End of the Story - Home Sweet Home!

After leaving St Augustine, we started north on Highway 1 which runs right along the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean.  When planning the trip, I had considered a stop at the World Golf Hall of Fame just north of town but I was certain that Joyce would not enjoy it at the same level that I would so that stop was not part of the plan.  Our destination for the day was Hilton Head, SC where we had reservations at a resort on the island as part of a mandatory time-share presentation of one and one-half hours.  We also had Paula Deen's restaurant in Savannah, GA on our agenda but our schedule was flexible.  Being very fond of the game of golf, I was aware of several courses in the area and when I saw the sign for TPC Sawgrass at Ponte Vedra, I knew that I wanted to stop and see the course.  If you know anything about golf, the famous island green on the par 3 17th is one of the most famous holes in golf and the Players Championship tournament is played annually on the course.

We parked and wondered into the clubhouse just to look around.  I had thought about asking for a tour of the course but didn't want to be embarrassed.  A uniformed volunteer lady walked over to us and asked if she could be of any assistance and I said that it was our first time to be there and just wanted to look around.  She asked if we would like to take of tour of holes 16, 17, and 18.  What a silly question!  She also asked if we would like to have lunch in the dining room and we had a lovely lunch on the second-story veranda which overlooked the 18th fairway.  After lunch, the volunteer took us on a tour in a larger than usual golf cart and drove us on the cart path through holes, 16 - 18.  We stopped for photos on the 17th and the threesome that had just teed off asked if I would like to hit a tee shot with them furnishing the ball and the club.  I would have jumped at the opportunity but the volunteer nixed the idea.  Here are some shots of the island green, the club house, and others.

Just finished lunch on the veranda overlooking #18

Island green from the tee box.  This is the threesome that invited me to hit a tee shot

Island green from the side.  Tee shot will be left of the tree on the island.

17th taken by volunteer using my phone.  Tee box directly behind me.



18th hole looking from the tee box to the green



 

Nice view of the clubhouse

 

After the outside tour, we were given a tour of the clubhouse and I bought a ball marker from the pro shop just to prove that I had been to TPC Sawgrass.   Picked up a brochure and scorecard also.  Looked like the cheapest green fee was around $300.                                                                             

 

After leaving Ponte Vedra, we headed for Hilton Head.  I had forgotten to see what our check-in time was so we called and found out that we needed to be there by 4:00 PM.  Since it was already almost 3:00 PM, we arranged a late check-in and arrived shortly after 7:00 PM at Hilton Head.  Our first check-in with the timeshare company was set for 10:00 AM on Thursday.  The first opening for a tour and the sales pitch was set for 3:00 PM that afternoon.  We had made reservations at Paula Deen's restaurant for 11:00 AM so we got directions on how to use the back roads and get there faster and off we went.  I let Joyce out at the restaurant, found a vacant place to park on the street about a block from the restaurant, and walked over to meet Joyce and it was exactly 11:00 AM.  We only waited 5-10 minutes to be seated but it was worth the wait.  The restaurant is in an old warehouse building in downtown Savannah and is three stories.  Each floor has a buffet line or you order from the menu.  Needless to say, we both chose the buffet.  Some of the best fried chicken and fried catfish that I have ever eaten and you are served a warm garlic cheese biscuit and hoecake with your meal.  I had never eaten a hoecake and it is simply a pancake made with cornmeal but was it ever good.  Don't drool on the pictures!

 

 

 

 

She wasn't really there.  Life size poster in the gift shop next door to the restaurant.



Name of her restaurant is "The Lady and Sons"

Old warehouse in downtown Savannah - three-story



Third floor setting



Fried chicken, fried catfish, and all the trimmings



Fried chicken - don't get no better!

Buffet line

Hoecake

My eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach and dessert is yet to come!

We then drove back to Hilton Head and exercised our sales resistance before our 3:00 PM appointment.  We had heard sales pitches before for timeshares and this was fairly typical.  Surely you could afford $200 for a weeks lodging anywhere in the world anytime you want.  Then they got to the price of $10,000.  The sales rep next drove us to a three bedroom condo a few miles away which would be the Hilton Head timeshare site.  It was furnished very nicely and was quite busy with other victims and their reps.  On the way back to the office, we affirmed our "no" response and she said we needed to check out and we could be on our way.  She took us to another office and turned us over to the "closer" and he put a harder sales-pitch on us for much less money.  He would make us the same deal as the first rep for only $2000 and anyone could afford that with only $160 down and payments of $60-70 per month.  The weekly timeshare rate went up to $500-600 per week but still could be used practically anytime and anywhere.  Again, we held out even though he tried to question our sanity or something like that and we were on our way and had passed the test even though the last sales-pitch kept sounding better and better.  One negative is that Joyce and I rarely go anywhere and stay there for a week at a time so it was just not a good fit.

 

 

Since neither of us had ever dipped a toe in the Atlantic Ocean, we started hunting a beach and found one within an hour or so.  The beach life is very appealing and God's creation really gets your attention.  The ocean makes you realize how small you really are in light of all creation and makes you more grateful that you are part of the chosen of God and the same creator God is your Savior and has paid the price on Calvary for your sins.  Here are a few of the scenes.

 

 

Heading for the beach

Brrrrrrrr!

 

First time to touch the Atlantic Ocean

How do you turn this thing on?

Water, Water, everywhere and not a drop to drink!

Big ocean!

Now if I just had a towel!

 That evening we took a boat ride called the Vagabond Sunset Cruise.  Debarkation was near the lighthouse that is just off of the 18th hole at the Harbour Town Links golf course which hosts a PGA tour event every year.  We saw several dolphins but mainly just their fins, they weren't completely out of the water.  The sun set while we were boating and the moon came out and it was just beautiful on Calabogie Sound.

 

 

We had been given $100 in gift certificates and we used $60 for the boat cruise so we had $40 left and it was about 8:30 PM and we were leaving for home at 5:00 AM the next morning.  Thought about giving them away but they had our name on them so we returned to a restaurant we had visited the previous evening and spent the remainder of our gift certificates on pastries to go which included a $10 tip.  Still, $30 worth of pastries would send me into insulin shock.  It included blueberry muffins, butter cookies, apple turnovers, french cream pastries, etc.  Anyway we nibbled on a few of them on the way home but our daughter ended up with a bonus for house sitting.  I am sure the microwave would bring them back to just-baked freshness.

 

We traversed five states the next day - SC, GA, AL, MS, and TN and spent the night in Memphis across the street from our favorite BBQ restaurant - Corky's.  Yes, we tried it but it wasn't as good as our memory indicated.  Again, the next day we got up and left at 5:00 AM and arrived home around 12:30 on Sunday, September 30.  Summary - we drove about 3,100 miles in ten days and covered ten states.  The two new states for me were FL and SC.  Only SC was new for Joyce since she, Sheri, and Kaylee went to Disneyworld in April.  Needless to say, one of the most enjoyable vacations that I can recall in our 46+ years of marriage.  It was tiring but well worth the effort but it sure felt good to sleep in my own bed.  It is sad to get old and not be able to sleep well away from home.  In my sixties when we left home and in my seventies when we got back.  That travelling can sure age you!!



Seventieth Birthday Vacation Tour - Rest of the Story

As mentioned in the last post, we spent the first night of our trip in Texarkana, TX and then headed to Mobile, AL on Saturday, 9-22.  We went to the three services on Sunday at Christ Fellowship Baptist Church and listened to the preaching of Steve Lawson on the 21st chapter of John.  The conference was Monday afternoon and all day Tuesday with John MacArthur and Steve Lawson.  MacArthur focused on "The Gospel according to Isaiah" which covered the 53rd chapter of Isaiah from the view of the Jewish nation during the end times looking back.  Steve Lawson's two sessions were on Romans 1 and was titled "The Gospel according to Paul".  The special music throughout the conference was provided by MSG Antonio Giuliano.  You would be blessed by looking up his bio and listening to his voice on the internet.  Marvelous voice and marvelous testimony.  The second day included a book signing.  Joyce got her bible and some books signed by John MacArthur.  I got one book signed by Steve Lawson and my MacArthur Study Bible signed by John MacArthur.



John MacArthur and Steve Lawson



John and Steve seated at book-signing



John MacArthur at book-signing

We departed Mobile on Wednesday morning en route to Jacksonville, FL.  We purposely took the southern route across the Florida panhandle to see the Gulf and the beautiful beaches.  We went  through Pensacola, Ft Walton Beach, and Destin before heading back for I-10 and a straight shot on in to Jacksonville.  Stopped at a beach in Destin and the sand was beautiful even though the weather was a little overcast.



Destin beach

We managed to arrive in Jacksonville in the middle of rush hour but after about an hour or so we managed to arrive at our motel.  Mike had recommended that we eat at Clark's Fish Camp so we got directions and headed out.  I'm not big on seafood but it was a nice setting for a restaurant and we ate outside.  Joyce had stuffed flounder and I had blackened chicken.  These pictures should give you a flavor for the setting.



Clark's Fish Camp, Jacksonville, FL

After we finished our meal, we headed to downtown Jacksonville in search of a fountain that we had read about on the internet.  It was a huge fountain that was lit up at night with various colors.  The GPS didn't seem to be telling us the correct turns to take but we finally found it and a parking place within a block or so.  It was worth the trip as you can see.

The next morning we headed to the oldest city in the United States, St Augustine, FL.  We booked a trip on a small motorized raft to tour the bay with three other persons and the guide.  He took us to the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and we saw the sights of St Augustine from the bay and were able to see some dolphins although they never came completely out of the water. 





Touring craft - capacity 6-7 adults



Headed for the Atlantic

Oyster beds in the backwaters of the bay

Okies on the move



View from the bay



Fort in St Augustine



Nice view from the bay

Will wrap up this post and wind things up in a day or two.  Since this was my first time in Florida, I really enjoyed the trip.  Joyce and I would move there if we could take our house, our church, our children, and our granddaughter.  Probably not going to happen but we both really liked the ocean.  Later.

You're Not Getting Older, You're Just.............

Well, I hate to say it but I am getting older.  Getting better?  That is debatable unless you are talking about my golf score; it is definitely not getting better.  Turned three-score and ten on 9-24. As the Bible says in Psalms 90:10 "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away."  This is the first age that has played games with my mind and finally convinced me that I am getting old.  My Internal Medicine doctor tried to tell me that 70 is the new 50.  If that is true I need to get a job and work another 15 years and that ain't gonna happen!  Anyway, Joyce kept asking what I wanted for my birthday and since a new red Mercedes convertible wasn't going to happen, I planned a ten-day vacation for us that she ended up being just as enthusiastic about as I was.

The exact sequence of events is a little fuzzy but the following happened during the 4-6 weeks before we left  on September 21.  I saw an ad on TV for three days and two nights at Hilton Head, SC for $99 which included a $100 gift certificate for meals, etc.  I'm no great mathematician but that seemed like I would come out $1 ahead and all I had to do was listen to their time-share speech for an hour and a half and get myself to South Carolina.  Having never been to Florida, I began to have visions of white beaches and listening to the sound of the waves.  Our son, Mike, had been to Jacksonville a couple of years ago and spoke of the beauty of the area including St Augustine, the oldest city in the USA.  The clincher was running across an announcement of  an "Expositors' Conference" with John MacArthur and Steve Lawson which was scheduled for Sept 24-25 in Mobile, AL.  John MacArthur is my favorite living Bible teacher and Steve Lawson is certainly in the top ten of my favorite "preachers".  The conference was directed at pastor-teachers but was open to anyone and the cost was less than $150 for the two of us with a reduced hotel rate at the Marriott in Mobile.  Neither of us had been to Mobile so it seemed like things were fitting together perfectly. 

We then discovered that Paula Deen's restaurant was in Savannah, GA which just happened to be right off the Interstate on the way from Jacksonville, FL to Hilton Head, SC.  Since Paula can take partial credit for my recent weight-gain, we just had to stop and see if the food was as good as it looks on TV.  Take my word for it, it is!  So, all the reservations were made and we arranged for our daughter, Sheri, to house-sit since it would cost a fortune to board three dachshunds for ten days and they don't travel well.  We actually moved our departure up from early Saturday morning to early Friday afternoon to eliminate excessively long travel times for any one day, at least, until we started for home.  We left Friday around 1:00 PM and spent the night at Hampton Inn in Texarkana, TX.  Neither of us had been there and we saw parts of Texas that were new to us.  We had originally planned to spend Saturday night in Jackson, MS and drive on in to Mobile, AL on Sunday but we found out that Steve Lawson would be preaching on Sunday at 9:30, 11:00, and 6:00 so we traveled from Texarkana to Mobile on Saturday and checked into room 1208 at the Marriott around 5:00 PM. 

Steve is the Senior Pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile and is very good friends with John MacArthur and they are kindred spirits on the doctrines of Sovereign Grace.  Steve preached three expository sermons on Sunday on the 21st chapter of the Gospel of John using as his title "From Failure to Faithfulness".  The first sermon was on verses 1 - 14 in which he discussed Jesus' interaction with the disciples who had returned to their old profession of fishing (for fish, not men).  Steve pointed out that their failure to catch fish is a picture of their failure to catch men without Christ.  In conclusion, after discussing their breakfast together on the beach, he pointed out the sufficiency of Christ and that he is able to meet all of their needs as well as ours.  His final point was that failure to rely on Christ will result in empty nets and catching nothing for the rest of your lives.

Sermon number two covered verses 15-17 which focuses on Jesus interaction with Peter and the three "Do you love me?" questions and Peter's answers.  Main points were Peter's confession that he had not loved Christ as he should and the graciousness of Jesus in restoring Peter.  One wonders if the three questions were a reminder of Peter's three denials of Christ.  The third sermon was on verses 18- 25 with the focus on the future suffering and crucifixion of Peter and a mild rebuke to him that he should not be concerned about John's welfare but his own.  Steve pointed out that the command issued most often by Jesus was "Follow Me" and he is still issuing that command today to those who repent and turn to him.  In conclusion, we were reminded that we shouldn't compare ourselves to others in our service to God.  We should run our own race and that God has a unique plan for each of his servants.  Steve closed with this quote from Jim Eliot:  "Wherever you are, be all there."

After the two morning sermons, Joyce and I drove to Dauphin Island and also toured Bellingrath Gardens.  I can only imagine how beautiful it must be in the spring because even at this time of the year, it was worth the price of admission.  We then took the four-mile ferry trip across Pelican Bay from Dauphin Island to Ft Morgan and then encountered about 1,000 stoplights on the way back to Mobile and barely made the 6:00 service (Joyce wanted to eat first but we didn't have time).



Bellingrath Gardens

 The conference did not begin until after noon on Monday (my birthday) so we did a little more sightseeing in Mobile.  Our main focus was the battleship USS Alabama.  It was commissioned in 1942 and served in both the Pacific and Atlantic theaters in WWII.  It was retired in 1962 and opened as a museum in Mobile Bay in 1965.  It was very interesting and makes you think of how WWII was fought and the lives that were sacrificed for our freedom.  Pictures below don't do it justice, it is an impressive sight to us ex-army guys.

 The conference began Monday afternoon and included three teaching sessions with John MacArthur, two Q & A sessions with John MacArthur, and two teaching sessions with Steve Lawson.  All of the sessions were recorded and are available on www.sermonaudio.com.  Use Christ Fellowship Baptist Church and 2012 Expositors Conference in the filter to show a list of the videos.  If you look closely in the first three which are the Sunday sermons (9-23) by Steve Lawson, you can see the back of Joyce's and my head on the right end of the fourth row from the front.  Will continue on the next post tomorrow or the next day.  Stay tuned.