The Wedding Day

Wedding Rehearsal Dinner - P F Changs

I Remember the Smith Plantation Tour Guide

We met the sweetest tour guide at Smith Plantation. She was one of the unfortunate natives of New Orleans who was forced to evacuate and relocate to the state of Georgia. This lady's home was near Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans so when the levees broke after Hurricane Katrina hit the water rose to the twelve foot level in her home and stayed like that for over two months. Naturally everything she had was ruined including an antique melodian? (small organ) that she had had insured for $35,0000 on a separate insurance rider. Well, she got nothing from the insurance company because they claimed that the insurance coverage was only for water damage from the roof down not from water rising up from the ground from the broken levees. She pointed this out to us as she showed us in one room of the house a melodian that was not as old and not as valuable as hers has been. She said that she had place valuables on top of tables and covered them with antique quilts but the water rose so fast and so high that everything downstairs was under water and everything upstairs was ruined by mildew. And then to make a very bad situation worse her home was broken into and ransacked three times during this two month period. Looters took architectural elements, doorknobs, chandeliers, etc. What a nightmare for this woman! In this woman's opinion, New Orleans will never return to its former days of glory. It will be like a modern day Pompeii---a city lost to the elements. In comparison she noted that Atlanta recovered rather quickly from General Sherman's destroy and burn policy as he marched across Georgia from Atlanta to the sea. She told us that she is now recovering her life in Atlanta and will never return to New Orleans. So sad. But what a show of fortitude and perseverance.
I just had to blog about her. And this was her advice for everyone: read the fine print of all your insurance policies. What you think may be covered may not actually be covered even though you are paying dearly for insurance. And quite naturally she does not have a high opinion of President Bush and his slow reaction to this disaster. Oh, and I also learned this from her talk. She told us that General Sherman took 600 women from around Roswell, GA as prisoners of war and had them put in a prisoner of war camp in the state of Kentucky. This tour guide like the tour guides at the other two antebellum halls did not have a good opinion of "that ruthless Sherman" and they all used the expression "The War of Northern Agression" when refering to the Civil War. And they all spit out the word yankees. I didn't dare comment that I was born a yankee in Ohio.

Friday Sightseeing in Atlanta

Today the weather was again in the 80's and we spent the day touring three antebellum plantation homes including Bulloch Hall where President Teddy Roosevelt's Father married Mittie Bulloch. Barrington Hall had large columns on three sides and lots of boxwoods. Smith Plantation was fully furnished with the original period pieces. While waiting for the tour guide at Smith we discovered a cute little lizard on one of the white columns and lots of purple iris in bloom.We ate lunch outside at the Fickle Pickle in downtown Roswell where we enjoyed fried green tomato sandwiches. Very Good.

Smith Plantation, 1845

Bulloch Hall, 1839

Barrington Hall, 1842

Atlanta Botanical Garden

Safely in Atlanta

Letting everyone know we arrived safely in Atlanta and have a wonderful two room suite at the LaQuinta Inn in Dunwoody. New hotel and great amenities. We got to Atlanta early and started our visit at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. You can see one of the sculptures in the picture of Jack. The gardens were beautiful especially the orchid display. We got carried away with the orchid pics. As you can see, I found a friend in the garden. From there we went to the High Art Museum where they have a wonderful display of artifacts and art from the Louvre in addition to their permanent collection. We hadn't planned on having enough time for both today, so we will have to figure out a new plan to keep us occupied tomorrow until the rehearsal dinner.

Jimmy Carter's Peanut Farm

Brunswick, Ga to Savannah and Charleston

Sunday we had breakfast in Savannah and walked and drove around some of the downtown squares. Everytime we go to Savannah we love it more than the previous visit. What a wonderful southern city! After time in Savannah we drove north on 17 to Charleston to look once again at the homes along the battery, to see the harbor and to drive by the downtown market where ladies are selling sweetgrass baskets. Another great southern city! We think Savannah wins the battle of the cities because it is smaller and so unique. Sunday afternoon we drove all the way to North Carolina and spent the night in Lumberton, N.C. Monday we drove to our home in Virginia. We scooted west to take #85 north to Raleigh, N.C. where we stretched our legs by touring the North Caroline State Capitol. Then we drove on to Durham, N.C. where we drove by Duke University and the Duke Homestead and Tobacco Farm. We then drove on to Virginia and switched roads---from#85 to state route 29 which is a lovely drive that takes you thru rolling hills and Charlottesville, VA, the home of Thomas Jefferson's University of Virginia. The weather was sunny and pleasant and we were home by 6:30 and unpacked by 7:30 and started the laundry by 8:30. It is great to go away but nothing ever beats sleeping in your own bed when you return home! Plan to post photos of our return drive from Orlando this evening. In the meantime we are hitting the gardens for pruning, mowing and watering. Catch you later.

Brunswick, Georgia and The Golden Isles

We are waking up in Brunswick, GA and the Golden Isles. We had a very busy sightseeing day yesterday in downtown Orlando, as well as at Winter Park, Harry P. Leu Gardens, Jacksonville, the Cummer Museum and Gardens, and Brunswick, Georgia. We will post later today. Need coffee right now. Catch you later...