Seeing the South

What a great rest stop in Fort Valley, Georgia. We love this little
Bird’s Nest park; Dave swears Cygnus pulled at the reins and turned
into the gate on its own, happy to get back to the place of its birth.
The weather was in the mid seventies for a few days, Dave got in a bike
ride, we got to the book store and I was able to drop a hundred bucks
in the Warner Robins fabric store. Oh happy day! I have been out of
projects … it’s not a good thing to see lady pacing in a bus!

It was an interesting drive yesterday from Fort Valley to Savannah. We
passed through acre after acre of peach trees. They are all very short,
squatty trees, with new shoots coming on fast. The local orchardists
are concerned about too much early growth happening in this recent warm
weather; they feel sure a freeze is coming. We were surprised to find
zero pecans on the ground at the Bird’s Nest. Apparently there just
weren’t any nuts on the park trees last year, and a very poor harvest
in the whole valley, due to low rainfall. They say the peaches were
made sweeter because of the lack of rain. (There’s that ill wind again
…)

Fort Valley is where I learned that not all beauty salons do white hair
and when they talk about white hair they aren’t talking about hair, but
skin. I should have realized from my shocked reaction that we/I just
don’t understand the south. Well, that was last year, and this year I
have a much better understanding that we/I don’t understand the south.
The South is different from everything I know. This year, however, I am
really trying to accept that difference and not get bogged down in
judgment. Granted, it’s hard to do when I read a sophisticated article
about the refinement of southern women and it includes a recipe for
fried bologna, but I’m going to try. I guess that means I won’t totally
abstain from comments on differences I find amazing or humorous, but I
want my friends to know there is no judgment implied.

Stocked up on books about the Civil War at Books-a-Million. Thanks,
Dick Tuffli, for offering to send me your books. I couldn’t wait. I did
value your recommendations, though, and am already immersed in Gods and
Generals. When I say the South is different, it immediately brings to
mind what I am reading and I can see that some of the stiffening we
feel when identified as “northerners” or God forbid, “yankees,”
probably comes from an ingrained resentment at northerners trying to
tell southerners how they should live when the northerners didn’t have
any idea of life in the South at all. There was a condescension
inherent in the observations northerners made; I am trying to avoid
that. Although (and here she goes again, folks) laughing about the
billboard that shouts HUNT R US isn’t really condescending, is it?

Jason is getting ready to drive to Havelock, North Carolina today. He
has taken a job with D P Associates, (DPAtraining.com), a company with
military contracts. He will be working on a computer project that
instructs pilots. He and Jamie are sad to leave the Cache Valley but
excited about this new venture and the economic stability it offers.
Their non-medical home health business has done well, considering the
area they are in, but just doesn’t provide the income they need for a
family of six. Jason says today that they have a potential buyer for
the business and the prospects for selling the house are good; Jamie
and the kids will stay in Logan for a month or so until those “details”
get resolved. Jamie is detail oriented and indomitable when it comes to
following a plan, so Jason can start his new job as worry-free as
possible. We’ll be glad when the transition is complete, knowing what a
hassle it is to get all this stuff done and move. Wuh. We are about 350
miles south of Havelock and our next three jobs are in Georgia, so
we’re hoping to see the kids before we head west in the spring.

Pictures follow of the The Bird’s Nest at the Bluebird Factory, and of
this little park we’re in, called Skidaway Island State Park. We got
lucky and they let us in to the camp host site, which has a sewer. I’m
amazed at the surrounding flora, it’s so dense with saw palms and moss
and strange mounds, I’m half expecting something I don’t recognize to
crawl out. We will be here a couple of weeks and are looking forward to
seeing the museums and maybe a play and trying some more southern food.

We have missed all of the nasty weather we see on the weather channel.
We may get some cold rain tonight, but otherwise we seem to travel in a
happy, warm bubble … life is good!

Love,

Sam