Warm Springs

Magnet #1039 - Warm Springs, GA

A friend of mind brought her husband to Warm Springs, GA, for his birthday, and brought me back this supercute magnet. They're the same friends I went with to Hyde Park, NY, so it's no surprise that they finally took advantage of being able to visit FDR's other place of residence just an hour south of Atlanta.

Back in the 1800s, Warm Springs had been known as a warm mineral springs resort, but by the time FDR had discovered them in the 1920s, it had already fallen on hard times. But, FDR believed the 88-degree waters helped his polio-related paralysis, and so he spent much of his time at the springs, and even kept a Little White House down there, where he supposedly did a lot of his New Deal work. On top of that, he also started the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation, still active today, a place where folks can go and partake of the therapeutic waters, but moreover, it's a place that strives "to empower individuals with disabilities to achieve personal independence."

The Little White House is a GA State Park site now, so you can visit it - it's been kept the same since FDR's death, and they have a couple of his special cars, and even an unfinished painting that he was sitting for.

Of course, now I have to go rewatch Kenneth Brannagh's Warm Springs HBO movie. Plus, I need to finally read the book I picked up at FDR's Library in Hyde Park, called FDR's Splendid Deception to get a better understanding of FDR and the massive effort to downplay, even hide, the extent of his polio-induced paralysis.

It's why I love this magnet, because one of the things I've never been able to get my head around is the public knowledge around his disability. Or rather, lack of public knowledge. Supposedly, no one really knew that he was paralyzed from the waist down, while FDR and his team went to extraordinary lengths to keep this "splendid deception." Ironic, that even on this magnet, from a place where he was trying to remedy his paralyzed legs, he's portrayed standing and waving from the back of the train.

And yet, of course, pockets of people knew. The press did what they could to downplay it - which is almost unheard of these days. The government knew. The servicemen and women he visited in a few hospitals knew. The folks of Warm Springs knew. People knew, and they didn't make a huge fuss over it.

I've always heard that if the average American public knew that FDR was wheelchair-bound, that he'd never have been elected. While that's probably true, I'd still like to believe that we'd have seen our way around it anyway. Otherwise, how vastly different would this world be?

Slippery when wet

Magnet #803 - Stone Mountain, GA

So, nestled off to the east of Atlanta, is Stone Mountain Park, where nestled in the heart of its 3,200 acres, is Stone Mountain, where nestled in the center of its 825 feet tall x 1,683 feet high x 583 acres, is this giant stone relief of about 90 feet by 190 feet - three acres big.

WHOA.

It's a Civil War monument with Confederate President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee, and Lt. General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

Very cool park - you can stand at the base of the mountain, with a terrific look up at the carving, situated about 400 feet up and then you can take a tram up to the top - or you can climb the 1.3 miles to get up there.

Uh, yeah, just guess which one we did. Heh.

Royalty of the garden

Magnet #780 - Amen Corner, Augusta, Hole 13

Man, these three magnets are soooo pretty! I doubt they do the actual course justice, but they're a start. Thank you so much for my magnets, Erin! I love 'em!

The final leg in our holy roller at Augusta is Hole 13, Par 5, 510 yards.

This one's called the Azalea, a signature shrub of Augusta - indeed, several varieties line the entire left side of 13 from tee to green.

This hole would definitely be my mom's favorite place to hang out, as evidenced by the quarter-mile of azaleas she once planted along our driveway.

Of course, I look to the history of the course to tell me why there's a huge emphasis on horticulture here. From what I gather, it's mainly because the 365 acres they built the course on was filled with the natural architecture of a golf course, but also some trees and shrubs that had been there since as early as the Civil War, when it was owned by Fruitland Nurseries.

After reading some of these older articles though, I have to say I wish I'd kept the Masters on my DVR. I'd love to go back and watch, not for the golfers, though Phil Mickelson pulled off some miracles in his pursuit of the green jacket this weekend, I know. But I'd love to go back and match up the holes to the flowers.

Whoa. Now that's me, channeling my mom.

eta:
Well, look at that. @cnnbrk and @PGATOUR should take a hint. With the exception of this eta, I just magnetblogged three magnets about the Masters - without talking about Tiger! It can be done! Even from Amen Corner!

Shoutin' in that Amen Corner!*

Magnet #778 - Amen Corner, Augusta, Hole 11

Ok, ok. I'm taking the easy way out, but ya'll should know, I'm so far behind on everything - in work, in life, in getting timely information from the Paley Center. Moving on.

So when my friend brought these next three magnets back for me from the Masters, I took it as a sign from on high that I should use Amen Corner as the last three magnets that I'm behind! Tomorrow we'll be back in real time! Amen to that!

Augusta National Golf Club has a storied history that you can find here, but it was founded in 1934 by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts on the site of an old plantation in Georgia. The course itself is considered one of the most beautiful in the world.

So this magnet is Hole 11, a par 4 that's about 505 yards. It's the most difficult according to the PGA TOUR. It's the beginning of Amen Corner in the southeast corner of the course, made up of the second shot at 11, all of the 12th, and then the tee shot at 13.

I love that Hole 11 is called the White Dogwood because of all the White Dogwoods lining the fairway, that's sweet. Also, seriously. How is this course not in North Carolina with all those dogwoods!

*Amen Corner, dubbed so by golfer/writer Herbert Warren Wind in 1958. There's this whole debate around it, but supposedly, it was based on a song he knew as a kid at Yale, Shoutin' in that Amen Corner!

Hi, ya'll, from joy magnetism

Magnet #689 - Georgia

State crop: Peanut

State fruit: Peach

I want to say that this was given to me by a friend of mine that lived in Atlanta...or, it's quite possible that I picked it up myself. I can't tell if this magnet it's cute, or too stereotypical.

I just kinda like it cuz of the y'all.

Ya'll is pretty funny word - some folks can carry it off, some can't.

Some spell it ya'll. Some spell it y'all.

And, some folk use ya'll when addressing more than one person, and some use it even when addressing one person.

It's that last one that makes my head spin - drives me batty to hear someone approach one person and go, "How ya'll doin' today?" It's weird. After all ya'll is short for "you all" and if there's one person, where's the all in that?

Eh, at this point, I'm thinking I've devoted way too much thought to the use of y'all or ya'll. And I suppose all of ya'll would agree.

Right?



Ya'll?

Just another day at the beach...for joy, anyway

Magnet #276 - Georgia Aquarium

A friend of mine gave me this supercool magnet from the Georgia Aquarium. Apparently, it's the world's largest aquarium, with something like 8 million gallons of fresh and saltwater. Whoa!

I just checked out their site - and freaked out over their jellyfish page. Eeeeep. I can't stand jellyfish.

I blame Father Ralph from our church, who led one of the only church trips I was allowed to go on, down to South Carolina, when I was in 7th grade. Two things stick out about that trip.

A crappy and awkward-aged no-style haircut. The one where I, needing a drastic change, said to Crystal, our hairdresser, chop it all off. The one where, when I got into the car, my dad asked what happened. It was the worst haircut - ever.

Jellyfish. While we were at the beach, I inadvertently walked right into a school of jellyfish, was stung all over the place. The thing I remember most, though, was standing in a towel, shivering and crying because of the pain, and Father Ralph looking down at me, basically saying he couldn't do anything for me.

So, yeah, between the crappy haircut and the jellyfish, it was kind of a sucky beach trip. Ugh.

However, having looked at the Georgia Aquarium site, it does look like a fun place to go - with like kid sleepovers and tons of interesting exhibits. Maybe I'll go, next time I'm in town.

Just need to make sure everything's behind glass where they belong, is all.

Not even a fair-weather fan

Magnet #116 - Atlanta Braves

I'm not a huge baseball fan - my allegiances toward the Yankees or Mets (or any sports team, really) tend to sway with either the guy I'm dating, or how cute the roster is. Even so, having lived in NYC since '95, I know this magnet's sacrilege around these parts, as is the ballcap that I own.

I picked this magnet up at Turner Field in Atlanta. My sister and I took the tour, something we like to do whenever we're in a major city with a major sporting venue. Backstage tours are fun, we've discussed this. And, it's a pretty good one, complete with going up to the press box, and the dugouts and the bullpens and even the cool Coke-sponsored little area up top.

So, that's how I've come to own a Braves magnet.

And the ballcap? Well, it was on sale for like $6, my last name starts with an A, and goshdarnit, when you find a ballcap that looks cute on you, you buy that sucker.

That's Hot

Magnet #76 - Jimmy Carter Library and Museum

I love going to presidential sites, libraries and museums, included. I picked this magnet as #76, because Carter was elected in 1976, and, he was also the 76th governor of Georgia. Weird, no?

The Jimmy Carter Library is in Atlanta, and has like a weird access route...almost like you're pulling off the highway into a rest area...except that you hit the library grounds. The building is pretty cool, and the grounds are actually pretty peaceful. I enjoyed the museum itself - it was really well planned and spacious, as it guides you through his personal history, his time in office, his works/causes, etc.

I gotta say, though, I must not have been paying attention... cuz apparently, his nickname?

Hot.