My name is Anne. I am an educator, with 35+ years of experience in the public schools and at the college level. One of my greatest joys has been working with young people. Ask my grandchildren and they will tell you that learning is very important when they come to visit. We routinely go on “field trips” to introduce them to the beauty of southwest Georgia. The back roads in this part of the state have much to reveal and enjoy. Indeed, Anne Holmes loves to travel!
On one sleepy day in particular, the grandchildren and I got up early and grabbed a cooler with bottled water and light snacks to travel an hour to Americas. Once there, we toured the Habitat of Humanity village, where the children had their passports stamped. Before boarding the Sam Short Line, we toured the Rylanda Theater, which first opened its doors in 1921.
The Sam Short Line delivered us to President Carter’s boyhood farm. The children were impressed to know we had a president who has once lived here.
Here we had a great time looking for doodle bugs.
“Doodle Bug, Doodle Bug, come out tonight, come out tonight.”
In addition to the summer trips with the grand children, I enjoy traveling the world. So far I have visited 12 countries, including China, Singapore, Paris, and London. Fulbright trip gave me a chance to visit countries in Asia. The groups I took part in went sight-seeing and attended classes to learn more about the education, economy, and religion of the countries.
The Great Wall of China
Malaysia & Signapore here….
One of the greatest trips I made was to Hawaii to take the grandchildren, Kristopher, Kyla, and Kory. They had a ball, and so did I. The sights we saw were fascinating, of course, I had a ball watching them have soo much fun.
July 2016
The are getting older and have their own agendas. They don’t enjoy shadowing their grandmother to Kolomoki State Historic Park in Blakely, GA, which features a museum and Native American mounds – constructed from 350 to 750 A.D. or driving to Lumpkin, GA, to explore Providence State Park, also called the “Little Grand Canyon.” https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g35080-d116555-Reviews-Providence_Canyon_State_Outdoor_Recreation_Area-Lumpkin_Georgia.html#photos;aggregationId=101&albumid=101&filter=7.
They haven’t asked about returning to the dam in Georgetown or spending a morning at Chehaw Zoo in Albany. Not once have suggested we return to Water World in Dothan, Alabama. I never thought they would tire of wading in the large pool that is capable of producing 3 foot waves.
Like most teens, my grandchildren enjoy their cell phones. I’m just glad I had so much fun with them before they learned to block out the adults, even when these adults are standing in front of them yelling, “Ya’ll come on; let’s go!” I hope I instilled in them the joy of visiting places, no matter how small or if these things are “in the middle of nowhere.” Now I’ll get a chance to travel with my friends.
The summer of 2008, my sister-in-law and I decided to take a trip to Europe. We had considered going several years earlier but chickened out. This year would be different. We were ready to go to Europe. We would take part in a trip sponsored by the Gwinett school system for its employees and their guest. I would be a guest. Our trip would include five countries over a total of 7 days: Paris, Belgium, Germany, Amsterdam, and Denmark.
Oh, Boy! I would get a chance to visit the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam and Hamlet’s Castle in Denmark. What a way to learn more about the subjects I taught. The Diary of Anne Frank was the freshman novel covered during our students’ first semester on campus, designed to …
What a sight to behold. Everyone seemed to have gotten a kick out of it. Me? I have too many younger brothers to be impressed.
A photo moment beside the Bronze statue at the harbor of this old fishing village:
Lots of windmills and shopping here
I never imagined visiting the place where Anne, her family, and other Jews lived while hiding from the Nazi’s.
Young Anne was the voice of so many Jews.
It is still hard to describe accurately the impact this phase of our trip impressed me. I had already traveled to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Taiwan by plane. I had been mesmerized by the gold in Thailand, the sheer size of the mountains in Malaysia and Taiwan, but the experience of the ferry to Denmark was by far the best. The line of wars, buses, trucks waiting to get on board was thrilling. When we allowed to get back on the tour bus and ride off the ferry, I knew I was traveling.
