Father's Day Weekend, Our Stable and the Feathered Guest

Sea Breezes What in our world is going on this Father's Day weekend? Harold and I went to the pool on Saturday and had a lot of fun. We became children for a couple of hours and swam laps, went down the slide and tossed a ball in the water. After the pool found us buying a Father's Day present of a new coffee bean grinder for my coffee loving husband. We had dinner at a new hamburger joint in Brunswick and headed home to feed, what H affectionately calls "the stable." We are grand dog sitting. Toby, the 14 plus year old Doxie, and Riley, the grand dog Doxie, are photographed sharing Toby's bed. Riley is shown sharing a moment with Sappy the new cat. Trooper, the old mutt, is asleep in a freshly dug hole as of this writing and refused to be photographed. This leads me to today's surprise. I was out in the yard spray painting some wicker and H called out to announce there was a homing pigeon on the front porch. Yeah, right! Well, there was a homing pigeon on the front porch and he is still there! He has a band on his leg, which we haven't gotten close enough to examine. I put some bird seed out for him and some fresh water. He feasted on both and is now asleep under the bench on the porch. Did God direct this beautiful bird to our porch for rest and refreshment? We have been sitting on the porch just enjoying his presence and admiring the lovely pink and green feathers on his breast that glow in the sunlight. How often do we get the gift of a feathered visitor? How long will he stay? I don't know, but this tired and hungry bird came to us today and reminded me that our Lord appears in all forms of His creation. We were honored to be able to feed, water and provide rest and shelter for this friendly and beautiful bird today. In return, he glided off the porch, wings spread wide and gave us an air show as he maneuvered through the live oak limbs, landing gracefully back on the porch railing. How magical that our Lord whispers and guides his birds to safety and shelter. They listen to their creator. Shouldn't we, His children, be quiet, still and listen to our creator also? This is a lesson I learned today. I am sure that this is going to be a wonderful summer for me for lesson learning. I will be sure to share them all with you. "Be still and know that I am God." Enjoy the pictures of our feathered guest and the rest of our stable.

Sapelo Island, Soul Feeding and Swimming Lessons

Sea BreezesI am back from Sapelo Island, but I think I left my heart and spirit there. Three days and two nights on a hauntingly beautiful, remote and mystical island fed my soul as Psalms says a panting deer drinks and refreshes from the stream. Added to my soul feeding were roaring laughter, more golf cart rides around the island than I can count, deserted beaches strolled and shelled, history tours in an old school bus, bike rides to the light house, fried chicken picnics, island discovering and poking around, deer spotting at all hours of the day and night, fresh homemade cookies and lemonade on the buffet all day, a bell gracefully rung for meals in the mansion"s formal dining room, dining on delicious food in the formal dining room "wearing sunscreen, bug spray and our bathing suits like underwear under shorts and tees, reading books in the solarium, or chatting with our kitchen staff of five....oh my. Lovely, lovely. We explored old shell ruins from the island"s native inhabitants over 4000 years old, we explored old tabby ruins dating from 1820, we had wonderful history tours, saw a painted bunting, egrets, great blue herons, learned the history of the J. R. Reynolds Mansion, and made plans to return next year. Fun, fun, fun. We learned the art of seineing, casting a hundred foot net in the surf holding the ends of the poles to catch whatever in the ocean. That was a blast. The ferry ride over and back was a wonderful treat. After I was home a day, Katie and Kennedy came for three days and we went to St. Simons beach. We are so tan, we look like dirt. Even the baby has tan lines! This summer vacation is exhausting and I am loving every minute. I spent the afternoon on the beach again. Tomorrow finds me in Statesboro. Friends are having a baby shower for Katie and baby brother to be, and she is so excited. She and family are off to Amelia Island for a week of vacation, so I will come back with grand dog Riley. Riley meeting our new cat, Sappy should be fun. Enjoy some pictures from Sapelo Island. I took a lot of pictures and I met new friends on Sapelo, and they offered us a dock for our boat and a place to stay when we take the boat over. I also volunteered to teach swimming lessons to the island children, so I will be going back over a lot this summer. May found me fulfilling a long dream of getting my WSI, Red Cross Water Safety Instructor certification. It was a grueling course, but I did it and can now teach all levels of swimming from parent child aquatics to master's level swimming. I even passed the 25 meter distance on the butterfly stroke! So, if you want to, just do it as the ad says. And yes that is me in a swimsuit. The best thing about me at my age, is I do not care, I will not let 57 stop me from having fun or sharing my experiences. Enjoy, I will share more in the near future.

Summertime and I'll Be On Island Time

Sea BreezesSummertime for me started today. Today was our last day of teacher planning....and now the best part of being a teacher..SUMMER! I have always loved summer. Summer is sun, sand, ocean, pools, ice cream, shade, lazy, children, play, hammocks, lemonade, swings, watermelon, picnics and....VACATION! In the morning on the outgoing tide, I and 22 other teacher friends board the ferry to Sapelo Island which is here in McIntosh County. It is accesible only by boat. The ferry leaves from Meridian, about 10 miles from our house. I am so excited. I have never been to Sapelo, and I am a lover of islands. The island has a rich history. Google some history, you will be enchanted by what you read. We are staying at "The Reynolds Mansion", the former home of R.J. Reynolds, the last owner of Sapelo. The mansion was restored in 1926, it was the former plantation home. We will have island tours, ghost crab hunts on Nannygoat Beach, which is pictured here, bicycle rides around the island, bird watching, beachcombing, hammock hanging out, fried chicken picnics and wicker rocker sitting. I am all packed. I have my flip flops, camera, bug spray, binoculors and sunglasses... if I forget anything else, I am out of luck as this island sells nothing. So if I don't post for three days, hey, I am on island time. I'll be the fool sitting on the sand writing poetry, taking pictures, reading a book, collecting shells, sunning, birdwatching, dolphin watching and chatting with friends. Have a great week. Sapelo Island here I come!