42nd Wedding Anniversary

This is a special blog for me because it's about my 42nd Anniversary which we celebrated on the 18th of July. Gosh, the time seems to be flying by for me and Eddie Mae as we dive deeper into our golden years. (I don't know why they're called golden years 'cause my hair is getting grayer by the day!) Anyway, we decided to drive down to Savannah and spend a few days there since we've heard so much about it.

To make a long story short, I had a great time. The hotel was nice, staying up til 3am in the morning watching movies was neat, touring the Savannah Historic District by trolley for 3 hours was perfect, climbing to the top of Tybee Light Station was (well, exhausting!!!), and filling my belly with crab and shrimp deliciously topped off our 4 day adventure. I can't wait until our 43rd anniversary. Maybe we'll go skydiving or something...I don't think so.

Now the fun part about this trip is that my youngest daughter Christy sternly instructed me to take lots of pictures with Eddie Mae's brand new point-and-shoot camera (which I tried). Honestly, I have no skills at pointing a camera at myself and snapping the shutter, especially with a camera so small that I nearly dropped it every time I picked it up. So, the pictures below are my first attempt at being a tourist with a non-professional camera.

Enjoy!
Willie

[Double-click images to enlarge viewing]

Okay, Eddie Mae, smile.

Meet Ashley who booked our trolley tour.
Fun, crazy lady with a great personality.

I caught Eddie Mae chummy up to this
physically challenged dude, and...

...so I gave him one to the chops.

Ashley & Eddie Mae escorting this annoying guy outside.
River Street.
The Savannah River.
The street florist who made Eddie Mae's bouquet.

Eddie Mae with her anniversary bouquet.
Another attempt at taking my own portrait.

Thanks to a generous tourist we got a better picture.

A Purple Heart monument on River Street.

Eddie Mae was caught off guard with my self-portrait technique.

Tybee Island Light Station.

178 steps to the top of the lighthouse was a calorie burner

and those little windows provided instant CPR.

View from the top of the lighthouse.

Inside the Fresnel lens of Tybee Light Station.

Light Keeper? Nope. Just another happy soul who made it to
the top of the lighthouse without passing out. Meet Amanda.

I miss eating seafood in Florida at the Rustic Inn, so this

seafood anniversary meal was HIGH on the list of things to do.

[Click this link to see a slideshow of Tybee Island Light Station]

or go to: Tybeelighthouse

Wisdom From My Dad #1

Six years ago when my father passed away, I sought after claiming for myself an old worn and tattered Bible that he kept by the table where he parked his wheelchair. A quick review of the opening page of the Bible revealed that it had been given to him on October 2, 1971 by New Hope Baptist Church.

This Bible intrigued me for numerous reasons. One being that it had the look of being well read (see the photo below), and two it had some personal notes about our family tree and numerous personal quotes of wisdom he'd jotted down. I'm not certain on the dates of these quotes, but they are very timely words of wisdom and insight and I'd like to share them with you from time to time.

You may not be able to pay for all you want,
but you will pay for all you get.

My Portrait - By Bob Mayes

Several months ago I had the distinct pleasure of meeting noted artist Bob Mayes at the Living History Park in North Augusta, SC. I absolutely fell in love with Mr. Mayes' work. As Bob says it, "Everything I do is with a number 2 pencil". Here's a link to his site; check out his work: Bob Mayes Artist.

One Saturday while we were downtown at the Augusta Riverwalk selling his artwork, he did a quick sketch of me that I appreciate and enjoy viewing. It's not often you get to be the subject of a noted artist. I will treasure this art piece for years to come. Thanks, Bob, for letting me hang out with you. I get to admire your work up close.

The best compliment I've received about this drawing is when
I first showed it to my wife she asked, "Who is that?"
I had to tell her, "It's me!"