Tom and I have a place on St. Simons Island that we now consider a favorite restaurant. We have now eaten there three times and went twice with Mom and Dad while they were on the island. We will be going there again on Friday. The name of the restaurant is Certified Burgers and Beverage. …
By Karen
He Must Increase But I Must Decrease
In my Lenten devotions this week, I was reminded of John 3:30. John the Baptist’s disciples are not happy about Jesus coming along and taking the spotlight off John. John, however, tells them that he is filled with joy because the Messiah has come. John’s mission means that “He must increase but I must decrease.” …
Sand Gnats: No-see-um but Can-feel-um!
Every perfect place to live has some serpent in paradise, some fly in the ointment, something that bugs you. Death Valley had buffalo gnats. Grand Portage had mosquitoes and biting black flies. St. Simons Island has sand gnats. Sand gnats are known by lots of different names: sand flies, no-see-ums, granny nippers, chitras, or punkies. …
Bugs in the Beans – Totally Gross!
A couple of weeks ago I decided to make “baked” beans and peach cobbler for my Saturday living history demonstration. I make all our baked beans from scratch now that Tom and I are on a low sodium diet. Canned baked beans have tons of salt! We went to the grocery store and I bought …
Azaleas: The Royalty of the Garden
For the last two months, azaleas have been blooming like crazy on St. Simons Island. Every yard has these plants which are part of the rhododendron family. Every garden is showy with their riotous blooms. Across the street from Fort Frederica, the Wesley Memorial Gardens highlight the beauty and variety of the abundant blossoms. Everywhere …
Dear Bob and Sue by Matt and Karen Smith
I recently read a book titled “Dear Bob and Sue” by Matt and Karen Smith. This book is in keeping with my theme of books about the National Parks. Matt and Karen quit their jobs and took a year off to visit all 58 (now 59) National Parks. First of all, a disclaimer. I get …
Bringing Out the God Flavors and God Light
Living on a low sodium diet means that sometimes food doesn’t taste as good as it should. It turns out that salt enhances natural flavors and makes them more flavorful to our taste buds. I was recently thinking about this as I read the verses about salt and light in the Gospel of Matthew. Is …
Letters to London: Jr. Ranger Program
One of my favorite parts of working in a National Park is swearing in Jr. Rangers. Most National Park Sites have a Jr. Ranger program. In this program kids (and adults who choose to do it) fill out a book with activities about the park and get a Jr. Ranger badge. Today we had two …
Wendy and Ronn Come for a Visit
Our social life has been jammed lately. First a month with my parents, then a visit from Bill and Barbara. Just two days after Bill and Barbara visited, Wendy and Ronn Bower came to see us. Wendy and I have been friends since our graduate school days at Kent State. The best thing about Wendy is …
Bill and Barbara Come for a Visit
Last week we enjoyed a visit from our friends Bill and Barbara Ruh. I have mentioned Bill and Barbara before. We visited them when we were in Massachusetts back in 2015. Bill and Barbara have had an interesting journey in the last year. They are unintentional full-time RVers. Once both daughters were off to school, …