My feet are back on Texas soil, which is a good thing, always! But I must admit I am already missing Savannah. Last week Bret and I were fortunate enough to participate in the 8th Air Force reunion in Savannah, GA. For the last several years, Bret has been hard at work collecting interviews from WWII veterans. He's finished one documentary, has another one in the works, and dreams of someday writing a book about his adventures with the many brave men he has met. We have gotten to know this particular group of veterans well, attending their reunions for several years now. We have so many adopted Grandpas and Grandmas, there are too many to count! This guy here in the pic with me is one of my favorites - Ralph Page. A little crotchety, but a sweetheart nonetheless. Ralph was a navigator on a B-17 during WWII. His plane was shot down, and he had to bail out over Germany in enemy territory. When he hit the ground, he was immediately attacked by the German civilians with pitchforks, shovels, etc. The German soldiers pulled them off of him, saving his life, and he spent about 8 months in a POW camp. While he was there, he was actually a lookout while the tunnels were being dug in the Great Escape! There are so many stories like that. I really think if my high school U.S. History teacher had brought in someone like Ralph to talk to us, I would have paid more attention!
Of course, while we were in Savannah, we did as much sightseeing as we could. We saw the Forsyth Park Fountain, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, ate at the famous Pirate House restaurant where Robert Louis Stevenson got his inspiration for "Treasure Island" - I'm going to have to go back and read that one again! We toured some of the historic homes - REALLY old homes - mostly haunted. We took a ghost tour, which was a lot of fun! Supposedly, at least 75% of Savannah is haunted. It's called "the city built on the dead," which is literally true. Much of Savannah was a Civil War battleground, with many fallen soldiers buried where they died. So much history, I could go on and on - but don't worry, I'll spare you! I highly recommend visiting if you ever get the opportunity. It's a really beautiful city, with the historic southern architecture, Spanish moss hanging from the trees, the river...and of course that down home southern cookin'!
We made a special video for my website while we were there, and I took hundreds of pictures, so you'll be seeing more from my trip soon!
Now, back to work - back to reality...
