Savannah; Beaches, Breweries and a Birthday!

 We had another birthday this week when our little baby turned 37. Funny how I forget what I did yesterday but remember this event 37 years ago like it was yesterday! It was a Saturday; we were driving from our apartment in New Richmond Wisconsin to my dad's in Shell Lake. The drive is a little over an hour. We were about 1/2 way there, when Barb started having really bad contractions. We turned around, a short time later, Forrest was born. We have never been broker than we were back then, but we were happy, everything was new and we had our whole lives in front of us. 

We did not know the gender prior to the birth, something I think very few people do anymore. Gender reveal parties are now the rage so rather than be surprised at the birth, expectant parents gather together with all their friends and family and make a party out of it. Did you know the gender of your child(ren) before they were born?

Speaking of surprises. I had a surprise when I went to empty our black tank the other day. For those of you unfamiliar with RV'ing, the black tank contains everything from the toilet. We had stopped by Camperworld to use their dump station which was a broken off pipe in the middle of the parking lot in the back, near their service area. No water available to rinse, or wash anything when you are done, just a hole in the asphalt. 

So I pull up, get my hose, hook everything up and pulled the tank lever. Apparently, I had not used this hose in a while and when the "liquid" started down the hose I quickly found out it had a dozen or so pin holes in it resulting in something that looked like a sprinkler hose you would use in your garden! I quickly turned it off and switched to my back up hose, but the damage had already been done. I used my outdoor shower to clean it up the best I could, but there was only so much I could do. Camperworld really should provide a water source at their dump stations!  

Now, for this week's edition of Find the Frenchie! This is a tough one, you may really have to zoom in. Don't worry if you cannot find it, I have a picture near the end that shows exactly where she is. 

We got out on several adventures this week. The first was just Forrest, Lily, Barb and I while Somer was sleeping. We headed to the Hilton Head Beach to take in some sun and sand.

Those are my toes on the left, I think my last manicure turned out really well! Barb's, however, need a little work!

Forrest brought his metal detector. We looked for treasures but only came up with bottle caps, pull tabs and a few foil wrapped candy wrappers. 

Then it was off to mini-golf!

We finished the day off with a stop at Hilton Head Brewery for a couple of cold beers and jumbo pretzels. 

On Somer's first day off work we headed to the Prohibition Museum in Savannah. A very interesting time in our country's history. The older I get, the more I discover that our country has not progressed a lot in the past 100 years. The issues have changed, but the blowhards on both sides in Washington continue to push their agendas with regard to what is really good for the country. 

The museum had displays depicting the time leading up to prohibition, during and after. The wax figures were very realistic.

From there, it was off to the Bonaventure Cemetary. In use since 1864, it is one of the oldest in the country and has some really spectacular headstones and monuments. 

One thing different about this one compared to others we have seen is the number of Family Plots. It seemed like the majority of them were large family plots that could hold up to a dozen or more burial sites. Some were filled, some were empty, some had only one or two sites used, where other family member decided to go elsewhere. There were a number of baby sites where the infants were a few days or few months old. Always sad to see, I can only imagine the hardship those parents went through. 

Barb, Somer and I enjoyed the cemetery, Forrest to a lesser extent, Lily, not at all. 

For Forrest's birthday we had planned three events. We started off by going to Burnt Church Distillery in Bluffton, SC. 

This is a very cool distillery offering lots of whiskeys, moonshine, bourbons, gins and vodkas. We each had a flight of tasters and a couple of appetizers. I really liked the cards that accompanied each of the tasters. It explained what goes into each and a QR code that links to a short video telling a story of each.

The highlight for me, was the bathroom. I think I need one of these in our house! It is a cascading water wall, quiet, peaceful and serene making for the perfect setting when the need arises. I just hope it is not recirculating water!

From there it was off to bowling! Twice in two months. We all had fun; Somer had her highest game ever at 141!

Then we were off to the Bluffton Seafood Company for supper. Good, but not great. Their prices were reasonable though. 

The next day Forrest and I loaded up our inflatable kayak and hit the New River in Bluffton. We had Barb drop us off at a launch and we floated 4 miles upriver (the tide was coming in) to another launch where we were picked up several hours later.

It was very cool and very remote. It is amazing that you can be in the middle of a city one minute and in the remote swamplands the next. Forrest brought his fishing pole to see if he could catch anything. Neither of us knew what species of fish were in the river so we were going totally blind. On his second cast he hooked into a largemouth bass that danced its way across the water as he brought it in. It got off right at the boat, but Forrest was pumped that he even caught anything. 

I paddled and guided the boat while he fished. 15 minutes later, he hooked into something else. This time it was much, bigger. As he fought the fish, he finally got it near the boat and we got a look at the distinctive dot near the tail. A Red Fish! We did not bring a net, so Forrest swung his rod around to guide it to me to try and pick up. It took several attempts, but I managed to get it in the boat. No easy feat in the kayak! Forrest took a picture with me holding it, then I handed it to him for a picture. Forrest had it in his hand for a total of 1 second before it gave a mighty wiggle and plopped back into the water. Oh well, he was happy to have caught his first Red!

I started with a pup picture; I should end with one too. Here is a close up of the Find the Frenchie picture.

Every time we come home, those two eyes and little pointy ears are in the window. And sometimes there is a big white lab head right next to her!

I get the biggest kick out of Chloe. I do not know how to describe her expression. Mournful? She always has the goofiest look on her face. And then there is Jack. Anytime there is food around, he sits up like this and rotates his head from person to person trying to act cute so someone will give him a treat. It worked every time!

Today is our last day here in Savannah, it is time to move on. Who knows what adventures await as we head south into Florida!