Isle of Hope/Savannah

We left Jekyll Island Tuesday, April 17.  This boat was anchored across from the marina and the harbor attendant told us that it is a 1901 wooden "buy" boat from Chesapeake Bay.  These boats were built to go out to the crabbers, fishing boats, etc, and buy the catch then sell it on shore.  The local TowBoat US captain lives on this one:

St. Simon Island Light:

We traveled through tidal marshes most of the day.  Looks like John and Mary took a wrong turn, doesn't it?

We found another reason to love our boat-we can outrun the bugs!  Every time we slowed, several horseflies (called greenheads here) joined us on Mary Frances.  When we sped up, Mary used a rag to shoo them out over the stern.  We ran about 80 miles through marshes today, with only a couple of sounds (wider bodies of water that lead out to the ocean) until the last 2 miles.  Suddenly:

In another couple of miles, we came to Isle of Hope Marina.  Mary and John had told us that Chris and Kerm (Southern Belle) recommended this marina and, indeed, Chris is here while Kerm is back in Wisconsin visiting with his father.  It's great to see Chris and Passport also arrives late in the day.  Mary Frances at Isle of Hope (low tide as the barnacles and oysters on the dockpost attest):

Wednesday we take a walk along the bluff and borrow a marina courtesy car-haven't seen one of these since the rivers!-to go to Piggly-Wiggly and Wal-Mart.  The only things wrong with the van and Civic that are loaners here seem to be that a back door on each doesn't work-not bad!  Brown-Eyed Girl arrives and we all go to The Shrimp Factory in Savannah for dinner.  Chris recommended this restaurant and we all enjoy our meals and thank her often during dinner.

Thursday we do a load of laundry, drive back to Wal-Mart with Mary and John, and end the day with a potluck-Cheesy grits, lasagna, fried chicken, cheese bread, salads, brownies-YUM!

Friday we sign out the car for each boats' allotted 2 hours, which gives us 8 hours in Savannah.  We all agree we want to take a trolley tour and all start at the Savannah History Museum for a movie about the history of the city, then separate to follow our own interests.  We go through the museum.  Here's a picture for you, Mom:

Savannah is a beautiful, historic Southern city.  James Ogelthorpe planned it with 24 squares, 22 still exist, and there are many monuments in these green parks.  The buildings, whether homes, offices, medical centers, colleges, or museums are attractive and well-kept and many still exist because Sherman, instead of burning Savannah, offered it to President Lincoln as a Christmas gift.  It was saved a second time a hundred years later when a group of women formed the Historic Savannah Foundation and put a halt to planned "development".

This street is paved with ballast from ships, which dumped the ballast they had loaded to keep the ships upright until they sailed to the new world to load up and make the return trip.  A lot of cotton left this port.

Florence Martus was the sister of the lightkeeper in the early 20th century.  She waved to every ship that entered the harbor, perhaps waiting for her love to sail back to her.  The waving girl statue:

John was commander of  Michigan's Armor Battalion in 1996, when Atlanta hosted the olympics, and he and his soldiers traveled to Georgia to guard pre-olympic sites.  The sailing events were held near Savannah:

City Market area:

After lunch at a Scottish Pub, we decided to visit the Georgia State Railroad Museum.  The roundhouse; for storage, refueling, and repairs:

We actually had a ride on this steam-powered train as the still operational turntable swiveled and the engineer drove the train onto different sections of track where a narrator taught us about this railyard and its importance to Savannah:

Talk about multiple use structures-this smokestack drew smoke and fumes from the site, had a 40,000 gallon cast iron water tank, and 16 privies around the ground floor:

Saturday Passport and Brown-Eyed girl move on.  We ride our bikes to Wormsloe State Historic Site, 1 1/2 miles from the marina:

By the time we rode down this live oak lined  driveway to the visitor center and back to Mary Frances, we managed about 5 3/4 miles today:

Noble Jones was an original Georgia settler and the tabby wall ruins of the home he built are the oldest standing structures in the Savannah area.  Although this home deteriorated, a new dwelling was begun in 1828 and, 7 generations later, Jones' descendents live there today.  More than 800 acres of  land was donated in 1972 and a colonial life area includes this simulation of wattle and daub construction that would have been used for servant quarters:

Another load of laundry, blog update, dinner in the crockpot..........see you tomorrow.