St. Simons Lighthouse

Joyful Reflections Life is all about choices and attitude. Make the right choices, keep a positive attitude--and you will find JOY through all of the ups and downs. Hope you enjoy my thoughts! Betsy 07/23/2008, St. Simons Island, GA We left Savannah early in the afternoon of June 24 and headed south to St. Simons Island. We spent the remainder of the afternoon and early evening and most of the next day at St. Simon's. On the 24th, we first visited the St. Simons Lighthouse. Built in 1872, the lighthouse and keeper's dwelling are the oldest surviving brick structures in Glynn County. The lighthouse is 104 feet high with its 129 interior steps. (No--we didn't pay to go up those steps!!! ha). Together, the lighthouse and keeper's dwelling comprise the St. Simons Island Lighthouse and Museum. We walked around the facilities and saw a marker describing Fort St. Simons (which also had been in that area). Fort St. Simons was destroyed by retreating Spanish troops after their defeat in the Battle of Bloody Marsh in 1742. After seeing the lighthouse and the area where Fort St. Simons had been, we walked along the seawall to a nearby park, Massengale Park. There was a huge and beautiful "Live Oak" tree in that park---which had lots of picnic tables under it. We saw so many beautiful Live Oaks on this trip---but this one was special since it was part of a park --and was right there at the beach and ocean. Upon leaving the park, we walked back past the lighthouse for one more glance and of course a few more pictures. To end a great afternoon, we ate dinner at a local restaurant there on the island, the Mullet Bay Restaurant. We celebrated our 7th Anniversary---even though we were a day late (our anniversary was on the 23rd). I had blackened mahi-mahi in a mango sauce. George had shrimp and scallops fettuccine alfredo. Both of us LOVED our dinner --and we certainly enjoyed our day at St. Simons Island. In order to see our pictures, click here: ST. SIMONS LIGHTHOUSE. The picture above is of me standing in front of the St. Simons Lighthouse. Bruce/Cummings Reunion Betsy 07/22/2008, Big Stone Gap, VA George and I just got back from a whirlwind (QUICK) trip to my hometown of Big Stone Gap, VA to attend a Bruce/Cummings Family Reunion. Actually, it was a Cummings Family reunion with two of us Bruce relatives tagging along!!!! There were probably over 100 people at this reunion (99.99% of them from the Cummings end of the family). We met at Bullitt Park in Big Stone Gap on both Saturday and Sunday. Members of the Cummings family were 'in charge' ---and had this reunion well-organized (for all, but especially for those who had not visited the area before). Some of the activities besides lots of food and fellowship were: -games for children and adults--who wanted to participate -trips to the local cemetery where many of our relatives are buried -visits to the old family homes in the area -discount tickets to go to the local outdoor drama there ("Trail of the Lonesome Pine") -making old family albums available (even with copiers and scanners for printing and copying of pictures)--Wasn't that nice? My joys from attending a trip like this: -seeing cousins I haven't seen in a long time -meeting new relatives for the first time -sitting and exchanging LOTS of Family History information with cousin Ellen (from Cincinnati) -spending the night with one of my best friends, Reida, in Kingsport ---and having time to chat (and chat and chat) with her -just seeing how beautiful the mountains of Southwest Virginia are --and feeling so blessed to have lived there for 18 yrs. -finding an old cemetery in Lee County (where my Grandfather and Grandmother Banks and other family members on my Daddy's side of the family are buried); NOTE: I will write much more on this adventure!!! -finding a new waterfall on our way home (SUCH a SURPRISE)--You'll hear more about this too I'm sure!!!!! My struggles or 'not-so-joyful' thoughts about a trip like this: -that I wish that more of 'my' family --and others in the Bruce family would had attended -that my childhood home (although it's well taken care of) looks SO different now; I couldn't make myself take a picture --since I want to remember it like it was when I lived there. (I almost cried when I saw it this time.. It looks like a cute little B&B; now--and it's just not my home anymore.) -that I now regret that I had never attended a Family Reunion before---and was amazed how many of the people there knew my mother (who had attended reunions and get-togethers with this part of the family before) -that I've allowed my weight problem to keep me away from events such as this (and with friends) ALL through the years (thinking that I didn't want people to see me fat--instead of realizing that people would love me regardless) -that it was so doggone HOT in the mountains of VA while we were there (MISERABLE in that park on Saturday) -that it felt overwhelming at times---meeting so many new people (and then getting them mixed up as to 'who-was-who'---especially the younger generation, since there were TONS of families with kids there) George and I didn't take many pictures since a professional photographer came on Sunday and took LOTS of pictures of the different family units. They will put these on a website --so I will share more pictures with you once I find out what website they will be on!!!! In the meantime, you can see what I was doing most of the day on Saturday ---sitting and exchanging Family History with cousins especially Ellen. (Note picture above and below!) Bruce/Cummings Reunion Betsy 07/22/2008, Big Stone Gap, VA The picture above is me with Cousin Ellen from Cincinnati. Ellen's grandfather (Robert Bruce) and my grandmother (Ida Bruce) were sister and brother. That makes us 2nd cousins. Ellen is interested in Family History (like me)--so it was fun exchanging information!!

I just gave you our last daylily of the season. Now I'll show you another of our lilies. I published a photo page (click HERE) with 20 different varieties on it---so this one (Dizzy) makes 21. I don't know if Dizzy is our last new lily ---but we've done well with 21 different varieties (and MANY blooms) this year.

I just keep remembering last year when we lost so many of our lilies and other flowers due to that April freeze. This year, some have come back and some have not.. George is gradually replacing the ones we lost. Wish you could see our lilies this Summer!!! SO PRETTY!!!

The little beauty above (taken by George on July 12) is our last daylily of this year's season. Poor thing doesn't have a name (at least we don't know if it does)---but she surely is pretty. We call her our Orange-Yellow Daylily. This daylily variety is blooming next to our garage --and is so colorful. We have had four different varieties in that area--and bought them a few years ago as a collection. Therefore, they aren't named...

We've had 16 different varieties of daylilies this spring/summer. Dad Adams gave us our original batch (located down the hill, on the big rock bed). Then there were these four groups next to the garage. Another set (named Rosie Meyer) is at the front end of the big side flowerbed. AND the ten (pictured in a photo page--click HERE-- ) are on the deck-end of that side flowerbed. It has been a great year for both lilies and daylilies.

We are spending the weekend in my hometown of Big Stone Gap, VA at a Bruce/Cummings Family Reunion. In fact, it's mostly a Cummings Family Reunion since there were originally TEN children in that family. Note picture above of the nine children (one of the ten died very young) with their parents, Howard and Hattie Bruce Cummings. Now there are only three of the siblings left. BUT--there are many of their children and grandchildren and great grandchildren who will be present at this reunion. I think someone said there may be 100 people!

My grandmother and Hattie Bruce Cummings were sisters. My mother was raised by the Bruce's since her mother died when she was only four years old. The Cummings family lived diagonally across the street from us---so even though I was younger, I remember alot of the Cummings children and some of their children. BUT--it has been many years since I have seen most of these cousins.

I will be the only one representing 'my' side (the Ida Bruce side) of the Bruce family --but there will be one 2nd cousin who will be there representing 'her' side (the Robert Bruce side) of the Bruce family. Cousin Ellen Sewell is from Cincinnati--and she and I have been emailing each other for about a year now. I haven't seen her since we were children, and since she never lived in Big Stone Gap, I really don't remember her very well. I do remember her grandparents, Robert and Mary Bruce. Robert was my grandmother's brother. In fact, he was the ONLY boy in that family (poor thing)!!!!

There are other 'sides' of the Bruce family I'd love to find since besides Ida, Hattie and Robert, there were four other children. I knew three of them but don't remember Lula. I would love to find out more information from her side of the family. BUT for now, I'm happy to meet the Cummings cousins (some of which I have already caught back up with this past year) and with Ellen. I'm taking TONS of family history with me (pictures, charts, etc.)----so it should be a great weekend. (George said he'd take along a book to read while I am 'catching up.')

Above is a picture of the Cummings Family and below is a picture of the Daniel Hoge Bruce/Martha Matilda Karr Bruce family, my great grandfather and grandmother.

The picture above is of my great grandfather, Daniel Hoge Bruce, and great grandmother, Martha Matilda Karr Bruce --and their 7 children. Their first grandchild was my mother (Edith Ballard Banks)--and she is the young child in that picture. Above her is her mother, the eldest Bruce child. Her name was Ida Elizabeth Bruce --and she was my grandmother. Other family members: Lula, Alice, Rosa, Robert, Flora and Hattie.

Bert (Tre) is my oldest son. He turns FORTY-FIVE today!!!! Wooo----that means that I'm how old??????? YIPES!!!! Bert was born in a little hospital in Athens, TN when Mel and I were in college at Tennessee Wesleyan College there.

It's hard for this Mama to believe that 45 years have passed since the birth of Bert... Bert now lives in Galveston, Texas and he and his special girlfriend, Clem, are both in management at Pointe West Resort south of Galveston. When I talked to Bert this week, he said that the gas crisis has actually helped them. It seems that Houston people are vacationing at Pointe West instead of traveling this year! Bert and Clem both work many hours---and are constantly busy! They hope to get to Tennessee sometime this Fall. YEAH!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Sweetie. I love you dearly!!!! The picture above is of 'Mama's Baby' --taken in April when George, Jeff and I went to Texas. Bert is standing inside of his 'loft', near the Strand in Galveston.

As most of you probably know, I was born and raised a Methodist. I worked in the United Methodist Church for many, many years. SO--even though I am an Episcopalian now, I still have a deep love for the Methodist church. On our Anniversary Trip (June 20-27) this year, I knew that we would experience some Methodist history since we were going to St. Simon's Island, where both John and Charles Wesley lived and worked in the 1700's. Little did I realize though before our trip, that we would not only experience the Wesley brothers at St. Simon's, but they would also "appear" in other places we would visit that week.

First, when we got to Fort Pulaski, one of the first things we saw was a marker honoring John Wesley. I was so surprised!!! SO---after visiting the fort, we took a short hike to see the place where John and Charles Wesley landed (right here at Cockspur) when they first got to America from England on Feb. 6, 1736. There is a monument in John's honor here--near the spot where he gave his first sermon in America. Neat, huh????

The next day, while in Savannah, we took a trolley ride through the historic district. Guess what we saw while on that trolley??????? You got it----it was a statue honoring John Wesley. Wesley preached his first sermon in Savannah at the courthouse on March 7, 1736.

While John was in Savannah, Charles was sent to St. Simon's Island (Fort Frederic) to preach to the Georgia colony there near what is now Christ Church. He had a hard time and decided to go back to England after only two months. John then came and took his place at Fort Frederica---but he only stayed until the end of 1737. He too went back to England. BUT---both Wesleys left a lasting impression on what is now Methodism. John Wesley is considered the "father" of Methodism.

While at St. Simon's, we enjoyed all of the plaques and markers and monuments honoring the Wesleys. One of the highlights was seeing the Wesley Memorial while taking a beautiful nature walk in the woods. It was WONDERFUL, thinking as we walked along, that we were walking where John Wesley walked many years ago. Isn't that incredible????

In order to see our pictures, click here: JOHN WESLEY. The picture above is the Wesley monument (a statue of John Wesley) on Reynolds Square in Savannah.

As I have mentioned, besides waterfalls, gorgeous sunset/sunrises, and lighthouses, George and I both also LOVE churches---small ones and large ones. SO--while in Savannah on June 23, during our Anniversary Vacation, we visited an incredibly gorgeous Catholic Church named the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

Reading the history of this church was interesting. French Catholic immigrants established Savannah's first parish before the end of the 18th century. The congregation grew and on May 30, 1799, they received a small lot on Liberty Square to build a church. One year later to the day, the cornerstone was laid for the small frame church of St.John the Baptist.

The congregation continued to grow--and outgrow their first facility. SO in 1835, a new church that would seat 1000 people was built between Perry and McDonough Streets. At that time, this congregation included about one-third of the Catholic population in Georgia.

Pope Pius IX created the Diocese of Savannah on July 19, 1850. The Diocese included all of Georgia and most of Florida to make a total of 5,500 Catholics. It was then that St. John the Baptist became the Cathedral. By 1870, the Diocese covered just the state of Georgia, and had 20,000 Catholics and 30 churches.

A new Cathedral was built in 1873, and the name became "Our Lady of Perpetual Help." The Cathedral kept that name for about 10 years--but then went back to their original name, St. John the Baptist.

On Sunday evening, Feb. 6, 1898, the Cathedral was destroyed by fire. The Cathedral was rebuilt and dedicated on Oct. 28, 1900. Since that time, the Cathedral has been renovated several times (1904, 1959, and 1998). This latest restoration was completed in November 2000 just in time for the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Diocese and the 100th anniversary of the re-dedication of the Cathedral in 1900.

In order to see our pictures of this gorgeous church, click here: CATHEDRAL. The picture above was taken outside of the church at the entrance.

My friend Susan sent me the neatest link to a website.. I was so impressed with the message that I emailed and asked it I could use it in a blog. This is it---and if you want to read it with beautiful music and some captions, click on the link below.
+++++

Life on the Train

A while back, I read a very interesting book that compared life to a train ride or a series of train rides.

Life is like a train ride, it read. We get on. We ride. We get off. We get back on and ride some more. There are accidents and there are delays. At certain stops there are surprises. Some of these will translate into great moments of joy, some will result in profound sorrow.

When we are born and we first board the train, we meet people whom we think will be with us for the entire journey. Those people are our parents!

Sadly, this is far from the truth.

Our parents are with us for as long as we absolutely need them. They too have journeys they must complete. We live on with the memories of their love, affection, friendship, guidance and their ever presence.

There are others who board the train and who eventually become very important to us, in turn.

These people are our brothers, sisters, friends and acquaintances, whom we will learn to love and cherish.

Some people consider their journey like a jaunty tour. They will just go merrily along.

Others, will encounter many upsets, tears, losses on their journey.

Others still, will linger on to offer a helping hand to anyone in need.

Some people on the train will leave an everlasting impression when they get off....

Some will get on and get off the train so quickly, they will scarcely leave a sign that they ever traveled along with you or ever crossed your path...

We will sometimes be upset that some passengers whom we love, will choose to sit in another compartment and leave us to travel on our own.

Then again, there's nothing that says we can't seek them out anyway.

Nevertheless, once sought out and found, we may not even be able to sit next to them because that seat will already be taken.

That's okay....everyone's journey will be filled with hopes, dreams, challenges, setbacks and goodbyes.

We must strive to make the best of it....no matter what...

We must constantly strive to understand our travel companions and look for the best in everyone.

Remember that at any moment during our journey, any one of our travel companions can have a weak moment and be in need of our help.

We too may vacillate or hesitate, even trip...hopefully we can count on someone being there to be supportive and understanding....

The bigger mystery of our journey is that we don't know when our last stop will come.

Neither do we know when our travel companions will make their last stop.

Not even those sitting in the seat next to us.

Personally, I know I'll be sad to make my final stop...I'm sure of it!

My separation from all those friends and acquaintances I made during the train ride will be painful. Leaving all those I'm close to will be a sad thing. But then again, I'm certain that one day I'll get to the main station only to meet up with everyone else. They'll all be carrying their baggage...most of which they didn't have when they first got on this train.

I'll be glad to see them again. I'll also be glad to have contributed to their baggage...and to have enriched their lives, just as much as they will have contributed to my baggage and enriched my life.

We're all on this train ride together. Above all, we should all try to strive to make the ride as pleasant and memorable as we can, right up until we each make the final stop and leave the train for the last time.

+++++
Click here to go to the website: TRAIN. You will LOVE it!!!

The second lighthouse that we saw during our Anniversary Vacation was the Cockspur Lighthouse. We could only see it from a distance, once while walking outside of Fort Pulaski and secondly, from the road after leaving Tybee Island. Here's a little history about this lighthouse:

It was first built in 1849, but that was short-lived since it was rebuilt in 1857. The second Cockspur Lighthouse was built of brick and consisted of a 46 foot tower. The first keeper was appropriately named John Lightburn. He lived on Cockspur Island near Fort Pulaski and would make daily trips to the tower to service the light.

The second keeper, Cornelius Maher, drowned near the tower when his boat capsized while he was trying to help someone in distress. Maher's wife, Mary, replaced her husband as keeper and remained at the light for three more years.

Surprisingly, the Cockspur Lighthouse, which stood in the direct line of fire between Tybee Island and For Pulaski, suffered no damage during the war when the Union forces captured the Confederates at Fort Pulaski in 1862.

The lighthouse resumed operation in 1866, after the end of the war. The keeper's dwelling was struck by lightning in 1880, and was later destroyed by a hurricane. A new home for the keeper was eventually built on top of the walls of Fort Pulaski, which at the time was abandoned.

George Washington Martus was one of the keepers who served after the war, accepting an assignment to the station in 1881 at the age of 18. Martus served until 1886 when he was transferred upstream to the Elba Island Lighthouse. Martus' sister Florence lived with him on Elba Island, and for over 40 years, she greeted all the vessels entering and leaving the port of Savannah with the wave of a handkerchief by day and a lantern by night. She became somewhat of a legend and was known as the "Waving Girl." We passed by the statue of the "Waving Girl" while in Savannah--but neither of us got a picture of her.

In 1909, the deep draft ships calling at Savannah started to use the north channel, and the Cockspur Lighthouse was deactivated. The Coast Guard abandoned the light house in 1949, but fortunately the Park Service assumed control of the light in 1958. The tower was repaired in a two-stage restoration effort which lasted from 1995-2000. A new lantern room was put in place atop the tower, brickwork was repaired and the light house received two coats of whitewash during the project. The Cockspur Lighthouse, which was re-lit in 2007, using a solar-powered beacon, is now part of Fort Pulaski National Monument.

There are five pictures to see. Above is Cockspur Lighthouse. Below are four more. All of this 'history-stuff' is INTERESTING!!!!

This picture was taken by me ---when we were on the road, after visiting Tybee Island. You can see the Cockspur Lighthouse from here also (almost in the middle of your picture).

This picture was taken by us when we were at Fort Pulaski---looking toward the Cockspur Lighthouse. We wanted to take a longer hike to get a better picture, but the Georgia BUGS were out--and we didn't have any bug spray with us.

This picture was taken (not by us) near the Cockspur Lighthouse--looking back toward Fort Pulaski (where we had been).