31 Days of Spook – Fort Pulaski

Today I want to talk to you about a place that mom and dad have visited on Tybee Island. It’s called Fort Pulaski, a national monument, located at US Highway 80 E, Savannah, Georgia. Maybe it’s not full of ghosts, but if you close your eyes and listen hard enough perhaps you will still hear the sounds of battle.

The park is open daily from 9AM until 5PM. You can go on a guided tour or roam the grounds by yourself. Mom and dad decided to go by themselves and see what kind of trouble they could get into – go mom/dad.

After you pay to enter the park, you drive over the Cockspur Island Bridge into the grounds. It’s kind of a dark picture to the right but the trees are gorgeous! Look at all of that rolling lovely green grass! So many places for this little porker to play – pets are welcomed 🙂

Then you start to see the fort itself – so massive! I don’t know why but mom was just astonished to the ‘moat’ that was around this huge fortress. Mom and dad said they were the only ones there for a bit and the silence from everything was kind of overwhelming.

It was like you could almost hear the gunshots in the background, the moans of soldiers and people talking. The wind was blowing and you could hear it singing in between the brick walls with the soft sounds of the water echoing. It was kind of eerie.

 

Fort Pulaski is huge. It was overcast this day so some of the pictures are not the best but hopefully you will enjoy them. Mom took this picture to the right as they were walking down to enter into the fort. It looks calm but mom/dad both said that the air was heavy.  They walked all the way down until the other side of the building.

That’s where there was a bridge that they walked over to enter into the fort itself. For the building to be as old as it is (built in 1861), it is remarkably still intact. You do see some stonework falling inside of the casemates but as a whole, it is grand.

Fireplaces and windows are still standing as well as the cannons in the windows. You’ll even notice on the bottom of the cannon picture where the cannons could slide left/right for positioning of the firing.

And how would you like to be a prisoner of the fort? Look to this picture to the left of the ‘beds’ they used. Wood slats. Comfy huh? Daddy tried one when mom ‘locked him up’ in prison. It was kind of hard – snorts.

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And I saved the best picture until last.

 The stairs to the top of the fort.

I’m not mentioning names but someone thought they would wobble up these torturous stairs to the top of the fort to take a peek. Notice that the stairs do not have handrails. It was a great view at the top and I would have a picture to share if only mom remembered to bring the camera – silly mom. And she wasn’t crawling back down to get the camera she said. And also let’s say that mom took the adventure of the stairs and that night it hurt in every place possible. That’ll teach mom not to climb and old fort like she was a teenager – snorts.

Oh, and another missed photo opportunity mom/dad made. They saw and met a beautiful white German Shepherd while visiting the Fort. She was so friendly and mom got to love on her for a while with her parents.

So the question remains. Is Fort Pulaski haunted? Mom asked one of the workers and she was told no. Is it spooky – yes. Do you pick up “feelings” of days gone – yes. Mom and dad both said they could close their eyes and hear and picture in their minds the activity that happened once upon a time.  

Since mom/dad have been back home, I’ve done a lot of research on Fort Pulaski.  To my amazement, there have been many encounters with the unknown at the Fort over the years.  There was a story about a mother and son visiting the fort that were crossing over the draw bridge to enter into the fort.  They met a Confederate sentry dressed in uniform with his sword.  They spoke to him about his outfit and the fort.  The mother then inquired about a restroom and he advised that he could not leave his position to show her.  She thanked the man and with her son she continued into the fort to ask about the restrooms.  There she was advised that the restrooms were at the entrance.  She became upset and told the man about the soldier she spoke to at the drawbridge.  The man advised her that they had no soldiers dressed in Confederate uniforms at the fort.

Then there was a time that a group of Confederate re-enactors placed a wreath at the graves in 1994.  They then settled down for the night and camped out.  During the night, a young 12 year old boy couldn’t sleep and was walking around the fort.  Nearing the graves, he saw a figure of a Confederate soldier in uniform on his knees near the grave they had put the wreath.  The soldier had his hat in his hand, then stood and faded away into the air.

Then during further research, I learned that an actor that you might have heard of did a movie at Fort Pulaski back in 2009.  The movie was called The Conspirator and the actor was Robert Redford.

It’s up to you to decide if it’s haunted or not.  Maybe someone needs to let the worker at the shop know that there has been some cases of mysterious sightings.  It was definitely an adventure that mom/dad would be willing to do again… of course minus the stairs – snorts.

 

Shivers – Shark Week

Oh shivers!  This week it has been Shark Week on the Discovery Channel.  We have watched a lot of the shows.  Shows that highlighted when sharks attack.  Shows that highlight guys/gals going down in the ocean in shark cages feeding sharks by hand.  Shows that highlighted HUGE sharks.  Shows that highlight sharks that bit people and showed the bites – shivers.

Then if that wasn’t bad enough, mom got a wild hair over the long weekend and decided to watch ALL of the Jaws movies.  Really mom?  Not just the original Jaws with “We’re going to need a bigger boat”, but all of them – Jaws 2, Jaws 3 and then Jaws Revenge.  Shakes piggy head.  Snorts – but us anipals stood by her side and watched with her.  Double evil snorts – I even called Houdini Shark Bait.  Now *that* was funny.

After this week of watching all of these shows, I had a dream about surfing.  It was a nightmare!   There is no way this little oinker is going anywhere near the beach.  Heck, I may even rethink getting in my piggy pool or the bathtub for that matter!

Have you watched any of these shows on television?  Any favorites? Any experiences of seeing sharks in real life?  Have you seen them at the beach?

 

Travels in the South

Hello sweet friends.  How was your Valentine’s Day yesterday?  In honor of the sweetest day of the year, mom/dad shared a little love yesterday as well.  They went out to dinner and afterwards enjoyed this delicious concoction.  And hey, splitting a dessert means half of the calories, right?  But who’s counting calories on Valentine’s Day – snorts.

This lovely creation is called a Margarita Cheesecake which is seasonal special at a local steakhouse called Logan’s Roadhouse.  Now, it’s like other cheesecakes made with cream cheese but it has Logan’s signature margarita blend on the graham cracker crust.  And don’t forget about the sliced strawberries all over the place.  Mom said it was – what was the phrase she used – delightful to the fullest!

So, if you are near a Logan’s Roadhouse, make sure you check it out for this wonderful dessert.  You won’t be disappointed.

 

 

 

 

Come Fly With Me!

Welcome to Come Fly With Me!  Today is a very special day sponsored by Easy and Queen Madi ❤  

Today’s posting is about finding a special place in our city/state/area that we think our cousin Sammy would love to visit.  We thought of Sammy and knew that there was one spot we had to share.  Our beloved Tybee Island.  We will visit the beach – of course putting your toes in the water is optional.  You can sleep on the warm sand and listen to the waves of the ocean.  You can walk down the pier over the water – there’s always fisherman out with lots of yummy things they call bait. You can even explore under the pier for goodies.

And what else will you find?  Lots of LOVE.

We love you cousin Sammy!  We hope you enjoy your visit with us at the beach 🙂

❤

 

Travels in the South

Hello sweet friends and welcome to another great edition of Travels in the South.  This past weekend, my mom/dad had to go to Alabama for a quick trip.  While they were gone, they stopped at a restaurant called Top O’ The River in Gadsden, Alabama.  Now this restaurant has special meaning to mom/dad.  You see it was over 20 years ago that dad and his family ate here.  They then told mom about it and mom and  her family ate here.  But mom/dad together have never been here.  So going to this restaurant was kind of like a coming home if you will.

When mom/dad arrived at the restaurant, there was not a single available parking space in the entire lot.  It was barely 5:00pm and there were 100’s of cars.  Mom says this is a sure sign of good food to come.  Finally mom spotted a parking space, they parked and entered the restaurant.  That’s when they saw lots of people waiting in line.  Mom/dad knew they were going to be in for a long wait so they put their name in and started looking at the menu.  You can see the menu here.  Amazingly, mom/dad might have waited less than 15 minutes and their number was called.  Mom/dad were ecstatic to say the least.  There were lots of big parties here that night so thank goodness it was just mom/dad.

Mom/dad got a fantastic seat at a booth next to the windows which was what – overlooking the top o’ the river.  Cute huh?  And what a view they had that you can see from this picture.  Beautiful and serene, lots of green trees and there were some ducks swimming around in the water.  Can you imagine what these trees are going to look like when Fall finally decides to get here?

The sweet little waitress came to the table and mom asked her what was good to get.  She said that there platters were awesome and way more food than one can eat… although the platters say for one.  So mom/dad said why not and went with the platter to share.  Boy, were they surprised when the waitress came back with some starters in the form of cole slaw and cornbread.

If you have never had southern cornbread, you are in for a treat.  Cornbread is one of mom’s specialties and dad says she makes the best. In fact here in the south, a good cornbread  will get you a good man… so says mom/dad – snorts.  But mom said this cornbread was fantastic!  Cornbread is made with cornmeal, milk, eggs, some people add a little sugar although mom doesn’t, and this cornbread had corn and jalapeno peppers.  This cornbread was served with a delicious creamy cole slaw and sliced onions on the side.  Mom/dad said they could just eat these starters and be just fine.  That’s country folks my friends – simple food for a fantastic experience.

But mom/dad ate all they could and before they knew it, it was time for the main course.  Remember the platter was suppose to be for ONE person? Well here is that platter in it’s glory.  There is boneless catfish fillets, popcorn shrimp, fried shrimp, chicken fingers, hush puppies and french fries.  Doesn’t that platter look simply amazing!  And the size of it compared to dad’s hand.  Remember, the platter was for one person.  There is no way!  Mom/dad were so glad they decided to share the meal.

They ate to their hearts desire both of them afterwards being so full and happy.  That’s what this experience was all about.  Enjoying each other, sharing a wonderful experience and just enjoying the time and scenery.  For a while, time stopped and mom/dad sat for a while and just relaxed for a bit away from everything.  And of course, you all know my daddy.  He’s never met anyone that he can’t talk to.  Today was no exception.

On the way out of the restaurant, he met the restaurant mascot, Mr. Catfish at the exit door.  They had a moment to discuss politics, the secret recipe for those wonderful catfish fillets and dad got directions home… that is after they visited the back deck of the restaurant for one last final view.

And that final view is what I leave you with today my friends.  A reflection of a great meal with some wonderful memories made.  And I have to ask you.  When was the last time that you had a dinner with family that you just sat in comfort with each other, laughed and just let everything stop for a moment.  Enjoy my friends.

 

Travels in the South

Today we continue our travels in the south series.  I’m going to take you back to Tybee Island, Georgia.  Why?  Because that happens to be one of the places in the entire world that mom/dad can get to for an escape of reality to find inner peace.  You believe that, right?  Snorts with piggy laughter.

So there mom/dad was in one of the many stores on Tybee Island, wondering around aimlessly looking for ‘it’.  You do know what ‘it’ is, right?  When woman know they need something but can’t quite put their manicured finger on what it is they need.  You follow me now?  So there they were in this store, mom looks up and says to dad, “There it is!”  Oh dear have mercy is what I think dad mumbled.  What was it?  Take exhibit A in the picture to the left.  For a moment mom thought they were in the South Pacific on Easter Island.  Where else would they be finding this ‘dude’?

You know Easter Island – There are mysterious moai statues that are huge – averaging 13 feet and weighing 14 tons.  Although they stand silent reaching for the stars, they speak volumes on how did they get there and how were they constructed which to this day is a mystery.  So was mom surprised when she found “Junior” here on Tybee Island, Georgia of all places.  Now, mom thought Junior would be awesome standing either on her front porch here at the Hotel Thompson or on the deck.  See, mom’s weird like that.  And I’m sure us anipals would have endless nightmares of Junior chasing us in our sleep.  So, this is the one time that I can say dad talked some sense into mom… this time.  But if Junior is still there the next time mom/dad visits the island, I can’t promise it won’t come home… yay.

 And another “it” that mom found while shopping endlessly for nothing, was a treasured Tybee Island rock.  You know this rock did make it home to the Hotel Thompson and is now treasured with our other pet rocks.  They all get along and have been talking non-stop about the beach and the fantastic water.  I foresee a pet rock excursion taking place to Tybee Island in the near future.  Do you?

Now, I’m stepping away from this part on food – take it away mom/dad ❤

For obvious reasons, Bacon doesn’t need to see this.  This creation is one of mine and Jim’s favorite breakfast foods while visiting Tybee Island.  We even introduced it to Jean/Bill from Canadian Cats and to Fozziemom/Fozziedad from All Fur One and One Fur All when they visited.

It is hash browns well done crispy sprinkled with chopped up fried bacon.  See, that’s why Bacon didn’t need to see this.  It is insanely evil and so delicious.  You won’t look at plain hash browns the same way.

Hope you enjoyed this week in our Travels in the South series.  Until next time

 

 

 

 

 

Travels in the South

Welcome my friends to another edition of Travels in the South.  Today I want to share another food experience with you from mom/dad.  You know those two are professional eaters what can I say.  That might be where I get it from, right?  Snorts with piggy laughter.

Well, there’s a certain restaurant nearby that was offering “Endless Aps”.  No not phone aps.. appetizers my silly friends.  Well mom also belongs to their food club where every time you eat there you acquire points towards free food.  Well part of the food club is that you get special things that you have to ask for.  For instance, chips and salsa come complimentary with your meal.  How about that?  BUT you have to ask and then show them your membership.

So mom/dad ordered some chips to start with… and did I mention they are endless?  Do you see where this post is going – endless – snorts.  Well daddy wanted to try all of the ‘endless aps’ that were on special.  Mom ordered a side salad and was going to sample things here/there which I’m sure was not how this was suppose to go but did this day.

Dad wanted to try everything so here you go – Potato Skins, Mozzarella Sticks, Pot Stickers, Fried Green Beans and Boneless Wings in a Tennessee barbeque sauce.  And nods head – you read that right.  Fried Green Beans which mom says is her new favorite.  Now, don’t drool too much on your keyboard my friends ❤

 

Travels in the South

Hello sweet friends.  Today on Travels in the South I want to share some pictures that I found recently on mom’s iPhone.  Of course it’s food pictures.  I think mom/dad take more pictures of food than Doan’s has little pills these days – snorts with piggy laughter.  So are you ready?  Here we go.

These pictures are from a delightful restaurant that mom/dad found on the River Street in Savannah, Georgia a while back.  The restaurant is called The Cotton Exchange and they have everything from hamburgers to steaks.  On this day, mom/dad were looking for appetizers to share with each other while exploring the wonderful seafood cuisine.

If you have read anything in the past about mom/dad’s food adventures, you will know that they love some good hot cheese and bread as an appetizer.  Why?  Because this is something that don’t usually eat at home.  In fact, mom usually stays far, far away from bread.  So on vacation, she likes to dive in head first and ask questions later.  At this restaurant, this lovely picture is titled but of course “Hot Bread and Cheese”.  The cheese is a garlic cheese, very hot from the stove and very tasty.  The bread left something to be desired.  Don’t get me wrong, mom/dad said it was good but look at it.  It was a side of loaf bread thrown at you.  Now some would say you could pull it apart and dip to your heart’s delight.  And that is true.  But don’t you think it would be easier to eat said bread if it was already sliced… you know especially since it’s hot?  But, I digress with mom’s finickiness.  All in all – mom/dad said it was good but could have been better.

Then when in Savannah, you *know* my mom/dad are going to get their buffalo shrimp on and ready.  Mom/dad’s second choice in an appetizer was this lovely buffalo shrimp served with celery and blue cheese.  Now, if you have never had buffalo shrimp – what are you waiting for?!  You must try this!  Even this little piggy has had buffalo shrimp from when mom fixes it here at the Hotel Thompson.  It’s like buffalo wings – same sauce – but done with fried shrimp.  How could you go wrong, right?  Mom likes them with light sauce – as she tells the waiters, “I don’t want them swimming in sauce, just lightly coated.”  You know the taste of the sauce without wearing the sauce all over your face, fingers and shirt.  Mom/dad gave this buffalo shrimp both hands up yummy!

The third appetizer that mom/dad got was called Shrimp Orleans.  These are shrimp wrapped in bacon and a cajun spice.  They are then pan blackened and served with a creole mustard.  Now first up, thank goodness I’m not that kind of pig, right?  Mom/dad said these were interesting.  Of course that’s like hearing Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Foods saying something is interesting.  We all know what kind of food he eats and the translation of interesting means it’s okay, nothing to write home about folks.  Personally mom thought they could be a little bit more spicy since they are Shrimp Orleans.  And in the bigger scheme of things, put them below the hot bread and cheese.

This leads us up to what dad calls the best thing that has ever passed his lips.  And you know my friends, this has to be good because dad is a professional eater.  This was the final appetizer that mom/dad ordered and it was a special that day.  Mom/dad can’t remember what the ‘official’ name was but it is deep fried pork.  I know – I know – I should be scared since daddy liked this but mom says I’m safe.  The kitchen took pork that was already cooked, floured it and deep fried the already goodness into cute little pork bites.  It was served with a somewhat spicy barbeque sauce on the side.  In fact, mom says she could go for some of these right now.  Thanks mom.  That makes my kind feel safe – snorts with piggy laughter.

So my friends.  Thanks for traveling in the south with me and I hope you enjoyed some of these food break downs.  Until next time, keep eating good food!

 

Travels in the South

Welcome my friends.  Let’s take another stroll down memory lane with our friends Bill and Jean from Canadian Cats who visited us back in February of this year.  There are still so many pictures that we come across that we haven’t shared.

For instance this picture of daddy who thinks he has the power to bend palm trees on the main strip at Tybee Island, Georgia.  Really daddy?  Please refrain from moving things – you are not a super hero… yet.  Snorts with piggy laughter.

Daddy for some reason thought that palm tree looked like the leaning tower of Pisa.  Mom tried to tell him it wasn’t but well you all know my daddy.  He doesn’t paddle with both oars at all.

And then, while everyone is shopping in a store, the boys disappeared.  Where were they and what were they up to?  It couldn’t be good, right?  Of course not.  Mom and Jean looked up and down the aisles looking for those crazy two.  That’s when they found them on aisle 5 in the store.  What were they doing?  Are you ready for this?

They were caught picking up ho-ho’s.  Really boys?  You two can not be trusted anywhere in public. Shaking my piggy head.  And just what do your humans do when unattended?

 

Travels in the South

Thank you my friends for returning to our series of Travels in the South.  Today we are highlighting some odds and ends of our visit with Fozziemom and Fozziedad.   During their visit, they and mom/dad went to Tybee Island, Georgia.

Of course Tybee Island is maybe 15-20 miles from Savannah.  And Savannah has the River Street where there are LOADS of stores.  You know ladies – they like to shop.

This is one store in the picture with Fozziemom.  Do you notice anything on her head?  Besides the hat… keep going up.  She was wearing her crown like the princess she is – snorts with piggy laughter.  Mom saw the tiara in the store and had to put it on Fozziemom’s head.  Cute huh?  I think personally that every woman should have their crown that they secretly wear around the house when no one is looking… my mom does – but don’t tell her I said that okay.

And of course during their time in Tybee Island, they were making a movie.  This one is called Baywatch and it has Dwayne Johnson in it – you know the Rock.  And of course, he is kind to the eyes and mom and Fozziemom say he was groovy.  Shaking my piggy head.  I don’t get it.

But one night when everyone came back from dinner, guess who was sleeping in Fozziemom’s bed?  You got it – THE ROCK.  We were amazed too and couldn’t believe it.  Or maybe he was there because Fozziemom kept trying to track him down to throw herself at him?  Anyway, she found him in her bed and slept with him!!  Mom said she would have been smiling too if she found the Rock in her bed.  I wonder why she’s never that excited to find me in her bed?  Confused I am.

And of course, trust me.  We can’t leave the island without visiting the Tybee Island lighthouse.  The Tybee Island lighthouse was established in 1961 and the light is maintained by the Coast Guard.   The lighthouse has 178 stairs to get to the observation deck with the light.

Everyone went to the Tybee Island lighthouse and while mom/dad observed from the bottom, Fozziemom and Fozziedad got brave and walked to the top – all 178 stairs.