Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head

Guests of honor Eileen & Al Goldstein visit in Savannah along with Hinda & Marty K. Here we are on River Street after dinner at Huey's. So good to see old Yardley friends. It was a gloomy night following days of rain, but that didn't stop us from being cheerful and warm.

My Old Kentucky (SC) Home

This OLLI class took me to the Nemours Plantation in Yemassie, SC. This 10,000 acre site is not open to the public, so I was thrilled to get to see it. They have eight miles on a river and at one time it was a rice plantation. Now the land is owned by a private foundation and dedicated to preserving the ecology and doing research. We had an orientation and then loaded in the backs of pickup trucks where we held on for dear life and were attacked by vicious mosquitos. We saw a huge eagle's nest with a chick. Click to enlarge and see him. The marshes had many varieties of ducks and water birds. We visited an old house, chimney and beautiful live oak trees. A great excursion with friends Sue & Bob Wiener and Carol & Arnold Seidman.

Sitting on the Dock of a Bay

Another OLLI class, this time at Port Royal. We visited an estuarine center and saw tanks of fish and critters that live in our local waters. Then we went to the water's edge to see a large Whelk (no it's not a conch) and lots of oysters. That's our instructor, Bob, demonstrating how to cast a shrimp net and the bird (I think) is some type of grackle. There's a long boardwalk along the marsh with a look out tower that I will visit another time.

Proud to be an American

Jeff and I led services at Parris Island for Purim. We had 14 recruits and found it most meaningful, as always. The top photo is our marines graduating that week and then Jeff and our mascot - he sings "Proud to be an American" and the recruits love it. Recruits making HaMotzi and Jeff leading the discussion hour following services. Since it was Purim we read the Megillah and used groggers to drown out Haman's name.

The Rose

Spring has sprung in the south. My knock-out roses have begun to bloom. The bush behind with the purple/pink flowers are lorapetulum and very popular here. The leaves stay green all year and we have several in our yard.

School Days

My last class for Ecology of the Lowcountry. Today we visited the Waddell Mariculture Center and I found it fascinating. We learned all about the fishing industry and also how fish are affected by the environment. We then saw the tanks where fish are farmed and studied. I hope to come back when it gets warmer and see all the tanks full and being aerated. The middle photo is a white shrimp and we're looking at his reproductive system.

Bicycle Built For Two

Went bicycle riding today near Coligny Beach on Hilton Head. I picked up my friend, Judy Stoogenke and we loaded our bikes on my rack. First I had a dental appointment and then a little shopping. We finally got to the beach parking lot and unloaded the bikes. Drove about two blocks and got off, locked the bikes to a rack and had lunch. Finally we began our ride and drove up and down Forest Avenue which runs parallel to the beach. A beautiful day and good exercise. This good size turtle was relaxing in a pool outside the restaurant.

Oh What a Beautiful Morning

What a beautiful day! Perfect weather to take a walk in the Pinckney Nature Preserve with our friends Jan & Ray Mintz. We walked about two miles on the bumpy road and around some ponds where we saw some big alligators. Also saw American Coots, Moorhens, a neat reddish spider and lots of egrets in the trees. Wonderful!

Rompin' Through the Swamp

My class trip to the National Wildlife Preserve near Savannah. Top is a mockingbird, a wood stork, a purple wild vinca, Bob Wiener near a huge hackleberry tree and Sue Wiener with a large leaf from a Japanese parasol tree. This course is so much fun trapsing through the woods. The sewerage plant we visited was a real treat. Next week is a mariculture center.

Purim On My Mind

Jeff and I participated in a Purim spiel called, "A Ray Charles Purim" written by our friend Stu Blickstein. Our cast of five cavorted onstage for the Shalom Club. It was great fun singing parodies to Ray Charles tunes. I am Peace Queen Esther and Jeff is an African King Ahashvaros and proudly wearing crowns from Burger King that Jeff paints gold.

Big, Bright Green Pleasure Machine

Saw wildlife just driving around Sun City. The young gator in the top and last photo was sunning at a lagoon. The larger gator and egret were near a restaurant lagoon.