kissalostsoul

Our original plans for today were to drive over to the west entrance to the Okefenokee NWR to take the boat tour out of Stephan Foster State Park.  I had wanted Kurt to see how different it was from the swamp near the east entrance.  Large cypress trees draped in Spanish moss create a different feeling and environment from the open wet prairies of the east.  However, when I called them yesterday to be sure to get a seat on the 10:00 am tour, I was told that on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, they require a minimum of five people to conduct the tour.  We were the only ones to sign up, and it is a 75 mile drive one way to get there.  There was also the threat of the approaching cold front with storms moving in from the west.  I also felt that Kurt was getting a little anxious to be heading for home in Arizona.  So, we cancelled our iffy plans. After all, by the time he drives home he will have been gone a month, and I’m pretty much at the point w...

Not much happened the last five days.  It’s been rounds of PT exercises and not much else, but this morning it was time to pick Emma up from the kennel. As usual, she ignored me when we went to get her.  She’s spent three weeks romping around with other dogs each day, so she’s had more exercise than I’ve been able to give her in quite some time.  However, I think she was happy to be home. This afternoon, Kurt and I went back to the refuge to be sure I am able to drive my car.  The plan is for him to head home to Arizona on Thursday, and I’ll move back to the refuge on Friday.  Before I relieved him of duties, I needed to be certain my leg worked for driving my little car.  I left it on the refuge these last three weeks, and things went smoothly as I took it for a test drive.  So, it looks like a go. Took a walk around the campground this afternoon and found something interesting. There’s a pond on the north side that I hadn’t been able to i...

Princess Margarita of Baden was today buried at the Family burial ground at Salem Stefansfeld where also her parents and grandparents are buried. Among the guests where Duke Friedrich and Duke Ferdinand of Württemberg, Prince Rainer of Hesse, Prince Albrecht of Hohenzollern and Pricne Andreas and Princess Luise zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg. First there was an orthodox Service at Salem Castle. For it the rusiaan-orthodox Archbishop Mark had come from Berlin and a choir of orthodox nuns from Munich. Afterwards there was a procession from the Castle to the closeby burial ground where the actual funeral toke place. Already on 24. January there was an orthodox Service at the St. Sava Church in London. Guests at this Service included Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes, Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Catherine of Yugoslavia. Article in Südkurier Picture Gallery

My days this week so far haven’t exactly been worth blogging about.  The weather has been chilly, and each day either a nurse comes to change my dressing, or a physical therapist comes to put me through my paces.  Of course, they don’t work the same days.  The therapy has been challenging, but I’ve been religious about keeping up with all exercises that the therapist wants me to do.  I’m moving right along with improvements and hope to move from the walker to a cane by the end of the week. I’ve been in a state of withdrawal as far as taking pictures is concerned.  The robins running through the campsite are about the only thing that happens when I do get a chance to sit outside.  So that’s it for pictures the last three days. There were a couple of personally exciting things that happened today.  We got up before the crack of dawn to get to a doctor’s appointment in Waycross, an hour away.  First thing was x-rays of my hip.  Sure enough, ...

Only a few weeks ago at the End of November he celebrated his 100th birthday, and now last Thursday (17.01.2013) Count Albert of Rechberg has passed away. The Head of the House of Rechberg lived out of the spotlight in his hometown Donzdorf. According to Martin Stölze, the Mayor of Donzodrf "He weas a man who lived very reserved and was very low key about his person". Stölzle also metions the passsage of time through which the Count from an ancient nioble Family has lived "He was born as a Count during the Monarchy and later found his palce in live in a secular society, which i always found quiet remarkable. When one spoke with him it was always clear he went through all the social changes during the last Century". Count Albert sold in 1987 the Castle in Donzdorf to the city Donzdorf where it now serves as Townhall. Already during the 1970's the Family has sold the Castles and ruins Scharfenschloss  Weißenstein, Ramsberg und Rechberg to private persons. In 1986...

Princess Sophie of Prussia, née Princess of Isenburg has given birth to twin boys on Sunday 20.01.2013. Their names are Prince Carl Friedrich and Prince Louis Ferdinand. Prince Carl Friedrich is the older and Heir to the Headship of the Royal House. The 2 boys where born at Bremen where the new parents have moved before Christmas. In a statement the proud father said that he is gratefull and Happy. Announcement on preussen.de Article in Süwdest Presse

  The Royal House of Württemberg House of Württemberg All present members of the Family of the family have the title Duke/Duchess of Württemberg with the stlye of Royal Highness (HRH). After 1806 the members of the Royal line (descendants of King Freidrich I.) had the title Prince/Princess of Württemberg with the style of Royal Highness. The descendants of the brothers of King Friedrich I. had the the title Duke/Duchess of Württemberg and since 11.09.1865 the style of Royal Highness (HRH). The ancestors of modern Württemberg which was then called Wirtemberg settled in the Stuttgart area around 1080. The earliest known ancestor is Konrad of Wirtemberg  who became the heir of the House of Beutelsbach and build the Castle Wirtemberg on the Rotenberg. The earliest historical details on a Count of Württemberg relate to Ulrich I, Count of Württemberg, who ruled from 1241-1265. He served as marshal of Swabia and advocate of the town of Ulm, and had large possessions in the valle...

After having the home nurse and the physical therapist visit me yesterday, I was pretty worn out.  The physical therapist came again this morning and put me through my paces.  She was done by about 9:00, and Kurt and I were getting a bit of cabin fever from being stuck in side for a couple of days.  We decided to make a visit to Jekyll Island on the coast. It was too cold and windy to enjoy the beaches, but we were finally able to find the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.  I’m not able yet to walk around the Jekyll Island historic district, but I thought I could manage getting to the center.  Not many people, I’d guess, take the time to read the bricks along the path, but using a walker, I had plenty of opportunity to do so.  I got a kick out of these two border bricks.  Kemp’s Ridley is the name of an endangered sea turtle, but Olive Ridley??    (Kemp’s wife??)             ...

Duke Anton Günther of Oldenbrug celebrated his 90th birtday on Wednesday 16.01.2013. There was a reception for 80 guests at Güldenstein Castle in Schleswig-Holstein. The Duke was born o 16.01.1923 as oldest child of Hereditary Grand Duke Nikolaus of Oldenbrug and his first wife Helene, née Princess zu Waldeck and Pyrmont. He made Abitur in 1942and after the war he stuedied forestry. In 1951 he married Princess Ameli zu Löwenstein-WertheimFreudenberg. the couple has 2 children, Duchess Helene and Duke Chiristian and 4 grandchildren. After the death of his father in 1970 he became the Had of the Grand Ducal House and took over the adminstration of the posessions in Güldenstein. Article in NWZ Online

I got an email from my daughter, Robyn, in the last couple of days saying she and her family would be driving down to Disneyworld in the early part of March.  Since they would be driving from Indiana, I asked if they were planning to stop to visit me at Okefenokee.  After speaking with her husband, Dennis, she got back to me that they all would be stopping by on March 8-10. The two grandgirls will be coming with them so I suggested they stay in one of the cabins at Okefenokee Pastimes Campground.  I can’t fit them all in the rig with me, and I have been very pleased staying at this small, very clean, friendly place.  Today I asked to see one of the cabins to determine if it would be suitable.  Kurt helped me case the joint, and pointed out the features for me to photograph.  There are bunk beds for Avery and Phoebe.  Dennis and Robyn can use this double bed.  (That will be a challenge since they’re used to a king size bed.)  I wan...