WISHING ANOTHER HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR TO ALL Y'ALL!

 We've been in Georgia for two months and we're still pleasantly surprised by how polite and gracious people are here.  More often than not I hear, "Yes Ma'am" or "Thank you, Ma'am."  When I tell the school children on the train that my name is Joan, they refer to me as "Miss Joan."  It's refreshing!  And, I still have to chuckle when Julie, our volunteer coordinator, talks to our group and says, "Would all y'all like to..."

We had a fun experience yesterday.  They asked us to meet at the train to help the local SWAT team run through their terrorist/hostage drill.  We were asked to play the part of passengers, and a "bad man" would be coming somewhere on the train.  Our instructions were to react (or act) however we thought we would if it were a real situation.  But they also told us to do whatever the SWAT team said because if they said to, "GET DOWN" and we didn't, they would put us down (and it might not be too gently) because they weren't playing.  There would be shooting but we were assured that their rifles were only loaded with "paint" bullets, and if we did as told, we shouldn't get hit.  We wore protective masks just in case.  WELL, I CAN CROSS THIS OFF MY BUCKET LIST!

 

SWAT getting instructions

 

They're heading in with guns ready
 

Barb was  getting into the action!!

 

We've decided that the weather here in southwestern Georgia is not as agreeable to us as Arizona.  To me it still feels like winter except there's no sleet and snow.  The trees lost their leaves a few weeks ago so that's kind of drab.  And, while the temperatures are higher here than at home, it seems like it's often overcast or raining.  

On one sunny day last week, I went kayaking on the lake with our friends Don and Barb.  It was neat to paddle under the Spanish moss hanging from the trees, and we could get pretty close to the rafts of coots before they took off.  Coots look like small black ducks with white bills, and when they take off, they stay low, skimming across the water.  

In the weeks before Christmas, there were seven excursions, several with school groups.  On one, Keith and I hosted a group of about forty from the Georgia Academy for the Blind.  And on another, we had a car full of second graders who got off at the Plains lay-over.  While they were out, there was a downpour and they came back soaked.  I handed out paper towels for them to dry off a little.  Some were very upset, others (mostly boys) thought it was fun.

Another first...we were in a parade.  SAM Shortline had a float in the Cordele Christmas Parade and they asked the volunteers to be a part of it.  Thankfully, it was a short parade since I chose to walk.  You weren't allowed to throw candy if you were on the float, and I wanted to be a candy thrower! 

Riding the float to the parade staging area

 
We celebrated Christmas quietly this year with dinner at Red Lobster in Albany (that's Awl-beny' to the locals) and then a visit with Don and Barb who were spending time with their family at Albany's Chehaw Park.  Before leaving, we drove through the park's Festival of Lights.    

The last excursion of the month was called the Supper with Santa/Lakeside Ltd.  It was a 45 minute ride where the train leaves the park and stops on the nearby bridge over Lake Blackshear.  The passengers were given a boxed meal and had their picture taken with Santa; then back to the park. 

There is only one excursion planned for January and one in February, on Valentine's Day.  We'll fulfill some of our volunteer hours by taking inventory at the Depot and taking down Christmas decorations.  Hopefully, they'll find some other odd jobs for us till we leave our host assignment at the end of February.







   

I'VE BEEN WORKIN ON THE RAILROAD...

I had planned to post earlier but ran into a couple of snags.  First, my computer tanked and I had to get a new one.  What a pain getting everything transferred and getting used to the differences between Vista and Windows 8; hours on the phone with 'techs'.  And, if that wasn't bad enough, as some of you've heard, I had an accident on Saturday evening two weeks ago.  While removing a container of hot water from the microwave (located over the stove) I spilled the scalding water down over my chest.  It happened so fast I'm not even sure how it happened, but I sustained second degree burns sending me to the local Urgent Care center.  The first week was excruciating, the second week not so bad.  Now, it just itches.  Needless to say, I didn't feel much like sharing during that time.  Now it's December but I want to finish what I had intended last month. 

November was a time of settling in to our new location, getting familiar with the park and nearby towns, and hosting on the train.  We've hosted on four excursions so far and find that we both really enjoy it.  We have three scheduled this week and five the week after.

The park is relatively flat and great for bike riding.  Keith and I went for a ride to check out the beach on the lake (not that it's warm enough to go swimming).  But, aside from the cool weather, I want to know how the beach is protected from the alligators!!!


The beach



A few hundred feet from the beach???

   
 






























As we were traveling in the area, we noticed fields of something that looked like miniature corn, it was about 2' high with a tasseled top.  I later found out that it is Sorghum, an important world crop, used for food as grain and in sorghum syrup, fodder, the production of alcoholic beverages, and biofuels.  It is the fifth most important cereal crop grown in the world.  Fields of cotton were being defoliated in preparation for harvest.  The farmers are now in the process of picking the cotton and we're beginning to see the large rolled bales lined up in the fields. 


Sorghum

Cotton bales



About five miles west of the park in Cobb is what was once the world's largest pecan grove.  They say that some of the trees are over 100 years old.   Nearby Plains is known for it's peanut crops.  In 1995, Georgia designated the peanut as the official state crop.  Georgia produces almost fifty percent of the total US peanut crop and more than fifty percent of peanuts used in the production of peanut butter. 


Pecan grove in Cobb, GA

Peanut bush from Plains



Cordele (pronounced Cor-deel) is known as the "Watermelon Capital of the World,"  but it is also one of the most popular rail fan cities.  In addition to the sixty or seventy trains a day that pass through the town, it has what is known as a "Diamond,"  one of only three in the United States.  Three railroads -- Norfolk Southern, CSXT, and the Heart of Georgia (HOG) -- interlock at the same location.  The interlock is controlled by CSXT from Jacksonville, FL.  It works on a first come, first served basis, and trains have just ten minutes to clear the interlock,  The SAM Shortline has to call Jacksonville for clearance prior to crossing the interlock.  We also run on HOG tracks and have to get clearance to use them for our excursions as well.  When SAM isn't running, it is diverted to a siding at Georgia Veterans Memorial Park.

The Diamond

Two weeks ago, the entire volunteer team spent two days decorating both the train and the depot for the holidays.

 

 Last evening, we hosted the "Plains Festival of Lights" excursion with a full capacity of 400 guests in six cars. Santa and his elves were on the train greeting young (and old) passengers until we arrived in Plains where they rode atop a fire engine in the parade.  President Carter and Roslyn were on hand to turn on the town's Christmas lights and then view the parade from the balcony of the Plains Historic Inn.  (This picture didn't get very good...Pres Carter is wearing khaki slacks and a tan jacket so he hardly shows)

 

The center pole separates President & Mrs. Carter

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

FA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!