Sandi's Visit and More

 8/29/22: It’s a dark rainy morning/day so a good time to catch up on blog news. As you view the photos in this entry, no doubt you will notice the overcast sky! It has been this way much of the summer.

 I barely posted the last entry before Sandi arrived. Tippy and I met Sandi on our second Africa trip and have been in contact since. She lives in Decatur, GA which makes getting together easier. She stayed with Tippy for two nights and with me two, and you can imagine who was thrilled to have two friends around the house – Rosie! She was in her element!

 We showed Sandi the usual things that visitors see when here – a rainy day in downtown Beaufort, the Penn Center on St. Helena Island, Palmetto Bluff (which even Tippy had not seen), some of downtown Bluffton, Mitchellville, etc. Our day in Beaufort was accompanied by torrential rain much of the time. It didn’t really prevent us from doing what we wanted, but it always seemed the heaviest when we were driving. And of course, we enjoyed many meals together - and great memories from our trip together! When we asked Sandi what she wanted to do while she was here, she said she wanted to go to “that Fig place” – Olive and Fig, one of our favorite restaurants, as you know! So, that was on the agenda, as was Ruan Thai, First Watch, and others. We enjoyed them all.

 Both Tippy and I had some appointments we had to work in, with mine being a Meet and Greet with our candidate for governor, Joe Cunningham. If you’ve followed the blog for any length of time, you know that Joe is well known to us, but we were introduced to his running mate for Lt. Governor. Tally Casey. I think he may have selected a Lt. Governor who is more capable than he!! She was a fighter pilot with several tours of duty in Iraq, as well as having a 20-year law career. Sandi was gracious enough to tag along for that. I felt compelled to go since I’m the one who sends out political information to the Democrats in the Crescent (at least those we have identified). I was also curious to see if anyone from our community showed up! One couple – one couple showed up!! I don’t doubt that they will all vote, etc. but the participation level is disappointing. So, when I sent out the next update, I included (at the very bottom, in small print) the following quote: "It's not enough for your heart to be in the right place. Your ass has to be there too. [...] there is no substitute for being there, at the heart of the action. And to get there, you have to leave 'here.'"

                                                                                                                                 -Steven Pressfield

I doubt that anyone even saw it but it did make me feel better!

 After a very pleasant visit, Sandi left on Thursday (8/25/22). She and I went for an early breakfast at First Watch. She also wanted to meet my neighbors and their dogs, so while we were at breakfast I texted Mark and asked if Felix and Henry could come out to play, not realizing that it had started to rain. I didn’t hear anything from them but a few minutes after we got home, they braved the rain and came over. It was Henry’s first visit and all went well. Felix enjoys the rug and his two favorite toys from Rosie’s stash so much that I was afraid there would be some friction. But, there wasn’t. It was a pleasant visit before Sandi got on the road around 10AM. The end of a very nice visit.

Sandi arrived with a lovely bouquet of flowers, one for Tippy and one for me. I really enjoyed them and they lasted for such a long time. I kept weeding out the wilting branches and they really held up well.

That afternoon I took Rosie to the park for her afternoon walk, when I received a text from
new friends in the neighborhood, Melodie and John. I met them through their friend Robin who is on the Lowcountry Coalition Again Hate with me. They were all getting together at our clubhouse for drinks and dinner and invited me to join them. It was a great opportunity to get to know them all better and was lots of fun. We found we have a lot in common – politics, doggies (yes, we showed photos!), international experiences AND Melodie and John are taking a trip to South Africa in September. I can guarantee we will have lots to talk about after that! I can’t wait to hear all about it. Actually, a few days after that, Melodie sent me a lovely
book The Wilderness Family – at Home With Africa’s Wildlife by Kobie Kruger. I’ve just started it and it’s magical. Thank you, Melodie!

 8/29/22: Well, it has been dark and rainy all day, so much so that Rosie has given up and gone back to bed – not once but twice! And I don’t mean her bed. I mean she has gone back to the bedroom and crawled under the cover! I know how she feels.

9/11/22: Politically. things are warming up in anticipation of the mid-term elections. I ventured to our Democratic Party Bluffton office to hear Dr. Annie Andrews, who is running for our US House seat against Nancy Macy. She is a very strong candidate, but this is South Carolina! I'm hoping women will get out in force to vote against the hard-right masochistic state regime. Melodie and I also attended our precinct meeting to see how we can help get folks out to vote. Our focus is going to be on Democrat voters who do not usually vote in mid-term elections. If we can bring out a significant number of them, it might make a difference.

On a more social front, Chris and I made a long-awaited trip to Savannah for Indian food. We were not disappointed! Liberal Ladies also had a luncheon which was not as well attended as usual. The feeling was that people have just gotten worn down by the events of the last few years, which makes me wonder if things will ever get back to "normal" - whatever that is!

Well, the passing of Queen Elizabeth is another blow to our perception of the world as we know it! She has truly been a constant in our lives for decades - all but 5 years of my life! Regardless of how one feels about the monarch, the empire....or her personal ups and down, I always felt that she tried to set the right tone, a positive, hopeful tone. After the upheaval and divisiveness of the last few years here, I can certainly appreciate the benefit of a figurehead above the fray of politics who can call us to be our best selves. We could certainly use someone like that right now. I also think of all she experienced in her lifetime (and always the best of the best!) and the people she met. What a life! I actually saw her and Prince Philip when they came to San Diego in 1983. At that time, the only British person I knew was a pen pal I had when I was in grade school. Little did I know that within a year I would take a job abroad and meet many British folks, some of whom became lifelong friends! They sailed into port on the Britannia to a warm welcome. The following day they went to church at an Episcopal church downtown, where my roommate and I were among the crowd. We got a wave and it was exciting to actually see them in person, as well as the Britannia! Here's an article recounting their visit, as well as a current news clip. She certainly had a long, rich life and King Charles III will have big shoes to fill. Her calming presence will be missed.

And, of course, today is the 21st anniversary of 9/11, as well as my father's birthday. It's almost emotional overload. It's hard to believe that 9/11 happened 21 years ago and even harder to believe that my father has been gone 37 years. I see more of him in myself with each passing year and I'm thankful that he passed along his sense of humor! Over the years it has come in handy!