RiVoli Rallies Blog
Raves, Reviews and Rantings!
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BRAVE THE R.E.D. FRIDAY means starting our morning with coffee and doughnuts. Ron is SO patriotic.  And it means Remembering Everyone Deployed Program. The American Legion graciously “presented colors” while Kay sang our National Anthem. A special treat was the barbershop quartet who serenaded us; they were amazing!
They began by singing the song for each branch of the service, while our veterans were acknowledged. We would like to specifically acknowledge Bob, our World War II Veteran, as well as several in our group who served more than one armed force. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE! Before ending the program, the barber shop quartet sang some oldies but goodies. WHAT A TREAT!
Once we boarded our motorcoach, we were off to the Crab Shack for lunch. Boiled shrimp and crab stew, deviled crab and clam chowder, chicken salad sandwich with corn and coleslaw, BBQ pork and Brunswick stew or sausage dog topped with peppers and onions and Cape Cod Chips. What could be better? Milling around the sanctuary, our guests found all kinds of things to get into. We then toured the Tybee Island Lighthouse and Museum. The Lighthouse was completed in 1736. Because of fire, it’s been replaced several times.  Upon climbing the 178 steps, we found out just how out of shape we were.  Across the street from the lighthouse complex was “the battery” (pictured below, left). It was used for gun placement during the War of 1812. Wow, oceanfront, that would have been a good “deployment.”
Prior to 1933, before the Lighthouse was converted to electricity, 3 light keepers were required to “man” the lighthouse. Each keeper had their own house. The Summer kitchen was built in 1812 (photo above right, little white building on the left), The 1st Assistant keepers cottage was built in 1885 (photo above right, building to the left next to the summer kitchen). The 2nd Assistant Keepers cottage was built in 1861 (photo above right, building on the right). The head keepers cottage was built in 1881 (photo above right, building in the middle). Quite comfortable, inside pictured below.
In the short film about the lighthouse, a woman was interviewed who grew up in the lightkeepers house. Her father and grandfather were keepers. She talked about how she and her 5 siblings would always run over to the lighthouse and sign in using movie star names hoping that their dad would not know it was them. Of course he did. HAHAHA We then made a beeline to Seaside Sweets for some old fashion candy and ice cream. YUM YUM YUM!
A visit to Tybee Island is not complete without a “Captain Derek Dolphin Adventure.” Watching the dolphins jumping and playing off of Capt. Derek’s very Powerful Wave Creating Dolphin Surfing Machine was pretty awesome! While Kay sang to the dolphins,  we waited for their appearance. We were not disappointed.  Completing our perfect day was dinner at The Shell House. Ordering off the menu, shrimp, oysters, low country boil, catfish. What else could you ask for?
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IT’S KRAZY THURSDAY, so German Chocolate and plain pastries with our KRAZY Koffee today! Everyone got Krazy and played Chicken Foot.
Those who had to leave their table, joined the circle with a ball of saran wrap loaded with prizes to grab ALL KINDS of Krazy prizes. Some seemed to be polite as they grabbed that ball away from their neighbors, while others didn’t “mind their manners” and grabbed that big ball of saran wrap to see what prizes they could quickly obtain before their neighbor stole the ball.
Our Krazy Yummy catered lunch was served by the “Liberty Ladies.” We inducted Bill into our exclusive group. Lunch, which was really dinner, consisted of baked chicken, yellow rice, green beans, yams, and red velvet cake for dessert.  Once Bill was relieved of his duties, he was put behind the bar with his red solo cups.  KRAZY Yummy catered lunch and then on to make a krazy memory. Afterwards we had KRAZY fun Bingo. Bingo is always a favorite and those who actually got to call “BINGO,” and there were a lot of them, received some really Krazy prizes.
Which led into a KRAZY Fun Social Hour and then KRAZY delicious catered dinner with a “Mobsters & Molls” Theme. Our Italian Mobs and Molls were entertaining and drew in participation from everyone.  The antipasti was not to be outdone by our cookie bar,  followed by a LARGE, and I mean LARGE, Italian dinner.  We must really be in Texas instead of Georgia..… What a Krazy Krew we had at this rally. Many were very creative with their costumes,
with prizes for the best.
Everyone’s job was to figure out who killed “daddy,” head of the mob. Daddy’s little girl kinda fessed up, but we really think it was DOUG STEGAL! Krazy Kay and Ron completed the night with some crazy fun door prizes, entertainment, and song,
receiving a standing ovation for a job well done.
Coffee and doughnuts before our “chariot” bus arrived. We started our tour day at the haunted Distillery Ale House where Ghostbusters was filmed, as if we didn’t have enough “ghostal” experience the night before. Look how we were greeted!
DELICIOUS Bloody Marys were served - YUMMY.
While we ate an early lunch of hamburger and chicken “sliders” (because that’s what they eat in the south), French fries, sweet potato fries, salad, the owner told us that ghosts have been known to be on site…. They had “Drink and Spirits” from the Discovery Channel come in and “mic” the three story building. They asked the spirits questions and actually (supposedly) got answers. He is supposed to get the results in a few weeks. After all, this IS the most haunted city in the United States. Next stop was the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, which is located in the “1819 William Scarbrough House” housing 18th and 19th century model vessels. Scarbrough was the President of the Savannah Steamship Company. There were models of ships throughout the 3 story building, but the most notable was the “Titanic.” The model was amazing. Each individual person, on the ship and on the lifeboats were created, and they are all different - no duplicates!
Leave it to KRAZY KAY, to find that the floor registers were hand painted to match the carpet!
And then there is KRAZY KAY with KRAZY BARBARA
We learned what the sailors did while at sea. How creative they were.
Before we left, everyone was able to create their own “scrimshaw.” With their tongues hanging out, focused on their piece, they scratched in their design and colored over the scratching leaving color in the scratches to make their design.
Thank goodness we didn’t have to do a ship in a bottle!  We ended our day at the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum for a tour and dinner. The 8th air force was activated in 1942 (52 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor) in Downtown Savannah. It began with only 7 men and no planes, but within 4 years became the largest air force in the world! In front of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force is an F-4C Phantom, originally designed for use on board Navy aircraft carriers. In 1962 the Air Force adopted a ground attack version of the F-4, which was used extensively in Vietnam. This aircraft is on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force. There is also a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17A, introduced in 1951 and used by North Vietnam and in many of the African and Middle-Eastern conflicts of the 1960s-1980s. They were originally built as a subsonic, fighter-bomber designed to intercept straight and level enemy bombers. Once the U.S. introduced supersonic bombers, the MiG-17A was rendered obsolete on the front lines. This Russian built MiG-17A bears the distinctive insignia and camouflage pattern of the North Vietnamese Air Force. This aircraft is owned by the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force. Behind the Museum is a B-47 Stratojet, a key aircraft used by the United States during the Cold War years that could fly at high altitudes to avoid detection. This aircraft was pivotal as a nuclear deterrent in the Cold War. The B-47 was America’s first swept-wing jet bomber and helped lead to the modern jet airliner. This aircraft is on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
Along with beautiful gardens.  We even got a chance to start the engines!  Inside the museum we learned about the conditions that allowed Adolph Hitler and his Nazi party to win the support of the German public and the use of propaganda by all countries and the essential role it played in swaying public opinion.
In August 1940, once Hitler conquered the majority of Europe and Northern Africa, he turned his attention to the United Kingdom. While Germany was wreaking havoc in Europe and Africa, its ally Japan had its own campaign with a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, launching the United States into World War II. After the Germans and the Italians declared war on the United States on December 11, 1941, the U.S. and its allies must come up with a plan to win the war with fronts on opposite sides of the globe.  The Hall of Valor exhibit honors a number of outstanding individuals who served with the Eighth Air Force during World War II. Included are the aces, the Commanders of the Eighth Air Force, and those awarded the Medal of Honor. These men paved the way to end the war! The Eighth Air Force also played an active role through the entire Cold War era. The stories of heroism and memorabilia will leave you in awe.  The museum set up a tasty dinner for us. Salad, herbed chicken, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, green beans AND peach cobbler.  Can’t do a meal in Georgia without peach cobbler!
Starting out with the BIGGEST pastries you have ever seen! Even our Texans commented on just how HUGE the pastries were. ALL FLAVORS!  Afterwards, we were whisked off in our first class motor coach to the Savannah History Museum, where we saw the city’s history from its founding in 1733 to what it is today. The museum is housed in a 19th century railway shed. Very cool whether you are a railroad buff or not.  In 1775, Savannah was a bustling southern port city serving as a hub for the Caribbean and Atlantic Waterways. Several hundred houses lined the streets. Mostly wooden and painted blue or red, with long, deep porches to catch that breeze and a bit of shade. The city is slow to change for the modern times, which makes this a very unique city. The Battle of Savannah was on October 9, 1779 and lasted a whole 55 minutes, yet there were 850-1000 casualties (second to the battle of Bunker Hill). It was one of the bloodiest battles of the Revolution. The French and Americans eventually retreated and the British claimed the victory.  Our guests were schooled on how to load and shoot their weapons, BUT as you as see from the photo above, they did not show up….  Not sure which was our guests’ favorite,
Now that’s a KRAZY KREW! Back to the campground for a catered lunch to give everyone some pet and down time. We had sandwiches on freshly baked bread, made to order and a HUGE delicious homemade cookie. Their desserts here in Savannah seem to be EXTRA LARGE! Back downtown for a Paula Deen Trolley Tour.
With 2 full trolleys, we saw
We saw 250 years right before our eyes. Homes and churches beautifully restored. Where was dinner? Why at Paul Deen's, of course,  and WHAT A DINNER IT WAS! While eating, all of a sudden and out of the blue, we heard this cute southern accent gal “Thank you everyone for coming.” We ALL thought Paula Deen made a guest appearance. But it was our funbassador, Dot Seaman!  While waiting for our "special" trolley, we discovered Echo Square. Few tourists, and only some locals, know about this intriguing spot. We were lucky enough to find it empty, so one by one, we all had a turn to hear our echo. There is no official explanation as to why when you stand in the middle of the square, your voice, no matter what you say, reverberates around you. Some say it’s the circular design or the proximity of the river, or that there is an old tunnel, possibly from the underground railroad, beneath this river walk and this spot is a hole into the tunnel, and the stone above it is so thin, so it’s like standing above a manhole. We prefer to think it’s the ghosts…..  Then, on to the Ghost & Gravestones Tour. Savannah is the most “haunted” city in America! We jumped onto our special trolley to check out those ghosts.  We toured the dark streets of Savannah as our guide pointed out all the haunted areas. We stopped at one of the most “haunted” mansions. We were told that many have taken photos in the mansion and later found that ghosts had shown up in the mirror of their photos! Kay challenged me to take a picture of every mirror to try and catch a glimpse of one of those ghosts. I think I failed as I checked each mirror closely and didn’t find one darn ghost…… “Miss Kay” delighted in frightening people throughout the night with her antics. You never knew when she was going to come up behind you and grab you.
She finally met her match at the end of the evening! SHE was FINALLY the one that got spooked and let out a blood-curdling scream. We actually thought it was part of the program. Did we have a good day today?  The EYES have it!
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