Julie and Randy: 2013

Friday, December 27, 2013

Hanging around Savannah

This Christmas we have been having quiet times as a family. We watched some Christmas movies together. Everyone relaxed.

One day we went strolling in Forsyth Park and sat for a while by the fountain.

A wedding party came for their professional photo as did many tourists. This must be the most photographed fountain in the area.

Sabrina participated in a reading program last summer where she earned passes to some museums and discounts at restaurants. We learned that they expire at the end of the year! Yikes. So in one day we went to Telfair Museum and the Maritime Museum! What a great time to tour these as they were very empty.

A lesser known gem- Savannah Maritime Museum

The gardens going to front door of the Maritime Museum had blooming camellias in December.

In the basement of the museum was a model Captain's nest with a wheel that could be steered.

Captain Sabrina and First Mate Randy.

Ship in a bottle collection.

The museum is housed in the old Scarbrough House. This house was once a turned into a school with an industrial staircase put up the middle. This was removed when the house was reconstructed and restored to what it may have first appeared to be like.

The original house most likely had a nice sky light in the roof like the one that is in it now. Natural light would shine all the way down to the original entry.

Ranking shoulder decor.

A rat trap for the ships. Big rats!

Most of the items were carvings into bones. Some just decorations and others were games like cribbage.

Framework for a ship.

Model of the Titanic.

These models were amazing hand crafted ships with small parts like one would find in doll houses.

Cut-aways helped us see inside the ship and what might have been at each level.

The different levels on the ship had different classes and activities. The railroad owned some of these passenger ships which moved people up and down the East Coast for the different seasons.

Tea for the Puzzler

This year has become the year of working puzzles as a family. This Oregon State Puzzle was done by the time of the Hawaii Bowl Game. The Beavers won, so we enjoyed the game.

Christmas Eve in her new dress posing like a teapot.

Pouring tea.

Photo update-Savannah Wildlife Refuge

About a week ago we went to the Savannah Wildlife Refuge and noted birds are migrating back. During the day, the alligators come out to sun themselves, The day we went the temperature was in the 70-80 range...strange for our Oregonian bodies to feel during December. There is a gator sunning itself near the tree.

Gator.

Turtles.

Herons

Little Blue Heron hunting.

White Egret or Heron (I get confused.)

Butterflies love this area for the winter.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

The final tree photos

We had so much fun putting an ornament on our tree during the Advent season. It became a tree bringing together our life in Savannah and connecting with our family in Oregon.

The last few days we had to put ornaments on the tree trunk.

Oregon State played a football game and won which was a bonus...note the Beaver charm from Oregon. The orange beaded dangly ornament is Sabrina's find from Old Sheldon Church. She found the earring in the dirt and has been packing it around all year. The tree is a great destination for this keepsake.

Early Christmas Trip

For an early Christmas gift, Randy gave the family a trip to Atlanta. The library system has a program with the Atlanta Zoo that if a family checks out and watches a video, they are given free family (4) passes to the Zoo! Perfect for our trip. This was a great first stop for Sabrina as she was getting wiggly in the car on our drive.

Momma and two five month old pandas. The youngster on the back wall is playing with the water dispenser and at one point was sitting in it.

Birds were very interactive. They liked the flashes from cameras and were very curious and would come right down to Sabrina's eye level to see her.

Could not resist posing with this Silver Back Gorilla statue.

Happy Meerkats!

Next to the zoo was the Cyclorama but it was closed.

To our delight we found the Jimmy Carter Museum and what a beautiful tribute to his contributions to the United States and the World! We laughed when we saw that Air Force 1 was nicknamed "Peanut One" and the pilot was named Jimmy Carter, too.

The Oval Office!

The view we usually see of a President.

The engraving on the desk was beautiful!

I wonder how many ceiling designs we miss because we don't look up.

Beautiful!

The quotes on the walls were so inspirational: "We've fought fire with fire, never thinking that fire is better quenched with water." Jimmy Carter, 1977

About here we looked at our watches and noted we had about fifteen minutes to get through the second half of the museum before closing. Yike! So, we didn't take photos of the Nobel Peace Prize or the Pulitzer. We did leave very impressed with a new perspective in all the great contributions Jimmy Carter made as a President and after his term in office.

After a good night's sleep and a nice breakfast at the hotel, we went to the Georgia Aquarium. We arrived right around opening which was the best time. The crowds did not show up for a couple of hours so we were able to see the tanks clearly. After looking at the coral, Sabrina is looking at a map to see where to go next.

Beautiful but don't let them sting you! I love jellyfish in tanks and to watch them effortlessly glide through the water. However, Sabrina who has been stung is always reminding me that they sting and keep away from them.

Several spots in the aquarium fish would swim all around. Some places even had windows in the floor.

Sea horses!

Festive Christmas decorations looked like jellyfish and water from the fixtures.

This cool concave window allowed us to sit back and look at the inside of the tank from outside.

We sat here for a long time.

Whale shark is actually not actually a whale. It is in the fish family and huge!

A ray.

Sea dragons are very similar in appearance to sea horses.

Penguins!

Beluga whale.

Beautiful!

Tetras!

Hanging out by turtles.

Albino alligator!

Eel?

Bright fish!

Hello!

We were not allowed to photograph during the dolphin show but afterwards we "met" this star of the show in a tank behind the stage. The show was fabulous! I am always amazed at how dolphins can swim, flip, walk on water and how they build a bond with their trainers. Shortly after the dolphin show we started our four hour drive back to the apartment.

Christmas morning Sabrina was thrilled to find this teddy bear under her stocking. She named him Flinx right on the spot. She must have heard the saying that if you name it, you get to keep it!