Hofwyl-Broadfield Rice Plantation

Meandering through the southern states made me want to want to see a plantation.  We spoke with another tourist when we were in Savannah, and she recommended the Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation. 

From their web page:

"This beautiful plantation represents the history and culture of Georgia’s rice coast. In the early 1800s, William Brailsford of Charleston carved a rice plantation from marshes along the Altamaha River. The plantation and its inhabitants were part of the genteel low country society that developed during the antebellum period. While many factors made rice cultivation increasingly difficult in the years after the Civil War, the family continued to grow rice until 1913.

The enterprising siblings of the fifth generation at Hofwyl-Broadfield resolved to start a dairy rather than sell their family home. The efforts of Gratz, Miriam and Ophelia Dent led to the preservation of their family legacy. Ophelia was the last heir to the rich traditions of her ancestors, and she left the plantation to the state of Georgia in 1973."

The plantation was beautiful - beyond description:

 View of what was the rice fields:

and the homestead

Savannah: Misc

I'd like to share with you some of the things I found most notable about Savannah.

Did you know there's a huge Irish influence in Savannah?  No?  Me neither.  In fact, the city boasts the 2nd biggest St Paddy's Day parade (NYC is #1).  The St Paddy's events go on for about 2 weeks, and people book a year in advance to get accommodations!!  Cheers

The homes of Savannah are amazing:

and the "live oak trees", stunning:

they are covered in "Spanish Moss", which I understand is neither Spanish, nor moss.  Thankfully the Spanish Moss does nothing to harm the trees - they co-exist quite nicely!

Many movies have been filmed in Savannah.  Recognize this park bench??:

Yup, it's the one Forrest Gump sat on, eating his box of chocolates.

This tiny, weeny one room home recently sold for over $250,000 (that even beats Vancouver prices!)

The concrete used for the sidewalks (at least in the historic district) is composed of, among other things, crushed oyster shells!

Authentic cast iron downspouts go for up to $400 each!!

and finally, the Pirates House, where we had a fantastic meal, was in its day, much more that a Public House.  Did you see the reference to shanghaiing in an earlier post?  This place was well known for this.  Unsuspecting thirsty folk would come to the Pirates House to quench their thirst.  Unbeknownst to them, certain chemicals might be added to their drink, rendering them unconscious.  They would wake up the next day on a ship to China, having been carried out through tunnels under the floor of the building.  Don't laugh - I almost lost Dave - thank God Guinness barked or who knows what would have happened!!! Especially as he had the car keys ;)

Savannah: Churches

It probably would have been more respectful to post this before the Ghost post.  My Bad!! Hopefully I'll be forgiven.

The last S&SD post mentioned the First African Baptist Church - a church constituted in 1777!!!  I was very intrigued by this - mostly due to my ignorance of slavery in general and more specifically slavery in Georgia and the impact it had (or not) on religion.  I didn't think blacks would be permitted to have their own places of worship - was I wrong!!! 

The church at one time had over 3000 parishioners (and currently has about 800).  The physical structure is impressive:

The tour of this church was absolutely fantastic - it caused both Dave and me to pause and reflect for a very, very long time.  Our tour guide was a 23 year old male named Johnny MacDonald (picture below - he's the one in the white t-shirt).  His family has been part of this parish for a very long time.  From what Johnny shared with us, he is a real "mover and shaker" in the church.  He had us captivated from the time he first opened his mouth.  I intend to remember this young man's name, and hold the pictures of him close - because there is no doubt in my mind that we will hear of him again some day.

Johnny spoke of the pastors of the church, the ongoing activities of the church and the history of the church, including the role the church played in the "underground railroad".  From National Geographic: "The Underground Railroad was the network used by enslaved black Americans to obtain their freedom in the 30 years before the Civil War (1860-1865). The “railroad” used many routes from states in the South, which supported slavery, to “free” states in the North and Canada."

To view the actual underground railroad routes, go to http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/multimedia/undergroundrailroad/?ar_a=1&ar_r=999

I can't remember the actual number of slaves who passed through this church to gain their freedom.  What I do remember is that song and quilts were tools of communication in the liberation of the slaves.  I also remember that the slaves passing through the First African Baptist Church were hidden in a subfloor crawl space that was 4 feet high - they may have been there for up to 48 hours!!!  They were able to get air via a number of air holes in the floor of the basement - there were in the shape of religious symbols, so were ignored by the authorities.

If you have a moment, I really encourage you to have a peek at the website of the First African Baptist Church: http://firstafricanbc.com

Jewish Church:  Also noteworthy (and mentioned in the last post) is the congregation Mickve Israel, the third oldest Jewish congregation in America!  A bit more history - the founder of Georgia, James Oglethorpe, originally disallowed anyone of any religion other than those of the Protestant faith (ps. he also disallowed lawyers :)  But, during one of the yellow fever outbreaks, a ship of Jewish settlers approached Savannah.  On board was a physician - between the physician and the other caring passengers, the health of many who would have otherwise died was restored.  Their place as respected citizens of Savannah was assured.  (It would still be many years before any lawyers were bestowed with the same honour).  Worth note, their temple is, we were told, the only one which resembles a Christian structure:

Catholic Church: A beautiful structure

Savannah: Ghost Tour

...  another thing on Dave's bucket list, I've come to learn.  Savannah, Georgia.  And now that we've spent 3 days there, I certainly understand why. 

Your quick history lesson, thanks to Wikkepedia:

"Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial centre and an important Atlantic seaport. It is Georgia's fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area.  Each year Savannah attracts millions of visitors, who enjoy the city's architecture and historic buildings: the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low (founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America), the Georgia Historical Society (the oldest continually operating historical society in the South), the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences (one of the South's first public museums), the First African Baptist Church (one of the oldest African American Baptist congregations in the United States), Temple Mickve Israel (the third oldest synagogue in America), and the Central of Georgia Railway roundhouse complex (the oldest standing antebellum rail facility in America).
Savannah's downtown area, which includes the Savannah Historic District, the Savannah Victorian Historic District and 22 parklike squares, is one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the United States (designated by the U.S. government in 1966)."

And, did you know it's considered the most haunted city in America???  So let's start there.   Those of you who know me well may or may not know that I love having the s*** scared out of me (within reason, of course!).  So when I learned of Savannah's status as the most haunted city in America, I HAD to do a Ghost Tour.  There are a ton of different tours, but based on the experts (TripAdvisor:) we went with a walking tour offered by 6th Sense Ghost Tours.  We met our tour guide, Nick, in a parking lot on the north corner of Forsythe Park at 9:30pm.  He was a true story teller (we suspect he may be enrolled in the acting program at the Savannah College School of Art and Design) and had us captivated the whole 2 hours of the tour.

We learned that many activities in Savannah over the years combine to make it ripe for paranormal activity - many years of shanghaiing; 3 yellow fever outbreaks; tons of pirate activity; and most importantly the fact that much of the city is built on top of graveyards!!!!  BOO (scare ya???)  The tour was fantastic and surprisingly enough, I was actually able to get to sleep afterwards.  Nick took us to 4 private homes, where we stood on the abutting sidewalks and learned of the unfortunate fate of the residents of years gone by.

Here's a picture of Nick using the flashlight app on his I Phone to show us a missing tip on this decorative wrought iron fence (embedded in the skull of a young boy after he was pushed off the roof of the house by something that no one could see!!)

 We spent a LOT of time outside the site of the former Candler Hospital. 

Here's some information on the hospital posted to the Internet:

"There is perhaps no building in the City of Savannah that has witnessed as much misery and death, as the old Candler Hospital. Founded in 1808 as a seaman’s hospital and poor house, Candler is the oldest hospital in the state of Georgia. Formerly known as Savannah Hospital, it was moved to the current location on Drayton Street, just across from Forsyth Park. The original structure, which has been empty for nearly two decades, was once used as a Union hospital, as well as a hospital where hundreds of patients died of Yellow Fever. It has also been used as an insane asylum.
In the summer of 1876, at the height of Savannah’s greatest Yellow Fever epidemic, 276 people died in a period of 48 hours. So great were the number of corpses that doctors feared the further spread of disease. They also feared the panic that would ensue should citizens of the fair city witness the caravan of bodies being transported from the hospital. And so they dug a tunnel. Approximately 12 feet beneath the surface lie a tunnel that stretches across the current parking lot, across Drayton Street, and conveniently deposits itself into the then wooded grounds of Forsyth Park. Through this tunnel hundreds of bodies of Yellow Fever victims were transported just beneath the charm of Victorian Savannah. Though the people of Savannah were well aware of the epidemic, as it had claimed nearly 10% of Savannah’s population each year, the “ugliness” of it was kept concealed. The Candler tunnel also served as an excellent morgue, the coolness of which allowed bodies to be stored while they awaited burial."

Funny this author/historian didn't mention the hanging tree on the property

Oh, by the way, the property is for sale.  Interested????
Oh ya, my normally overactive mind went NUTS on this tour!!!

Outer Banks, North Carolina

March 25th

I had never heard of Outer Banks, NC before I heard Dave and Drusie discussing it.  Apparently it has always been on Dave's "bucket list", but he didn't really see himself ever getting there (it is a bit out of the way!!).  And Duck, a community on the narrow strip of land known as the Outer Banks is a favourite vacation destination of Drusie's - so before I knew it, we were headed to Duck, North Carolina.

What/where the heck are the Outer Banks?

"A 200-mile stretch of barrier islands just off the coast of North Carolina, the Outer Banks is a different kind of place. Beautifully natural, formed by centuries of wind, water and sand blown from the Atlantic Ocean, and home to a rich history, it's a place that inspires a true sense of adventure. From Duck down to Hatteras, each town and island along the banks offers a unique experience not soon forgotten."

It took us about 6 hours to get there and (ultimately) we were so glad we did.  Things got off to a bit of a rocky start when the resort we were headed toward advised that they no longer take pets (apparently the CAA booklet went to press before they advised them of this change in policy Grrrr).  And our good ole standby Best Western was full.  But they were kind enough to recommend a Ramada Inn in Nag's Head that was pet friendly and we happily settled in there.  Karma was restored and all was good.

Pictures really can't do justice to the amazing beaches all along the east coast of the Outer Banks, but I'll try to give you a feel:

(not sure why this dude's smiling - he's washed up and dead, but what do I know??!!??)

(now this guy has reason to smile, he's on vacation and the sun's shining, but he'll have the smile wiped off his face when the police catch him for breaking the laws)

Now, to be clear, Outer Banks is not only about beautiful beaches! 

It is the site of the first powered flight!!  Kill Devil Hills, NC - ever heard of it?  No, probably not and the reason is, another community is credited with the fame:

"Kitty Hawk became famous after the Wright brothers of Dayton, Ohio, selected a nearby site to make their first controlled powered airplane flights on December 17, 1903. The site of the flights is four miles (6 km) south of the town, near the sand dunes known as the Kill Devil Hills, a location the Wrights had used for practice with their gliders. Kitty Hawk is often mistakenly credited as the site of the powered flights. After the flights, the brothers walked back to Kitty Hawk, where they sent a telegram from the Weather Bureau office to their father informing him of their success."

Housed on the site of the historic flights is an amazing museum and memorial to the Wright Brothers

Here's to happy trails and soft landings!!

Among many of the other attractions on the Outer Banks are:

1. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (look closely and you will see Dave in the very bottom, left hand corner of the picture).  This is the tallest brick lighthouse in the world

2. Jockey's Ridge State Park, home of

 "... the tallest active sand dune system in the Eastern United States, and the most striking of the remaining dunes on the Outer Banks. Shifting winds are constantly reshaping the dunes. Because the Ridge is always changing, it is often referred to as "The Living Dune."







Honestly, we were more impressed with the sand dunes along the Oregon and California coasts, but have to admit that this one was huge - just less impressive with it's height, breadth and view of the open ocean.  Having said that, it was large enough and the winds are consistently high enough that it houses a hang-gliding school - and that's pretty impressive!!!

On the Road Again: destination Florida via Waynesboro, Va

March 21st

Once again, we've loaded up the car and are setting off on a driving adventure - this time, our destination is Florida.  As with our West Coast Sunsets and Sand Dunes trip, Guinness is along for the ride - and for the same reasons, we don't know how long we'll be gone and I can't stand the thoughts of being without him for too long and kennelling him indefinitely.   Mucho thanks to Dave for agreeing to drag our furry friend along.  As those of you who have travelled with pets know, it makes for a very different sort of trip - a bit more complicated, but very enjoyable if the pre-planning is done.

 Dave has always wanted to make the NS to Fla driving trip, but never had the chance because of time restrictions with a very busy work schedule.  I have done it once (Fla to NS).  It was the year after my Dad died, and I flew down to drive back with Mom.  I won't go into any details about the differences between the two trips - would either bore you to death, or make this a blog that would have to be "X-rated".  Rather I'll tell you the one similarity between the two trips - making Waynesboro, Virginia a destination highlight of the trip. 

Waynesboro (an approx 21 hr drive) is where my Dad's brother Noel and his wife Peggy settled many, many years ago when Uncle Noel took a position as a scientist with DuPont (he was on the team that invented Lycra and Kevlar!!).  Growing up, we only got to see Uncle Noel and Auntie Peg every second year, when they loaded up the car with their 3 boys (Sandy, John and Alan) and drove to N.S.  They were favourites and the summers they came our way were always very special (but I digress ...).  Anyway, Uncle Noel is now just shy of his 88th birthday, still living at 1208 Shamrock Lane and still as sharp as a tack.  I am very glad we got to spend some time with him and look forward to our next visit.  Much thanks to cousin John and his wife Drusie for putting us up for the night - not everyone will take on 2 Canucks and a labradoodle!!!  And thanks as well to Drusie's son Will for leaving VMI to come out to meet us.  Hopefully we've talked them all into coming our way this summer so we can return the favour.

My Uncle Noel

And thanks as well to Drusie for recommending that Outer Banks, North Carolina be our next destination - more on that in the next post.

Random sunsets

So, the weary travellers are back in NS (Oct '11).  We are happy to be home, but somewhat disoriented.  If you have ever been homeless, you'll understand the feeling.  Well, we weren't REALLY homeless - 75 Sunset Drive was rented out (as we weren't expecting to return to NS till April, 2012) - but we were fortunate enough to have the use of Skip and Judy's place next door.  We will be forever thankful to the Oliver's for their generosity.  It allowed us to be in close proximity to Heather and Andy, which came in very handy when Heather was hospitalized and recuperating. 

From the end of October until early January, we resumed our status as residents of Indian Point, Glen Haven.  During this time, I was reminded of why I had such a love for sunsets - because we have some of the most stunning sunsets in the WHOLE  wide world (somewhat biased, I'll admit) every season of the year:

Including the Fall (this one from the Oliver's deck):

and the winter (from our deck):

In mid January, we joined Ria, PJ and the boys in Hawaii, and once again, I was captivated by the immense beauty of the setting sun:

and finally

Oh yes, we encountered some dunes in Hawaii as well.  Well, not really dunes, but I'm sure Finnegan and Teggen will always think of these as very large dunes :)



Nova Scotia please, and don't spare the horses!!!

First things first - if you were a labradoodle, would you prefer 8 long miserable days in the back of a car; or would you prefer one long miserable day with WestJet????  Answer - you are a labradoodle, you don't get to make decisions.  Your humans have decided that you'd be happier hanging out with your cousin Sprout while we scoot across the continent.  We'll send for you when we settle - promise!!!

The camping gear from our West Coast Sunsets and Sand Dunes Tour is now in storage with the rest of our furniture.  We've had an amazing final visit with friends and family, and we're headed east.  Off we go through:

Washington
Idaho
Montana
North Dakota (just days ahead of their first snowfall!)
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Illinois (thanks to CAA for getting us BY Chicago and not IN Chicago!)
Indiana
Michigan
Ohio
Pennsylvania
NY
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Maine
New Brunswick

and finally, NOVA SCOTIA!!!   After 3 provinces and 15 states, we were ready to kiss the NS soil and were so grateful to Lorna and Stewart for giving us a soft spot to land our first night "home".

A few memorable pictures:

The Badlands of North Dakota:

Farmland like we've never seen before - it goes on for-frikkin-ever!!!

Flat farmland:

Hilly farmland:

Many, many "big sky" sunsets:

Evidence of cities (avoided like the plague)

and more Best Western's than I care to mention!!

8 days after pulling away from North Vancouver, my husband delivered me safely to Nova Scotia. Thanks Dave - I love you!!!