More from Savannah

John the Baptist Catholic Cathedral

Cathedral

One of many stained glass windows

Street scene

Street detail

Palms

they even have a bldg named Lenore

Savannah - It's soo nyyce!

Here we are in the land of 'The Garden of Good and Evil'. We went on a trolley tour of the historic district to get an overview.   We were so exhausted from all that history, we flopped in the pool at the Westin (we're staying on their dock).  The next day we walked to the grocery through 'the squares', and yes we sat in the one that's in front of the Jim Williams (Kevin Spacey) house and soaked it all in - the restored Victorian and earlier houses, the statues in each square, the shops between squares, and of course the food & drink.  Bob eavesdropped on a tour guide's run down of the murder, the book and the movie - and the revolutionary battle of Savannah in which Gen Casimir Pulaski was killed.  There's scads of history in this town - and culture, but from what we see, the culture of Savannah means drinks-to-go, i.e., there is no prohibition against open containers and so, people are walking about with alcoholic beverages in hand - Bob tried it today with a Bloody Mary from Huey's on River St while Lenore laid sick in bed with a stomach flu - arrgh matey!

We're here for at least a couple more days.  We have an appointment with a marina back about 10 miles to have our boat pulled on Wed to inspect the running gear - hope for the best.

Forsythe Park

Forsythe Park Fountain

House on a square

Moonset over Savannah

Cotton Exchange Bldg

Hyperion - 155' long, 194' tall

Miss Hattie in front of Westin Hotel Resort

On the way to Savannah

OOPS

We're in Savannah now - staying on the river in front of the Westin Hotel for 6 nights.  We had a pretty adventuresome trip up here.  Two nights of howling winds, which for the most part don't bother you too much on the ICW, BUT when we crossed St Andrew's Sound the 2-3 ft waves became 5-7 footers about half way across - then we had to turn!  Lenore didn't like that much - neither did the captain.  The next day we went aground  just down stream from this guy.  Ours wasn't nearly as bad, we were able to back off the mud, but the landing caused the stb engine to stall - meaning the prop was in the mud.  Subsequently we had more than the usual vibration.  Bob realigned the stb eng and that helped (it was 0.006" out, got it back to w/in 0.002"), but we're going to have the boat pulled next week to inspect the gear.

We finally got that elusive dolphin pic - there were many photos of just water behind the boat.

Georgia shrimpers going out in the morning - we were about 5 miles from the sound

Papillion de Mers - solo sailing in St Catherine's Sound

We'll site see and relax in the pool at the Westin for the next several days.  Sounds good to me too!

St Augustine - the Oldest City in US

the oldest street in US

Flagler (Hotel) College

Flagler - foyer rotunda

Flagler (Hotel) College - front gate

Galleon - full size, true replica

Flagler - courtyard

Castillo de San Marcos, commanding vantage

Castillo de San Marcos

St Augustine is a wonderful place to visit.  It is the oldest city in the US, founded by Pedro Menendez in 1565.  It was almost continuously under siege by the English, the English colonists,  and Pirates.  In 1672 the Queen of Spain ordered the construction of a stone fortress, the Castillo de San Marcos, to replace the wooden fort that was inadequate against the naval bombardments from the English.  The town is full of very old buildings - converted to museums or shops.  One of the most interesting sites is Flagler College, which had been built by a railroad magnate, Henry Flagler, in 1888 as a hotel for the very rich.  It is a wonder to see - the pics we posted only scratch the surface.  In 1968 the hotel was converted into a college at the behest of Flagler's grandson - it was refurbished for that purpose at a cost of $54million.  Flagler built another grand hotel across the street for the merely rich.  Another neat site here at the marina is a replica of a Spanish galleon - it is a true to size and structure reproduction.  These ships were armed merchant vessels - the type that carried all those Spanish dabloons (spelling?) minted in the New World.  And, oh yes, there is great seafood and drink served here in St Augustine.

Tomorrow we're headed north again.  We should arrive in Savannah on Wed, April 20 - we'll stay 6 nights.  There are numerous loopers moving north and we're liable to continue partying with some we've met here in St Augustine.  Life is 'mucho bueno'.

Addendum

Here it is: proof of eating and drinking pleasure in Stuart.  Also, a pic of 'having it all' in Georgiana, about 80 miles north of Stuart.

Having plotted our courses to Savannah, Beaufort, and Charleston, it looks like we'll be in the Carolinas through April and will arrive in the Chesapeake Bay area around the end of May - the AICW is more like an inland river route with all the twists and turns of the slow moving rivers and creeks.

Cottage in Georgiana, FL

Happy Eaters - The Black Marlin, Stuart

Heading North (reluctantly)

We postponed our departure from Ft Myers b/c we had to watch the Syracuse-UNC game - we and the Sobeckis grew up in Syracuse and that sort of makes us fans - really it was just another excuse to eat and drink some more in a cool place.  After Syr lost, we could move on, so we headed up the Caloosahatchee River and the Okeechobee Waterway.  We treated John and Christina to some on-th-hook experiences and arrived in the Stuart, Fl area on the 6th.  Of course that meant more food and drink in some great places in a very quaint little town.

Now we're on our own once again and traveling north up the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW).  First stop, and the next 4, will be anchorages.  We're headed for St Augustine where we'll probably spend a few days doing shore-chores and site seeing.

Bro Gary & Nadine arrive Ft Myers

We very much enjoyed all our visiting over the past 4 weeks, but we're glad to be back to the simple life of cruising as two.  And, we vow to eat and drink less!! (at least until we get to St Augustine).  Bob found 5 of those 30 lbs he lost and he'd like to leave them behind again.

Christina - Should I take my Dramamine?

It's not your turn to drive John

Lake Okeechobee

Counting the train cars

Horses keeping cool in the O Waterway