The Golden Isles -- The Silver Year

Next month Hubs and I celebrate our Silver Anniversary.  A few years ago Hubs would ask me, "What are we going to do for our 25 year anniversary?"  And I would say I didn't know, but I knew I really didn't want to go somewhere and stay in a hotel and spend lots of money.  When you get as old as I am you really do know who you are and for this anniversary we are going to do what we loved to do during those first early years together--and that is to go on a road trip and camp, alone with no kids.

The Golden Isles off the coast of Georgia are undeveloped, understated and quiet.  We are going to Cumberland Island, somewhere I've wanted to go for awhile, a place only accessible by ferry or private boat, maintained as a National Park and limits the number of people who can visit in a day (300).  Most people take the 45 minute ferry ride for a day trip and only 60 are able to camp there at night.

Beyond the campground is a boardwalk to the beach.  You can rent bicycles and look at the ruins called Dungeness built by the Carnegie family in the 1800's but burned in 1959.  It had 6-foot thick walls and 16 fireplaces:

It is 17 miles long with no cars, just wild horses.

We bought a two-person tent since the large one we took on our road trip across the country this past summer is too big and the  mats we used to sleep on when we were in our 20's have been replaced by a queen-sized blow up mattress.  You can bring as much as you want on the ferry and carts are provided to get the gear from the dock to the campground.  Reservations were made almost 6 months ago.  At first we thought we would go in April, closer to our actual anniversary, but it was booked six months ago and we were happy with a weekend in March--thinking it would be cooler.  It's been summer-time hot in Georgia so it may be sticky, and it may be rainy but it is going to be very special.

We have farmed the three boys out to three different families, and for Youngest son I also coordinated an additional family to  pick him up from original family to take him to his flag football game.  I have been feeling a little off-kilter the past couple of days due to what this flag football mom said to me the other day.  When she heard that we were going camping for our big anniversary she asked all wide-eyed, "Is this something that You want to do?"  And I said yes.  Then after the game this past weekend, I told the group of a couple other moms and dads there we know that we wouldn't see them next week but that Youngest would be there, and a couple of them asked what we were doing.  When we told them another mom made a similar comment and the dads were kind of staring at us and one of them told us how the boy scouts go there on a camping trip (not him and his son--perhaps older boys).  These three other boys are cub scouts (my son is not) and the annual routine is the camp at nearby places and it is a dad thing and the women do not go and are glad they do not.

Later that night I was telling Hubs that I felt like I was very different, like an oddball.  He said it is just because of the boyscouts that it has played out in those families that camping is a dad and son thing.  Maybe in looking at me, people who do not really know me think I am prim and proper.  When Hubs and I first married, one of his brothers and his wife invited us to go to a very quiet, understated island in the Bahamas where you bring much of your own food, do your own cooking, etc., and they seemed to have to make it clear to me that it is not a place for blowdryers.  I realized he didn't know me well because I went with the more primitive flow even better than Hubs (and I use the blowdryer infrequently).

It has affected me a little bit these past couple days that I guess it sounded strange to these other women that we are having a very low cost, camping anniversary for our 25th.  But today I am over it, and excited about us continuing our long ago tradition of a road trip with new discoveries.

For other spins on the Road Trip, visit Gretchen.

It's the Full Worm Moon Tonight

Now technically the moon is at its fullest early Thursday morning but in the nighttime sky be sure to check it out tonight.  That fourth rock from the sun, Mars, will be at its brightest in several years so look for the reddish star to the left of the full moon tonight.

One of the names given to the moon in March by the first inhabitants of this continent is the "Worm Moon" because this month the worms are active under the soil, getting the earth ready for spring planting.  I am always amazed when I dig into my vegetable beds how many worms I see.  So worms, please continue to do your thing with your diet of dirt.  I'll be seeing you next month!

Speaking of eating (I know, what a segue) my 10th grade son is really into eating healthy these days.  I should emulate him as he no longer eats any desserts and has become a huge fan of smoothies.  He is also very interested in what I plan for dinner.  I make dinner just about every night and over the years I've noticed he enjoys it when I put a menu on the refrigerator.  After being at school for 11 hours due to baseball practice or home after 14 hours due to a weeknight baseball game, dinner-- at no matter what time and salad are a highlight.  Way different than when he was a little boy.  Here was last week's menu:

I used to make the spinach shells a lot pre-kids and they would have gagged on them as young kids and I have re-introduced them recently and they love them.  Also, I buy a bag of frozen shrimp every week and this year the jambalaya is a new dinner I make and you should see their eyes light up when they know it's on the menu.

And for breakfast there is still this pantry scene:

A couple weeks ago Hubs did the Target shopping and came home with a slim supply of non-fave cereal and they were not thrilled.

Speaking of Hubs, he leads the line of this feeding frenzy that occurs when after work/school everyone comes into the kitchen ravenous.  He comes home after having a well-rounded lunch made by yours truly every single day...and goes crazy.  He essentially consumes an entire meal before dinner, if dinner is not ready at 5:30 or even 5:00.  On Monday there were two large pancakes on a plate in the fridge--a leftover from Sunday a.m. He comes home and I'm in the kitchen finishing dinner and the next thing I know this is on the plate:

In between the pancakes is deli ham and each pancake is slathered with Miracle Whip.  The rest of us were grossed out.  On the other hand I love a Monte Cristo sandwich so I guess this is a pancake re-make instead of French Toast version and minus the jam for dipping.  (And the counters are clean every day but get trashed with spills within 60 seconds of their arrival home).  And now for past two days he is complaining that his stomach is "off".

I Am No Longer Holding Court for Workmen Upstairs

Since I work at home somehow I end up being the one to receive and chat with workmen at our home.  The latest research is getting quotes to replace our AC and system so that we no longer have to look at summer power bills for $550 per month.

Today I did the usual leading around and chatting with a contractor on all three floors of the house.  We were on the top floor in a hallway with the light on and on the walls we have photos.  One of them is a large photo portrait of me taken when I was 18 years old.  My mother passed the portrait along to me when I was about 30 and I kept it in a closet.  Then a little over 10 years later I brought it out and have hung it ever since.

In the hallway today after we finished discussing heat and AC systems, the contractor looked at the portrait then at me and asked if that was my daughter.  Hmmmmph.  Guess there is no resemblance any longer. 

And now it is five o'clock and I just may make my no longer young and recognizable self a margarita to go along with my practical Mexican crockpot chicken.  Have a great Friday night!

I Miss Little League

It is just about 8:30 p.m. on a weeknight.  My 10th grade son is not home from school yet. He left the house at 6:25 a.m. as usual.  He has had no dinner.  Mama's mad.  Dad is too.  The baseball coaches will probably have never had a parent speak to them (two in particular) like I imagine will happen at a meeting soon.

It is high school baseball season and the coaches are a piece of work.  We are just finding out that a coach texts the boys at 7:00 a.m. each day to let them know if they have practice right after school at 2:30, or if it is the occasional late practice at 4:30, which ends at 6:45.  A few of us moms pick up our three sons via a carpool schedule when they call. 

These boys don't drive themselves home--I think the coach forgets the boys don't have their own cars -- or they are just plain rude to parents.   At 6:30 tonight I got a text from the mom who is carpooling today that she stopped by after wondering why she hadn't yet heard from her son and that is when she saw there was a scrimmage game.  There is absolutely no communication to the parents (unless it is asking for sponsor money or to help clean the field together--no coaches help clean it).

Some parents have told us they don't want to talk to the coaches about their concerns because the coaches may "bench" their son.  I think we are past that worry point.  I think the coaches really have some balls.



There will be night games when the season gets started shortly but there is a printed schedule for that so we can all plan.  And I'll know he has had dinner.