Day 38: Jekyll and Savannah

We we to sleep in Savannah and immediately left to make it down to Jekyll Island. There we went to visit the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. They take care of injured turtles (and terrapins) and get them ready for release if at all possible. It’s truly a noble thing.

A fossil reproduction hanging in the gift shop/ ticket office

A sea turtle on the mend. She was fed in front of us.

We met several of the turtles in the healing tanks in the back of the center. They were in diferent levels of care. Some had patches and were slowly regrowing shell and others were learning how to eat again after haveing blockages from different things eaten in the ocean. They were all on the road to recovery though.

They also served the terrapin population in Georgia and helped raise some of the eggs that were hatched after the mothers died from being hit by cars.

This lil’ guy, Charlie, was a difficult baby to take a photo of. He would always turn around whenever I picked up my camera. He was adorable though!

They had a surgery window so you could watch them do the care of the turtles. This guy needed a feeding tube inserted to get the nutrients it needed.

After watching the turtles for a while we headed back to Savannah for dinner. It is beautiful here for sure.

Day 37: Atlanta

So I’ve messed up the mileage I’ll be able to reset in a few days. Once I catch up to where we are now. Just ten or so days… Sigh…
So Atlanta was another lazy day. No pictures, no nothing.

Day 36: Choo Choo!

Today Casie took us out to see Chattanooga. First we stopped to have breakfast with David before he had to leave for work.

 

Speaking of breakfast mine was a delicious smoked salmon frittata with a herb cheese on top, served with country reds and cheesy grits.

All around Chattanooga they have sculptures by a variety of artists. This is one of my favorites.

We have sighted the Choo Choo of Chattanooga!

4 of the 5 kids were not too old to participate.

One decided that he would rather rock on a rocking chair…

The kids all had a kick checking out the train engine. It was open to explore!

 

Some amazing graffiti artists!

Jimmy found a secret!

An old control board for the tracks

Is it superman?

On the way to the Walking Bridge we found lots of little bridges.

The walking bridge was a fun walk – even if it was a tad warm

We found an old carousel on the other side of the bridge. All but one of the kids wanted to ride.

Jimmy apparently is now too old to ride carousels.

Another great piece of art!

Day 35: The Leach’s and the Lake

Miles Driven: 240

Total Miles: 5035

We met with David and his family for fun on the lake. They kindly rented a pontoon boat to spend the afternoon on. After that we had some delicious pineapple black bean enchiladas and corn casserole. It was a fantastic meal! Thank you so much guys it was fun!

Jude and Alex got along super well. By the end of the night Jude was begging to spend the night at Alex’s house.

Alex won the ten dollar prize for being the first child to jump off the top of the boat. He was pretty proud of himself.

Josh was a super helper for dad and drove the boat for us.

Then all the kids needed a turn!

It was serious business for the preteen of the party. He’ll be driving soon – or so he tells us.

Checking out the propeller for debris. It was apparently a job for all of them.

After Alex broke the ice all the kids had to give it a try. James of course needed to prove himself. Luckily he didn’t break anything this time.

There were osprey nests all over the place.

Day 34: Bristol

Miles Driven:154
Total Miles:4515
We did nothing here ‘cept played in the pool and the bounce pad and slept. It was not a fancy day at all. Totally on purpose.

Day 33: Thomas Jefferson’s Experiment

Today we went to visit our 3rd president’s humble abode and learned more about who he was as a human. He was a thinker thats for sure. I wish they had let us take pictures in the house. He had every new gadget and invention. Even his gardens were an experiment in the making.

The boys tried their hands at writing with quills

Johnny was fasinated with the Jacob’s Ladder

Jefferson’s basement was so well organized. It even had a dumb waiter for wine bottles.

The kitchen was nice and big and used warming stations so that there were less interuptions at dinner.

Jefferson’s mother’s grave

Bonus: he’s smiling!