What do the Adams' do while at the BEACH in December?

A view from our room at the Islander Inn

Hello Blog Friends!!!!!   How are YOU?   As I write this post on a cold,  January day in Tennessee,   I am yearning to be back at that beautiful area NOW!!!!!!  George and I love going to Ocean Isle Beach in North Carolina,  and we try to get there almost every year in early December.

This year,  we visited  George's son and family in Florida for Thanksgiving --and then headed to the beach,  by way of Savannah and Charleston....  It was a great 11 day trip for us --but it was nice to get home to enjoy Christmas with family and each other!

Our trip this year at the Islander Inn in Ocean Isle Beach was between Dec. 2-6...So today's post is a look at our time there.   What did we do on this amazing vacation????    Sit back,  grab a cuppa and enjoy!!!!

What do we do?????   We love watching the sunset from our balcony.

What do we do?????   EAT of course;  This was my dinner of shrimp and scallops from the Dockside Restaurant at Calabash,  NC

What do we do?   We walk the beach --at least twice a day.  It's wonderful to have the beach all to ourselves.

We love watching the waves around the Fishing Pier

What else do we do???  WELL---we love walking at our favorite park in the area,  Sunset Beach Waterfront Park.  

As we walked in Sunset Park,   I just had to go down to the water's edge and search for any alligators.... They say there are alligators in the area,  but we've never had the 'privilege' of seeing any!!!!!

Nobody on the beach except us and a lot of water BIRDIES!!!!!

What do we do????   Not only do we enjoy sunsets from our room/balcony --but we also got up early enough each day to see the beautiful SUNRISES.... (This is the time of year to be here --in order to see both sunrises and sunsets.)

Another day--another walk on the beach.... You can see the Islander Inn in the distance.  It's a perfect place to stay --if you want a vacation ON the beach!!!

 What do we do?????    Of course,  we EAT again (and again)!!!!!!!   ha ha....We enjoy another delicious meal (Prime Rib and Garlic Mashed Potatoes) at the Boundary House in Calabash!!!

A walk on the beach on a VERY cold and WINDY day!!!!    I always post a picture of the big house in the distance --since we have taken pictures of it for many years,  since we watched it being built!!!!  I always say that it is 'my' house!!!! ha

What do we do?  WELL---we just had to visit CALLAHAN'S of Calabash while there...  They have the BEST  Christmas store I've seen in a long time.... Some little goodie always just calls my name,  when we are there.  This year a cute little OWL jumped into my arms and begged me to bring him home...  Of course,  I didn't want to disappoint him!!!!!  He's so cute.  His name is Hooty!!!

My new baby --HOOTY,  the Owl!!!

There are so many Christmas things to see at Callahan's.  Here's an 'upside-down' Christmas tree for you!!!!

Every time we walk on the beach,  things look different each and every day...I love this picture with the sun's reflections on the water....  The water looks like a sea of diamonds.

What do we do?????   WELL---after a nice walk along the beach,  we enjoy a little rest on the Gazebo!!!!

Another gorgeous SUNRISE

WELL as you can see---we picked a gorgeous week to be here....  I'm a 'mountain' gal at heart --but LOVE getting my Beach Fix--at least once a year.... Hope you enjoyed a visit to the beach today....

Have an awesome week, my friends.

Hugs,
😁BETSY💕

A Short Visit to SAVANNAH

Beautiful Live Oak Trees complete with Spanish Moss in Savannah, Georgia

Dear Family and Friends,   Late Fall plus the holidays was very busy for us,  and due to this crazy schedule,  I am WAY behind on posting about some of the wonderful things we have seen and done.  SO--bear with me today,  as I go back in time to  the evening of Nov. 30 and the morning of Dec. 1st to show you a little bit from SAVANNAH, Georgia.

After leaving from our terrific Thanksgiving time with George's son and family on Nov. 30,   we headed to Savannah for the night.... Traffic was HORRIBLE --so we didn't get to Savannah until it was time for dinner...

Delicious dinner from the Sweet Potatoes Kitchen

Once we got to Savannah, we checked into our motel. By that time we were ready to eat!!!  George and I enjoy eating at local restaurants in specific areas when we travel.  SO-we searched YELP for recommendations. The one we chose  was the SWEET POTATOES KITCHEN.

We both enjoyed some Pecan Crusted Chicken with Sweet Potato Butter.  For my veggies,  I chose a Sweet Potato with Pecan Butter and some delicious cooked apples. For his veggies,  George choose Corn Pudding and Mashed Sweet Potatoes...  Everything was delicious --including their  "famous"  Banana Pudding (which we took back to the motel to eat later).

The Wormsloe State Historic Site,  Savannah, GA

We didn't have a lot of time before heading on to Charleston, but we wanted to see something special in Savannah which neither of us had seen.   SO-- we chose the WORMSLOE  State Historic Site.  Noble Jones arrived in Savannah in 1733.    The plantation built in 1828  (which is private) was originally spelled, Wormslow.  In the mid-1800's,  Noble Jones'  grandson settled on Wormsloe as the standard spelling. This archway was erected in 1913 to commemorate Noble Jones' grandson's son's coming of age.

The picturesque roadway leading us through the property

Seeing and driving on this amazing road was the HIGHLIGHT of Wormsloe to me..  (You can see this beautiful road as I chose it for my Blog Header Picture this month.)   Noble Jones'  grandson planted more than 400 Live Oak trees in the early 1890's to commemorate the birth of his son.   Being here in person to see it was AWESOME....

We enjoyed hiking around the Wormsloe Property...  This is a picture of a hardy Saw Palmetto bush...

A neat area showing what Colonial Life and Living was like to those early Georgia settlers.  

This lady was sharing information about Spanish Moss to some children who were there visiting

See me in the window?  This little 'daub' house has one room,  a sleeping loft,  and a chimney for cooking and heating.  A 'daub' house was made with a combination of wet soil, clay, sand,  animal dung,  and straw.Wooden strips in the form of a lattice (called a 'wattle') are used to 'daub' the sticky mixture together... 

Inside the daub house --where I just HAD to check out the fireplace!!!!

Jones'  Narrows is no longer a strategic water channel for large ships,  since the water has been directed to the Intracoastal Waterway which was created in the 1960's.  Now---Jones' Narrows is inaccessible except for very small boats.  

I told George to get down there and pick that leaning tree up!!!!  For some reason,  he laughed at me!!!!! ha

Some of the remains of  Noble Jones'  Tabby house;  The 8 foot high house protected the family from attacks by the Spanish and their Indian allies --between 1739 and 1748.  

After our nice walk around the facility --we headed back down that amazing road as we left Wormsloe.  

Well--- that's our visit to Wormsloe State Historic Site in Savannah, Georgia.... IF you ever get to Savannah,  we both highly recommend you seeing this beautiful place....Seeing the rows of Live Oaks is worth the trip!!!!!

Have a great week.

Hugs,
😁BETSY💕

An Evening to Remember

Beautiful KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE

Dear Family and Friends,   On January 8, 2020,   Mark and Robin took George and me on a special "Double Date"....  George and I drove to Knoxville,  parked the car,  and Mark and Robin picked us up and took us on a "Night to Remember" forever....

They drove us to downtown Knoxville  (which is somewhere we have not been in many years).  Knoxville has changed through the years with the community showing pride in their little city by renovating the old downtown buildings into restaurants and theaters and other types of stores which now draw folks back from the surburbs into the CITY..... I found the walk along GAY STREET (their "Main" Street) just awesome, and am pleased that the renovations have kept the decor and history of those beautiful buildings all through the years !!!!!

Downtown Grill and Brewery

After a bit of walking,  the Young Ones took us OLD Ones for a delicious dinner at one of the many terrific restaurants downtown.  This restaurant (which used to be in the old Woodruff Building) is named the Downtown Grill and Brewery.  What a fabulous restaurant! George and I had some of the best Pork Loin we have had in a long time... YUM...

Lobby of the Tennessee Theater

Following Dinner,   we walked to the nearby Tennessee Theater  (another theater with a fabulous history).   I had been to the Tennessee Theater many years ago --when my first husband and I went to hear the music of the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ in that theater.  When we walked into the theater this time,  I felt as if I had walked back into PARADISE.   What great memories that theater holds for so many!!!  WOW.

An old picture of the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ in the Tennessee Theater (which is the biggest memory I have of the Tennessee Theater)

DRUMLINE LIVE (a musical show for the entire family)

Mark and Robin had purchased tickets for the four of us to see this fantastic musical. Mark knew how much I have always loved Marching Bands  (since I was in one for many years in high school).  We also loved watching and hearing the bands at the Mardi Gras Parades we attended in New Orleans in the '80's when we lived there...  More great memories!!!!


But--the concert was much more than watching a Marching Band... Drumline Live is a synchronized musical showcase of the legendary Black College experience that ALSO features various genres of music from  Hip-Hop, American Soul,  Gospel,  Jazz, and more.

Mark took this picture of us before the concert.

The inside of the theater was GORGEOUS...   AND--our seats couldn't have been better!!!!

Looking straight up --at the ceiling above!!!!  WOW---those details were fabulous!

The four of us in the theater

Some pictures I took of the amazing concert;   On the way home,  Mark asked me what I liked the best... That was hard since it was ALL great.  BUT--there was a Saxophone Solo that was 'out of this world' that really caught my attention,  along with all of the phenomenal percussionists.

This concert was truly 1st class: the sound, lighting, costumes, and all of that incredible ENERGY!!!  WOW!

The concert was like a HUGE Halftime Show at a Fall Football Game.  They featured the sounds of favorites such as Tina Turner,  The Supremes,  The Temptations,  Aretha Franklin,  James Brown,  Prince,  and Ray Charles (featured in the picture above).

Guess who this is???!!!!!!  Of course, it's MICHAEL JACKSON (the "King").  

As Mark said on his Facebook Post after the concert,  "there was nothing which could take that huge smile off  of my face"....What an amazing performance...  I highly recommend it.  

My Sweeties:  Robin and Mark!!!!

Thanks so much,  Mark and Robin,  for this absolutely amazing, awesome, terrific evening.   I am STILL  EXCITED --and it's been five days now since we experienced this evening... I could go on and on about Downtown Knoxville,  our restaurant,  and the concert ... BUT--I'll close with some links you may want to check out  if interested.

Tennessee Theater and its amazing past:  Click Here
Downtown Grill and Brewery:  Click Here
Downtown Knoxville, Tennessee:  Click Here
DRUMLINE LIVE:  Click Here

I highly recommend  "Drumline Live" ---if they ever come to an area near you...  If you are looking for a  'feel-good' concert --for all ages,  this one is for YOU.  Kids would love it also!!!

Have an awesome week!!!!

Hugs,

Emoticons