Saturday, June 23, 2012
'Sto-green
Thursday, July 14, 2011
"My Family Tree is a Wreath"
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| Borrel's Creek |
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| Me and Cindy Deen, Bartender at Seagles Saloon. |
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| See I paddle.... |
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| That's it my Firebird....so sweet! |
July 11
Ahh....Today is a Ryan chooses day, which means Kandy the kayak got a morning of fishing. We launched her out of Borrell Creek for a delightful few hours of fishing and enjoying the scenery. No storm watching required for this trip and the temperature allowed for Bella to attend this expedition. To my delightful discovery, she has superb balance as she never fell in. She is enthralled with a tennis ball so she was thrilled that the cork attached to my fully outfitted FireBird fishing rod is the same bright green-yellow as her tennis ball meaning she had much entertainment. We follow water safety to the nth degree so she was properly attired in her life jacket and was secure in swimming out to get her tennis ball/cork after each professionally executed cast that I made. I know, know all of you want to know our haul for the day. It was two, yes two shrimp that found Kandy utterly perfect and jumped in the boat to our surprise.
We arrived back to our St. Marys home for cleanup, preparing lunch and deciding the remainder of our day of activities. We needed to complete a grocery run and decided to stop in Belks as they are having a red-dot sale While the Belks is small it has an extensive collection of Columbia items and this being Ryan's day he acquires a couple more Columbia shirts and shorts all at 70% off. Its now 5 o'clock somewhere and time for a refreshing beverage. St. Marys bar scene while limited in selection is full of personalities that remind me much of "Pendleburgers"which can be translated to mean are superior in every way and outsiders are allowed but looked at with friendly interest and. measure of pity.
Upon retirement, I hope to be a bartender and as an eternal student, learn when presented with the opportunity. Seagles Saloon was today's Laboratory of Learning.. Our 15 year tenured professor was Cindy and while I am sure she is gifted in many areas she had several pearls of knowledge that deserve elaboration. I have included a list below in no particular order though indicators of giftedness nonetheless.
~Cougar- her fiancé Bob 15+ years her Junior handsome and buff smiles constantly and has her hand on his ass or crotch when in arm's length of ""as she calls herself and is placed on a variety of signage within the Bar and. a vanity tag on her red 2010 Corvette Convertible which she promptly tells Ryan is her 11thCorvette...
~ Wedding Etiquette-iit seems as though Cin and Bob will be getting married and have a quaint way of developing the guest list, there is an address book at the bar and she ask for addresses though you must bring a "damn gift" if you are coming. No registry established though she has an affinity for vintage jewelry. I recommended a Jewish service then gifts could be in the form of cash and broken dishes are to be expected.
~Grammar-within the few hours spent with Cin she was able to use the word "Fuck" as a noun, verb, adjective and adverb.
~Race relations-As a black man bellies up to the bar to order a beer she states " hey black man, I will serve you only because I know you stole hubcaps and can pay today", " don't be expecting special service, I never owned any of you and don't owe you anything" (please note this was all in fun as he was giving it right back to her)
~Charitable heart- within the town of St. Marys there is a. Men's rehabilitation baking program much like girl scouts cookie sales they go door to door in the businesses giving you choices of delicacies such as pineapple, strawberry, plain cheesecakes, several types of pound cakes and flans. Cin and several other customers including me buy a couple. We begin comparing our fav desserts and Cin takes her pineapple cheesecake out as she is f" hungry now. She then shares with all of us at the bar offering her fork if we wished as she didn't give a "fuck". I declined and used a knife. We ended up with one Strawberry and on Pineapple cheesecake. We are bringing them home.
~A creative linguist- to share a small sampling, during a Viagara commercial she remarks "a four hour erection is what I am looking for", to the Belgium exchange student inquiring about tipping properly "if you in fucking America you gonna tip" and the name sake of today's story, "I'm from south Georgia my family tree is a fucking wreath"
Tomorrow is Hope chooses day.... so off for Spa day.at Sawgrass on Ponte Vedra Beach...
But Save the Date of March 24, 2012 as we are invited to the wedding of Cindy and Bob as long as we bring a gift....Have a wonderful afternoon!!
Proof....that God Protects Drunks and Fools
July 10
Bells and I started our day with a short walk as we slept in a bit after all it was Sunday- the day of fishin'. During our morning romp for Bells to accomplish necessities,. and luckily prior to her finding any cat shit delicacy, we were saved by our host "Eli" (tall, dark and handsome Portuguese Water dog) and his hand maid Carlene who invited us to lunch at Lucky Dawgs to which I gladly accepted the invitation and made plans to meet at noon.
Lucky Dawgs located in a scenic area of St. Marys- attached to the BP station with plenty of outside seating. We arrived to meet our hosts' a little before noon. Since we arrived first and to void the "Valley of Pisserdom", not to be confused with the "valley of death" as the "valley of death" allows the person participating peace or so we Judeso Christians have been convinced. Okay enough religion, back to Lucky Dawgs....upon our arrival I am excited as I wish to eat in the patio area and even suggest that we go have a seat and wait on Carlene and Ron to arrive. I am told. " Let's just wait in truck, they may have a specific place they enjoy sitting" ( translation heat index 108* Dear God. please let them sit inside where they have AC). To my delight, our host hate cold weather and request to sit on patio. I prayed, also- Goal one goes to drunks.. Our meal was wonderful once again I had fresh fish as we are on the coast and Ryan had the burger, to which he states "there are fresh cows on the coast, too." After eating,we remained on the patio in a delightful conversation for 2 hrs+.......remember the heat index is still 108* and the "Pisserdom" never emerges. I recognize this phase as a getting to know new folks and thank God for my reprieve of dining inside.
Good times..... then to the grocery store and on an ice run and finally "Kandy the Kayak" heads out on her inaugural fishing expedition.... Are you all ready?
We disembark from Crooked Creek Boat Ramp with impending storms to the left......heck if I know what direction that is. Remember we have no worries as we have 24/7 radar access on the Android and my skillful rowing skills to face whatever Android misses. Approximately one mile to the left (toward the storm clouds) we find the perfect inlet that only Kandy can maneuver Ryan rigs up for both of us and after extensive lessons for me in how, when and where to cast I am able to proudly say I am the only one to. catch a "thang".... marsh grass of course but entertaining.... Since I have a a couple of ADHD tendencies and a puckered asshole, I appointed myself in charge of storm-watching....for a couple of hours the storm clouds continued to move leftward though the skies above us darkened. I diligently continued my pursuit of a fisherman's high by casting without hooking myself or the Captain aboard..
Back to Storm-Watching.... after the catch and release of my second mound of marsh grass I notice the leftward moving clouds turn and begin moving rightward. to which I turn to my aforementioned Captain of Kandy and say "I think we should head back". Let me just say we ended up using the Florida Gator colored umbrella(shh... this is Clint's Christmas gift) as a sail turning "Kandy the Kayak" into a Redneck Sailboat. It seems as though my expert rowing is not sufficient against the tide, but my ability to hoist the sail was..... This story can be summed up with the title Proof-God protects Drunks and Fools as we are back safe and sound and arguing over which one is the drunk and which one is the fool....?
Foodie's Frolic
July 9
Well, these two days would have to be described as a "Foodies' Frolic", while the oldest city in the US is certainly picturesque and thus a great place to walk and read placards of glory days. The weather was overcast at best with intermittent storms which Ryan kept an eye on via Android radar, it seems as though he is fearful of melting. Thanks to his diligence to this task we did not encounter "nar a drop" and he remains intact.
The next boy scout survival technique was to ensure we had reservations for dinner at Columbia's at 7pm ( Spanish restaurant begun in 1905 that I referred to yesterday) We made it for our reservations but after meeting the 16 year old veteran bartender Michelle, a chat with the blue-eyed Frenchman named Sean ,a Mojito for me and Makers' for Fatboy we stayed at he bar for dinner. we are bar people afterall.... Now, while food may not be your thing this meal was definitely in the top 10 for me. A 1905 salad with hot, fresh cuban bread, and mussels in a fresh tomato wine marinara. MWAH!!! Ryan had the steak, he says it was wonderful of this topic I have no opinion though the flaming Bourbon sauce was entertaining and impressive Alas, one Mojito could never suffice so I had the house White Sangria made to order with Cristillano Cava, Torres Brandy and Orange Liqueur and I went for the pitcher-ful and a pitcher to take home though not full. Yes, there was room for espresso and Bread pudding with a vanilla rum sauce.. I will return though no reservations needed-the bar is open.
We had a lovely conversation with a Cuban couple and shared "pup pics" as we are both enamored by canines. Though she dresses her for the holidays something I would never do...yeah right!
Upon arriving back to our lodgings for the evening my concern for Bella's happiness in our absence was useless fodder. She had a lovely 3-4 course meal of telephone cords, hair clips, and plastic water bowl. So glad Ryan's pistol was in the truck because upon opening the door she sat in the rolling leather desk chair with ears and eyes at attention and possibly a smirk. I should worry less, she is capable of entertaining herself. The best part of the the story is I recommended crating her. So the sad part is not much "pisser" could be revealed as it was his choice. Prior to leaving the next morning was about disposing of evidence and repairing the phone system, I graciously allowed the man to handle this while I rewarded the "dogger" with one last romp in the Oldest City in the USA and packed to make ready for our return to St Mary's.
Phone operable, truck loaded.... time for Brunch at Cap's an old Florida Fish Camp style restaurant for a meal meant for the gods "Champagne and Appalachicola, FL Raw Oysters.( As a side note, Appalachicola, was where I conceived my very own Boogar)
Now, we ferry across the St. John's River closer still to our current abode St. Mary's. Ryan has found a Florida. Game warden in which to chat....
The next boy scout survival technique was to ensure we had reservations for dinner at Columbia's at 7pm ( Spanish restaurant begun in 1905 that I referred to yesterday) We made it for our reservations but after meeting the 16 year old veteran bartender Michelle, a chat with the blue-eyed Frenchman named Sean ,a Mojito for me and Makers' for Fatboy we stayed at he bar for dinner. we are bar people afterall.... Now, while food may not be your thing this meal was definitely in the top 10 for me. A 1905 salad with hot, fresh cuban bread, and mussels in a fresh tomato wine marinara. MWAH!!! Ryan had the steak, he says it was wonderful of this topic I have no opinion though the flaming Bourbon sauce was entertaining and impressive Alas, one Mojito could never suffice so I had the house White Sangria made to order with Cristillano Cava, Torres Brandy and Orange Liqueur and I went for the pitcher-ful and a pitcher to take home though not full. Yes, there was room for espresso and Bread pudding with a vanilla rum sauce.. I will return though no reservations needed-the bar is open.
We had a lovely conversation with a Cuban couple and shared "pup pics" as we are both enamored by canines. Though she dresses her for the holidays something I would never do...yeah right!
Upon arriving back to our lodgings for the evening my concern for Bella's happiness in our absence was useless fodder. She had a lovely 3-4 course meal of telephone cords, hair clips, and plastic water bowl. So glad Ryan's pistol was in the truck because upon opening the door she sat in the rolling leather desk chair with ears and eyes at attention and possibly a smirk. I should worry less, she is capable of entertaining herself. The best part of the the story is I recommended crating her. So the sad part is not much "pisser" could be revealed as it was his choice. Prior to leaving the next morning was about disposing of evidence and repairing the phone system, I graciously allowed the man to handle this while I rewarded the "dogger" with one last romp in the Oldest City in the USA and packed to make ready for our return to St Mary's.
Phone operable, truck loaded.... time for Brunch at Cap's an old Florida Fish Camp style restaurant for a meal meant for the gods "Champagne and Appalachicola, FL Raw Oysters.( As a side note, Appalachicola, was where I conceived my very own Boogar)
Now, we ferry across the St. John's River closer still to our current abode St. Mary's. Ryan has found a Florida. Game warden in which to chat....
Cumberland Island...a day of nature
July 7
We spent today on Cumberland Island which is Georgia's largest and southernmost barrier island. Pristine maritime forests, undeveloped beaches and wide marshes whisper the stories of both man and nature. Cumberland Island is also home to over 9,800 acres of National Park designated Wilderness.In the 1880s Thomas Carnegie, brother of Andrew Carnegie and his wife Lucy bought land on Cumberland for a winter retreat. In 1884, they began building a mansion on the site of Dungeness, though Carnegie never lived to see its completion. Lucy and their nine children continued to live on the island, naming their mansion Dungeness after that of Greene. Dungeness was designed as a 59-room Scottish castle. They also built pools, a golf course, and 40 smaller buildings to house the 200 servants who worked at the mansion. The last time Dungeness was used was for the 1929 wedding of a Carnegie daughter.the family left the island and kept the mansion vacant. It burned in a 1959 fire. . Today, the ruins of the mansion remain on the southern end of the island. The Carnegie family owned 90% of the island.Lucy Carnegie had additional estates built on the island for her children. In the 1890s, The First African Baptist Church, established in The Settlement in 1893, was rebuilt in the 1930s. It is one of the few remaining structures of this community.
We spent an enjoyable day on Cumberland Island, we ferried over which gave Ryan a full day of "Pisserdom" as it was hot, humid and sandy, and the Captain of the ferry did not drive to the Game Warden's standards.
Upon our return from the nature we headed to enjoy our first night of the bar scene in St. Mary's, this evening's bartender, Ann and her husband are building an 80ft sailboat and had actually spent the last few months on the Charleston Harbour so we had much to chat about. Locals at the bar were complaining about building regulations but relieved that "none of those modular built homes, like are allowed on the South Carolina Coast were allowed here".
I did find a wonderful bumper sticker that would be a good addition to Verti....
"Making love to a younger man is great though it may be fatal, if he dies, he dies". We are heading out first thing in the morning to St. Augustine for a Historical Walking Tour and so that Ryan will have an opportunity for more "Pisserdom", something he revels in.
We spent today on Cumberland Island which is Georgia's largest and southernmost barrier island. Pristine maritime forests, undeveloped beaches and wide marshes whisper the stories of both man and nature. Cumberland Island is also home to over 9,800 acres of National Park designated Wilderness.In the 1880s Thomas Carnegie, brother of Andrew Carnegie and his wife Lucy bought land on Cumberland for a winter retreat. In 1884, they began building a mansion on the site of Dungeness, though Carnegie never lived to see its completion. Lucy and their nine children continued to live on the island, naming their mansion Dungeness after that of Greene. Dungeness was designed as a 59-room Scottish castle. They also built pools, a golf course, and 40 smaller buildings to house the 200 servants who worked at the mansion. The last time Dungeness was used was for the 1929 wedding of a Carnegie daughter.the family left the island and kept the mansion vacant. It burned in a 1959 fire. . Today, the ruins of the mansion remain on the southern end of the island. The Carnegie family owned 90% of the island.Lucy Carnegie had additional estates built on the island for her children. In the 1890s, The First African Baptist Church, established in The Settlement in 1893, was rebuilt in the 1930s. It is one of the few remaining structures of this community.
We spent an enjoyable day on Cumberland Island, we ferried over which gave Ryan a full day of "Pisserdom" as it was hot, humid and sandy, and the Captain of the ferry did not drive to the Game Warden's standards.
I did find a wonderful bumper sticker that would be a good addition to Verti....
"Making love to a younger man is great though it may be fatal, if he dies, he dies". We are heading out first thing in the morning to St. Augustine for a Historical Walking Tour and so that Ryan will have an opportunity for more "Pisserdom", something he revels in.
St. Marys
July 5
Today, we unpacked, scoped out our surroundings, and are currently preparing our rods and spinner reels for kayak fishing. My rod is "purdy" it is bright blue and its called a Firebird. Not sure why I have one as I much prefer to chill in the kayak and catch Vitamin D. He is the planner, fixer-upper, I just point the direction.. Well I was allowed to take the fishing line off of my reel as it was not the appropriate weight limit for the fish that he plans on me catching. This place is very laid back. We are planning on going over to Cumberland aboard the ferry tomorrow or Friday, then heading to St Augustine for a night to see the big world. I have attached a pic of the new and completely outfitted "Kandy the Kayak", I chose orange not because of my allegiance to Clemson but it is the closest color to what the Coast Guard uses and I thought should I ever be out alone or the one responsible for paddling they would be more apt to notice their own color and thus rescue "Kandy".
Bella has adjusted well to our fisherman cottage and has been made very aware of the predators of the marsh-"cats with claws and big teeth". The main house is owned by a handsome Portugese Water Dog named Eli who she enjoyed a wrestle with during morning coffee. He has reported spotting a 10 foot alligator that he wants Bella to stay away from as he says "she gives new meaning to a Scooby Snak....The main house and cottage that we are inhabiting were build in the late 1800's so is as quaint as the town itself. Sitting on the front porch in the morning with a cup of coffee and smelling the air, watching the ferry go over to Cumberland Island or the sail boats going out at the same times the Ibis from the rookery about a mile away flock out by the 1,000's, or watching the wood storks walk up the street or the otters play in the marsh creek at the end of the street. Of course, watching all of the above return in the evening on the same porch is just as lovely with a glass of wine. There is much time to watch, reflect and breathe.
Bella has adjusted well to our fisherman cottage and has been made very aware of the predators of the marsh-"cats with claws and big teeth". The main house is owned by a handsome Portugese Water Dog named Eli who she enjoyed a wrestle with during morning coffee. He has reported spotting a 10 foot alligator that he wants Bella to stay away from as he says "she gives new meaning to a Scooby Snak....The main house and cottage that we are inhabiting were build in the late 1800's so is as quaint as the town itself. Sitting on the front porch in the morning with a cup of coffee and smelling the air, watching the ferry go over to Cumberland Island or the sail boats going out at the same times the Ibis from the rookery about a mile away flock out by the 1,000's, or watching the wood storks walk up the street or the otters play in the marsh creek at the end of the street. Of course, watching all of the above return in the evening on the same porch is just as lovely with a glass of wine. There is much time to watch, reflect and breathe.
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