Church Shadow and St Patrick Fountain #ShadowshotSunday

Happy St. Patrick's Day to my readers!

I was in the car with my spouse the other day in Johnson City, New York, stopped at a light.  We were stopped at a light and I saw these shadows on the side of a church.  Bush shadows, a shadow of a streetlight on the ground, and even reflections of clouds on the windows. I took this picture as the light was changing.

(taken March 12, 2013)

In March of 2013, we visited Savannah, Georgia.  Another Johnson - here, the fountain in Johnson Square, with the water colored green.

Joining up with Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventures for #ShadowshotSunday.

Will the Lesson Be Learned?

Ghosts of vacations past.  What do these all have in common?

Beach, Sanibel Island, Florida.

Shells on a Sanibel beach.

 Boats in a Punta Gorda, Florida marina.

Causeway, Punta Gorda

Shopping area, Sarasota, Florida.

Bayshore Boulevard, Tampa, Florida.  I don't think this is the place where the now viral photo of water sucked out of Tampa Bay was taken but it gives you a good view of the bay.

Tampa, taken from Bayshore Boulevard.

Historic home, Savannah, Georgia.

Ravenel Bridge at sunset, looking at Charleston, South Carolina.

College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina.

Sanibel.  Punta Gorda.  Sarasota.  Savannah.  Charleston.

What do they have in common?  The photos were taken between 2013 and 2020, before Hurricane Ian (or tropical storm Ian) hit.  Perhaps we should call it "the before time".  True, these cities have been hit by hurricanes and tropical storms before.  But Ian was what some are calling a "generational storm".

Of these localities, perhaps Sanibel/Captiva Island was hit the worst.  The island is cut off except by air or water, and its residents are lacking power and water.  I spent part of yesterday looking at satellite images of Sanibel, trying to see landmarks I remembered from my two visits there.

But let's not mourn what was.

Let's not waste another moment without working on what is.

The storms are getting worse.  More frequent.

How many more "I've never seen anything like this before?" must we hear before we wake up to what is happening?

Climate change isn't a political position to take.  This isn't a political post.

Climate change  It is reality.  We ignore it at our peril, and the peril of our children and grandchildren.

The Sign

It all started with a sign. 

In 2006, I rode the Auto Train for the first time. I traveled with my family from northern Virginia to just north of Orlando, Florida one August.  (I've made this train trip south several more times now, the most recent trip being about three weeks ago.)

I've never slept well on the Auto Train, and something happened on that first trip that became a tradition.

I woke up from a fitful sleep to realize we were traveling through a city.  We were passing under an Interstate, and some large billboards were visible.  One billboard, lit up, advertised "The Crab Shack. Tybee Island."

I didn't have Internet access and had never heard of Tybee Island. But I researched it as soon as I could and found it was an island close to Savannah, Georgia.

The second trip, 2009:  I woke up from a fitful sleep, and as my spouse softly snored next to me, I peeked out of the window and saw the very same sign.

It was a sign, that sign!  I was being told to eat at the Crab Shack.  We were supposed to drive through Savannah on the way home but had car trouble, and had to take the Auto Train home.  We swore we would visit Savannah and we did (in 2011) but we never got to eat at the Crab Shack.

On our third trip, in March 2013, we both woke up as we were traveling through Savannah, and my spouse spotted the sign even before I did.  Marveling at this huge (to our sleep-bleary eyes) sign, we decided that yes, we would go to the Crab Shack.  We would fill in this hole in our travels on the way back (by car, this time).

So on March 12, 2013, we filled in the hole, and I blogged a while back about it.

From the outside, it looks a bit like a "tourist trap".  But the food (noting I do not get compensated for this or any other review) was very good.

Inside, I noticed the restaurant had open walls to the outside - with only a screen between diners and the great outdoors.  If only I could live in a place like that, said my winter-starved inner voice.

Not so fast, said reality, as I saw movement outside the screened in wall.  Can you see what I saw?

After lunch we went outside, to see some of the 78 alligators the Crab Shack owns. These are all domestic, as in "born in captivity".  The Shack does not tolerate any abuse of the gators by customers, but they were easily accessible (if someone dared) and I hope they have good lives.

Up close, they almost look fake - but they certainly were not fake.

Postscript - our next trip to Florida was in January of 2018.  We took the Auto Train both ways.  On the way south, we never saw the sign.  Returning home, we did.  It was a different sign, but we think it was in the same place.  Seeing that sign gave us so much comfort.

But this past January (2019) - no sign, either way.

So I did what any blogger would do.  I emailed the restaurant.

And the next day I received a response!  I hope Stephanie doesn't mind me quoting from the email.

"Thank you for contacting us!  We are happy to hear that our billboard is so eye-catching to you, and that you have so many fond memories of dining with us!  Rest assured, our billboard is still there - perhaps it was down at the time of your last travel for replacement.  The elements can be quite harsh on the vinyl used on the billboards and they do occasionally need to be updated and replaced.  Be sure to look for it on your next trip, and we look forward to your next visit here with us on Tybee Island!" (along with this was an offer to visit their website and see a shipping special they had for a special Valentine's Day meal.)

Stephanie, you bet we will be back!

Throwback Monday - Moon River and Me

I wrote this post in September of 2012, right after I heard about the death of Andy Williams and right before visiting a friend from my childhood.

Today I take a journey with a lot of emotional significance to me, and I want to dedicate this post to someone I have known for a long, long time.

Moon River and Me

I loved this song so much when I was growing up.

I never knew exactly what it was talking about, or anything about the man who wrote the lyrics, Johnny Mercer.  I never imagined I would ever see Moon River (an inlet of the actual river was named after the song, not vice versa), or visit the grave of Johnny Mercer in Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia. 

I can't say that I dreamed of visiting Savannah because of the song, but I did have the dream of visiting for over 30 years before I finally visited last year.  Things kept getting in the way, but I finally made it.

The phrasing of this song is so beautiful.  It rang so true to the childhood me.  It reminded me of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, floating down the Mississippi, smoking their corncob pipes and fishing for their next meal. It was a never ending childhood dream to this girl growing up in the Bronx, to join them on that raft.   I was never made for the Bronx, although it shaped me and made me the woman I am today.

The story of the song isn't quite Huck Finn, but is quite interesting.

That song made me want to travel.  So today I will be in Brooklyn, visiting my huckleberry friend.  This September is the 50th anniversary of our friendship.

Yesterday, packing for the visit, I heard that the man who sung that song on the radio, to my childhood delight, had died.  Another piece of my childhood gone.

In your honor, Andy Williams, I will think of Moon River, even as I return to visit my native New York City. I will think of my childhood memories and my childhood with my huckleberry friend.

Moon River and me.

Did the song Moon River have any meaning to you?

Civil War Sunday - Robert E. Lee 's First Assignment

Today, for Civil War Sunday, I'd like to return to a post from 2013, when I blogged about a man who is now in the news due to the recent tragic events in Charleston - Robert E. Lee.

Hopefully, I will be able to post a new Civil War Sunday in a few weeks.  In the meantime, I thank everyone for their patience during this difficult time for some in my family - I have not been responding to comments but please know that I read them as I moderate my blog, and appreciate your readership.

Civil War Sunday - Robert E. Lee - Engineer

Have you ever wondered what the "main players" in the United States Civil War did before the Civil War?

Some of them were career military people.  Some of them came from unlikely walks of life.

There is also the unlikely first military assignment of General Robert E. Lee.

Not long after his graduation from West Point and the death of his beloved mother, Lee was ordered to Cockspur Island, at the mouth of the Savannah River, in the Georgia low country near Tybee Island.  His mission:  to take this marshy and low-lying island, and do what it would take for a fort to be built there.

Yes, Robert E. Lee was - a civil engineer.  He was also a talented artist.

The drawings on the right of this explanatory sign were made by Robert E. Lee during his Cockspur Island duty and sent to lady friends back in Savannah.

This is one of the engineering drawings made by Lieutenant Robert E. Lee.

And what of the Fort?  Yes, it was built.  Its name is Fort Pulaski, and it still stands today, on Cockspur Island.

This is a picture of Ft.Pulaski in 2013, when I visited it.

Ft. Pulaski played several roles during the Civil War.  It was captured in April of 1862 by the Federals,and remained in their control for the rest of the war.  Towards the end of the Civil War a portion of the fort was used as a POW camp by the Union, which leads to the story of the Immortal 600.  That will be a post for another time. (that's what I promised in 2013 - I will see what I can do to make it a reality.)

A picture of the original door,still in use.

This is Cockspur Island today. Some parts of it look stark, like the picture above.  But other parts are forested - a forest created by the ecological changes produced by the military under the direction of Robert E. Lee.

I visited the fort to see a Civil War fort and came away with a whole lot more.  There were nature trails and other places to explore; it's a wonderful day to spend part of a day if you love history.

Civil War Sunday - Georgia on His Mind

Today, when you visit Georgia, there is a sign welcoming travelers.

Georgia is glad it is on your mind.  At one time, they even gave away little bags of peanuts to arriving visitors at the visitor's center where you entered the state.

Feel free to drive down to Savannah, which welcomes modern tourists, both from the North and from the South. 

This is the Comer House, built in 1880 so it is post Civil War,  but isn't it beautiful?

 Jefferson Davis, the former President of the Confederate States of America, once slept in the Comer House.  OK, it was in 1886, way after the war was over, but he slept here.


Savannah is full of beautiful architecture, beautiful squares, and the one of a kind Byrd's Famous Cookies.

Byrd's, Home of the Best Little Cookies in the U.S.

I fell in love with Savannah, just passing through, in 1974.  I have visited twice since.  Savannah and Charleston, the other southern city I love, are two totally different places, and I treasure their differences.

I love the squares of  Savannah - there are 22 of them (plus two "missing" ones). They make you slow down and ponder history, as you can't walk (or drive, which you shouldn't be doing anyway) far without having to slow to go around one.  Many have statutes - at least one even has a person buried there.

With apologies to any lawyers reading my blog, Savannah, at one time, banned lawyers, as its founder detested them.

I love the trees of Savannah, dripping with Spanish moss.

Bonaventure Cemetery, in Thunderbolt, near Savannah

 But there was a time when Savannah did not welcome visitors from the North.

In November and December of 1864, Union troops, under the command of General William Tecumsah Sherman, marched their way through Georgia, starting at Atlanta, burning and destroying various targets and cities as they traveled.  By December 21, they reached Savannah, a major port and strategic target.

Confederate grave, Bonaventure Cemetery

On December 21, 1864, 150 years ago today, Savannah surrendered to Sherman, who elected not to burn the city.

Instead, on December 22, Sherman telegraphed President Lincoln:

"I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the City of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty guns and plenty of ammunition, also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton."

Green-Meldrim House, Savannah

A man by the name of Charles Green, a wealthy cotton merchant, offered his house to Sherman to use as his headquarters.  The house, now known as the Green-Meldrim House, still stands today, near Madison Square.

While Sherman stayed in this fancy house, his troops camped out in the various squares.

In Madison Square, there is now a marker commemorating the end of Sherman's March to the Sea.
It really wasn't the end, though, as the March lives on in Southern memory to this day.

Although the people of Savannah didn't know it then, the Civil War would be over in a little more than three months. 

Today, Savannah, a city of about 143,000 people, is the fifth largest city in Georgia and worth a visit to explore its history.

Civil War Sunday - Robert E. Lee - Engineer

Have you ever wondered what the "main players" in the United States Civil War did before the Civil War?

Some of them were career military people.  Some of them came from unlikely walks of life.

There is also the unlikely first military assignment of General Robert E. Lee.

Not long after his graduation from West Point and the death of his beloved mother, Lee was ordered to Cockspur Island, at the mouth of the Savannah River, in the Georgia low country near Tybee Island.  His mission:  to take this marshy and low-lying island, and do what it would take for a fort to be built there.

Yes, Robert E. Lee was - a civil engineer.  He was also a talented artist.

The drawings on the right of this explanatory sign were made by Robert E. Lee during his Cockspur Island duty and sent to lady friends back in Savannah.

This is one of the engineering drawings made by Lieutenant Robert E. Lee.

And what of the Fort?  Yes, it was built.  Its name is Fort Pulaski, and it still stands today, on Cockspur Island.

This is a picture of Ft.Pulaski today.

Ft. Pulaski played several roles during the Civil War.  It was captured in April of 1862 by the Federals,and remained in their control for the rest of the war.  Towards the end of the Civil War a portion of the fort was used as a POW camp by the Union, which leads to the story of the Immortal 600.  That will be a post for another time.

A picture of the original door,still in use.

This is Cockspur Island today. Some parts of it look stark, like the picture above.  But other parts are forested - a forest created by the ecological changes produced by the military under the direction of Robert E. Lee.

I visited the fort to see a Civil War fort and came away with a whole lot more.  There were nature trails and other places to explore; it's a wonderful day to spend part of a day if you love history.

Reminder: It's Still Winter

I got spoiled in my week in Florida, and my couple of days in Savannah.  I especially couldn't get over seeing houseplants (here in upstate New York) being used in landscaping - such as these kalanchoes in downtown Savannah, Georgia.

 I came home to cold and snow flurries, and tonight, winter decided to stop fooling around and return.

This morning, it was 17 degrees (-8 Celsius).  It hovered around the freezing point during the afternoon, and then the snow started.  Soon, it was accumulating, with everything getting that sugar-frosted look.

 Don't be fooled, though.  It may be pretty but it is unwelcome.  We are all grumbling about having to break out the ice scrapers and the boots again.  And, we are supposed to get a changeover to freezing rain sometime later tonight. 

Why couldn't this have happened while I was in Florida?

I hope it's the "last hurrah" of winter.

Florida is so far away......

Civil War Sunday - The Irish

Today is St. Patrick's Day.  This past two weeks, many cities in the United States have celebrated their Irish heritage with St. Patrick's Day parades and parties.  Binghamton, NY (near where I live) had its parade two Saturdays ago.  Savannah, Georgia (more on them in a moment) had its huge party yesterday (anyone there awake yet?).  And then, there are the multiple stories of Irish immigrants and the Civil War.

Notre Dame's footbal team is nicknamed "The Fighting Irish". But back in the Civil War, there was another kind of Fighting Irish. There were The First Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

There were the mostly Irish crew of the doomed Civil War confederate submarine H.L. Hunley.

There were the Irish who fought in the Civil War in the "Irish Brigade".

And, in a particularly ugly episode of the Civil War, were the New York Draft Riots of July, 1863 when members of the Irish population of New York City rioted first to oppose a Civil War draft, but then turned against black residents with some 120 deaths resulting.  I plan to blog about the draft riots of my native New York City this summer.

But now, back to Savannah for a moment.  Savannah has a rich Civil War heritage, and I will be sharing that with you at a later date.  For now, one sign of St. Patrick's Day in this city that hosts the 2nd largest St. Patrick's Day celebration after New York City:

Happy St. Patrick's Day to my readers.

Did you have Irish ancestors who fought in the Civil War?