May 2008 Archives

I was so glad that I attended the Blue Star Memorial Marker dedication & ceremony this morning in front of The Landings Association building. It was a touching ceremony and many residents of The Landings as well as County Officials came out to participate in and witness the dedication. I saw proud veterens of all sections of the United States Service proudly displaying their Navy hat, a Marines shirt, an Army patch, etc.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Blue Star Memorial, it is a program that was started by the National Garden Clubs, Inc. in 1945 to honor the men & women serving in the Armed Forces in WWII. The program grew and now markers continue to be dedicated each year on highways, Veteren's facilities, National Cemeteries, parks and civic site. These markers are intended to show our deep appreciation for those who have defended and  are currently defending our country.

Here on Skidaway Island, The Landings' ceremony included a Presentation of Colors by the Color Guard of the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum, and Invocation by a Skidaway Island Minister, the Pledge of Allegiance led by Lt. Col. Daniel W. Whitney, Garrison Commander, Hunter Army Air Field, and a Tribute of Flowers. The ceremony ended with benediction and the singing of "God Bless America" by all present.

As I said, a touching ceremony and a welcome addition to The Landings on Skidaway Island! Glad I was there!

Kids Fishing Derby .pdf                                                 

                                                   13^th Annual Kids Fishing Derby a Great Time for All

                                                           at The Landings on Skidaway Island

I just saw two "ads" in the TWATL that warmed my heart.

The first was a full page notice about the Landings Military Relief Fund. I'm so proud to be a resident of The Landings - a community that is actually doing something to help the families of our deployed soldiers. Its hard enough that their loved ones are deployed, but then they have to face hardships that a lot of us would find daunting. And with the Savannah Hunter Army Air Force base located so close to The Landings, we are always reminded of our military as we see soldiers all over town.

Its unbelievable that this second fundraising effort raised $140,000 in such a short period of time, especially when everyone's funds are so tight -- what with the price of gas and groceries being as high as they are!

The second article was about the Landings Garden Club's Dedication Ceremony for the Blue Star Memorial at the Landings Association building on Friday, May 30th. I'm not a veteren, just the recipient of their bravery, dedication, and courage and I plan on being at the dedication out of thanks for our veteren's service.  My father fought in WWII and my husband in Vietnam. I'm proud to be an American and proud to be a member of this fine community- The Landings on Skidaway Island!

It was a fabulous day for "The Great Homes of The Landings" tour (sponsored by The Landings Company) and the "Gardens of Skidaway Tour" (sponsored by Landings Landlovers) both held on Saturday, May 3, 2008.  Hundreds of visitors and residents came out to see the gardens and the nine extraordinary Landings Company homes that were on the tour. Many registered to win prizes at the homes. Our thanks to The Landings Club for the logo items that they provided for the raffle!

Congratulations to the following folks who were randomly selected for prizes during a  drawing held at The Company office on Wednesday:

Residents:

• Bruce Schneidewind
• Cliff Lindholm
• B.S. Dunham
• Sue Addington
• Pat Sunshine
• Judy Weiner

Winning Guests hailed from:

• South Carolina
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Texas
• Louisianna
• Pennsylvania
• Canada

Thank you all for coming out and enjoying the glorious day on Skidaway!

I took my 3 year old grandson to the Landings fishing derby last May and he had a blast. Luckily no fish were being caught so I didn't risk having to take anything off the hook. This year I understand the fishing pond has been restocked and the catch rate should skyrocket. Since grandson is now 4 he may be able to really catch a fish. This has grandmother and me very excited in light of the escalating food prices at the market.

My grandson's favorite spot on Skidaway Island is the Landings Harbor Marina  where he could watch the giant fork lift take and return the boats to the dry storage for hours. I made the mistake of buying him a chocolate popsicle at the marina store when he was 2 and, to his mother's dismay, I am expected to repeat this ritual everytime he visits. Hey!

I'm his grandpa! The Landings is a great place to raise children and to spoil grandchildren.

Vidalia is an easy hour and a half drive from Savannah, directly West on I-16. The "main event" of the festival is the air show headlined by the famous Navy flying team "The Blue Angels". We left the house at 9am to make sure we had plenty of time prior to the 12pm. start of the show. Getting off the Vidalia exit, you know you are in the right neighborhood, because of the unmistakable aroma of onions which fills the air. Our trusty GPS system directed us through town toward the regional airport, but was hardly necessary as a long string of cars was going our way. Too many, as it turned out, because we were stuck in one spot not moving for at least 30 minutes. Time to fire up an alternate route. The cool thing about rural Georgia is that it is honeycombed with dirt back roads that provide "unofficial" ways of arriving at a destination, and most of these little travelled paths are documented in GPS maps. Our alternate route took us behind the airport, less than a quarter mile from the action and had lots of pull offs to choose from. We soon found out we had chosen a good location.

The acts to the Blue Angels included biplane wing walkers, prop planes and jets performing hair-raising and dangerous stunts to the delight of the small crowd that had joined us in our dirt cul-de-sac. With about 20 minutes between acts, there was lots of time to get acquainted with our new best rural friends, discuss the pros and cons of various brands of pick-up truck and learn the proper way to peel a Vidalia (a seven year-old showed us how).

Then there was a massive roar from the airport followed by quite a surprise to this air show newbie. Rising above our horizon was a massive C130 prop driven transport plane powered to a crazy angle by two rockets attached to the fuselage. The noise and spectacle were astounding to say the least. But.... It was all over so fast I did not capture a single frame of the event on a day of over 300 exposures. The decisive moment still lives and we have to be ready for it!

After an additional 20 minute intermission, we heard another massive roar and this time I was ready. One great thing about the F18 Hornet going about a million miles an hour...they can't make a really tight turn (not like the biplane which turns on a dime). This meant that the formations were bound to fly directly overhead after making a pass on the airport runway. (Clearly the show was directed to the folks right at the airport, but something made me just as happy to be a little distant.) The compositions from that vantage point were much to my liking and some of the more back lit images turned out the best.

The Vidalia onion festival made a perfect day trip. Roadside onion rings, back road exploring and a great air show were highlights you just don't do every day. The traffic was a bummer, but served as a great reminder why we're down here in the first place. We were in high cotton.

I hope you had the chance to attend the annual Kiwanis Concert on the Green at The Landings soccer field on Sunday night. It was without a doubt, the most pleasant afternoon/evening -- blue skies, slight breeze, great food, conversation and entertainment.

The Savannah Arts Academy provided the entertainment with their Skye Lite Jazz Band. What a group of kids! They played and sang their hearts out and provided the perfect venue for an excellent evening under the stars. With selections like Bandstand Boogie, Route 66, Fish & Grits, My Funny Valentine, Blue Skies, the crowd was tappin' and swingin' along. Where else can you see such a talented group of high schoolers, enjoy the company of your Landings neighbors and friends, enjoy a picnic on the green, look at antique cars, and be supporting such a worthwhile charity all at the same time! Under the direction of teacher, Michael Hutchinson, the kids performed to perfection.

The highlight of the evening was when the band played the finale - America! A hush fell over the crowd while hundreds of Landings residents stood to their feet to honor America.

By the end of their 20th year in 2008, Kiwanis will have donated $1,000,000 and 275,000 volunteer hours to the organizations they support.Thank you Kiwanis of Skidaway for a great night and for 20 years of extraordinary service!

When I left the "big city" to come South, one of my objectives was to find a place where I could still enjoy museums, the theater, and take art classes. Savannah and The Landings seemed to be the perfect place ! And it has certainly proven to be true. My first year here I decided ceramics classes would be what I would tackle first. After two years and countless pots of various shapes and sizes, I decided to try my hand at jewelery making. A few classes in Savannah  and zillions of beads later, I had made bracelets and earings for all my friends and family up North and here in Savannah. In the meantime, I had discovered the many theaters in Savannah and Hilton Head and saw some really fantastic performances.

This weekend, however, I was so pleasantly surprised when my husband, a friend and I  took the 45 minute drive into Bluffton to see the May River Theater's production of Jekyll & Hyde. I had seen the Broadway production and wasn't sure what to expect. Well, Daniel Cort, who played Jekyll (and obviously Mr. Hyde) was just fantastic! I was riveted to my seat. He was incredible -- touching and vulnerable as Dr. Jekyll and absolutely frightening as Mr. Hyde (as it should be). I later found out after reading the program more closely, that his lovely wife played Lucy -- what a Star! It was an enjoyable evening, great acting, and all for just $20 a ticket.

Savannah and its surrounding theaters have not dissapointed ... its a great place to live if you're looking for the arts!