A Bridge to Somewhere

In the almost six years that the Sidney Lanier Bridge has been open in Brunswick, the structure has become heralded as the image of the city and the Golden Isles. Its not just a bridge, it is an icon, it represents the city. It links the mainland with Colonel's Island and the cause way to Jekyll Island. It also provides a connection to interstate 95 along U.S. 17. The old bridge was a draw bridge and created a traffic backup when ships came through the deep water channel in the Brunswick river. The new bridge has allowed the Brunswick port to become a bigger player in the shipping industry. The view going across the bridge is breathtaking, you can see St Simon's Island, Jekyll Island and the beautiful Marshes of Glynn. Did I mention that the bridge was named after Sidney Lanier the well known Poet of the Marshes of Glynn, he is famous in these parts.

Wordless Wednesday in Florida

Florida White Ibis

Lets Talk Diet

Our good friend Grace is our hostess this week, here is what she has to say.

Many people make resolutions during the month of January and they usually include diets/eating healthy/losing weight and all that good stuff. I myself decided to try the Weight Watchers. My assignment is to tell us about a diet or two (Atkins, Sonoma, Weight Watchers, South Beach, the You on a Diet, Best Life, The Abs Diet etc) that you have tried and what you liked or did not like about it. You can tell us about one diet that you had so much success with, or another that was a torture to follow or both.For Photo assignment, post a photo of something/someone that makes you feel good about yourself.

OK, here goes, it has been many years since I have been on a "Diet". After the birth of my second daughter (1971) I was trying to lose the baby weight. I lived off of hard boiled eggs, saltine crackers and hot dogs and cabbage. Guess you could call it a high protein diet, what I was doing was counting calories, it took me a year but I got back to my pre baby weight. After a few years, of course I started getting that "Middle Age " spread, all of my body weight shifted. After years of being in a bra size 34c, my boobs went to a 38D, I hated it, but my hubby loved it (typical man). I tried the cabbage soup diet, that was like a vegetable soup with cabbage in it. You could eat all you wanted all day, but hardly anything else. It didn't take me long to get sick of it. In January of 1995, my hubby had a heart attack, we had to learn how to read labels and eat healthy and know what was in the food we put in our mouths. We retired in 1999 and joined a gym. To this day, we just try to watch what we eat, 90% of it is healthy, I am a ferocious label reader. I don't like to use the word diet, moderation is a better term. I go to the gym 3 days a week and do aerobic and weights. My hubby goes more like 6 days a week. Now I am not skinny Minny by all means, as a matter of fact, I probably should drop about 10-20 lbs. I have learned to be kind to myself and do the best I can do. I intend to keep doing what I am doing because, I feel good and I think I am pretty healthy. Here is the photo of what makes me feel good about myself.

Youngest Grandaughter, Holly and Me

Go see what everyone else has to say click here

Thanks for hosting Grace, good topic!

What do you think

I pose this question to you --- What is the first thing you think of when you see these pictures?This is what I see at least three times a week on my way to and from the Gym. I just had to do some investigating because my first thoughts were "Pollution" and is our air safe to breath. Well to my surprise and relief, the air is pretty clean. They got good scores with the EPA!

This is the name of the company and listed below is what they manufacture.

Business Activity: Manufacturer / Exporter / Importer

Products Description: Manufactures gum & wood chemicals; manufactures plastics materials & resins; manufactures chemical products Polyaryletherketone resin, Polybenzimidazole resin, Polymethylpentene resin, Polyvinylidene Fluoride, Epoxy
, Phenolic resin

A Quaint Little Town in Ga.

Last Sunday, Jer and I went to visit this most quaint little town just 16 miles north of Brunswick. It is called Darien, we have been there two other times, and it just keeps drawing us back. Their history goes way back to the 1700's, you can do a self guided walking tour around the town, which we did. This is art work done by the local people, it is under the overpass, very colorful!

This town has a big shrimp fleet

Look close at some of the wildlife lurking under water

Here are the fish that can be caught in this area

nothing left of the ruins except a few walls

Take a close look, the walls are made out of nothing but shells

After our little walk, we had lunch at Skippers Fish Camp

I am sure we will be back to visit this cute little place in the near future.

Inauguration of our 44th President

May the Grace of God be with our 44th President and guide him to restore our Country back to all of its Glory, for the sake of our future generations.

" GOD BLESS AMERICA"

Take a look Inside

Second Anniversary Addition

U ROCK FUN MONDAY!!!

Our exciting and lovely hostess this week is Julie , here is her assignment-------


I have decided to put a twist on the traditional Fun Monday. Instead of standing in your front door and taking a photo of what you see outside, let's turn around and take one of the inside. Maybe that will prompt some of us to pick up a tad (you know who you are).


This is the view when you walk in our front door. Since its looking down a hall and you really can't see much, the first door you see on the left opens up to the washer n dryer, the next two doors on the left are the guest bedroom and bathroom. The door you see on the right is the coat closet, just before that is the entrance into the kitchen. I took another view looking in from the back door (which leads out to the sun room). The first door you see on the right is the master bedroom and bath.

We have been spending our winters here for three years now and love it. It has all the comforts of home and we are forever grateful to escape the cold in the northeast. Our family loves it too, free vacation place! he he he





Now go on over and check out more Fun Monday click here. Thanks for hosting Julie!

Its Sunday mail time

Here is the highlight of our mail for this week. This put a big smile on our faces! Thank you Gabby and Holly, we love and miss you too! Very Much! Grandpa and GJ xo xo xo xo

If you would like to do Mail call, just grab the button above and link back to ipost

More from The Golden Isles in Ga.

Entrance to Jekyll Island

The Dubignon House/museumMajestic oak trees


Horseshoe crab


Looking out over the Atlantic ocean



This place is like going back in time. The State of Ga. has done a wonderful job of preserving this beautiful Island Paradise.


History of Jekyll Island

Jekyll has a fascinating history dating back to the end of the nineteenth century. The island was purchased from John Eugene duBignon in 1886 for $125,000 by some of the wealthiest men in America as a hunting resort. His family had owned the island since 1800. The names of the owners are recognizable to most history buffs, and include J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, Marshall Field, John J. Hill, Everett Macy, William Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Richard Teller Crane. The island was prized for its "splendid isolation."
The club members commissioned architect Charles A. Alexander to design and build a sixty room Clubhouse. The Clubhouse was finished November 1, 1887, with the first official season beginning in January, 1888. In 1901, an attached annex was built to handle the expanding needs of members. A syndicate of members, including J.P. Morgan and William Rockefeller, built a six unit apartment building in 1896 they named Sans Souci--the first condominiums!
The owners would usually spend a couple of winter months at Jekyll Island, arriving by yacht from New York. (Remember, this was BEFORE Florida was developed.) The Jekyll Wharf where they tied their yachts is still used by boaters, sailors, and small ship cruise lines today. Although Jekyll was a hunting resort, it certainly didn't look like any hunting or fishing camp I've ever been to with the About fishing guide! Between 1886 and 1928, the owners built "cottages" along the marshy side of the island where they would be protected from the ocean. Many of these beautiful cottages (mansions) have been restored or are currently a work in progress. The largest "cottage" is almost 8,000 square feet. The Jekyll Island Clubhouse is now a romantic Victorian hotel.
Throughout the Club's history, many recreational amenities were added. The first golf course was laid in 1898, with two more done in 1909. A marina to handle yachts, a swimming pool, tennis courts, bocci, croquet and other recreational facilities were also available to help members while away the time they spent on the island.
With the onset of the Great Depression, the Jekyll Island Club members became disenchanted with the island. They began traveling to European spas and elsewhere for their entertainment. After the 1942 season, the U. S. government asked the members not to use the island for the duration of World War II due to concerns for the security of the powerful owners. They never went back. The island was sold to the State of Georgia in 1947. The state attempted, until 1972, to operate the Clubhouse, Sans Souci and Crane Cottage as a hotel complex, but its efforts were unsuccessful and the buildings were closed. In 1978, the 240-acre club district was designated a National Historic Landmark. In 1985, work began to restore the Clubhouse, Annex and the Sans Souci into a world-class hotel and resort named the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. The $20 million in restoration funds have all been invested in the buildings and grounds, since the facility can only be leased. Great care was taken to create a faithful restoration while installing modern conveniences. The Club is once again a showcase, and is now available for everyone to enjoy.

Wordless Wednesday

Fernandina Beach Florida

A Little Winter Cheer with Maxine

Hope this put a smile on your face, Maxine is a straight forward lady! Its a miserable day here in Brunswick, raining cats n dogs. The Arctic front in the northeast is heading our way, not looking forward to the cold temps. (we are spoiled, I'll admit it). Have a great Day!

Quirky Monday

Fun Monday - Show and Tell --Jan is our most gracious hostess this week and here is her question.

What is the quirkiest thing in your home that you will never give away?

I wasn't sure if my selection fell under "Quirky" so I looked it up and here is what it said....

Deviating from the customary: bizarre, cranky, curious, eccentric, erratic, freakish, idiosyncratic, odd, outlandish, peculiar, quaint, queer, singular, strange, unnatural, unusual, weird. Slang kooky, screwball. British Slang rum, rummy2. See usual/unusual

I am going to say my Quirky item falls under the unusual category. At first I thought about my hubby, he fits most of the above definitions, but he didn't want his picture taken (believe me, he is a real trip to live with) so I picked ....my "Polly Pelican". She was a Birthday gift given to me from Jer in 1992. Polly was carved out of a solid piece of cypress. We had just bought a condo in Daytona Beach Fl and she was and still is part of my decor, only now she has a home here in Georgia sitting in our sun room. For a while I took her to our home in Pa., she sat out on our front porch from spring through fall, but somehow she just looked out of place being in the northeast. I think she will stay here for a while.

Thanks for hosting this week Jan, good topic! For more FM click here

Its that time again

Boy where does the time go, it's mail call again. Most of our mail this week was "Bills" Yuck! But yesterday we received this card. Take a look, its an anniversary card, now isn't that nice! The only trouble is ---- our anniversary takes place in Oct. It's from the realtor who sold us our villa here in Georgia. She is either fashionably late or extremely early, we have yet to figure that out. We feel honored that she at least was thinking of us.

Now go on over to ipost to see what others got in the mail!

Travels with Tom

On Sunday, Jer and I decided to go an explore, we decided to take our new friend Tom. After we got on our way, our friend started telling us how to go. We didn't want to be impolite so we did what he said. Things went well for a while until "Tom" told us to take a turn and we knew a quicker shorter way if we went straight. So we ignored his direction and kept on going our way. Well'llll this is when he started getting on our nerves a little, He kept saying turn around as soon as you can. Now my hubby was getting a little perturbed at him and started flipping him the bird. This did not phase Tom, he was not upset and he didn't even call us a dirty name for not following his directions. He was even nice enough to make this weird loud noise to let us know we were going two miles over the speed limit. Needless to say, He started making this noise a lot, so we slowed down just to shut him up. I want to thank Tom for his help and I must say, this friendship may take some time to develop and get used to each other. Here is his photo below, some of you may already know him.

High Sky

I just had to take this picture, look at that sky! We are definitely in the flight pattern of planes going north and south. The vapor trail looks like someone had an etch a sketch.

Wordless Wednesday

Hibiscus in bloom

Whats On Your Mind?

Our hostess for Fun Monday this week is our interesting and fun friend Faye, She has given us something to "Think about" Here is her assignment ------

"What's on your mind as we close out 2008 and begin 2009? Large and small. What are often your first thoughts the minute you wake up? When you're alone and unguarded? Working? Stuck in traffic? Playing with the children? Walking the dogs? When you can't sleep?"

Let me see, had to give this some thought. I am not a deep thinker, I try to keep things simple in my head, don't like to clutter my brain with too much trivial stuff. My first thoughts when I wake up in the morning is what time is it and gotta get my coffee. After I wake up from drinking two cups of "caffiene" I think about what I am going to do that day. When I am alone, I think about what I can do to entertain myself or keep busy.

Stuck in traffic makes me think of shooting someone, making an illegal u turn, driving on the shoulder of the road , as you can see I do not deal with traffic too well. Playing with children, especially my grandchildren, gives me a sense of pleasure and peace and also, "when are they going to tire out so I can sit down." I have no pets, but I can tell you what I think when I see someone walking their pet/dog "They better clean up the "do do" and have respect for someone Else's property.

When I can't sleep,usually that is when I am worried about something or something I have planned, like a trip, party, working on a project or minor little details of something that is about to happen.

Since I have gotten older, my thought process has changed, the little mishaps in life are no longer worthy of taking up space in my brain. Life is a journey and that includes the good and the bad. Life is also very short, so I try to make the best of situations. I have a ongoing dialog with "God" whether it being, thank you for today, thank you for keeping us and our loved ones safe, even thank you for a good parking spot and sometimes, forgive me for maybe cussing a little.

Thanks for hosting Faye, you really give us "Food for thought"

for more fun monday post click here.

Mail Call Sunday

Wow a week has gone by already and its Mail call again. ipost invites us to talk about the mail we received, either snail or email.

This is the kind of mail I like to receive, discount coupons, I love shopping and when I can get a bargain, I'm there. Both of these stores are just around the corner from my home, so its very convenient. The other piece of mail is the monthly news letter from my home church in Pa. I enjoy reading the latest happenings in the church and it makes me feel connected when I am away for a few months. Of course it helps to have The church Lady being the secretary there, beings she is my Daughter and all! She makes sure a copy gets mailed to us down here in Georgia. That's all for now, see you next Sunday. Sooo what did you get in the mail this week?? Go on over an sign up click here!

Another Rant and Rave Session

Just read the article below and you will understand why I feel like pulling my hair out and shouting a few unsavory words. Why should the everyday people invest in Wall Street. How can the American people trust in the system anymore. The audacity of this guy, its unbelievable. He is laughing all the way to the bank with "our tax dollars". That son of a B----" I am sorry, no one is worth that much money for a few months of work. The golden parachute needs to be banned from all big corporations. Ok! I feel much better now. What are your thoughts???

Look what taxpayers' Wall Street rescue helped buy one former honcho!


Peter Kraus -- a former top executive at Merrill Lynch who received a $25-million golden parachute after only three months' work -- has landed himself a $37-million Park Avenue pad.
Kraus, 55, doled out the staggering sum for the five-bedroom co-op at 720 Park Ave. near East 70th Street after taking $25 million from Merrill after the company was sold to Bank of America in September.
Chalk it up to brilliant negotiation skills, and being in the right place at the right time: The Post says that Merrill hired Kraus as an executive vice president in summer, and agreed to a $50-million total pay package for him -- including the customary giant golden parachute.
"Although he did not officially start work until September, Kraus hit the jackpot after just a couple of days, when Merrill CEO John Thain sold the company to Bank of America," the Post notes. "The sale automatically triggered the $25 million payout under Kraus' contract. He left Merrill this month."
His parachute is equivalent to 0.1% of the $25 billion cash infusion that Bank of America and Merrill together got under the government’s bailout plan for the financial system

Welcome 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR FAMILY, FRIENDS AND BLOGGING BUDDIES. MAY YOU HAVE GOOD HEALTH, HAPPY TIMES AND PEACE OF MIND. GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

JER AND I HAD OUR PARTY FOR TWO (good eats)