I asked only one thing of my trip to Georgia – to come back with a pair of overalls from Walmart. And Walmart has failed me. Dagnabbit. What I don’t understand is if Walmart isn’t selling them, where are all these grown people getting them? There was no lack of jeans with elastic waistlines, or Disney sweatshirts for grownups (I find adults with Disney obsessions and apparel the weirdest kind of people) and you could have dressed head to toe in Hannah Montana if you wanted to, but no overalls! For shame.

We spent a few lovely days in my stepmom’s parents’ vacation home on Tybee Island, which was really fun. Its kinda a hippie town (if you can imagine anything semi-liberal in Georgia) with brightly colored houses and random art, the house is set just a short walk from a gorgeous beach and pier, gentle waves and white white sand stretching out for miles, and great docks to walk out on, dolphins usually swimming by.
There are these huge captain’s mansions built after the war, wood side paneling and painted pastel colors of blue and yellow and pink, with white shutters and wrap around porches, fans circling lazy over the porch swings, surrounded by big yards and no fences. Sandra Bullock lives in one of them somewhere. We also went to the famed Crab Shack, where they have a gator pit! Awesome!

The house is great, too, with several rooms and a hammock in the back (hammocks are key) and a screened in porch for sipping your sweet tea in the summatime. I was envisioning camping out in the house for a few summer and fall months to write my book, learning to fish, washing dishes by hand in a tattered apron and riding my cruiser bike down to the local bar to work the swing shift, getting to know all the locals by first name, walking the beach every sunset, planting a small garden, falling in love with the guy who escapes his troubles at home by also moving in to a family vacation home on Tybee…I’m writing my own horrible Nicolas Sparks novel. It was that kind of place.

I’ve also been hard at work checking off other “trip to the South” items on my list, such as trying boiled peanuts. Turns out this is a bad idea on a Center for Disease Control level, but great when purchased roadside and eaten really quickly so they don’t cool off, even if that means burning your tongue. They taste reaaaally salty, a combination of potatoes and beans in texture. Deeelish. I’ve also had a few glasses of sweet tea, went to a church chili cook-off, and strolled around historic Savannah, gorgeous with its planned squares and Spanish moss hanging everywhere, live oaks shading the streets, huge old mansions and a nice river front, with a “pirate” ship we explored with the boys. Jackson saw some old homeless men in beanies by the ship and turns to me, “Look, Wachel! there ARE pirates!”

Before we packed it in, we drove over the bridge into South Carolina and got a picture by the Welcome sign. i always feel slightly embarrassed doing stuff like that, it practically screams “silly tourist!” but maybe its a sign of growing up that its bothering me less and less. Like taking family pictures in front of buildings and monuments used to be embarrassing, because people were watching. But I dont know these people, I’m never going to see them again, and if it makes my parents happy, its worth it.

We spent my last full day with brothers yesterday sneaking onto some development property to go fishin. The nice people who now cannot sell these houses to save their lives have these lovely stocked ponds with fish just beeeggging to be caught, it would seem, as my brother Andrew was able to catch 26 within an hour and a half. I was so embarrassed at losing to the seven year old at Buck hunter at the Bass Pro Shop that I challenged him to a “Fish Off” and we shook hands and everything. First one to five was ruler of the universe. It was neck and neck the whole way, but lucky for me his fifth catch shook him off, so I FINALLY won something against these kids. I like fishing okay. My dad had to put the worms on and unhook the fish and throw them back, though. I’m not quite there yet. All kinds of brave things I’ve done lately, but please dont make me hook a worm!