Fort Pulaski, Bonaventure Cemetery, More Savannah

Hi all - Dianne here.   Monday we journeyed over to Tybee Island to pick up our second mail batch and do a little sightseeing.   I had my camera with me, but didn't really find anything photo-worthy there on Tybee.   It was a drizzly day, so we pretty much just viewed Tybee from the car.   On the way out from Tybee Island, we ate lunch at Uncle Bubba's Oyster House, owned by Paula Deen and her brother, "Uncle Bubba."   Excellent food!   I had a shrimp salad sandwich and Roger had a crab cake sandwich.   (Roger also had a "breakfast juice" - the famous Chuck Gemmer recipe.)

Just before lunch, we visited Fort Pulaski.   We got there just in time to take the interpretive tour given by a park ranger.   Note the small opening in the original old door.  Turns out, not only was that used for soldiers to shoot their guns out through the opening, it is now used by the park ranger to exit the grounds after locking up for the night!   I can't get that mental picture out of my mind, the ranger stuffing herself through that door at the end of her shift!   We learned how the prisoners were jammed into tiny spaces, five or seven to a bed, and most, if not all, were suffering from dysentery.   Add in the humid heat and the mosquitos, and I cannot even imagine how miserable they must have been.  

Tuesday we just hung out here at the campground, hiking and enjoying the day. 

 We had a good campfire Tuesday evening (with wood purchased here at Skidaway).   We have decided that the wood we bought in Edisto must not have been seasoned properly.  It just would NOT burn!   As you can tell from the photos, the boys were "plumb tuckered out" from hiking. 

 Not sure why Charlie the cat was also so tired; must be from stalking squirrels through the window.

New Year's Eve we drove over to Bonaventure Cemetery and walked around.  Another beautiful setting on a beautiful day.  For those who remember "the book," I'm including a shot of Conrad Aiken's gravestone in the shape of a bench, next to his parents' double tombstone (they died in a murder-suicide; his father, a doctor, shot his mother, then himself, in a fight over -- among other things --having and attending too many parties). 

  We also saw famous composer Johnny Mercer's grave, and that of his wife.  On Johnny's tombstone the inscription read "And the angels sang."   On his wife's, the inscription read "You must have been a beautiful baby."   

After leaving Bonaventure, we drove back into

 downtown Savannah for ice cream at Leopold's.  I'll let Roger describe that in more detail, as he inhaled one chocolate soda, and almost bought a second!  

We also stopped in at Parker's Market and purchased three bottles of wine.   Don't get the mistaken idea that we bought these for New Year's Eve; we were in bed, asleep, by 9:00!!   Tybee Island had a fireworks display, but it didn't begin until midnight.  We knew there was just no way....

Roger here.....  My dad taught me how to make "old-fashioned" chocolate sodas when I was a kid - smashing up syrup and ice cream at the bottom of the glass, before adding the soda water and scoops of ice cream.  You really don't see them very many places these days, but they are delicious.  The one I had at Leopold's was especially good.  Leopold's itself was fun and interesting.  It is an old fashioned soda fountain in the historic district.  The business was opened in the early 1900's by three brothers who had immigrated from Greece.  Stratton Leopold, the son of one of the brothers, returned from a career in movie making (Hollywood - producing several notable films including Mission Impossible 3) and now operates the business.  All the ice cream is made at the store and it is outstanding.

Dianne mentioned Parker's Market.  We stopped there because the owner is a good friend of our friend, Jay Ricker.  Parker's is a chain of convenience stores, but the one we stopped at in the historic district is unlike any convenience store I have seen.  It is in an old, historic, building.  It does have a couple of gas pumps under an old archway in front of the building, but it is really more of a gourmet market.  There was a deli, gourmet foods, and an extensive wine area with the wines arranged by country, category, and Wine Spectator rating.  (I am sure my friend, Jay, appreciates this.)  Fun.

One of the things that we have not talked a lot about is the friendly people that we have met along the way - many of them traveling the country as full-timers in their motor homes, as we are doing.  We all kind of stand out because of our age and the fact that we tend to stay in the camp sites for extended times - not just on weekends.  The Georgia - Michigan State game is later this afternoon.  I have promised a couple of Georgia fans that we have met that I would cheer for Georgia.  (I really think that is mandatory here for personal survival.  The Georgia fans seem to have the same enthusiasm as the Ohio State fans I have seen back home, and everyone here is a Georgia fan.) How bout them dawgs!

A Christmas Walk Around Savannah

Hi all -- Dianne here.   Christmas Day was certainly different from any Christmas Day we've ever experienced.  It was sunny and warm, 80 degrees.  I made egg casserole for breakfast (to give Roger just a hint of Christmases past).  For supper we grilled some fresh Georgia shrimp and I made a "fake" key lime pie.

The day started off 

great when I logged onto the computer and found an e-mail from Robyn.   She explained they have been very busy the first couple of cruises with rehearsals and that their internet connection is slow on the ship.   She had only been on the computer twice since she'd been gone.   She said she has seen the Pyramids in Egypt and the Colosseum in Rome.   Her life at age 32 is certainly different than mine was!  We are thrilled that she has this opportunity to see the world, and get paid for doing it!   (She's on the Norwegian Jade performing improv comedy with Second City, in case there's anyone in the world we missed telling!).  

We also spoke with Amanda by phone while we were walking around Savannah.   I joked with her that she was missing the Juliette Gordon Low birthplace (she HATED girl scouts).   I feel badly leaving my baby girl alone for the first time at Christmas, but she seemed to be coping pretty well and spent the day with her boyfriend, Eric.

Early in the day, we packed up the dogs and drove into the historic district of Savannah.   There was method to our madness:  we figured on Christmas Day there would be both free parking at the meters and very little traffic to contend with.   We were right on both counts.  

The Savannah squares were beautiful - just as I'd pictured them in my mind, only even more!   Roger and I had both just re-read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.  For those of you who have read and remember the book, here is a photo of the infamous Mercer House:

The squares and parks were beautifully landscaped, with flowers and fountains, monuments and statues.  We passed by a holly branch along one street that was just COVERED with berries. 

  Many of the homes had lovely holiday decorations.   One of the homes (the one with Roger and Jasper) had the best curb landscaping I've ever seen!   

There were other folks out walking around, many with their dogs.   Walking dogs always seems to "break the ice,"  and we had some nice conversations with people along the way.  Now that we have scoped out the town, we plan to go back without the dogs next week sometime, visit some places that were of course closed on Christmas Day, and eat lunch at one of the places that have been recommended to us.   

I hope our photos give you a taste of how lovely Savannah is!

Sunday evening, after our grilled shrimp supper, we took our Ipod + its speaker docking station (whatever those things are called) outside and sat and listened to the Christmas music playlist I had compiled last summer.   It seemed a little odd to be sitting outside and looking at palm trees in the woods, but somehow it made the music even better.  

Roger here.   It was without a doubt the most peaceful Christmas I can ever remember.  Savannah may well be the most beautiful American city I have ever seen.  However, it was certainly bittersweet.  As we listened to songs from my favorite Christmas album, John Denver and the Muppets, it brought back memories of past Christmases with Robyn, Amanda, Mom & Dad, my brother Dick and his family, and of course our beautiful granddaughter Kaia.  We miss them terribly, but we know that we will always have the wonderful memories of Mom and Dad, and that we will see everyone else in the near future.  

Enough of the sentimental stuff....  During our Savannah walk, while Dianne was talking to Amanda on the phone, we entered Chippewa Square.  I told Dianne to tell Amanda that I was looking at the bench that Forrest Gump sat on during the "box of chocolates" moment.  I was not really sure if I was right until this guy came running into the Square saying, "This is it!  This was my favorite movie!"  He created quite a commotion before he left as he asked the other walkers exactly which bench was THE BENCH.  He was laughing and running around.  Before he left, everyone else in the square was also smiling.