

This evening, I grilled salmon, made asparagus salad, and cut some fresh mango.  We took our dinner to the picnic area at the boat ramp.

When we were finished eating, we drove into town and stopped at the beach.

We went to the Jungle Road Park to watch sunset.