Southern Sun, Sand, Pirates and a Lighthouse

Last week we went on a beach "get away" before the school year begins again. This is a milestone in the life of my daughter, as she will begin kindergarten on Wednesday, and though she is beside herself excited, I am not as thrilled. I just can't believe she is old enough for this!

Anyhow, we left on Tuesday morning, after a couple of false starts the day before. Finally on our way, I could tell it would be a nice week, but it wouldn't be very relaxing in the true meaning of that word. The kids are at the right age to play well together, but when they are on each others nerves? Well, lets just say mine are shot! The ride down was long, even though it wasn't all that far away in distance. I was praying for sanity (or some medication) when we finally rolled into "town" at the beach shore of Tybee Island, which is not too far from Savannah.

Tybee is a little over 4 hours away from our home, but it used to be a "second home" to me while I was in college. I went to Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, and on any given day during spring and summer quarters, my friends and I would find ourselves headed to either Tybee or Hilton Head, SC.

So, I was impressed as we drove into this little beach community and found it to be in much better condition than what I remembered. (I heard it was... supposedly Sandra Bulloch has a beach house there somewhere?) It was once a sleepy little place that all the college students would flock to for the beach, and then leave. In the years since I have graduated from college, Tybee has been in a process of restoration, and there were many families there on vacation. The cottages have been remodeled, and the pier was rebuilt as well.

On this trip were Momma, Aunt Runelle, the kids and myself. We enjoyed the sand and sun in the morning hours, and then after lunch we went out for other activities. One afternoon I stayed at the condo while the others went to Savannah to see Kung Fu Panda, and that was a "real" relaxing afternoon. I read a book (!!!) and sat by the beach, and watched people.

Here is a sweet picture of Momma and Cub one morning while we were walking down the beach.


The next afternoon we went to Savannah again, and this time saw WALL E... I liked it well enough, but the kids didn't get it. They loved the robot WALL E , but the plot of the movie was lost on them. After leaving the theater, we went to River Street. Now, I can tell yall LOTS about River Street, but we just do not have the time. I will have to save those college tales for other posts, but stay tuned as they are doozies! Suffice it to say it is a nice place to go with friends, and watch out on St. Patrick's Day. They turn the river, and beer, green!

We decided to go eat at The Pirate's House, which was a huge treat for the kids. I have been there a few times with my parents, and once on an elementary school trip, but it was so much fun to take the kids. It dates back to 1753 as an Inn for seafarers, and quickly became a place where blood thirsty pirates met and stayed telling tales from their adventures on the Seven Seas. It now is a great restaurant, with awesome fried green tomatos, and a Pirate who gives tours of the place... a very interesting "must do" if ever in Savannah.


On our last afternoon there, we went to see the historic Tybee Lighthouse on North Beach. Another beautifully restored piece of history, the lighthouse still welcomes ships today. It is the oldest and tallest in Georgia, and has way over a hundred steps to the top, going in a winding twirl all the way up.


Momma, the kids and I climbed it, and the view from the top is amazing. All of the historic support buildings are still there, intact on the 5 acre site. Below is EJ as we were going back down the stairs... I was a bit worried as the steps were steep, but the kids didn't seem to notice!


Saturday morning we got up early to pack the car and leave... we hoped to get to Savannah early enough to eat at Paula Deen's restaurant, The Lady and Sons, but by the time we did arrive she was booked up for the entire day! Momma has eaten there with Diddy, and said it was delicious, so we will put that back on our "to do" list!

As Savannah is really busy on a Saturday in the summer, we decided to go to Statesboro and eat there. We ate at a 'Boro staple, El Sombrero, or "The Hat" as it is known... it was as good as I remember from my college days, and being back in Eagle Country brought back many good times. Things have changed a lot, but not so much that I can't feel the roar of a Simply Southern Saturday (famous GSU football games) and the chants of "Our House", "One More Time", and the Marching Pride Band playing "Brown Eyed Girl".

We had a wonderful time and I enjoyed the break... now it's time to focus on EJ's first day of kindergarten, and really getting down to the nitty gritty of potty training Cub!