Savannah Buzz: A Luscious Lesson about Bees

Honey Bees on my Hand

Cradling a handful of bees on the palm of my hand was a honey of a delight, one I will never forget. The little ladies gently crawled over my fingers and hand, tickling me with their feather-light touch. They didn’t  sting , but stayed busy producing nectar and collecting pollen which provides important cross pollination for many plants. Every few seconds one or two of the female worker bees would fly off to return to their job in the hive.

I had the rare opportunity to visit the hives belonging to Savannah Bee Company with the calm and compassionate owner,  Ted Dennard.  First, Ted led my group on a tour of the manufacturing plant where we saw honey being bottled, labeled and sealed into jars.

Then, I donned a beekeeper’s veil, a mesh helmet that keeps out insects but lets air circulate. We walked to the hives, in this case, wooden boxes filled with removable sections. Each section contains honeycombs which are supported on wood and wire frames.

Filling the honey jars

A smoker, a metal can containing burnable leaves was lit and smoke was aimed toward the hive.  Ted explained that when bees smell smoke, they gorge themselves on honey and are less likely to sting.

The Smoker

Each hive contains a large group or colony consisting of around 30,000 bees.  There are just three types of honey bees: workers, drones, and queens. The workers are the smallest and they are all females. They make the honey, clean the hive, feed larvae (baby bees), and build the wax comb. In summer, workers live about six weeks spending their first three weeks as a house bee and the next three as a field bee.

Approximately one hundred drones or males live in each colony. They mate with the queen. Drones live for about eight weeks during warm months. These males usually leave the colony in the fall and die.

The largest bee is the queen and each colony has only one queen whose most important function is to lay eggs.  A healthy queen can live up to four years and lay over one million eggs during her lifetime.

A Bee Hive

Ted lifted the wooden lid on the hive and then used a tool to pry apart the frames. He carefully lifted one out to show us the bees at work. These insects were so diligent to their job,  they didn’t seem to notice our presence. We could clearly identify those bringing in pollen, those storing pollen, those making honey and those dancing. Dances tell other bees where flowers are located. Typically a round dance says that flowers are nearby and a tail-wagging dance speaks of flowers in the distance.  Here’s the most amazing thing:  the direction of the tail-wagging dances show the location of the flowers in relation to the sun, and the number of waggle runs per fifteen seconds indicates the distance. What brilliant bees!

Bees at Work

My admiration for those tiny creatures was growing the more I learned. Just think: bees visit over two million flowers to make a pound of honey. My taste buds got the chance to be favorably impressed. Ted allowed me to stick my finger into the honeycomb and taste of the warm oozing gel- the sweetest, soothing food of the best kind.

I Love Honey Bees

Since the little darlings seemed to be so cooperative and had not stung anyone, I decided to let Ted place a group in my hands. Mind you, like most people I am fearful around bees and have felt the painful ouch of a sting many times.  But, I was up for the new adventure. Ted scooped some up on the tool and transferred them onto my hand. The little ladies danced a ballet as if choreographed by the great Balanchine himself.  There was no frenzy akin to the tune Flight of the Bumblebee.  Instead, they tip toed and pirouetted more of an adagio, as if they heard a slow serenade of Georgia on my Mind.

Tasting Honey straight from the Hive

In that moment I experienced the profound wonder of bees and understood the intense labor these tiny beings expend to produce the luscious treat. Thank you Ted and Savannah Bee Company for showing me the good (and definitely not any evil) within the sensuous city and gardens of Savannah. And, thank you honey bees of the world for helping sustain so much on Mother Earth.

St. Augustine: My New Home in America’s Oldest City

New Year's Eve Fireworks in St. Augustine

A  New Year called for a new start and I chose to move to nearby St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States.  My condo would be close enough for me to walk into the historic district, yet in a lovely, almost new building.  My furniture wouldn’t arrive until January 2nd, however, I would sleep on an inflatable mattress and celebrate New Year’s Eve in my new home.

Exhausted after spending three days in Orlando and doing Disney with grandson Jonah and his parents, I was thrilled to hear the fireworks were scheduled for  8:30 pm.  How family friendly can you get?

So, I set up my tripod and camera on the patio and enjoyed taking some long exposure shots.  Pretty dramatic!!

Afterward, I  went to bed, never opened the bottle of champagne.  When I awakened on January 1st, I was a resident of  St. Augustine.  I excitedly went out to explore the nearly 450-year-old city on foot.

I plan to share lots of posts about new discoveries, so stay tuned…

Branson’s Ozark Mountain Christmas

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but once I got there, I was amazed: more theatre seats than Broadway and all of them reasonably priced, free parking, clean mountain air, and a bit of corny humor.

Branson is a small city in Missouri (resident population about 10,000) with a big heart; they aim to please and often do—but it’s not for everyone.  Cosmopolitan, sophisticated or diversified it is not.  But handicapped accessible, family friendly and affordable it reigns.

Recently returned from Branson’s Ozark Mountain Christmas where the city wide festival (which began November first) runs through mid-December. Look carefully at show schedules from December 15-31st.  Many of the performers take time off for their personal holidays.

Branson is not afraid to flaunt its Christian philosophy, patriotism or hillbilly roots. Tourism began to develop in the 1940′s when the book The Shepherd of the Hills was made into a movie starring John Wayne. Visitors flocked to the area wanting to see the Ozarks for themselves. Over the years, more and more families were attracted and the city boomed by adding country music performances. The shows expanded and Branson now hosts eight million visitors each year.

Main Street bustles with a variety of retailers like Dick’s Oldtime 5 & 10, craft shops, boutique fashions and restaurants. Route 76  passes most of the 50 plus theatres- ranging from small one-man shows to the over-powering Sight and Sound stage.  To accommodate customer needs, some shows start as early as 10 am and give multiple performances throughout the day.

Beyond live entertainment, the activity options change with the season, as does the crowd.  College students arrive on Spring break, families descend in the summer, and mature visitors come by the busload favoring the fall and holiday season.

In summer, the lakes provide excellent fishing grounds, water sports, boating (including a double wheeled paddleboat) and relaxation. Golfers choose among half a dozen courses while hikers and bikers find paved walking paths in Dogwood Canyon to woodsy nature trails. Horseback and ATV trails are also popular.

Thrill seekers venture up the 200 foot Shepherd of the Hills Tower for the Vigilante Ziprider. The riders zoom half a mile down at speeds reaching 50 miles per hour. (I tried this attraction and found it to be a blast!)

Fall foliage rightfully brings out shutterbugs and those who enjoy the beautiful mountains in full color. The town slows down only in January and February when most of the venues work behind the scenes to  produce new shows.

For entertainment value and Christmas spirit, head to Branson. It’s not too late to revel in some holiday magic.

*****

Explore Branson: www.explorebranson.com.

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