Looking Back: Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

In late April of 2013, Norbert and I flew to the US on vacation -- exactly one week after flying back to Germany from my mother's funeral. We didn't really know what to expect from ourselves, either emotionally or physically after her unexpected death and the flights and time changes.

We flew Düsseldorf-Atlanta-Jacksonville and spent the first night at an airport hotel in Jacksonville. The next morning we drove north to Folkston, Georgia, and from there to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.  Years ago, Norbert spent a lot of time working in Georgia, and found a story about this park in our local German newspaper afterwards. He was sorry not to have known about it earlier, and was determined to get there. We finally made it!

Our first stop was, of course, the visitor's center, where Norbert made a new friend.

We then booked a boat trip, on one of these. It turned out to be just us and the guide, perfect! She was a young woman who knew such a lot about the park and was very passionate about it. A wonderful guide.

We soon saw our first 'gator!

But mainly we just looked in awe at the overwhelming beauties of nature.

There were animals, too, like this owl:

And this alligator, which tried to camouflauge itself:

The Closet Dilemma

It is always easier to blame the closet, isn't it? It can't really be my fault that there are so many clothes in there, of course not.

Last night I discovered a clothing-oriented website on which the blogger recommended listing everything in your closet and even makin a spreadsheet of it to keep track of what you do – and don't – wear.

What's the point of it? Well, I have gotten to the point in life where I want to get rid of things rather than accumulate them. This has to do with clothes as well.

We have a very casual lifestyle. We don't “do” parties, fancy dinner parties and so on. With my working at home, I certainly don't have to dress up at all.

I do love clothes though, and always have. I love to look in the stores and while I am in no way an overshopper, I do have more than I can wear.

So I took the first step this morning.  Listed every single piece of clothing in my armoire (remember, we don't have closets in Germany!) It was --- eye-opening.

I took every piece out and looked at it and wrote it down. Along the way, I did manage to discard three short sleeve cardigans, a blouse and a handful of scarves, all of which I realized I didn't really wear or was not satisfied with.

So from here out, the plan is to note everyday what I wear. With this list, it will be easy. Everything is listed by category, so all I have to do is tick this things off:  these pants, this top. The theory sounds good, at least!

I will also try to photograph my outfit each day, so I an see how it really looks and if the pieces go together as well as I thought they did.

One other idea I had: I have a lot of long sleeve cardigans in the closet at the moment. With summer having finally arrived in Germany, I will most definitely NOT be wearing them for another rmonth of so at least. So I think I will remove them from the closet and from the list for the time being. An emptier closet will be helpful.

Speaking of which, this is what the situation looks like. Here is a general view:

Top shelf has: scarves (which need desperately to be put into order; camisoles; shorts
second shelf is: blue t-shirts/tops; pink t-shirts/tops; white t-shirts/tops

The hanging section is sorted by type of clothing, and then by colour. From left: dresses; blouses, overblouses, jackets, cardigans (blue, pink, white, gray); slacks (one hanger with jeans, one with linen summer slacks, one with capri pants); one rack of skirts; belts; outerwear jackets; bathrobe.






It is too full, actually. It would be easier to find things if it was emptier and it would also be better for the clothes if they aren't jammed in together.

If and when I get this in hand, then I can tackle the shoes (don't have that many, actually), handbags and jewelry.

It might sound odd, but this is my idea of fun!

Some new beaches

So where were we..... deep in the swamp!

Got up Monday morning and checked out of our cabin and said goodbye to the Stephen C. Foster State Park.  Had a wonderful time there!

Drove back to Waycross, Ga., which I believe to be the home of Burt Reynolds, by the way, and once again hit the Starbucks in the Kroger store. (Is it just me, or does "Starbucks in Kroger in Waycross, Ga." sound odd?)

Anyway, instead of turning southwest towards the swamp, we headed due east and in about an hour or two (me driving) came to the beachy area. A HUGE bridge loomed ahead of us, but we turned off just short of it and took a shorter bridge over to Jekyll Island.

Lots of rich people have spent a lot of time on this island, and it shows. Relatively few hotels and restaurants. But lots of beautiful old live oaks absolutely dripping with Spanish moss -- very intriguing and fairy-tale like.

I think we drove all the way around the island. Unfortunately, the weather was awful. Dry and sunny, but cold and exceptionally heavy wind. We did pop out on the beach but only very briefly as it was really uncomfortable. The beach looked nice, though.

We "dined" at the Red Bug Pizza, and had an excellent hand-made pizza.

Back to the mainland Tuesday morning and headed south to Florida again. Hit A1A and drove east to the ocean, on Amelia Island. Our hotel, the Seaside Amelia Resort, was on the far northern tip of the island. We were not too satisfied with it. We checked in and went to our room, which was probably the tiniest double I have ever seen. There was about one foot of space around the bed, no chairs, and even the TV hung on the wall. It was impossible to think of spending two nights there.

Went down and were able to upgrade to another room. This one had a slightly larger bed area as you walked in, with small but compete bath, and then a living area with sink, counter, microwave, fridge, sofa, tv, etc.

But no lights!  One tiny decorative lamp in the living room, which provided virtually no light! And only one lamp in the bedroom area. And to top it all off, the air conditioning died the second night. Fortunately there was a ceiling fan in the bedroom, so we were able to stay comfortable. But you can bet that I will be in touch with them about a few things........

Once again, the island didn't terribly impress us.  Lots of OLD people, like really made me feel young! Nothing against old people, of course!  Again, surprisingly few restaurants, and the one we ate it was not terribly good.

Wednesday morning we headed back to the shopping mall by the airport, which we had visited when we arrived.  Had a wonderful time poking around in it, and yes, I did manage to buy a thing or two.....

The weather had finally decided to co-operate, so after a nap, it was bathing suit time for the first time this year! (Always a dreadful thought.....) We took of snow-white bodies down to the beach and stretched out for an hour or two.  It felt so wonderful -- warmth, sun, the surf in the background.  We aren't usually the types to lay on the beach, but this was good.

After our disappointing restaurant experience the previous night, we decided to dine on the snacks we had with us and which we didn't want to transport on the next leg of our trip.

Off to the Outer Banks tomorrow!

See you later, alligator!

Here is the swamp portion of our vacation!  Photos will follow.....


Friday, April 19

Let's put it this way:  5 a.m. is not my time. I can function when needed, but it sure is not fun.  Kitty was thrilled to have us up so early, tough, and got in an extra cuddle. Lucas was up before we left, so we could say goodbye to him.  Left the house about 5:45.

Got to Düsseldorf airport and found a parking place rather easily. We had already checked in online, so we just had to turn in our suitcases. Sat for about an hour before boarding.

Flight was 100 percent full. There was an extremely strong headwind, so the flight took nearly 10 hours. Surprisingly, it seemed to go rather fast and we never had that “Oh god another five hours of torture” feeling.....thank goodness! It got rather bumpy as the flight went along.

Immigration in Atlanta went fast, but we had to wait about 10 minutes for our bags. This was bad, since the late arrival made it tight to catch our next flight. Then we had to wait what seemed like forever (but what was likely 5-10 minutes) to go through security again. From there we caught the train and literally ran to the gate, where they were calling final boarding. We were NOT the last people to board.

The flight was so bumpy they didn't offer any service at all. Since it was only about a 45 minute flight, it didn't really make any difference.

Jacksonville, Fla, is not a huge airport and we easily found our way to pick up our bags and then the  rental car counter. Sadly, they had not mid-size SUV ready at the moment, we could either wait for one or take a free upgrade to a van right away. “Free” and “right away” hit the right notes, so we took that.

Walked out to the garage and were given a Dodge Grand Caravan – a seven seater!  That sucker is BIG!  Ridiculous for the two of us, but hey, we took it!

Hot and humid, and it had rained a lot, obviously. It also rained overnight.

From there it was only a mile or two to the Best Western Jacksonville Airport. hotel.  Checked in and then took off again to a nearby shopping center. Bought the necessities of life at Wal-Mart, including a nifty folding cooler. Bought dinner there, too, a burrito for Norbert and a sub sandwich for me.  Ate in the hotel room. To bed by 8:15.


Saturday, April 20

Up at 5:45 or so. Took our time.  Breakfast at hotel, before heading north on 95 for a few miles. Then headed northwest on the back roads, which are always so much fun. Flat and deserted landscape. I kept wondering why the schools were closed, until Norbert pointed it out that it was actually Saturday.......

We went through Folkston to the East Entrance of the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Walked through the visitor's center and watched the glorious film. Booked a boat trip and waited about half an hour for it.

The weather was drippy and significantly cooler.  I ended up wearing a tee-shirt, cardigan and rain jacket, and wasn't really warm enough.

We were lucky enough to have a private tour, that is, just the guide and the two of us. She was 29, had worked there 9 years and was quite passionate about nature, the swamp and the environment. The trip was wonderful. The swamp is incredible. It is impossible to describe. We saw alligators, owls, Sandhill crane, pitcher plants, sundews, all sorts of things.  Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.  It ended up by going into what can only be described as a huge lake filled with water lilies – not blooming unfortunately, but still an incredible sight.

From there we backtracked to Folkston and hit the Burger King for lunch and Rite Aid for some cough medicine for me. Also hit Harvey's grocery store to get something for dinner.

Then we headed south and then west to Fargo, Ga., and the entrance to the Stephen C. Foster State Park. The main impression from the drive is that there is a lot of nothing in this area – but “nothing” can be fascinating, too.

Went straight to the Trading Post within the park and signed up for another boat trip, which started in about 5 minutes.  One other family of four went with us. The first part was perhaps not so interesting, but when we went off into a side canal, it was gorgeous.

When we got back, we went ahead and checked in to our cabin. Dinner was chicken breasts, peas and yellow rice.

There are 8 cabins, and only five are in use.  It is fine, with living room, dining room-kitchen, full bath and two bedrooms, with two beds each. The kitchen assortment is – interesting – but certainly adequate for our needs. There is a tv, with only about five stations!  (how old-fashioned.....) And no internet, which is actually rather nice.

Saw several deer outside the cabin in the evening. There are also several squirrels who apparently live here, who we love to watch.

Sunday, April 21

Slept relatively well but up early, of course.We left about 8 and headed to Waycross, Ga. We passed a lot of fields of bushes, and berry processing places, and discovered later they were blueberries. Pretty impressive to see a field of hundreds if not thousands of blueberry bushes.

Once more, lots of nothing along the way, but still fascinating. ON the way out of the park, we saw several wild turkeys.

Waycross is a nice little town and we actually found out way without too many problems. Okefenokee Swamp Park is a semi-commercial place within the park.  They have it really set up so you take the boat trip at 12, the train trip at 1 and then catch the nature show at 2.  We had time first to look at the little zoo area – a bunch of gators – with several squirrels following us arounds and providing entertainment.

We also went out on the boardwalk into the swamp, which was beautiful. It continues, after a gate, on to a “low boardwalk”, at water level, which of course the critters can get on. fortunately, it was closed due to the recent rain. Not that I would have gone on it anyway!

The boat trip was full and the guide didn't stop talking. That didn't distract from the beauty of the swamp, though. And it was significantly warmer, which helped.

From there we drove back to Waycross, had lunch at Arby's and picked up dinner at Wal-Mart, and a coffee at Starbucks before heading home. Once “home”, we went to the nature walk within the park and saw a deer with a small fawn...... cuuuuuute. Then we hit the Trading Post where I bought a cookbook, a Christmas present for my brother, and some postcards.

We have enjoyed watching the wildlife out in back of the cabin.  We  have seen a number of deer and of course the squirrels. This evening we saw first a turkey, and then a flock of large birds, which we suspect were turkey buzzards.  Fascinating! Two more deer showed up, too.

What is it about the swamp that is so fascinating?  Hard to say. The tall cypresses enclosing everything, give it such a closed-in feeling. The water quite literally everywhere, but so little of it open water. Okefenokee translates as “the land of the trembling earth”, because so often what looks like solid earth absolutely isn't – just stuff floating on the water. It is mysterious, intriguing, and so much of it untouched by and indifferent to the human race.

And of course the wildlife. We really did see alligators in the wild, including several little ones.  Believe me, they are truly scary creatures! But also Sandhill cranes (Huge!), deer, owls, chameleons and all sorts of birds. Even the ditches often have beautiful bright white egrets – their spotless shining white such a contrast to the muck.

The plants are equally fascinating. The cypress trees, dripping with Spanish moss, the thousands and thousands of water lilies, the pitcher plants, the sundew plants, the wild iris – and so many more that I don't recognize.

NOTE: I was told there are no buzzards in North America, and what we saw were Turkey Vultures.

Real life is what happens......

...while we are busy making plans, as John Lennon is alleged to have said.

Several weeks ago I was happily anticipating the next vacation, chuckling over our crazy schedule, and idly wondering whether I really wanted to retire this year.

The first call from my brother on the afternoon of Saturday, March 30, saying that Mom was being helicoptered to the heart clinic put a halt to all that, with the next call at nearly midnight saying she hadn't made it stoppping everything.

Plans were hastily made and after an exceptionally long day of airplanes and airports, I arrived in Edenton at about 11 pm Tuesday night. Norbert and Lucas flew over on Thursday and brought Cindy down with them Friday morning. The funeral was Saturday.

All went smoothly and it wasn't as difficult as it could have been. It was truly touching to hear from so many people all around the world about how much they loved Mom.

Losing Mom is quite an experience – and talking to other women who have lost their mothers has been an enormous help.  Everyone from good friends to high school friends to aiport guards had words of love and sympathy.  It has certainly given me strength.

We got home again Friday morning, April 12, rather groggy and me with a very bad cold. Still, home is always the best!  And Kitty was overjoyed to be back in her beloved home with her people around her.

I jumped immediately into work the next day, and have worked – more or less – every day since then. But this will prove to be my lowest income month ever, with a total of just six days' work!

That is because Norbert and I get back on airplane and fly back to the US tomorrow morning, on our regularly scheduled vacation! What timing...... I don't think I have ever done so little last-minute planning as I have for this trip. Of course the trip itself was planned earlier, but many of the usual last-minute things won't get their usual attention.

And nevertheless we will have a great time!

We will have internet access for most (but not all) of the trip, so I will blog here as we go along. Please keep an eye out for it!

Susan

Good Friday: We ALL love tuna!

To continue the food theme from yesterday....

Good Friday means no meat.  We had cereal for breakfast and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. But I admit I eyed the leftover bratwurst in the fridge -- guess they will taste just as good on Saturday, though.

In the evening, the tuna steaks were unpacked, and they were gorgeous.

To go along with them, we decided on homemade potato wedges, which I forgot to photograph until they were in the oven.

Oops, as a glasses-wearer I ought to know what happens when you open the oven....

That looks better.

As they ended up. I think they might have needed a bit longer in the oven, but on the other hand, there were none left over.

And here a tuna steak with potato wedge side:

More tuna steaks in the pan:

In the pan?  Over there?

I WANT them.  NOW.

And more in the pan. They were so beautiful....

Bah, these silly people think only of themselves and not of ME.

To sum up:  delicious! The tuna pieces were brushed with garlic and thyme which soaked in a little olive oil for about 20 minutes. The potatoes were seasoned with an herb-salt mixture.

No one left the table hungry, not even Kitty.

Susan

The Blog lives!

Thought it was time to rescue my blog from its winter hibernation. Now that I am working fewer hours (yeah!) I ought to have lots of free time to do other fun things, like blogging.  Ha ha ha, funny how it doesn't work that way.

I was off today -- that is, not working for Cyclingnews -- so it was kitchen day. The stores here are closed on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, so Norbert (who was also off) and I made an early morning run to the grocery stores. We spent a ton of money, but got some really good looking things.

One of the most expensive was this roast beef for Easter dinner:

One of the other stores has sweet potatoes on sale, we will pick them up Saturday.

The most expensive item was the fresh tuna steaks for tomorrow.  The Catholic tradition is to eat no meat on Good Friday, and although we are not at all religious (and I am acutally not at all Catholic), we go along with that. We usually eat fish once a week anyway, but becuase we love it so much!

No photo (yet) of the tuna, it is all sealed up.

Back home, I moved into the kitchen.  First thing up was a batch of Jumbo Coffee Cake Muffins.

It only made about 9 or 10, which really isn't enough. As you can see, they are disappearing fast and there are now even fewer than when I took the picture.

Lunch was a batch of Nürnberger Bratwurst, the little spicy ones.  Yum!  I love me a nice fatty Bratwurst every now and then.

After lunch I finally made the peanut butter pie, the recipe from Tale of the Whale at the Outer Banks. I made it rather late to eat it this afternoon. I stuck it in the freezer, but it still hadn't properly set by 4 pm. This didn't stop Lucas and me from eating it, needless to say.

I usually make it with a chocolate crumb crust, but didn't have any extra chocolate cookies on hand.

I also made a batch of ranch dip,but you can guess what that looks like.

Norbert volunteered to make dinner tonight, one of his specialties:  shrimps in cream sauce with spaghetti.  Lucas doesn't always eat dinner with us, but you can sure bet he did tonight!

We then shoved everything except the wooden spoon and one plastic measuring cup into the dishwasher and retired to the living room with a glass of wine.

More on the rest of the weekend's food goodness to come.....

Susan