Georgia Vacation ~ The Hall Family Photoblog ~ 2012 - David, Joan, Svea, Brigitta & Annika Hall (& Bill and Harriette Wilsterman)

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Georgia - Savannah Swimming

6-11-2012 ~ Blog #453

(David & Joan)

We managed to finish the DVD Yearbooks by the last day of school (June 7th). This allowed us to get a quick jump on summer. We planned on driving to the Georgia Coast to visit John, Jean, Kira and Luke Wilsterman as well as Jean's daughter and her girls. We left on the 10th and arrived in Savannah on the 11th. Although we had the transmission rebuilt on our Honda Odyssey last month it developed a serious shifting problem as we arrived in Savannah. It was a bit unsettling to realize that we were ~800 miles from home in a vehicle with a major problem. I called our transmission shop in Ohio and they made an appointment for a transmission shop in Savannah to look at it the next day. So, we visited our second-cousin's-in-law-half-removed in Savannah and then limped the Honda to John and Jean's place an hour south in Shellman Bluff.

Georgia - At Last

6-12-2012 ~ Blog #454

(David & Joan)

At Last: that's what John and Jean call their new home in Shellman Bluff, Georgia. The bought the lot across the street from their new place nine years ago and had admired this house for the better part of a decade. Within the last year all kinds of pieces fell into place and they were able to buy their current home.

On Tuesday morning I followed John back to Savannah and delivered the van to the transmission shop. We had cleaned out the Odyssey of pretty much all of our belonging; I thought we might not see it for awhile. John let me drive his sweet little Toyota MR2 back to Shellman Bluff; it was a blast to drive. It also was my first time driving a standard transmission in nearly a decade; I really miss driving a stick. We had the top down through, sun, drizzle and a bit of stormy rain.

John took us for a boat ride to Million Dollar Beach where the girls had their first chance (within their memory) to play on a warm, sandy ocean beach. Back at the house they had fun on John's zip-line; actually this was Annika's favorite feature of the trip. Brigitta especially loved tromping around in the mud and catching all kinds of ocean-marsh-life and crustaceans. In the evening we went out on the 200 yard long dock (literally) to check the minnow trap and crab trap, shoot the BB guns and watch the sunset.


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Georgia - Saint Simons Island

6-13-2012 ~ Blog #455

(David & Joan)

On Wednesday morning I got a call from our transmission shop in Ohio; they had talked to the transmission shop in Savannah and determined that problem was severe enough that the transmission needed to be torn apart to be fixed. The trans shop in Savannah could do the job, but it might not be finished by Friday. The Ohio shop offered to bring their loner car down to Savannah on a car hauler for us to drive back and they could then bring the Odyssey back to Ohio to be rebuilt. I wasn't excited about losing another morning to a round trip to Savannah, so I countered with a request that they drop the loner car off at John's house an hour south of Savanna; they agreed. We hadn't packed the Honda terribly full, but I figured we could fit nearly everything in the 2008 Pontiac G6 that they were hauling south, except my bicycle. So, the plan was that I would leave my bike in the driveway, the driver would arrive at 3:00 AM, unload the Pontiac, take my bike and then pick up the Honda in Savannah and haul it to Ohio to be rebuilt. That's a pretty good follow through on a warrantee in my opinion. The biggest disappointment may have been that I only managed to get one 20 mile bike ride in.

After lunch we headed an hour south of Shellman Bluff to Saint Simons Island where we met Kira and played at a not-terribly-crowded public beach. I made friends with a pretty chilled-out sand crab and a horseshoe crab. Neither really minded being handled; I actually wonder if they were dying... Afterward Kira showed us around the touristy part of Saint Simons Island. We ended the day with a Georgia shrimp dinner and dock-view sunset.

Georgia - Tubing

6-14-2012 ~ Blog #456

(David & Joan)

Wildlife is abundant in Shellman Bluff. Dolphin, cranes, egrets, pelicans and storks can be seen on a daily basis. Apparently a small alligator lives in the pond across the street. I even saw a bobcat dart across the back lawn once. On Thursday morning an egret and stork perched themselves in the same tree on John's and Jean's property. I walked around the ponds looking for the alligator. All I found were fire ants however; my ankles are healing nicely. John caught a small stingray and two small sharks.

Allison and the Savannah cousins joined us for the afternoon and evening; the six girls enjoyed each other quite a bit. Luke also arrived to join in on the fun. In the afternoon we went tubing, which was a first for Annika, Brigitta, Svea and I.


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Georgia - Blackbeard Island

6-15-2012 ~ Blog #457

(David & Joan)

AAARRRGGHH! On Friday we ventured on John’s boat to an uninhabited spot called Blackbeard’s Island. Fabled as the burial place of pirate gold and later a quarantine location for Yellow Fever patients, this island is now a National Wildlife Refuge. The ride over was just rough enough and long enough to make it a true adventure. Six of us exited the boat at the ranger station for a hike across the island to the beach while the other three rounded the island and moored the boat at the end. The hike was beautiful, but long. The forests were a mix of pines and palms and the first views of the sand and surf through the trees was breathtaking. We all enjoyed a picnic lunch. The girls got to play in the surf and Annika found a treasure map on the hike and discovered a buried box in the sand. It didn’t contain pirate gold, just toys, but she was thrilled nonetheless.

Georgia - Wilsterman & Hall Family Portraits

Golden hour evening portraits at dinner and on the dock.

Georgia - Savannah

6-16-2012 ~ Blog #458

(David & Joan)

Having missed our opportunity to see beautiful and historic Savannah on our trip in, we decided to see a little of it on our way out of Georgia. We drove through some of the old neighborhoods with the antebellum homes and then made our way to down to River Street. We then headed toward home with a stopover in West Virginia for the night. Our rides to and from Georgia were made interesting and entertaining by listening to books being read – not on tape, but live. Joan and Svea read great stories aloud during the long trip. (The books were Midnight Magic by Avi and The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo, in case you were wondering)


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