My Hope for my Country

I'm up to my ears in the Democratic Convention and I am filled with hope and longing.
Last night I watched Ted Kennedy, the Liberal Lion of my party. He is in the last years of his life, and the last of the brothers that inspired me from the time I was a young girl. With the challenge of a brain tumor, he came to the party and had me in tears considering the legacy of his work on behalf of people that he had no reason to champion. He is a rich and privileged man who certainly has had his measure of mistakes but during all his life, he has worked on behalf of those of us who do not share his bank balance. He didn't have to....he chose public service and service on my behalf. I am humbled by your choice and I thank you Senator Kennedy.

Michelle Obama....a woman to be admired. What a wonderful speech she made last night. She is an intelligent woman, clearly a dedicated mother, a woman who clearly loves her husband and a professional woman who chose to work in areas that were heart driven instead of money, prestige and ego driven. I'll be proud to have her as the First Lady of the United States of America. It was also refreshing to see two well behaved children who loved their daddy.

Now to Hillary Clinton. Wow! What a magnificent woman. She has grown way past Bill and has always been a class act. I have to admit, I wanted her to be my President but that was not to be. And to see the "loser" rise to support our Country and set aside her ego to support Barrack Obama. She did everything right in my eyes. She focused on the spirit of our Country....the spirit! The reason we exist. Not to make corporations Gods.....not to be military aggressors for all the wrong reasons.....not to ignore the weak, the poor, the sick, the neediest of us....not to take and take and carry ourselves in arrogance as though we have all the answers for all the world.

My hope for the USA is to be better than we have been and as good as we were meant to be. I want to take care of the people in our Country that haven't yet been exposed to strong parenting, successful role modes, who have been focused on survival without the luxury of higher ground, and the hope that fills the spirit and gives us the ability to rise above our lowest points and opens our hearts to the sadness and failings of others. I want to be proud of the USA again. I want the world to see us as the Nation of promise for the oppressed, a place where people can be safe from tyranny and suppression. I want to be able to stand proud and be confident in saying,"the USA would never torture, deny civil rights, ignore people in need or put profits above ethics."

I think Barrack Obama and Joe Biden are the best opportunity we have to change the course of our country. I plan to work for this ticket and although I know change is not an immediate thing, I know that intention is powerful and the Obama-Biden intention is where I want to be.

I want the America of my dreams back. I want to travel the world without feeling the need to apologize for our aggression and arrogance. My hope for my Country I send up to my God....."open our hearts, take away the desire to make war....let us care for the most needy of our population, let the rich be abundant in spirit as well as material goods...let us embrace our best selves and let our actions reflect the highest good for all. Let our Country be the place where hard work and ethical behavior lead to success for those of us born here and those of us who come here for just this opportunity." This is my hope for my country and my family, my neighbors, my friends, my leaders and my world.
God Bless My America

Sun Breaks in Florida

Rain, rain, go away...and it did for a few lovely moments. Sandy and I took the opportunity and sprinted to Apalachicola to have lunch and check out the shops. Sandy was born there so she has a heart string that gets happy when she is there. It is a neat little town. Full of historic homes, oysters and good food.

Today I am watching the weather channel and trying to decide when to head home. Things do not look particularly inviting over the next week or two. Another hurricane building and projected to head toward the Gulf, rain and tornados along the Southern shore. The midwest looks good.....that would be an interesting route...Florida to Nebraska to Arizona. HELP!!

The pictures are a bit eclectic but fun for me.

Mexico Beach, Florida

I left Jekyll Island planning to head to Mexico Beach, Florida. I was going to do the trip in 2 days but once I got rolling I went into driving mode and did the 350 miles in one day. I arrived at Rustic Sands, where Sandy lives, on Tuesday night. I have to say, it feels so good to know that I am going to stay put for a while. Sandy and I have been watching the FAY show and trying to figure out where this storm is headed. We had planned to go to Pensacola, Florida for the weekend but scraped that plan and decided to stay at Rustic Sands and see how the storm went. We did well, some rain and mild winds. Nothing to be concerned about, hurray.

I've been watching the political news and have to say I am basically pleased with the choice of Joe Biden as the Dem VP. I would have loved to have seen Hillary on the ticket but I'm prepared to work for an Obama-Biden ticket. I hope the Hillary supporters come around and support Obama....I can't believe they would actually vote for McCain when the chips are down. I want change in this Country....and to me, Obama-Biden is the only choice.

Here are my Mexico Beach pictures. I expect I will have more.

Jekyll Island, GA. & The Sea Turtle Center

I am staying at the Jekyll Island Campground, a beautiful place. The park is in a natural setting with lots of trees and access to the beaches. Jekyll Island is owned by the State of Georgia so it has not been as developed as some of the other barrier islands, a refreshing change. I came here to visit the Sea Turtle Center. Today I toured the center and took pictures of the turtles. The center is actually a hospital for the turtles they find injured or struggling. They are doing a great job of saving the species and it was an interesting tour.

I am also keeping an eye on the weather channel so I can track Hurricane Fay. It looks like my plans to go to St. Augustine to meet up with my friend Sandy are going to change. She lives on the west, Gulf coast of Florida. Way north near Panama City. We were worried for a while that Fay was headed Sandy's way but now it seems to be going northeast. Sooooo, tomorrow morning I will decide where to go. I sure don't want to experience my first hurricane, especially in my Ms.Capri.

Now, a few words about mosquitoes. I hate the little vultures. I have been bitten so many times on this trip. They seem to love my ankles....I have tried every kind of repellent with minimal success. I just hope none of the miserable little creatures are carrying the West Nile Virus. I have invested in benedryl spray, and amonia in a effort to stop the itching. Actually, they both work pretty well, a plus. Last night I was fast asleep when I woke to a buzzing in my ear and damn! I got bit. Next I am going to try an achohol bath, both internally and externally. Hope springs eternal.

Savannah, GA.

I drove the 50 miles into Savannah, GA. to see this City for the first time. The landscaped squares...20 or so, are what makes the City special. I enjoyed the City Market and River Street. I'm afraid however, that my new "Charleston Standard" for historical and beautiful cities was not met in Savannah. I had to take a picture of the house with the Confederate flag. The wounds are still fresh in Georgia. They have a terrific Scottish pub where I had lunch. Molly MacPherson's....like a trip back to Scotland. Great burgers!!

Tomorrow, Sunday, I head South to Jekyll Island, GA. They have a sea turtle center that I'm looking forward to seeing.

Hilton Head Island

I've been on Hilton Head Island for nearly a week. I am staying in a very nice RV Resort on the Inland Waterway...the bridge to the mainland is shown in my pictures.
The highlight of my stay, in addition to the Hallelujah Singers, was my boat trip with Capt. Rick. We went out to find dolphins. The Fin you see in my pictures is not a shark! It is one of the many Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins that live in the South Carolina waters. The marshlands are lovely....the houses big and rich....lots of gated communities and high end resorts. Beach access is hard to find but nice when you get there. The Island is interesting, master planned, with lots of attention given to minimizing the impact of hurricanes. The Live Oak trees are planted everywhere and the roads are planned to eliminate the opportunity for winds to increase their velocity.

The Gullah culture is alive and flourishing. Decendents of the slaves that were brought to the Island to work the Plantations. I took a tour of the Island and saw so many historical sites.

Hallelujah Singers

I had the joy of attending a concert at the Hilton Head Arts Center. The performance began with the primal beat of drums, then the Hallelujah Singers walked onto the stage, black skinned and dressed in white. They swayed and moved to the beat and began to sing. The hair on my arms stood straight up...the sound was amazing. Deep, rich and multi-layered harmonies that hit me in the heart. What a night.

The Hallelujah Singers are of the Gullah Culture and sing music that has a strong spiritual history that dates back to a time before slavery and comes from the West Coast of Africa. The Gullahs live on the Islands of the low country of South Carolina and are the descendants of the slaves that worked the rice plantations. They say "Gullah" is an interpretation of "Angola" where many of the people came from who were sold into slavery. The closest experience I've had to what I heard, was in Tahiti on the Island of Bora Bora, in a local church. The harmonies are coming from a place of spirit....they flow and build naturally. It is a wonderful sound.

Marlena Small is the guiding force of the Hallelujah Singers. She is working to save the Gullah Culture through the music and story telling. She is a force of nature and I was blessed to hear her and her Singers. Now I am obsessed with learning more and more about the Gullah Culture...and the music.

I found music CDs on Amazon.com and have ordered them all. Check out the Penn Center on St. Helena Island in South Carolina....they are all about Gullah.
It is a fasinating history.

Charleston is beautiful

I don't know if I loved the bridges or the architecture more. The bridges are amazing and so many of them. The historic district is full of beautiful old homes and buildings. I have some pictures but there is so much to see and so much history. I found out I am very ignorant regarding the Civil War. On the history tour I took, I learned that South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union and Charleston has an interesting and lively history. I was very interested in learning about the Gullah culture and history. Unfortunately the tour I had hoped to take was cancelled.

I'm now on Hilton Head Island in a very nice RV resort. I plan to stay here a week and tour Savannah, GA. as well as the Island and surrounding area. I had hoped to be able to stay at the Hunting Island State Park but alas, there was no spot for me. It is a beautiful park, directly on the ocean.

Here are my pictures of Charleston houses.