and more savannah

I loved the streets in Savannah.  Seriously beautiful!

 One afternoon we took a walk to an old, unrestored mansion we had heard about.  The man who owns it hasn't done anything to restore it, but sells antiques in it.  The plaster is crumbling everywhere, but it still has the original lights, trim, etc.  Some may not like things like this, but being the nerds we are we were dying.  It was amazing!  We mostly pretended to look at the antiques (although I'm still thinking of places I would have put that Pennsylvania blue chest that was way out my price range :).  What we really spent our time looking at was the house.  Everything is so massive and grand in scale, and the details in everything were so beautiful!  We may have dreamed about what it would be like to take on a project like that.  (See, we are nuts.)  We were so glad we didn't miss this one!

 Just another walk through Forsyth Park.  Beautiful!  One evening while we were there, a bunch of high school students and their families were there taking pictures for prom.  People watching at it's best!

One day we decided to take a little trip to Tybee Island, which is only about 20 minutes from Savannah.  On the way, we stopped at Fort Pulaski, a fort which was built after the Revolutionary War and was used for the last time during the Civil War.  It was so interesting, and so cool to see the canon balls still in the walls of the fort.

Next, we went to the Tybee Island Lighthouse and visited the light keepers home and museum.  So many stairs but definitely worth it!

 Lucky for us, the Azaleas came into bloom while we were in Savannah.  Beautiful color everywhere!

 We stopped into this shop one day on one of our walks, where all the yarn is hand spun.  We had fun talking to this dude, and even talked sheep (it seems sheep are pretty cool, after all!)  Savannah has a huge design school and so the whole historic district has a very fun, artsy feel to it.  I would have loved to bought some of this yarn for Kate, my resident yarn appreciator!

Of course, we had to make several stops to Leopold's- which is famous for ice cream.  The line usually backs up down the street, so we were happy to make friends with this cute guy, Ron.  He came right to our table and talked us through the details of every. single. flavor.  Best customer service ever!  Did you know the old 50's song "Tutti Frutti" was written about Leopold's ice cream?

 (The story is that these dejected lions appeared at this house following the Civil War, reflecting the owners feelings about the outcome of the war.  Made us smile every time we saw them!)

Dinner at the Olde Pink House the last night in Savannah.

We loved this trip.  

savannah, part two

Both Courtney and I agreed that the best part of our trip was not having any plans!  We laughed that we never really adjusted from our time zone and so we'd stay up super late and watch movies and then sleep in super late!  It is such a luxury to actually wake up when your body decides it's time!  We were never in a hurry, or on a schedule- ever.  It was so relaxing.

One afternoon we set out and ended up on River Street to find that we had come to town during the Savannah Music Festival.  We learned that the festival invites 15 (I think?) of the best high school jazz bands from around the country.  This particular afternoon, there were several of these bands playing in the public squares.  We just relaxed in the sunshine and listened to them groove (and of course, people watched because that's one of my favorite things!)  It was a lot of fun!

We stopped into one of the candy shops for a treat, and I had to take a picture of this sweatshirt.  I'm thinking we found our next Croney reunion t-shirt?

And then Courtney happened to spy this gem of a t-shirt and suggested it would be a great one for Claire. (Don't judge, it's a joke. She just likes herself a good tattoo.)

Another favorite part of our trip was a little road trip we took toward Charleston.  Just outside the city, is Drayton Hall, a plantation dating back to about 1730.  I'd read about it before our trip and thought it looked really great.  Most of the plantations in this area were burned at the end of the Civil War, but for some reason this home was left standing.  It has been preserved, not restored and so everything is actually original. Some might prefer seeing everything look like new, but we loved this!  We really are nerds for this kind of thing.

 (One of my favorite things in the house- the family's "growth chart" written in pencil on one of the door frames.  I loved that they even noted the growth of their favorite family dog!)

 The Slave Cemetery

 On our drive back to Savannah, we decided to drive through Beaufort, South Carolina, another place I'd read about.  We spent an hour or so riding around and walking past so many beautiful old homes.  We also spent quite a bit of time in the cemetery- does that make us extra wierd if we loved the cemeteries we found on this trip?  Probably.

savannah, part one

(The two of us at the Crystal Beer Parlor, a great little restaurant near our place.  We went here several times and loved it (skipped the beer though).  I knew it would be a great experience when the hostess walked toward us and said in the most awesome Southern drawl, "Hey Sugaaa's. . . ")

Early this Spring, I realized we had some flight miles that were going to expire.  Letting them go to waste is unacceptable, of course, and so I talked my mister into going on a trip with me.  To Savannah, Georgia.

It was a good idea.  

We're kind of nerds about anything old, and so being in this amazing city with twenty-something blocks of old everything (did you know Savannah has the largest urban historic district in the country?) was perfect for us.  I found the best bed and breakfast for us to stay, in the heart of the historic district- it was actually it's own separate property but they delivered breakfast and goodies each day.  

That was a good idea too.  :)

We loved having our own little place, away from the hustle and bustle of all the hotels and such.

Our first full day, we hired a guy for a walking tour.  We've never done that before (I know, it sounds a little nerdy), but it was great!  Savannah is such a great walking city.  In fact, we only drove our car about twice the entire 9 days we were there.  A walking tour was a great way to get a feel for the way everything is laid out, and we learned a ton of history.  I think it set the stage for the rest of our stay.

 (Loved this sign advertising the "anti-migraine" formula, promised to cure headaches.  The doctor was later shut down when his magic potion was discovered to be opium!)

 (The most beautiful Cathedral- I wish I could take better pictures, because it took my breath away.)

 (Forsythe Square- famous from Forrest Gump.)

 One of my favorite things about Savannah are the squares (kind of like a park).  Each little block is set up in a square, with a park in the center.  Many of them have a monument, fountain, or something special, but each has amazing live oak trees, flowers, and benches.  Facing the square on all four sides are amazing old homes, mansions, and churches.  It is beautiful and peaceful, I felt like we were in a movie. . .

 I had to take a picture with this cool old car because, well- because it is in my blood to notice cool old cars!

For some reason, this restaurant reminded me of the Princess and the Frog movie.  Claire has been really into "making Gumbo" lately (a story for another day), and I kept thinking of Tiana and her Gumbo restaurant dreams the whole time we were there!

(Courtney spotted this towel in a boutique window and sent a picture to Ryenne to let her know we'd found her souvenir :)

Ahhhh.  These pictures make me miss that place. . .

this made me laugh. . .

 A few weeks ago, Claire and Sam were playing in the other room when she stopped long enough to come and inform me, "Mom.  If  you're ever scared you are perfectly safe cuz Sam knows how to sword fight and I know karate."

Since that moment, I have had no worries about my personal safety.  Whatsoever.





Oh, and a few days ago, she and I were doing some shopping at Sam's Club (sorry, Uncle Shawn- I am letting down the whole human race, I know :).  Sam was wearing his awesome "towwwboy" getup, and Claire was begging me for a hotdog- something that happens about, well never.  I have somewhat of a personal bias against hotdogs.

I was looking at something when I turned back to the cart to find Claire's face just inches from mine.  In her most dramatic voice, she said, "Mom, isn't there nothing better than gazing into each other's faces?   I just love gazing into your face."

You can bet I bought her a $1.27 hot dog for that one.