today, i walked on a research vessel!

In fact, I did a lot more walking than I'd planned, as I parked at the research building rather than near the dock.

I'll see how my right leg feels about that tomorrow.

For now, I'm pretty elated about the experience!

 

This was an 'Open Ship Night' at the SkIO and I was one of the first to arrive for the first tour!

The ship is the R/V Savannah and it's been out to sea for 110 days so far this year, so it took some planning on the part of Jackson Schroeder, the Public Relations Coordinator to make sure it would be in port.

Dr. Mark Frischer, one of the researchers that I met last year, kept the group entertained as each set of 8 awaited their turn.

He was telling us about the gear off to his right.

I was in the second group to board the research vessel.

That's his graduate student, Alyssa Fritz, on the left; beside her is Claire Eilers, a graduate student of Dr. Nicholas Foukal.

They were in charge of our herd of cats.

(smile!) 

They first talked of the equipment on the newly-extended stern.

That work was done in 2024, to lengthen the ship by 11 feet to make more room for NOAA gear on their missions.

That's nice extra income for the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography!

That's good, since the refitting cost 4.6 million dollars - which is a million more than the ship cost in 2001 when it was brand new!

The two young women didn't tell us that; nope, that came from a old Brit in our group who was well-read on such matters.

Very interesting!

After we'd looked at all on the stern, we were led in to the Wet Lab, aptly named as it was the first room in.

The Dry Lab was next, before we turned another corner into the dining area and the galley, which was quite well equipped.

It would need to be, as some of the trips were month-long ventures!

Then we went upstairs to one of the bunk rooms.

It was pretty petite - only half our party could enter the space!

We went up yet another set of narrow, steep, stairs - more of a ladder, really - to the bridge, where Morgan talked to us about the missions.

What a marvelous view!

And did I say "missions"?

Yes, this ship serves not only the researchers here at SkIO, but also marine researchers at other universities, as well as weather missions for NOAA.

Busy as bees they are!

Like I said, that's a good thing, given the cost of the recent overhaul.

We climbed down from that lofty perch on a twisty set of narrow, steep, stairs back to the stern.

That's Claire, pointing out some of the controls in the conning tower. 

The view is toward the A-frame at the back, capable of holding more than two tons of gear and research equipment.

Someone asked her if anyone ever got seasick on the voyages.

Most definitely!

The ship is tall and narrow, with a wide bottom, so it rocks like a child's toy in choppy waters.

She said someone always gets seasick, but you just deal with it.

I remember getting so sick on that little, fast, hydrofoil that ferried us from Naples to the Isle of Capri - that was rough!

I feel for those who sailed on R/V Savannah!

The end of the tour was down in the engine room.

We were advised those steps were even steeper and more twisty than the ones that came down from the bridge.

I told Claire and Alyssa that I would abstain from that trek!

So, I stayed on the stern and talked to Jackson for a while.

When he was called away, I was joined by Terrell Scarboro, the ship's engineer, and we spoke for probably 15 minutes!

I'd been talking with him about the water testing tubes on the deck, telling him that I recalled doing such years ago...

when I was with a high school science group called STERI...

and his eyes lit up...

he had been with that group, too!

I told him there had been two of us from Jenkins High, at least four from BC, and two from Johnson High...

and Johnson was his school!

He'd graduated in 1976, same as me!

But neither of us remembered the other from our time with Charles Schuberth and the Student-Teacher Environmental Research Initiative.

Hey, it's been just over 50 years ago, as that program was for high school juniors, so it's understandable that we wouldn't recognize each other.

Plus, I was busy dating two of the Benedictine Cadets, so, there's that.

Still, it was really nice to run into someone who shared that bit of history with me and was also a Savannah native.

That's really rare for me.

And he gave me a parting gift: a sighting of a dolphin chasing a fish dinner almost into the water's edge as I was headed to the pier!

Wow... what a great shot that would have been! 

mother's day25, sans Mama

After checking the weather report, I decided to partake of the free tour hosted by the Bonaventure Historical Society.

The rains weren't due until about 3:30 to 4 pm and the 90-minute tour was to begin at 2 pm.

I parked up front, not realizing there would be parking further into the cemetery.

That's okay, I needed a nice brisk walk... and I had one, too, from the welcome center to the middle of the shaded area.

 

When I arrived, Bonaventure Don was giving the folks gathered there a condensed history of Savannah, starting with James Oglethorpe and his group of debtors that he'd brought to start a settlement.

Debtors? Not criminals?

These were actually skilled tradesmen who'd ended up in debtors prison because they had come upon hard times and not been able to pay their creditors.

Oglethorpe bought their freedom by paying their debts, making them obligated to sail away to the new world with him.

Smart move.

That talk went for about 15 minutes, then we moved on to the family tomb in which Mary Telfair's body is encased.

Don had quite a lot to say about that feisty woman, too, and the research library, women's hospital, and museum that she set up when she got the family wealth.

Of course, that meant her four brothers pre-deceased her and that the last of them had awarded that fortune to her rather than to someone else.

Our tour guide also talked about the history of Bonaventure Cemetery, once a well-known final resting place for the wealthy after Bonaventure Plantation was bought and turned into Evergreen Cemetery.

The site held that name until the City of Savannah bought it in 1907, changing the name to its present title and opening it to all.

I even saw the American Legion Field there, right across from the grave of Noble Jones, one of Savannah's forefathers whose body was moved from Wormsloe to one other cemetery before finally coming to rest here in the late 1800's.

The American Legion Field (lower center arrow) is where I would like to have a marker, as a member of Post 36; I need to check into that paperwork.

Hard rain cut the tour off at 3:15 and we all hustled off.

Heidi Hoffman of Asbury recognized me earlier, which was very nice!

I shared my umbrella with her and her little dog, Whiskey, when the rain first started.

Then, when the tour was called short, she gave me a lift back to my car.

Right time, right place for me!

She even wished me a good visit with Mama in Greenwich.

(smile!)

I had a good visit, too, as the hard rain abated and eventually stopped.

I usually don't go there on high-traffic days like today, but the meme posted by Sherry Giddens a few days ago prompted my trip.

"God spoke today in flowers, and I, who was waiting on words, almost missed the conversation." 

I brought flowers with me, a spray with white petals on five arms, one each for Mama, Jean Marie, and Ronnie, wishing each a 'happy Mother's Day'.

I made sure to enjoy the scenery at each site, too.

Very nice, very reassuring.

Right place, right time.

 

On my way home, I took the long way around, choosing to drive past my youngest brother's house to see if his kids might be there.

Lo and behold, Hope's car was in the driveway!

So I parked and found all - Tony and Laura, Damon and his daughter Carissa, Hope and her sons Sebi and Bert - had just sat down for a late Sunday dinner.

 

Tony invited me to stay so I did, dining on baked chicken, macaroni and cheese, Brussels sprouts, Caesar salad, and even tiramisu for dessert.

And we all talked and shared news of our days and it was wonderful!

I even had big hugs from all, especially Hope and Damon, and that was very good, as it had been Christmas when I last saw this niece and nephew.

Right place, right time.

i thank You, God.

it was a dark and stormy night

... and there we were, tromping around in a cemetery, with lightning flashing.
Not jellyfish lightning, just the normal variety.
The group of us were there for the Bonaventure After Hours tour, a "rain or shine" event.
This evening, it was definitely "rain".
Then again, I was there with my bfe, so of course the weather was marking the occasion by throwing water at us.
At least it was warm water!
Seriously.
I guess we should have given fair warning to the rest of the group.
"Hey, just to let you know! The bfe and I made this tour date with plenty of advance notice to Mother Nature, so you should make sure to bring your wet-weather gear!"
We were all pretty thoroughly soaked by the time the tour was done. The plastic rain ponchos and umbrellas and raincoats were no match for the dripping of the sky and the trees and the bushes. Nope, no match at all.
The tour guide was fabulous, keeping up his steady patter as if the day were bright and clear, rather than dark and stormy. His huge flashlight illuminated the statues and slabs and tree roots of interest along the way, serving as a focal point and a distraction from the water drops beading up and dripping from every surface around, and on, us.
Still, I enjoyed myself.
You know me: I come to the party to actively have a good time, not to placidly be entertained.
Once the tour was done and we were heading back toward the exit gate, I was free to listen to the music in my mind.
After all, the bfe had other things on his mind and was fairly uncommunicative. He'll soon have to say a last farewell to his favorite cat, as she has a cancer which currently occupies about a quarter of her mass, but does not seem to cause her pain. I hope she will make it to the summer.
Most of the group was lagging behind, perhaps mistakenly thinking they might be able to stay a bit drier if they tarried.
I had no such delusion.
The deluge had me soaked pretty well from my knees to my toes.
So, as we had just left the final resting place of Johnny Mercer, I started singing "Skylark" to myself and dance-walking along the puddle-strewn paths.
Hey! That was fun!
Then, "Singing in the Rain" popped into my brain and, as that is one of my all-time favorite songs since I was a girl, I started dance-walking to that, singing to myself and snapping my fingers a bit.
Definitely fun!
Then I just turned loose! Why bother trying to keep the hood of the rain poncho up on my head? My hair was getting wet anyway! And why, pray tell, should I entertain myself with song sotto voce when it was clear to all that something was up? Whistle, my girl, whistle away!
And so I did, whistling while my hair was caressed by the wet breeze, whistling as I snapped my fingers and waved my hand and waggled my shoulders and hips, whistling as I STOMPED in the puddles!!!
Why not?
After weathering the emotional storm throughout the week, this bit of weather was just that: a bit of weather.
Wet weather.
Rain.
And I like the rain.
I have some of the best times ever with my bfe when the rain falls.
Even when he is mourning his dear cat.