Tuesday Feb 21 2017 Hawkinsville.

Visited the Lawrence Bennett Harness horse racing facility. This facility has a capacity for about 400 horses. Trainers from the north bring their horses down here for the winter to train them and enjoy better weather them selves. There are 2 loose dirt tracks , a one mile and a 1/2 mile inside it. Each building hold  32 horses, with 10 x10 stalls back to back. We met people from around Mowhawk  NY who used to race at the Rideau Carleton before the Canadian dollar weekened. Also met people from around Peterborough and near Toronto.
Mostly 3 year olds. They trot or pace them 4 to 5 miles a day 6 days a week . Once they have done 4 or 5 hundred miles they will start to race them once a week. Starting with  a 5 minute mile and then work them slowly up to full speed .  The advantage of a loose track is that it is harder to trot in but builds stronger muscles. In the spring they have one major race where they compete for their qualifying times to start the season back home. Most of the trainers stay here from November until April.

Monday feb 20 Plains and Americus

We returned to Plains for a visit to a peanut processing facility but when we got there they were to busy to give us a tour. 4 older gentlemen sitting around in a cluttered old office that looked like it was from the 1950s. They were busy discussing and making notes but still had time for a short chat and to explain a few things but just didn't have time to give us a tour,

Went to Georgia veterans state park to empty our rv and then just bummed around Americus for the afternoon.

Sunday Feb 19 Americus met Pat a very special lady

When we parked at the Walmart for the evening there was a truck parked near where we planned to park for the evening. A lady was sitting in the drivers seat reading. Later she got out and went to the Walmart and returned with a few things. My instinct told me that she was travelling in this vehicle and if so, she would be a very interesting person. I approached the vehicle , chatted for a while and came back and had supper. After supper we invited her over for a tea. What an interesting person, late  60's or maybe 70 years old. Retired , divorced teacher from Saint Clouds Minnesota. She sold her house bought and fixed up this van and has been on the road since last May. Plans to be on the road for at least an other 10 years. Only plans are to be in North Carolina for her grand daughters graduation in May and some place in Illinois in August. Other than that she is just living the dream.
We thought we have visited Georgia , but she had seen a lot more. Great conversation that lasted until 11:00 oclock.

Sundy Feb 19 2017 Jimmy Carter Visitors center

Visited the Jimmy Carter Visitors center in Plains. It is located in the high school that both he and Rosalynn attended.  Each room is themed with a part of his life. School years, navy, governor of Georgia, president, Rosealynn, and a lot of space to his years after the presidency. A lot of effort to show him a as a normal person living in small town Georgia. He still teaches Sunday school 2 or three times a month . He has done amazing things with the Jimmy Carter foundation. There is a 45 minute video of his life. We missed getting to meet him as we didn't know until to late that he was teaching Sunday school that day. You had to be there before 7:30 am to get into the church for the 11:00 service. After the service people line up to get their picture taken with him.

High School and now the visitors center and museum

The class room looked just like the one I went to school in

In a lot of the material you read he gives special credit to his teacher in this school 

A replica of the oval office

A lot of effort has been put into eradicating this disease by the foundation

Down town Plains

The famous election head quarters for his election campaign

inside the headquarters

They say the only reason this building was used as the head quarters was it was the only building in town with washrooms.

A lady in one of the stores gave us this stalk of cotton as a souvenir , because we asked her so many questions about it

Saturday Feb 18 2017 Jimmy Carter boyhood farm

Jimmy Carter's family moved to this farm in 1928. No running water or central heat. They got the electricity in 1938.The farm was sold in 1949, but the National Park Service bought back 17 of the original 360 acres in 1994 and restored the buildings to the 1938 appearance.
They raised cotton, peanuts, sugar cane and corn. They had a store next to the house where they supplied the needs of the community and their workers.

Sign in front of the house

The house they lived in

Plaque at entrance to house

This building was their general store where they supplied the community and the workers

Barns on the property

Saturday Feb 18 2017 Richland Distillery

Richland Distiller located in Richland makes single cask rum from sugar cane grown on their own farm. Only sugarcane syrup, water and yeast. Single cask means that even the barrels are not blended. The contents of the bottle comes out of one barrel only. It is aged to between 3 1/2 and 4 years in new oak barrels. They are the only distillery in the US that sources and produces their products from a single state.

Still in operation

Still number 2 

Warehouse full of barrels

Barrels in storeage

This barrel in the center of the warehouse is being aged for Jimmy Carter. It was the barrel being filled when he came for a visit. He lives in Plains about 18 miles away.

They had him sign the barrel. It will go to the Jimmy Carter foundation.

This was their original still, a small version of the big ones.

A picture of the only bottle of rum that they produce.

Thursday Feb 16 2017 Calloway Gardens

Calloway Gardens was developed built by Cason J. and Virginia Hand Calloway . This was build as their get away in the mountains with money that they had made in the textile industry. Eventually they built it into a golf resort and convention centre. It is a beautiful property that would be outstanding in the summer time when in full bloom.

This is the church on the property that is used for weddings etc.

On of the stained glass walls. There are 4 panels of stained glass on the side wall. Each picture represents a season .

View of the lake from the church entrance

They put on a birds of prey demonstration

vulture

Old house on the property where  the family raised 13 children

The Cecil B Day butterfly center is on the property. (Founder of Days Inns)

Butter flies at their various stages of developement