Boating Trip!

We love living on the water and the fact that we could catch fish every day, if we wanted to (or had time in our busy lives). The kids love to throw the cast net, JB loves to find friends on the river and throw out a line, and I love to try my hand at cooking all the different fish filets.  

Over Colombus Day weekend we scheduled a morning charter to take the kids out on the Ogeechee River and fish for whiting (and other things). Unfortunately, James got his second bout with COVID (after I had it the week before, boo) and so I bravely took all 3 kids out with our very patient, very kind Captain.  

The day was incredibly gorgeous.  It's finally getting cooler but the sun is still out shining.  We went out into the water through the river, enjoying the views of the Main House.

The Captain had hoped to catch a lot of whiting that we could take home to eat, but in the end we mostly caught sharks and sting rays. The kids didn't care! It's quite fun to catch and release, plus we got a lot of biology talk from our Captain (who previously was a biologist with the DNR).

I had packed our lunches and some snacks, and all Wesley could think about was the food in the cooler. That kid could not stay out of it!  Or the bait tank :)

At the end of our trip we had only caught 2 whiting that we could keep, but the Captain still fileted them for us (and we cooked and ate every bit).  DELICIOUS!!! Can't wait to come home with a whole mess of them so we can have a real feast.

Such a fun day!  But we missed Dad! Maybe next time...

 

Big Birthday Celebration in NYC!

We've told the kids that their 10th birthday - as they entered into double digits and complete a full decade of life - is a BIG DEAL.  And to celebrate we promised a trip to any place (within the continental US) with just their parents.  JB has been thinking about this for quite a while, choosing NYC long ago as his destination.  The day before his birthday the trip finally arrived!  We took him out of school a bit early to head to the (so super easy, love it so much more than ATL) Savannah Airport and touched down in NYC on Thursday night!  

I took over 150 pictures and made a full book for JB, to highlight all the many sights and scenic views that we took in over the very short trip. These are just a few of my favorite memories!

We woke up on Friday (JB's actual 10th birthday and the day of our scheduled 6 hours walking/bus/ferry tour) to torrential downpours - and by the end of the day NYC would report record-breaking rainfall and flooding throughout the city. Did it stop us?  No way.  Did we stay dry?  Also no.  :) But we had a GREAT time, even in wet clothes and shoes.  We got to see so much from the bus, ride over to Staten Island and get very close to the Statue of Liberty, enjoy some NYC pizza (our first of a few slices), reflect at the 9/11 Memorial, and take in the streets and sounds of New York. We ended at Central Park for a quick stop (though we did much more in Central Park on Saturday).

So cold after a long day of walking!

JB requested a "real NYC steak dinner" for his birthday, and Benjamin Steakhouse did not disappoint!  I'm afraid he's now very spoiled, thinking this is a "normal" way to eat (fine dining), and we should close every supper with a huge cheesecake slice.

The rain finally ended after dinner and we took advantage to walk home through Manhattan and Times Square.

Next day we had a pedicab tour through Central Park, which is honestly the most time I've ever spent in Central Park! What a national treasure.  Again, drizzling, but by then we were so used to it that it didn't even phase us.  Our driver loved to stop and take family shots at each and every opportunity. JB kept referring to us as "The OG". (Don't worry, M and W, he loves y'all, too!)

After a quick bite we got ready for....HAMILTON!!!  Super exciting and probably still the highlight of the whole entire trip for JB. He's memorized every word to the show, been a fan for several years, and to see it ON BROADWAY??  Dream come true.

That night we took advantage of clear skies (finally!!) to go get some real Brooklyn pizza (another JB request) and walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.  On the ride over I think the trip finally caught up with JB, who took a quick snooze in the cab!

The next day we had the BEST weather - on our very last day!  But it made for a nice time souvenir shopping, walking around Times Square, and then a quick (but beautiful) ascent up the Empire State Building.  (Just JB and I got to do the tour, as we had a short window before our flight and James hung out with our luggage at the swanky Starbucks on the first level).

After our Empire State tour we moved quickly to LGA, as it was already time to go home to Savannah. (Ms Therlon stayed with the littler kids and they had a great weekend, too!)  We left NYC with lots of memories and very full hearts. What a special trip to celebrate this great kid - who's growing into a young man, each and every day - and we will never forget it!

(And I suspect we'll be in NYC in 2 years and 4 years with Maryn and Wesley. All of the pictures and stories put the Big Apple high up on their 10 year list!)