Savannah

On the road last Sunday morning, Jeff’s praise and worship music blasting on the stereo. It’s sunny, 60 degrees, and we’re headed for Savannah. Miss Jann has a hankering for some plantation viewing and tea sipping on a veranda. Don’t y’all know what I mean? The billboards are claiming that it’s “the most beautiful place in America”.

Well, I am pretty sure it doesn’t qualify as THE most beautiful spot, but it was nice. First of all, it was 75+ degrees. Compared to upstate NY yesterday morning, that was beautiful. We drove by the Savannah College of Art and Design where Allison Spooner attended graduate school, traveled around the historic area, stopped at Chippewa Square where Forrest Gump sat on the park bench telling his life story with his box of chocolates (That’s Jeff doing his best Forrest imitation), enjoyed the mansions, checked one more baseball stadium off Jeff’s list (where the Sand Gnats play), and visited the Wormsloe Plantation ruins where we saw the most magnificent Live Oak lined driveway.



Now we are headed to the most beautiful place on the planet. And that would be where ever my mother lives. A perfect destination.

Interesting Bumper Sticker:
If you can’t be behind the troops, get in front of them.

Soap Box

On our southern migration to Florida, our first pit stop to take on fuel (It was Daytona Weekend) was Fredericksburg, VA. It was a welcome relief to see gasoline priced at less than $3.00 per gallon. Actually, $2.89 compared to the typical NY $3.25. Further, it was a pleasant surprise to see that it was gasohol. There aren’t any stations that sell the gasoline/ethanol mixture in our upstate NY neighborhood. Only a very few in the whole State.

I have generally avoided using this portal for proselytizing, prophesying, or prognostication. Neither to pretend nor portend, hesitating to posture or postulate. But on this subject, please allow me to pontificate. One of my greatest frustrations lately is how our government ignores the high fuel prices while the oil companies pump in record profits.

I understand the House Committee on Government Reform has a certain responsibility about drug use in America. But in comparison to the real issues at hand, I care little about grown men millionaire baseball players electing to use steroids or hormones that possibly enhanced their performance, yet likely shortened their lives. I most certainly would feel better about it if the Congressional hearings focused on our college and especially high school athletes’ seemingly indiscriminate use of nutritional supplements, illegal performance enhancing drugs, and the coaches and companies that encourage or profit from it.

So how about diverting some of that Congressional attention instead towards the energy crisis that’s being ignored? The inordinately high fuel prices affect nearly every commodity produced or sold in this Country and negatively affects every single consumer. I’ll take back some of my money in the form of a rebate to ward off a recession. How about the oil companies giving back some of our money as well from the record billions of dollar profit margins they have extracted over the last several years. I am typically a fiscal conservative loathing government controls. But I don’t understand how we can sit back and do nothing while minimum wage earners in rural America driving 40 miles round trip to their jobs watch their paychecks siphoned dry by the high prices of food, fuel, or even fun, all to benefit corporate and foreign oil companies.

Every facet of our economy is impacted, yet Congress seems typically inactive on the subject. Why?

The presidential candidates are not speaking out about this travesty. Why?

Enough said. I feel better now.

Robert Morehouse - 3rd Grade

There wasn't much news in this entry. But in discussing these entries with the world's foremost expert on the life of Robert Morehouse, Mom, I discovered that the writer of this scrapbook was Grandma Morehouse, not Dad. Grandma used the first person as if she were Dad when she wrote it. But probably the rest of you knew that.

Road Trip

And we are off. Later than desired, but that’s par for the course. Glad to be on the road and leaving this frigid clime. It was 8 degrees as we packed the car this morning. A sunny day however and as we reach Harrisburg, PA, the temperature has reached 32. The frozen Tioga-Hammond Reservoir, snow covered mountains, and ice laden branches glistening in the morning sun, all bid us adieu as we headed for Florida.

A road trip is always adventuresome in this family. From moment to moment, you never know which Jeff will be with us. One moment, giggly and bubbly, speaking entirely in movie quotes and song lyrics; next dreaming out loud about where he would attend college, play lacrosse, and be drafted into the pros; or lapsing into the rebellious teenager mode rejecting all thoughts and reason other than his own as sacrilege and blasphemous, and doing so none too quietly, I might add. Note to self, discourage Jeff from adding two extra shots of espresso to his large latte from the Heavenly Cup as we begin a trip. Four hours later we have already made four bathroom stops and covered a meager 180 miles.

The 46 degree balmy weather in DC as we hit the Beltway was certainly promising, but unappreciated as we fought the traffic. Jeff expected us to stop in Rockville, Maryland, because one of his favorite bands, “O. A. R.”, is apparently from there and somewhere in the teenage mind of logic that made sense. Next, he thought we should stop at the Washington National’s New National’s Stadium. Let’s be glad he’s not driving. Otherwise we might not get to Mom’s until next week.

The Virginia rolling hills soon gave way to the Carolina pines. And as the afternoon turned to dusk, we all remained excited over the thermometer reading that was higher than my age. And that’s hot! Not me, the weather…..

We arrived safely in Florence, SC, (not Florence, MA) where we are staying for the night. We stopped in Lumberton, NC for dinner (not Lumberton, NJ).

Robert Morehouse - 2nd Grade

Dad was known for spontaneously reciting poetry. It always amazed me that he could remember some of them in such detail. But, I also remember Grandpa Morehouse did this also. Perhaps the foundation for this ability was laid by the recitations learned in grade school.

Avas Galore

Ava is not a very common girl's name. Apparently reserved for only the uncommon. Growing up, I remember there were actresses Ava Gardner and Ava Gabor. And there was my high school math teacher Ava Foster. Now we have two members of our family named Ava! You can keep up with Ava Sweigart and her family at the link "Life on Cedar Ridge". Ava is the daughter of Brent and Alyssa Sweigart and Duane and Vivian Sawyer's granddaughter. Let's see, that makes Ava my first cousin, twice removed.

Or you can meet the newest addition, camera shy Ava Newell and her family at the link "your place for all things newell". Ava Newell is the daughter of Jon and Amber Newell, granddaughter of Nancy and Benny Newell. That makes her our great niece.