Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Today the girls arrive from Atlanta.  It's going to be a warm day, the steam is rising off the lake.

The sky is clear and the sun is rising.  I'm here to clean up the boathouse in preparation for their arrival this afternoon.

Linda, Vicky, Marilyn and Jordan arrived in time for margaritas and a swim.

First brave soul to jump into that cold water was Vicky.  Marilyn next?

Yep! There she goes!!

Vicky showing off her toned arms from rock climbing and caving.  Geez!

After a wild afternoon at the boathouse, we decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner at the Tea House conveniently located just minutes from the boathouse.

The Tea House has been on the lake for over 60 years and is a large historic log cabin with several fireplaces inside, which unfortunately were not lit since it is still warm and people are dining on the terrace.

Me, Vicky and Linda at dinner minus Marilyn who wanted to take a nap after her swim!

We sat and talked for hours that night, and the next morning "the cook" was up and ready getting breakfast made for the girls, oh, and Jordan.  No dog can resist maple bacon even if it is wrapped around asparagus!

Cheese omelets to go with the bacon, oj, coffee, fruit completed our breakfast.

I suggested a hike, and to my surprise, everyone was ready to go.  Took them to the Palmetto Trail.  Leaves are now starting to change.



Sweet Jordan watching a hiker on the trail.  Asked the hiker if he saw any bear.  No, just lots of turkey, he replied and off he went.



Thank you to my friends who would make the drive all the way from Atlanta, sleep in a boathouse with a broken toilet, swim in freezing water, and make that drive all the way back again.  In the spring there will be another weekend, longer, and we will all go shopping in Asheville, and hopefully this time Carrie will be able to make it from Ohio.  Until then . . .

Cumberland Continued

We stopped to overlook the bluffs on the way to the chapel. The vegetation is very different on the north end of the island, mostly pine and very few live oak.

Hurricane-ravaged trees dot the coast.

The African slave chapel where JFK, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette were married.  You really got a sense of what it must have been like back then, and you also feel sad about the Kennedy tragedy. 

It was very tiny and primitive inside.  Maybe you could fit 40 people inside. 

After getting back from the north part of the island, there was more camping, hiking, and observing.  On the ferry ride back to the mainland, we spotted sandhill cranes beginning their migration north.  Soon they will be spotted by the hundreds flying over my house.  Fall is here!

Had a wonderful time, made some new friends, and plan to go back again in cooler weather.  We have now been to Jekyll Island, St. Simon's Island, and Cumberland Island.  The only island left on the list is Little St. Simon's, but that is a more luxurious trip, no camping, so maybe we'll just go back to Cumberland. 

Cumberland Continued

Today we are going on a tour with our ranger and six others to Plum Orchard on the northern part of the island.  Too hot and far to hike.  Spotted two wild horses on the way to the van.

This is our cute, tan and buff ranger, Andrew!

The egrets love to ride horseback.

Plum Orchard was the Carnegie mansion.

Entry hall

Beautiful stenciled ceiling.

Dining room with pretty wallpaper

The library with my favorite wallpaper

This is the library wallpaper up close.  In person, it looks as if it were hand painted.

A few antique wallpapers throughout the home.

The Carnegie crest on painted burlap wallpaper.

Andrew told us that the portions of the home where the slaves were allowed was always painted yellow because many of the slaves did not speak English.  The doorknobs were also square instead of round so that at night they would know by feel not to enter certain rooms of the house.  I found that very interesting and clever!

I really loved this Tiffany chandelier, could picture that in my home!

Up close

Couldn't stop looking at the Spanish moss in trees.

Not too up on palms, so don't know the name of this, but it was so bright green.

Time for our lunch break under the live oaks before heading farther north to see the chapel where JFK, Jr., and Carolyn Bessette were married.  To be continued . . .