Part 2- Day 38 American Pickers

Day 38

Monday, July 25, 2016  American Pickers-Antique Archaeology  

We took our sweet time getting out of bed this morning. After we cleaned ourselves up, we took a ride downtown to American Picker, Mike Wolfe's, Antique Archaeology Shop. We love that show and couldn't wait to take a look at his shop. It was located in the old Motor Factory Building among other small local shops. There were so many neat things there. Mike is known for his light fixture finds. He had some pretty cool fixtures that hung over head. There were some rare and fascinating finds. We browsed the shops throughout the building and also saw some amazing pieces of art at the gallery across the street.

Since we were already downtown, Carmen found us a nice restaurant to eat at. As we were walking to the restaurant, I stopped dead in my tracks. The online information said "no kids", that's a no go. So we had to back peddle a little and changed directions. We walked back downtown to the strip where we were sure to find something to eat. Carmen took us over to Tequila Cowboy. We enjoyed our pub food and live entertainment. We really enjoyed solo artist Blake Hall who frequents Tequila Cowboy. Check him out at www.blakehallmusic.com.

When we got back to the RV, we walked over the the waterpark at Nashville Shores. Round 2 for the Voss family. Lets try this again. We started over by the water slides today. It was much less crowded than on Saturday. The boys had a blast going down the water slides. They even tried their hand at the water adventure rope walk. Charlie fell off on his first try but didn't give up. He got back in line and MADE it. It was amusing to watch the adults do it. We swam in the regular pool and soaked in the kiddie pool. After the kids had their fill of the water slides, we relocated to the wave pool. We all had a sigh of relief when we got to the pool. There was a spot open in the shade and the pool was not nearly as crowded as it was over the weekend. All the boys grabbed a tube and went to the front of the pool where the best waves were. There is a good 10 minutes between wave sessions and thats plenty of time to sit and chill in the moment. As I stood in the center of the pool keeping an eye on my family and enjoying life at the same time, I saw in front of me what beautiful diverse company we were in. We were all there sharing an amazing time our families. Josh walked over to me, tossed a tube over my head and dragged me out into the waves. He is such a brat but he makes sure I don't miss out, that's for sure!

Chandler in front of Antique Archaeology

Front of Antique Archaeology

Tequila Cowboy Pub
Music by Blake Hall

Nashville Shores Water park

Part2- Day 37 Honky Tonk Central

Day 37

Sunday, July 24, 2016   Honky Tonk Central

You may have noticed by now, but we like to wing it. Today we wanted to check out Downtown Nashville. On our way in, we stopped at Lane Motor Museum. It is a car museum with several old and unique cars, bikes and motorbikes. It was a small museum but had some pretty awesome cars. They had a scavenger hunt and map so you can pin where you are visiting from. Those are always a must do.

After the Museum, we parked downtown Nashville and walked the strip before deciding where to stop for lunch. Downtown was smaller and a lot less crowded than in my imagination. The Honky Tonk Central was a pretty rockin' place so we stopped there. The restaurant has 3 floors and each floor has a different band playing. The music never stops in Nashville. Everyone wants their moment of fame, whether singing mainstream songs or indy music, live music is the best. It was nice to sit back, relax and enjoy the music. The food was pretty good as well. Charlie enjoyed a Mahi sandwich, Carmen had Catfish and the rest of us were pretty lame with out food choices. We stayed for quite a while just enjoying the atmosphere.

On our way back to the car, we did some shopping and even stopped in a local boot shop. I've never shopped for boots before. Never really had much of a desire to wear them. However, I did find a pair I really liked, I bet you can't guess what was on them......Embroidery! We left the boot shop empty handed. One of us was pretty bummed about that (Charlie).

We arrived back at the RV just before dark. I decided to go for a walk. I came across shuffleboard and Corn hole just behind the waterpark. I walked back and grabbed the kids for a quick shuffleboard game before the sun went down. We had a great day.

Putting a pin on Morris, IL

Honky Tonk Central

2nd floor music at Honky Tonk Central

Chandler playing Shuffleboard with me

Chandler and I making up our own Shuffleboard rules. 

Part 2- Day 36 Nashville Shores Water Park

Day 36

Saturday, July 23, 2016    Nashville Shores Water Park

Our big plans for today were to go to the Nashville Shores Water Park which was steps away from our RV.  We had a big breakfast and walked over to the gate. The water park is open to the public so of course it was packed for a Saturday. We thought we would give it a shot anyway. We all like wave pools so we decided to start there.  It was so crowded (in the eyes of a Voss). It was extremely hot and humid and everyone wanted to be soaking in the water. We enjoyed the wave pool for the majority of the afternoon. The concrete was scalding hot and the water was probably 90 degrees but it was a lot of fun playing with the kids. We grabbed some lunch at the snack bar and soaked in the sun. Some storm clouds rolled in and the park decided to temporarily close. They evacuated all of the water activities and most people headed for the exit. Thank goodness we were only a few steps away from
the RV. We got our hands stamped just in case we decided to come back later.

Later came and went, so we decided to stay home and relax. It was just so hot out.

Part 2- Day 35 NASHVILLE Shores

Day 35

Friday, July 22, 2016     NASHVILLE SHORES

We departed from Hilton Head this morning at 7am. It was sunny and 80 degrees already. Colin didn't sleep very well through the night. Lets just say he isn't a fan of Palmetto bugs (aka cockroaches) frankly neither am I.

Nashville here we come!! 

It was an extremely long drive from Hilton Head to Nashville, TN. but Josh handled it like a trooper. We just so happen to go over our data usage on our cells about 13 times this month. Another long drive without Wifi and RV Park without Wifi. Ouch! Using navigation on our phones and hours of driving boredom has proven expensive. We arrived mid evening and got our guest slips to the water park at Nashville Shores RV and Water Park. Josh wanted to go over before they closed and get our photo IDs made. We rode bikes over to the park, got our passes and rode to a no access road to the restaurant we wanted to eat at. So.... we rode back to the RV and got the car and took the normal road to Papa Turney's Old Fashion Hickory Smoked BBQ on the Marina. Oh boy my belly hasn't had pulled pork like that in a very very long time. Num Num Num.

Our spot at Nashville Shores RV Park

 The Marina in front of Papa Turney's 

Part 2- Day 34 SCAD

Day 34

Thursday, July 21, 2016    SCAD

Today was Chandler's big day to take the tour of Savannah College of Art & Design.  He was pretty pumped to get the full tour. We definately were in the right place at the right time yesterday. What a blessing. Carmen stayed back at the RV resort with the little boys so we could focus on the tour. Thanks Carmen!

We arrived just before 9:30am and signed in. We took a seat and watched their admission presentation. Who walks up to do part of the presentation.... none other than Laura who gave us the mini tour yesterday and hooked us up with today's tour. It was neat to hear that she is a SCAD alumni and her daughter also graduated from SCAD last year. There were mostly girls on the tour. Chandler was the only male in our group and there were 2 boys in the other group. They split us up based on major. We hopped on a bus and took a tour of different parts of the college. First we stopped at the Freshman Dorms. It was fun to learn that the dorms were part of the movie "Monsters University." The son of the founder of Pixar was a student at SCAD at the time the movie was made. The 3 person dorm room easily accommodated 33 of us in the tour. They were very big with a private bathroom and additional sink and counter space within the room. The College has more security personnel than there are Savannah Police Officers. Impressive.

We then stopped at the upperclass dorms which was right next door to animation design and video studios. When school is in session, the video game designers have TVs set up in the foyer with demos of their current work. Students get to play the games and leave anonymous feedback. There are no windows in this building because they often work into the we-hours of the morning. The girl giving the tour was a tourism major. You could tell! She had a lot to say and didn't skip a beat. She answered questions we didn't know we had. She will soon be a student at SCAD getting her Art Restoration Major. We learned that several SCAD alumni are current employees of Disney Pixar and other big names and they premier big movies like Frozen and Inside Out which were created in part by their alumni. They have a huge Film Festival at the school annually. The tour guide mentioned she ran into Channing Tatum walking down the street in Savannah. He was working on a film. She said you never know who you will run into while at school there. Many films being made in the area will borrow students and/or equipment from the school.

Last Stop was in the Fashion Hall and Illustration Building. The Fashion Hall was pretty cool. They set up the work environment just as you see it in a real fashion design meeting. They thought of so many things to prepare their students for what the real world will look like. There were several excited young ladies in our group. They lit up when we got to the Fashion Department. In the Illustration Building, which we took a quick tour of yesterday, we got a little more information. She showed us the equipment Chandler would be using for the Illustration process and how their Cloud system works. She mentioned his class size would be anywhere from 4-18 kids depending on his schedule and major. Very advanced equipment.

All of the Staff at the school were eager to offer valuable information. They wanted you to feel at ease and comfortable contacting anyone if you have any questions. Chandler will soon have an admissions rep to walk him through the application process because SCAD's application process is different than most colleges and has much to do with your area of interest and portfolio. As of right now, Chandler would like to study advertising, graphic design, industrial design and sculpture. He is torn with sculpture because it is only offered in SCAD Atlanta. Only time will tell. SCAD is a contender for his further education but the hunt has begun. Congratulations Chandler, the future is yours son.

Light bulb tree with students hopes and dreams hanging from it. 

 SCAD Entrance 

 Alumni Sculpture

 Blue Jean wall

 Pencil Wall

 Entry Sculpture at Illustration Building

 Hall Entrance

 Art in Video Studio Hall

 Upperclassman Dorm

Entrance to Fashion Hall

Part 2- Day 33 Day trip to Savannah, GA

Day 33

Wednesday, July 20,  2016          Day Trip to Savannah, GA

One of the conveniences of staying at Hilton Head was the short drive to Savannah, GA. Chandler was excited for our day trip because Savannah is the home of SCAD -Savannah College of Art & Design. He has had interest in going to this school since freshman year.

SCAD College has many buildings situated throughout the city. We weren't able to get on the schedule for a tour of the school because it was last minute so we decided to take a self guided walking tour of what we could. When we got there, Chandler and I ran into the SCAD shop to ask for quarters because in Savannah the parking is all metered. I spoke with the girl who was working the desk and she told me the admissions office was open next door and see if they can get us on a tour. Chandler and I were pretty excited so we ran next door and they told us if we waited around until 2pm we might be able to get a walking tour but for the time being, we could view the inside of the admission office on both levels. There was plenty of art on the walls to look at and on the second floor was the conference room that had an amazing sculpture of a lightbulb tree. Hanging from chains from the tree was the hopes and dreams of future SCAD students. It was an amazing focal feature in the SCAD admissions building. After reviewing all the paperwork they had for students, we still had almost 2 hours to kill before the 2 pm tour and we didn't even know if we would get the opportunity. We started the walking tour on our own. When we got around the 1st block of the closest SCAD buildings, we didn't know what else to do. All the other buildings were scattered out within a 2 mile radius of the admissions building. We stopped and looked at the map pondering our next stop. A woman walked up and asked if she could help us. She saw us with the SCAD map and wondered if there was anything she could do to help us out. I spoke up and told her we couldn't get on the schedule for a tour and only had a few days in Savannah. She said "I think I can get you in, follow me!" She walked up to the closest building and scanned her name tag and in we went! When inside, she told us her name was Laura and she works in SCAD Admissions. She was on her way back from lunch when she saw us outside. What are the odds....

The building she took us in was the Illustration Building. The walls in the building were covered from top to bottom in some form of art. It was amazing to see the work of these students. We took a short walk throughout the building because there were summer classes in session. When we got back outside, she said "be back here at 9:30 tomorrow morning. I'm putting you on the tour bus schedule." She then continued to ask "does anyone play pokemon go? I just thought I might ask because there are some really awesome guys inside the building I've been told." We looked at Chandler and laughed because he is the only one playing it.

After leaving SCAD Admissions, we drove over to the SCAD Museum of Art where many of the students and SCAD Alumni have their art on display. The Museum has a variety of art mediums, all original pieces and art unlike what you see in a traditional art museum. It was fascinating. If ever you are in the Savannah area, it's worth a visit. Support local artists.

After we visited the Museum, we went to eat an early dinner at the Crystal Beer Parlor. It was a nice pub with very friendly people. We were eating early because we wanted to spend the rest of the day at Tybee Island Beach in Savannah.  As we were eating the power at the restaurant flickered off and on. There was a storm moving in. As we made our way to the front door of the restaurant, the rain was coming down so hard none of us wanted to go to the car. We all stood there and waited for it to lighten up. It never really did so we ran through the puddles to the car. Well, no beach for us today.

SCAD admissions building

SCAD Museum of Art

Museum

Museum

Museum

Museum

Museum 

Part 2- Day 32 Deep Sea Fishing

Day 32

Tuesday, July 19, 2016         Deep Sea Fishing


Everyone was excited for this day to come! Deep Sea Fishing is more than just fishing, it's an adventure!

We climbed aboard Integrity Charter at 1pm, right in the thick of the heat and humidity. Josh was kind enough to book a bigger boat so I could avoid being sea sick as much as possible and join in the fun. I will admit I took my meds and was still boat shy. The boat had a lower level and a bathroom, something you don't often see in a charter fishing boat. Captain Mike asked what we wanted to do first, I told him it was up to him cause we weren't likely to eat anything we catch! So off we went to "troll" for fish. That's a new word we learned. Trolling is fishing for fish that will later be used as bait for catching a SHARK! That made everyone excited. The deep sea fishing goal is always "what size shark can I catch."  We were trolling in about 25' deep water. The captain kept the boat moving slowly in circles as we trolled. We caught 4 large fish. Which the pictures speak louder than words. Everyone was so proud of themselves.

Once our bait fish were caught, we moved inland to about 15' deep water to bait our hooks for shark fishing. Josh had to point out to me how funny it was that we moved inland to more shallow water to catch shark. Ha..Ha..Ha... not amused.  Carmen had a goal for this trip, to catch a shark. So when he cast the first line, he handed the reel to Carmen after she strapped on the pole holster around her waist. After about 10 minutes, there was a bite on her line. The fisherman coached her every step of the way. She moved side to side in the boat, careful not to snap her line. He wasn't coming in without a fight. When the shark came close enough to the boat, he tried to hook him to bring it up but he was too quick. So the fisherman grabbed the line and flung the shark onto the boat. WOW! She caught a 30 lb black tip shark. It was so awesome to witness! Carmen's smile was beaming from ear to ear.  The fisherman unhooked the shark and handed it over to Carmen for her photo moment. After Carmen threw him back in the Ocean, her hands were shaking, her excitement and nerves had taken it's toll.

Captain Mike kept the boat moving as the fisherman baited the line for another good catch. Chandler was up next. He had several great bites on his line but nothing seemed to take the bait. Our 4 hours was up and we had to bring it in and head back to shore.  Chandler was pretty bummed but we had plenty of excitement for the day. I am pleased to say that I did not get sick. The Captain kept the boat moving the entire time so we did not rock at all. That's my kind of fishing!

When we arrived at the dock, we decided to eat dinner at Quarterdeck Waterfront Dining right there at the Lighthouse off the dock. We looked like a hot, sticky mess walking into a beautiful upscale dining room. Oh well, they didn't seem to care so neither do we! Josh and Chandler decided to try oysters for the first time. Chandler hates seafood so this was going to be pretty funny. When the oyster appetizer came, there was one for each of them. Josh went first. He piled seafood sauce on his and ate it up. He said it wasn't too bad, kinda like a shrimp. Chandler added his sauces and down the hatch it went. The waitress witnessed his turn and she got a good laugh. He was not very happy. He couldn't make eye contact with any of us!  When our dinner came, Carmen ordered swordfish which she had never had. She really seemed to like it. The little boys tried the swordfish and liked it as well. Josh and I had double baked lobster. It was very interesting. Never had a lobster like it before. Our food was very enjoyable. The boys didn't stray too far from their traditional dishes but we had a fun time dining and talking about our fishing adventure.

Colin reeling it in

ummm I don't know about this

Ok I'll hold it just for the picture

Did you see the TEETH on that thing!!

Chandler reeling it in

His catch

Josh reeling it in. His fishy got away.

Chandler and Carmen

Charlie's catch

it wiggled

Charlie on the upper deck

Carmen reeling in her SHARK

SHARK!!! 

Yep this is for real

The BOSS

I'M HOLDING A SHARK!

Ah yes, the lovely oysters