Our J-Land Visit

Okay, I’ve resized my photos to fit in the journal and uploaded them into my FTP space for web storage.  I’m ready to share.

 

Jeanette had planned her trip to the United States many months in advance and contacted me around Christmas time saying she would be in my area and perhaps we could meet for a cup of coffee or something while she was in Savannah.  The trip was original going to happen in March, but there was a snag on the part of her agency and the trip was rescheduled for the last part of April. 

 

I wrote back to Jeannette that, of course, I’d like to meet her and Andy while they were visiting and set about planning our day.  I made arrangements over a month ago to borrow a boat from a friend so that I could show them the area from the water.  I asked her if she would be interested in a boat ride and she said that would be great.

 

I want to say right now that Andy is a great guy and I really enjoyed meeting him and spending the time with him.  Andy does not do online journals and did not want to be in any of the pictures.  He let me take a couple of shots of him with the understanding that they were for my own collection and not to be shared online.  So, you won’t be seeing Andy in any of these pictures, but he was a big part of this day and I know you would all like him if you got a chance to meet him.

 

This first shot is taken through the driver’s side window of my pickup truck as I pulled up to the hotel to pick Jeannette and Andy up.  Andy saw the camera in my hand and ducked out of the shot with but a second to spare, LOL.

 

 

This next shot is of Jeannette and I at the marina with the docks in the background.  I should have taken off my hat for this picture.

 

 

This next one of Jeanette who is sitting in the seat next to me while I am drive the boat.  You can tell she is enjoying the ride.

 

 

Andy was kind enough to take my camera and get this shot of Jeannette and me together on the boat.

 

 

I shot this next shot of Jeannette as she was trying to get a picture of a container ship that passed near us as we approached the Savannah River.  The shot next to it is of the ship she was trying to shoot.

 

 

 

 

When we left the marina, we went out the Wilmington River to Wassau Sound and cruised the beaches on the south shore.  At that point we were in the Atlantic Ocean for just a few minutes as we turned north and before entering the sound again on the north side, checking out the beaches on that shore.

 

We turned into the Bull River and headed west, back in the direction we had come, but on another river that would take us close to the Savannah River.  We could see the huge container ships and tankers as they made their way in and out of the Savannah River, so I turned into the Savannah River for a little while to see the ships up close and personal.

 

 

That last picture was slightly blurred, but I think you get the idea.  This tanker was heading right for us.  We ducked over into the Wilmington River again and headed back to the marina where I got these two shots of Jeannette.

 

 

 

After we got the boat berthed and secured, we headed for my house to meet Paulette, Sandy and our cats.  I let Jeannette hop on the computer to check Email and do a short entry into her journal “Welcome To My Travels.”  We had been on the boat for three and a half hours.  I looked at my watch and the theme song from, “Gilligan’s Island,” went through my mind.  You know the refrain:  “The Three Hour Tour.”  I laughed because we had returned safely, unlike, “Gilligan, and The Skipper, Too!”  Here are couple of shots of Jeannette safely ensconced on my recliner posting her entry.

 

 

 

We capped off the day by grabbing Paulette and going out to eat at a local restaurant.  I must say that it was an enjoyable day from start to end.  I felt as though we all had known each other for some time and really enjoyed the time we spent together.  We met that morning as online acquaintances and parted that evening as friends.  I love it when there is a real life story with a happy ending!