This beautiful state park is the site of the first English colonialists landing in 1607. Today it’s a campground, trails and beach. The Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean meet. Ten dollar parking is good for the entire day.
First Landing State Park
exploration
Richmond, VA
Out and about in Carytown and the Fan District.
Old Fourth Ward in Atlanta
Never wanting to get too comfortable, I accepted a dog sitting gig with Trusted Housesitters in the city (as opposed to where I am staying in the suburbs). I’m staying in the Old Fourth Ward which is MLK Jr.’s birth place and a popular neighborhood to live in Atlanta since it’s on the Beltline, Ponce City Market (a previous Sears warehouse) and Krog Market (food hall and shops).
What I love about the neighborhood is its walkability and numerous cafes and restaurants. There’s also a ton of green space including the Historic Fourth Ward Park.
It’s obvious it’s trendy because there is construction everywhere. But the kind of construction I hate. Small, modest, historic homes are being replaced with monster modern monstrosities. I know it’s the thing to do – it’s happening in Portland, too.
The dogs got lots of walks as I meandered the neighborhood. Scotch and Pete got along well and the weather was perfect. It’s so easy to make a dog happy with just walks, treats and scratches behind their ears!
National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Today I visited another amazing museum. I’ll be honest I didn’t have high expectations after the Legacy Sites in Montgomery. After visiting so many civil rights museums, I do really enjoy seeing the different ways of presenting information and the power and impact those messages can make.
This museum decided to address human rights, in addition to, civil rights. Upon entry, the civil rights section was really crowded so I decided to go upstairs and do the human rights section first. I’ll admit I got emotional almost immediately. This museum leads with powerful stories and shares how average, ordinary people took risks to promote human rights. The exhibit “A Mile in My Shoes” was particularly powerful as I listened to personal stories of complete strangers. Each story is linked to a real pair of shoes worn by the person you’re listening to. This delivery really humanizes their experiences.
The second floor also housed the Action Lab. Of course, I’m incredibly action oriented and so this exhibit definitely struck me. The visitor learns about a variety of issues and causes, and then is given ways to find resources and opportunities to be involved with that cause.
Downstairs is focused on civil rights. There was a ton of information, pictures, videos, and other multimedia that presented details about civil rights. For example, there was a full sized depiction of the Freedom Riders bus with all the pictures of the Freedom Riders. You could pick up a phone and listen to their stories. There was also 1,100 books from Dr. Martin Luther King’s personal library. And two quilts from Gee’s Bend!
But the most powerful thing in this museum was the lunch counter sit-in. Museum visitors are invited to sit at the lunch counter with a menu in front of them and place headphones over their ears, close their eyes and place their hands on the lunch counter. Audio begins and depicts what folks at the lunch counter heard and experienced. The sound quality of the audio was really amazing. I could literally hear somebody breathing in my right ear. I felt that there was somebody right behind me and the screaming was truly scary. The audio lasted one minute and 25 seconds and mimics being at the lunch counter. It is an experience I will not forget. And it really showed me how courageous the college students were that sat at these lunch counters.
There are so many layers to this museum and I loved how it coupled civil rights with human rights. If you’re in Atlanta definitely visit this museum.
Atlanta History Center
Today I visited the The Atlanta History Center. It is one of the most varied museums I’ve seen with a large museum, three historic houses, and 33 acres of gardens and trails. Key things to see include the iconic Cyclorama painting, the elegant Swan House mansion, and the interactive Smith Family Farm.
Thunderstorms, tornado warnings and Savannah
I was inconsiderately woken up by a thunderstorm at 4:53 this morning. I have to admit that Georgia has mild, balmy weather which at this time of year is so much better than Portland’s rain but the thunderstorms are vicious (different from the weepy, slow drip of Portland rain).
Once I got out of bed, I checked the weather for my drive to Savannah today and there were tornado warnings south of Atlanta. I know nothing about tornadoes as my world has been about earthquakes. I talked to a neighbor and he did some research and reported back to me that by the time I reached the tornado warning zone it would be over.
Savannah was a five hour drive south and east. I checked into my hotel and immediately headed to the historic district with Pete. Wow, I was blown away with the beauty. I visited Savannah for St. Patrick’s Day about 40 years ago (and if you haven’t been, trust me it’s a big deal)! But we drank and left.
This visit I sauntered through the old, historic streets. Gardens, parks, statues and historical markers are everywhere. And the architecture varied and divine and includes Victorian , Greek revival, gothic and Romanesque. Mansions galore and just beautiful Spanish moss tree-lined streets. Pete and I parked at Forsyth Park and walked to several of the squares including Pulaski, Madison, Lafayette and then down to the river. The gold-domed city hall was impressive and there were tons of restaurants, shops and cafes everywhere.
Hotlanta!
I’ve been in Atlanta less than three weeks and it feels like months. Granted, I’ve been busy cleaning, organizing and running errands. But a routine is forming, too. I joined a gym for the next three months and it offers a bevvy of activities such as open play Pickleball, Barre, Pilates, Yoga and even trivia night (which we placed third – amazingly – given my lack of erroneous knowledge).
My day starts (and ends) with walking three dogs…wowzah! Anyone watching must be waiting for a catastrophe to happen. All three dogs sleep with me nightly, too. I am wedged in the corner of the bed – the dogs sleep comfortably.
Being in one place means being able to cook again. Yesterday at the grocery store, I felt a tap on my shoulder. When I turned, someone kindly said, “You are beautiful”. Whoa, that hasn’t happened in 30 years!
I’ve met several Turkish people. That never happens. I recognized the language immediately and one of them is helping me reinvigorate my lacking command of the language.
I survived the ice storm. We lost power for four hours and ice coated the roads. The daytime highs range from 16 to 28 degrees…not exactly the warm, Southern weather I anticipated. Snow is forecasted again for this Saturday but should not be as debilitating as the ice.
I am getting braver about driving here. Yes, I drove across the country but am timid in Atlanta due to the myriad of the spiderweb tangle of I-285, I-20, I-75 and I-85 and the smaller side roads like 140. It’s intimidating but I will figure it out since next week my car is being serviced. I will drive the farthest distance, yet, in the city.
This weekend we are renting a U-Haul to move belongings from an assisted living unit to the storage unit. Once this happens, I should have more time to explore Atlanta and beyond. My immediate exploration list includes Asheville (scheduled for February 26-March 1), Charleston, New Orleans and Montgomery (to see The Legacy Museum).
Life is not flawless (even if social media tries to convince us otherwise) and my experimental journey stretches me on a daily basis. But I know that I am lucky to have this freedom and am enjoying this unburdened time. Having a stopping point for three months is a great break from being in a different location nightly. I have a temporary address so I can complete some larger tasks. Come visit me.
A Few Final Pics of Tucson
I head out tomorrow to begin my journey to Georgia. I have a lot of stops on the way but today I visited the Old Courthouse Museum in downtown Tucson, walked the Presidio and stopped at Estrella Bakery. Last night I revisited El Charro (yes, it’s that good!).
I’ve Got a Horn and I’m Not Afraid to Use It!
On the complete opposite spectrum from Japan is Vietnam. This was my second trip to Vietnam. My first trip was ten years ago and I only visited Hanoi. This trip I visited Hanoi, Da Nang, Hue, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City. Covering so much of Vietnam meant a lot of plane rides as the roads make for slow travel in Vietnam.
Vietnam is chaotic, noisy and unorganized. Although I noticed a lot more cars this time around, the motor bikes (and their honking) are ever present. Crossing the road is an act of death-defying activity. People use their horns as a second language. But at the same time, their is a warmness to the country that makes the visit worthwhile.
Hanoi’s Old Quarter is vastly different from HCMC’s wide boulevards and colonial architecture. I liked HCMC right away (if only because it was so different from Hanoi). Hoi An was a little slower and amazingly well preserved given how old the town is. Vietnam’s craftsmanship is evident in both Hanoi and Hoi An. There is beautiful clothing, leather and wood items. Life happens on the streets and a “restaurant” can be set up on pretty much any sidewalk. It is amazing how anything and everything can be done on a motorbike, including a mid-day nap!
I felt like Vietnam is at a crossroad. There is evidence of lots of development and the presence of more cars means wealth is being built (at least for some). But there is still a lot of poverty and the need for infrastructure. I do hope that Vietnam moving into modern times will not ruin the beauty of the country.
Two Weeks in Japan and Vietnam
I just returned from a fabulous trip in Japan and Vietnam. I am posting the two countries separately for easier reading. The two countries could not be further apart in experiences. Both countries are great and incredibly different. Japan is orderly, polite, clean and very interesting. I visited Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. The trains are super efficient (and very reasonably priced). They take their toilets pretty seriously (check out the photo of the control panel). And although Japan has a reputation for being very expensive it is pretty easy to eat on a budget and most tourist attractions are no cost. A week in Japan is certainly not enough time but was enough to whet my appetite for a return visit!
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