ShelterBox

The photographs are heartbreaking.

and yet rebuilding attempts have almost started immediately... although finding, recovering, healing, feeding, and quenching the thirst of people takes precedence. Human beings are amazingly resilient.  Our continuing existence is evidence of that resiliency considering all we have been through... and all we do to each other.

And yet we go on... because we must.  And when we can... we reach out to help each other. There are so many ways to help... the Red Cross is definitely one way and I was watching CNN this morning and a brief story came on about another organization called ShelterBox.  

ShelterBox

Shelterbox was founded by Tom Henderson, a Rotarian and former Royal Navy Search and Rescue Diver.  He noted that immediately after disasters people were given assistance with food and medical supplies but not really any assistance with proper shelter and basic supplies to help them rebuild their lives.  So in 2000 this group was organized and the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard in Cornwall adopted it as its millennium project.   Since then the site reports it has become the largest Rotary club project in the world, with affiliates in countries across the globe. 

Inside a large green box is a survival kit of sorts... but the ultimate survival kit.  This box contains a tent that will fit up to 10 people as well as many items to help an extended family survive for several months.  Items are customized as much as possible for the region into which they will be sent and includes tools, a stove (multi-fuel I believe), a basic water purification system etc., and even small items for children.  The group mobilizes immediately after any major disaster of any kind and then gets as many boxes as possible to people who need them.  Japan has put in a request.  But what is also unique about this service is that they don't just drop the boxes off... they actually send ShelterBox Response Teams to help with set up of items in these boxes so that these items will be immediately put to their best use.

 Shelterbox.org 

This is a very informative site if anyone is looking for ways to help disaster victims in any part of the world.  ShelterBox is a Global Rotary Club Project.

This site also has continuing information about the boxes that were sent into Haiti and many other areas.  There is also information about them gearing up for deployment into Japan as well as a link  which shows you how to donate... any amount really, and right now according to their home page  in  note in the rotating header photos (3rd photo) they have a texting/donation system set up where  you can send a text that will donate $10 towards funding these boxes.  Check it out if you are interested.

Oh Saa-vannah! Oh don't you cry for me...

oh wait.. wrong song... wrong state.

I am talking about the lovely Savannah, Georgia.

Savannah Savannah Savannah.

What a city! This is one we would like to visit again for sure. As we have taken to keeping an eye on the weather, we knew it was going to absolutely pour buckets of rain at the campsite so even though we are 2 hours from Savannah we figured it would be a good day to go instead of being locked in the trailer all day.

Turns out it absolutely poured buckets of rain in Savannah too.

Oh well! We still had a great time!

Savannah was drawn out in 1733 by a couple of British dudes (Ogelthorpe and Bull). It was a fabulous city plan.

The (old) city eventually was made up of 24 squares (21 still exist and they are rebuilding the "lost" 3).

These squares have a center "park" that is surrounded on the east and west sides by public trust buildings and then that was surrounded by residences (called tythes). Each of the squares has a different name and is dedicated to someone/some cause and has benches, fountains, statues, etc.

One of the first squares we came to had a statue with a hexagonal base on it describing the reason for the statue.

This first statue honored a regiment of soldiers of African descent who fought to help capture Savannah back from the British during the Revolutionary war. These solders were from Haiti and among soldiers actually from many other countries came to assist the "rebel" American's in their fight for liberty. Hmmm. Had never heard that before. Seems we miss a lot in public school history classes.

Anyway, each of the center parks of the squares are very pretty.

It makes for a beautiful, walkable, drivable, enjoyable historic part of the city. The shops, boutiques, restaurants, everywhere and the old houses are wonderful. What was literally a damper on the whole situation for us was the rain.

The rain was running down the old gutter system in this building so fast it was shooting out upward into the sky like a sprinkler!

Check out the downspouts!

While we braved it with a huge golf umbrella we did stick closer to the retail places as opposed to tour houses etc. So if we come back, the plan will be to bring our bikes on a sunny day and ride around and enjoy the architecture, tours, and museums.

I did get to say hello to Santa!

We wandered past Paula Deen's The Lady and Sons restaurant (we had already eaten) and I ducked into their store real quickly. That was kind of fun.

We floated down to the waterfront, along the cobblestones, to the waterfront where we saw the waving girl.

The waving girl... Florence Martus (1868 - 1943)... was the lighthouse keeper's sister and she took to waving to all incoming and out going ships. In the day with a hanky/scarf and then in the night with a lantern. She began waving in 1887 and stopped waving in 1931. She waved for forty years. Some folks tried to embellish the story by saying she wanted to be the first to greet a husband or a lost love. That was not the case though apparently. I guess the fact is she was just lonely, and was constantly seen with her collie companion... and probably frankly was a tad bit... umm... ecentric. Many years after she died the city still loved the legend so much they had a statue made of her and her collie which stands out on the waterfront greeting all the ships once again.

Our last stop of the day was the one and only Scottish pub where I got a lesson in Single Malt Scotch by David and a kilt-wearing, single malt scotch expert bartender.

Heh... nah just kidding. He was wearing a kilt... but he did not have the broadsword handy only a bottle of 16 year old Bruichladdich.