ONE YEAR DONE!!

The third semester finished up well, and I flew off to Madison, WI to spend a week and a half with family.  It was a wonderful, activity-packed break from school.  I left Atlanta the morning after my practical exam and arrived in Madison in time to take an afternoon walk with Elizabeth and Enzo.  I was also introduced to the 5 baby birds who were ensconced in a nest under the front door awning.

5 baby birds under a small metal roof

We walked to the nearby elementary school playground but couldn't go in, since school was in session.  It then began to pour rain, so we took cover in the porch of a nearby shop.  When the rain let up, we walked back toward the house.  Here's a sample of Enzo's character:

Alan and I took Enzo back to the elementary school playground later that evening, and then our parents arrived late that night.  We all got together the next morning, and we out-of-town visitors kept Enzo entertained while his parents attended a parent-teacher conference at his school.

enzo and his grandparents enjoying the school playground

During the next few days, we kept busy with many activities, including Henry Vilas zoo, a nighttime walk to enjoy the full moon, a local Native American pow-wow, playgrounds, live music from Alan and friends at Brocach, and just playing at home.

elizabeth, grandma, and alan chatting above, enzo cleaning up spider webs below at olin park

i'm telling you, this kid is brilliant!  he did this himself!  at olin park

proof i was there - in a giant shoe in vilas park

revving up at the park by the zoo

my first time seeing red pandas - i think i want one!

lions, tigers, and bears, oh my!!
sad note: vilas, the lioness pictured above, recently passed away from cancer

acrocats!  ponyo and wabi-sabi demonstrating their skills

enzo playing with a christmas present from grandma, supervised by stuffed toys from cousin queenie

full moon shining on a pedestrian/ bike bridge and trees

monkeyfish enjoying ice cream leftovers

family pictures with entertainment/ interference from wabi-sabi

tiny native american dancers at a pow-wow
(incidentally. when did traditional native american costumes start adding neon colors?)

west wind performing at brocach.

The next day was Enzo's birthday which probably deserves a post to itself, so I'll stop there!

first clinical - done.

I finished my first clinical affiliation at noon on Friday (April 27) - my clinical instructor had a tennis tournament to monitor so he left at lunchtime.  When I got back to the apartment, I got an interesting phone call.  My stolen car had been found!  It was "in bad condition, with no engine."  I was given the phone number of the tow yard, and spent a while making arrangements with the insurance company.

Later that afternoon, I got together with Ellie and headed out to Tybee Island.  We walked along the beach, admiring the ripples in the sand, and found a cute little hermit crab.

 I happened to have brought my old volleyball - some of my Bay Area friends may recognize it from back in the Bridgemont days.  Anyway, Ellie and I decided to spite the wind and hit the volleyball around, and were soon joined by a random military guy who wanted to play, too.  His buddy showed up and we ended up pairing up and playing a game of sorts.  With the wind and varied skill levels, it became a serving match, interrupted by frequent sprints to retrieve the ball and lots of laughter.

Ellie and I returned to Savannah thoroughly exhausted.  It was a fun way to end my two week stay.

The next morning, Aylin and I headed back to Atlanta with a very full car.  Apart from some completely stopped traffic in Macon, we had an uneventful drive back.

After I got home, I headed out to track down my old car.  My friend Taeksoo had just decided to leave the DPT program and move back to South Korea for now, so I took him with me to get a chance to hang out (it turned out to be a good idea to have someone else with me anyway, considering the neighborhood!).  My poor little car had apparently been found March 26 - only 6 days after it had been stolen.  It took a month and a day for the police to finally tell me they had it.  It had been stripped, carefully.  Random little parts had been taken from inside the car, the entire engine was gone, and the Honda logos from the body.  Happily, in the midst of the trash which filled the car, I was able to recover the keys to my Yakima roof racks which I had removed only a couple weeks before the car was taken.  Otherwise, it was just nice to get a chance to see it one last time.

The last 3 days of school flew by quickly.  I did get one last chance to see Taeksoo when he and Dan met to play ping pong for a last hurrah.  We hope to see Taeksoo back next June!

savannah sights

Spanish moss on trees at Bonaventure Cemetery

After we got back from Hilton Head Island, the three of us headed over to check out Bonaventure Cemetery - a historic place in Savannah and resting place of some famous people.  It's just over a mile from the apartment where we're staying.  Unfortunately, it was raining, so we didn't spend much time looking around.

walking along Bonaventure Road

Johnny Mercer's memorial bench - first song listed is quite appropriate for the day

Johnny Mercer's bench from the other side.  He wrote Moon River, among other popular favorites.

a local legend, this little girl's ghost is supposed to haunt the former site of  the Pulaski House

this life-size statue of Gracie is supposed to cry tears of blood at night if you steal a toy that's been left in her lap

the sun peeked out a little bit

Monday evening we checked out Lake Mayer Park - we headed there after we all were done for the day and ran around the lake.  It was just under 1.5 miles and quite pleasant.

Tuesday after getting off from the hospital I hopped on my bike and rode over to Bonaventure Cemetery again since it was sunny.  This time I just took my time and wandered.

Bonaventure Road

it was sunny but windy

little tree with a LOT of Spanish moss

details on a railing

idyllic view across the river

just one sample of the many statues

close up of the Spanish moss

Today we took Michelle out for dinner - her birthday is tomorrow.  She chose Paula Deen's restaurant, "The Lady and Sons."  If you (like me) do (did) not know who Paula Deen is, you can find out here.

Aylin, Paula Deen's cutout, Michelle, and me

sampling from the buffet

outside of the restaurant

It's hard to believe we only have a couple more days here in Savannah, only two more days in St. Joseph's Hospital working with our clinical instructors.

savannah - hilton head - savannah

My clinical is going well, I've now been in the hospital 7 days.  I've treated a few patients, mainly getting them up out of bed and walking up and down the hallways.  It's been a great learning experience to see how one PT (my clinical instructor) does things in a setting I had never before experienced.

I've been getting off between 3:00 and 3:30 most afternoons, which leaves plenty of time to explore.  I've joined Michelle running from Forsyth Park along Bull Street to River Street.  We like to run to River Street Sweets, a big candy store that's known for fresh pecan pralines, among other goodies.

wee cokes at River Street Sweets

Michelle's and my first purchase from River Street Sweets

Spanish moss on live oaks in Forsyth Park

We took a drive to Tybee Island one afternoon and checked out the beach there.  Unfortunately it was mostly overcast, but it was still pretty.

Michelle, Aylin, and me on Tybee Island

gulls and the pier at Tybee Island

Friday we ran along River Street, avoiding the crowds at Forsyth Park since there was a free concert there.  It was a bit difficult with the cobblestones, but still a fun sight-seeing run.

Olympic torch monument

bridge to South Carolina

On the weekend, we drove out to Hilton Head Island, SC - we stayed with Aylin's parents.

Aylin and Michelle on Coligny Beach

me and Michelle on Coligny Beach

the famous Harbour Town Lighthouse

a dolphin and a pelican from the pier at Harbour Town

stopping for refreshments at Harbour Town

Aylin's family's Scottie, Maddie

driving over the bridge, back to Savannah