Peaceful Day (Road Trip Day 33)

We enjoyed a quiet day of reading and videos. Somedays we just want to take time out to relax. We find it easier to relax and ‘do nothing’ than at home where we could always find something that could be weeded, cleaned, or fixed.

I did a little bit of trip planning for the second and third week of May. I am stuck until I hear from a campground we are trying to get reservations at for two nights. Meanwhile, reading and watching videos is an effective way for Joe and me to unwind.

Hurray for quiet days of leisure.

Pelion, SC (Road Trip Day 32)

 Today would be my mother’s 84th birthday. She died in July of 2016 within weeks of my 60th birthday. It was fitting then that we spent several hours today with her baby sister, Janet, who just turned 78 years young.

Janet and her husband, Doug, live on 2 acres on the outskirts of Pelion, SC.  The road is appropriately named Clay Hill. The road is paved red clay. They have woods on their property and it feels very private even with neighbors sharing a common driveway. Both Janet and Doug have experienced health challenges this past year, yet today seemed a good day for them and we appreciated the opportunity to visit with them.

The last time we had seen Janet and Doug was in July 2016 when they came up to Ohio for my mom’s funeral. 

Their youngest child, Angela (Angel) came over to visit as well. Angel and I have talked on the phone and messaged each other over the years; however the last time we saw each other was in July 1992 when mom and I drove, with 5 month old Megan, to visit Janet and family. Janet and mom had flown to California in early March 1992 to see newborn Megan. 

We had a lot to catch up on today. They treated us to lunch at a local Mexican restaurant that was quite popular. We enjoyed the treat and their company.

 After a 5 hour visit we headed back to Columbia to have dinner at a Greek restaurant with their middle child -Kurt and his wife, April. Today was their 23rd wedding anniversary and they each had birthdays in April (20th and 23rd). I had last seen Kurt at our Grandmother’s funeral back in the late 1990’s. Today was the first time I had met April face-to-face; however we had communicated by email and messenger over the years. April is passionate about family genealogy and produced a bound book for the Hudkins family in 2016. 

Kurt shared stories from his military days and it allowed us to get to know more about him. April and I got to talk a bit about the 2023 Hudkins’ family reunion in Ohio that is in the planning stages. Over the years she has helped with reunions by keeping current on family addresses and mailing postcard invitations. Another cousin, Denise had also taken on the lion’s share of the reunion arrangements over the years. I am here to tell you that it is a thankless job! 

We visited with Kurt and April for about 3 hours and then headed out to Dick’s and bought a tent. We found that some campgrounds will not allow you to car camp so the tent will give us more access to campsites as we travel.

I am writing tonight’s blog at the laundromat - on my phone. Forgive me for any errors!

 Tomorrow I plan to make more travel arrangements for May 15th to May 31st. It takes time to connect with the people we want to see, check out places we want to visit, and book accommodations. I appreciate people who make travel arrangements for others! 

I did not think to get photos of Janet, Doug, and Angel. April took some selfies though so I am sharing them tonight.

Beth, Joe, Kurt, April

Beth and Kurt

I downloaded a Facebook photo of my cousin Angel so you all can see my sweet (but oh so feisty) cousin’s face.

Cotton, Candy, and Fireworks, Oh My! (Road Trip Day 31)

Joe and I drove from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to Columbia, South Carolina today. On the way, we stopped into Bishopville, SC to tour the South Carolina Cotton Museum, and the Lee County Veterans Museum (housed in the same building). The museum is a privately held non-profit (501-c3). Joe said the information about World War II was different than Joe’s previous history sources. Joe reads extensively on topics of interest so he will go back and review other sources to get a clearer understanding.

Joe enjoyed his visit ($4.00 for Senior Citizens) while I read in the car. It was a beautiful day to read with the windows down.

We made an earlier stop at Sparky’s Country Store on South Highway 501 in Marion. Their candy inventory was among the best I have come across and I didn’t buy any. I couldn’t choose and buying it all was not an option. Sparky’s is also known for their fireworks inventory. The store is advertised as over 20,000 square feet with 5,000 square feet dedicated to their fireworks showroom. Joe was checking out some product that had BOOM! In big letters on it. It looked like some type of gunpowder. I grabbed his hand and led him away with comments about guys liking big booms.

We are in Columbia, the capital of South Carolina, for the next couple of days visiting my mother’s youngest sister and her family. My aunt Janet and her husband, Doug live nearby in Pelion, SC. We plan to connect with them and their youngest child, Angela (Angel) tomorrow late morning. On Saturday we will visit their youngest son, Kurt, and his wife, April. On Monday we will head to Greenville, SC and visit their oldest son, Troy, and his wife Candace. Monday evening we plan to arrive in Davidson, NC to visit friends for a few days.

We are both feeling more rested today! 

Myrtle Beach (Road Trip Day 30)

We drove to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina today. I had wanted to check out Myrtle Beach as it was somewhere family members out of Ohio would talk about visiting. We were already in South Carolina so why not?

The view of the Atlantic Ocean from our 6^th floor hotel room is amazing. We are staying at the Coral Beach Resort Hotel. We used Expedia to get a discount on the room. There is a bar on our floor that I will check out after we get settled in and the blog is posted.

We stopped on the way here for an early dinner at The Jerusalem Restaurant. Their décor was fun with a colorful chandelier and hanging lamps hanging throughout the restaurant. The food was excellent. We shared a Greek salad, Lahm Bi Ajin (ground lamb, tomatoes, onions, and pine nuts spread on Lebanese flatbread with yogurt dressing), and Arayes (their version is ground beef and ground lamb shaped like a small round burger inside of a baked pita).

The scenery in South Carolina has been like the scenery in Georgia and Alabama. Beautifully green, rolling hills, and lots of lakes and rivers. A change from our neck of the woods in Woodland, California.

I am very tired today. I am hoping it is simply because we have been traveling for 30 days now and that after a good night’s rest, I’ll feel rejuvenated.

Savannah (Day 29 Road Trip)

 We were close to Georgia on this trip. I have always wanted to go to Savannah. So, we came to Savannah. I knew I was not up for a day long walking tour so we opted for a 90-minute Trolley Tour that could last a day if we chose to explore each of the stops further. It’s a hop-on and hop-off tour.

I snapped photos from the open-air trolley. Our morning was beautiful (later in the day we had a thunderstorm with lightning). Joe asked me if Savannah was what I expected and I told him I felt the vibe of Savannah I experienced when reading books with the city in it. In the books I’ve read, Savannah feels like a character in the story and not as a setting. The people we met in the city were kind and helpful. From the woman who directed us to park our car in a free garage at the tour site to the woman checking us in for the tour (we pre-bought tickets online) to the trolley conductor. After the trolley tour, I sat in the Savannah Visitor’s Bureau and read while Joe toured the History Museum.

Side view of Cathedral Basilica of St. John

1 of the 22 Squares still in existence in Savannah. We saw Franklin Square, Telfair Square, Calhoun Square, Columbia Square Chippewa Square and Wright Square.  

Telfair Museum of Art

This vintage shop caught my eye because of the colorful boots used as planters at East and Up. 

While the Spanish moss looks beautiful, our guide warned us not to touch the moss because chiggers live in it. I was surprised to learn that Spanish moss is not really a moss and that if handled properly it has medicinal uses.

There is more than one way to get around the city.

Lewis Kayton House (aka Mansion on Forsyth Park) is now a historic five-star hotel. The home was built from 1888 to 1889. At 18,000 sq.ft. Joe and I agreed we would not want to live in the place (all I could think about was cleaning it). It was a funeral home in 1953, which lasted for over fifty years.

I snapped this photo because the home looked pretty with the potted flowers on the steps.

A ship entering the Port of Savannah.

In the early afternoon we came back to Port Wentworth and took naps and then went out for an early dinner at Milan Grill and Bar. Joe and I agreed it was the very best restaurant meal since the trip started.

End of the day we ate Pecan Cobbler with ice cream. 

Georgia (Day 28 Road Trip)

We drove from Huntsville, Alabama to Port Wentworth, Georgia today. We are just north of Savannah at a Best Western Plus hotel this evening. I could not find a campsite that would let us car camp. We will drive into Savannah tomorrow to do a couple of tours.

We left Huntsville around 9:30 am after taking a few minutes to check out Tammy and Kent’s new travel trailer. They have been enjoying taking it out to local lakes with their friends. They were going to leave tomorrow for a few days; however, their friends called and said they were going up a day early so Tammy and Kent decided to go this afternoon.

It was a long driving day, and we also lost an hour crossing into the Eastern Standard Time zone. The drive was beautiful – lots of trees and rolling hills. The first rest stop in Georgia was one of the nicest rest stops we have visited on this trip.

 

About 60 miles west of our destination it started raining and we were gifted geese walking across the driveway of a gas station and a rainbow.

 

We had dinner at Agave Bar and Grill Mexican Restaurant about ¾ of a mile from the hotel. We had taco salads, an adult beverage each and fried ice cream. It was our first Mexican food during our trip. It was very good.

Tammy snapped a photo of her and me on her front porch this morning. She realized we did not have a photo together. We really appreciated our stay with her and Kent. 

Reflection (Road Trip Day 27)

                                                One of my favorite sayings to share

Today was a quiet day to regroup as we prepared to leave Huntsville (Alabama) tomorrow morning. Joe and Kent worked on a couple of home projects. Tammy worked on a gift she is preparing for one of their grandson’s high school graduation this spring. I planned out the next 19 days of our road trip which will take us to Savannah, GA; Charleston, SC; Charleston, SC; Myrtle Beach, SC; Pelion, SC; Greenville, SC; Davidson, NC; New Bern, NC; Washington DC; and Montclair, NJ. Joe will make a side-trip into New York City to see Nathan during part of the trip.

Yesterday’s wedding renewal vows turned out wonderfully. Friends of Kent and Tammy’s came over as witnesses (DeeDee and James). Kent bought flowers for the occasion and Tammy made me a bouquet to hold. The cake was amazing. We finished the cake off at lunch today. The ceremony itself was lovely and I worked at not crying during it. I am feeling grateful Joe was willing to renew our vows.

Our stay in Huntsville was one of joy. Tammy and Kent are gracious hosts offering us opportunities to explore while working with my physical limitations of short walks. We really appreciate their kindness. I may have talked their ears off, and they haven’t complained about it even once. We will come to visit them again and hope they will come see us in Minnesota.

Every year I pick a word that I use for reflection and as a reminder of what I want to work toward each year. I generally pick the word in early December. In 2020 my word was adaptability. I remember rolling this word out to managers at a January 2020 meeting. Who knew it would be essential during the COVID-19 pandemic? The 2021 word was grace, the 2022 word was healing, my 2023 word is transformation. I would like to report that each of our visits with family and friends on this trip have helped me in some way with my own ongoing transformation. It has been an honor to be in folk's space and learn about their life's experiences and how they have coped. I find people in general are resilient and we have been blessed by the positive energy we experience.

It will be difficult to move on tomorrow. I am looking forward to Savannah while simultaneously feeling I want to stay with Bentley, Tammy, and Kent a while longer to soak up more of the healing energy they have provided us for the past six days.

Renewal (Day 26 Road Trip)

On the seventh day they rested. Today we had a quiet day as Joe, and I celebrated our 29^th wedding anniversary. Kent Replogle has agreed to renew our vows for us. We decided to have the ceremony on the back porch of their lovely home in the woods of Huntsville, Alabama at around 6:30pm this evening.

Tammy (Replogle, Kent’s wife and my cousin) made us a lovely caramel and pecan cake as a celebration treat. The sky is overcast today, though no rain is forecast. Twenty-nine years ago, it began raining shortly after our wedding and we scurried around renting tents for the reception held in our backyard. I was happy it rained that day as my father had passed away in 1989 and he had told us before his passing that when it rained, he’d be with us in spirit. The rain on April 23, 1994, was a blessing. My dad would have liked Joe.

I came across a poem this morning, it was published in The New Yorker:

Why I Loved Him

by Camonghne Felix 

I can’t tell you

Why I loved him or

What it meant. When you

Are a child, you know only

The kind of love your little

Life lacked, so every

Blooming flower is a field.

 This poem makes me sad and happy at the same time. Joe is my field. I always wanted to feel cherished, and his actions and words have led to me feeling cherished. In the past 29 years we have had ups and downs, mostly ups; however, our relationship has been steadfast. The ups and downs were not in our relationship – only in ordinary everyday struggles everyone experiences. Through the times we have felt bereft or devastated by life events, Joe was always steadfast in expressing his respect and love for me.

 On occasion, over the years, I have asked Joe if he wants to get married and he always says yes. Today he is going to marry me again. We are renewing our vows. Today, those words mean so much more than they did to me 29 years ago. Twenty-nine years ago, we were going into this marriage with high hopes. We had known each other for about 5 years before our marriage. We were friends at first. Then we dated and married. Our friendship is 34 years strong, and our love is 30 years stronger. I am looking forward to growing older together.

Today is a day of renewal - just as our road trip is a time of renewal for us as we make our way across the country visiting family and friends. 

  

Lost in Paradise (Day 25 Road Trip)

We spent the morning doing laundry and helped Tammy a little bit by separating out her homemade noodles so they could dry. It was a relaxing morning of visiting. Joe took Bentley for a long walk which they both enjoyed.

After lunch, we headed over to Harrison Brothers Hardware in downtown Huntsville. Harrison Brothers Hardware was founded in 1894 as a general store. They currently sell locally made art, fine crafts, candy, toys, books, gourmet foods and other gift items. Many of the original fixtures are still on display. If a store has the name ‘hardware’ in it, I figure Joe may be interested.

A few photos from our visit to Harrison Brothers Hardware:

Kent wandering the aisles - checking out the cool stuff on the top shelves.

Tammy expressing excitement over the merchandise (this was one of the three shots of her being silly - and it came out a perfect photo).

A representative section of the older merchandise they still display.

Top and bottom photo - Joe checking out the merchandise.

Today the store was celebrating Earth Day by inviting visitors to make wildflower seed balls to take home and plant in their yards. It will be fun to see how Tammy and Kent’s seed balls work out.

After the trip to Harrison Brothers, we drove to Guntersville Lake. Our goal was to go to the community of Guntersville. Tammy was the navigator using Google Maps as her source. Somewhere along the way we got a bit turned around and a 40-minute drive one way and a 30-minute return drive (we started from northern Huntsville) turned into a four-hour drive. Kent and Joe were in the front seats, and they were adamant that Kent was following the directions Tammy gave him.

A photo of the lake (from the itnernet)

In case you ever want to visit Guntersville... Use WAZE instead of GOOGLE

Tammy and I may have been distracted as we were busy… talking.

After three and a half hours of meandering the countryside we made it to Guntersville. We made a mad dash into Piggly Wiggly for a bathroom break and to purchase an ice cream snack for all of us. We headed back to Huntsville with a small side trip in Arab to look at a house that had belonged to Kent’s aunt before she passed away. Then we headed home to eat those noodles Tammy had made in the morning.

The noodles were a great treat and they surprised Joe and I with a special dessert. Moon Pies! We had never tasted a moon pie until this evening. Two flavors!

After Kent and Tammy cleaned up from dinner (I did my part – chatting with them while they worked), Joe took Bentley for another walk, Kent read, and Tammy and I talked.

Tammy and Kent do not believe they ever get lost – they just go adventuring. Today was a perfect day and they were the perfect people to ‘go adventuring.’ There was mild ribbing about the backseat navigators’ abilities and lots of laughter.

Should you ever feel lost, I truly hope you can find the adventure in the situation and that you enjoy the person (people) you are with in that moment. 

Heritage Quilters of Huntsville - Bonus Post

Tammy and I attended her monthly Heritage Quilters of Huntsville monthly meeting last night at a local church. I am estimating about 200 women were present.

As part of the meeting, attendees are invited to share their work. I was blown away at the work presented. I had no idea of the level of creativity of the people who quilt. Now I am a believer!

The early works I am sharing, I do not have the names of the people who created the work. The people holding the work are not necessarily the creators. Four women gave a presentation of their pictorial quilt work so I will list their names with their pieces.

I loved the stories that accompanied each piece of work. If you ever have the chance to go to a quilt show, I encourage you to do so. I know I am adding quilt shows to my “want to do in the future” list.

     These bags were made by Rhoda Johnson

This is a Quilt of Valor made by Pamela VerPlanck. A quilter will create a quilt for a specific Veteran. The Quilt tells the story of the Veteran's career. There are very specific rules about creating the quilts. Rhoda and Pamela are members of the local Quilt of Valor (Q of V) chapter, Liberty Piecemakers of Huntsville. Service members are nominated thru the National Q of V site. Rhoda wrote,”Our ladies make them and they are certified by Q of V and presented to the recipient. We are always welcoming new members.” My cousin is making one for her brother, Denver (Doug) Higley. The quilt in the photo is not for Doug.

                 Free motion quilt by Rhoda Johnson

Pieces by Anne Clough:

Pieces by Kim Johnson:

Pieces by Sherry Cahill:

Pieces by Sue Bartlow:

I hope I gave the correct credit to each person!