I’ve been living in northeast Georgia for two years and have not driven up to the top of Currahee Mountain until this past Saturday. Once I was there, I could not believe the view and the sense of quiet and peace that surrounds this place. The only sound we could hear was the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. Most people recognize this mountain because of the movie series “Band of Brothers.” This is where Easy Company trained during World War II. Each morning they ran up Currahee Mountain as part of their training in preparation to go to Europe where they fought for our freedom.

It’s hard to resist going for a ride with the dogs in the evenings, especially in northeast Georgia where spring time is just gorgeous. So, I give in and go. I noticed this past week that the trees are changing so rapidly that it is almost difficult to capture the beauty of their brilliant greens. This shot was taken at Lake Hartwell along the back waters.

Speechless and beautiful. Sunset, a live oak, and St. Simons Island.

These large stones were once used as ballasts in the bottom of large ships that sailed from Europe and beyond to the port of Savannah, Georgia. They essentially helped to keep ships from capsizing. As cargo was unloaded or more taken on, the amount of weight or ballasts was adjusted.

After the stones had served their purpose, they were deposited on the shore. I can imagine that after a while, city leaders began to wonder what in the world they were going to do with such a vast number of stones from around the world. It was probably then—at the point of necessity —that someone had the brilliant idea to use them for construction. After all they were a 100 percent fire proof! Today, you can view these stones and the many cobblestones that are used as ballasts along Factor’s Walk in the city.

I have always thought they were handsome. People, who visit Savannah, immediately notice them because they are everywhere. Many of the city’s riverfront streets are paved of cobblestone, and even the narrow steps leading up to the upper level of Factor’s walk where the Cotton Exchange was located are constructed of these stone ballasts.

Time and foot traffic have given these steps a special sense of character.

Tug boats make me smile. In my book, they are the heroes of any port. When a large ship from some far away place begins to make its way down the Savannah River, these little guys jump into action pushing and angling them until they are safe at the dock. And I’m almost certain that somewhere in my archives I have a photo taken years ago of a tug bearing the name of Savannah on its bow.