3/31/2013

weekly update 3/31/2013

chef allen

 

Allen sent me this picture of himself working at Grapa Ristoranti in Albany, NY.  Very handsome, no?  And, I think I want to eat there.  http://www.grappa72.com/  I'm really proud of Allen. 

Suzy had noticed that I had a burned out headlight on the VW.  So, I made an appointment to have it replaced on Monday morning.  Man, $60 to change a lightbulb!  This is highway robbery!  But, what can you do.  I remember when gas stations were SERVICE stations, and they would check your oil & clean your windshield while they pumped your gas.  And, if your headlight blew out, you'd buy another and pop it in yourself.  The times they are a-changin'.  That wasn't the worst of that morning, either.  When it was finished, and I went to pay for it, I didn't have my wallet.  Luckily, I have so much work done at this same station, the manager allowed me to drive the car back to the condo to get my wallet.  I could have walked, but I had my slippers on, and I wasn't in a good mood.  (I left my wallet at the condo when Donna & I went out to dinner last week, and she had to loan me money for my meal, and I lost my wallet again when she & I were in Darien - it had fallen out of my pocket and was in her car.  This has got to stop!) 

Donna & I have long wanted to visit the museum at Midway, Georgia (which is mid-way between between Savannah & Darien), but it seems as if every time I'm traveling south on route 17, I'm on my way to someplace else, or the museum is closed.  So, we decided Wednesday would be the day to mark that off our I-want-to-visit-this-place list.  It was really very interesting.  Midway in incredibly tiny, but it has a rich history.  There were more patriots who supported the Revolutionary War there than there were in Savannah, and 2 signers of the Declaration of Independence were from Midway.  There's a colonial Congregational church there that is a part of the museum, and we were able to go inside that.  It is quite large for the size of the city.  Services are no longer held there except for Easter Sunday.  The colonial cemetery is fascinating as well.  There are many old graves, and a lot of the names are from old families that settled in Midway. 
 

midway museum



midway cemetery with the church in the background

 

After we'd spent some time there, we drove on further to Darien.  I mean, after all, we were halfway there!  We were hungry so we stopped for lunch at the first place we saw that had a full parking lot - always a good sign of good food.  It was marvelous!  We both opted for the buffet, and I'll tell you - Mrs Wilkes has nothing on B&J's Diner.  The fried chicken and mac & cheese were the best I've ever had, and I've lived in the South for more than three years now.  I don't care for banana pudding, another Southern staple, but the looks of it on the dessert table was enough to almost make me want to give it another try.  Just a reminder to us that you never ever stop at a McDonalds when you can find a little country restaurant.  At Darien, we walked around, went into the museum / art gallery, and toured the riverside tabby ruins.  I've been there before, but it was interesting to see it all again.

 

Donna had to be back in time to play rummikub with two friends.  One of them called to cancel because she wasn't feeling well.  I haven't played in quite a while, so I invited myself to be the substitute.  It was nice to see June again, and she had cooked a wonderful meal.  I was still so full from lunch, I couldn't get the cake & ice cream down that she'd made for dessert.  We each won one game, and by that time I was so tired, I just needed to get back to my own condo.  It's been a while since I've had a full day like that.

 

On Thursday, I had promised a new friend from book club, Sylvia, that I would stop by for tea.  She has a lovely home on Wilmington Island, not far from the library where our club meets.  After spending an hour or so there, I went to get my first pedicure of the year.  I guess spring is coming and I'm anticipating wearing my flip flops soon (I sincerely hope!), so I decided it was time to conquer that chore. 

 

On Friday, Donna & I were supposed to meet Anne at the Green Truck restaurant in Savannah.  We'd heard so much about the fabulous burgers they grill in this place, and we'd wanted to try it for a long time.  The meat is local, and grain fed, and there's always a long line waiting to get in.  The burgers were ok, but I still like Uncle Bubba's better. 

 

This must be Best Seller Book Reading time for me.  I just finished reading The Paris Wife, and now I'm starting Life of Pi. Of course, they will all be on hold as I watch the season two beginning of Call the Midwife.  TV often holds my interest more than books do. 

 

Saturday was a day of doing nothing.  I was just lolling around the condo, thinking that it was going to be a busy week next week, and that I would try to get ready on Sunday.  All of sudden, it occurred to me that Publix would not be open on Easter Sunday, and I didn't have the supplies I needed for Robin, Rachel, & Hannah's visit.  So, at 9 pm, in my pj's, I went to the grocery store. On Sunday, I opened the cemetery, and spent the first shift there answering questions.  It was crowded and I was surprised, but it made the morning go quicker.  Robin & the girls will arrive tonight about midnight, and I'm so ready to see them all.  

 

my basket

 

I hope everyone had a happy Easter!!!

 

 

3/24/2013

weekly update 3/24/2013

This was an extraordinarily busy week for me. 

It began with Ishy's visit.  I forced her into working for me on Monday because I had invited a few friends over to visit with here again.  I made her bake cookies and shop for snack food.  Because I have such a small place, I thought just drinks & appetizers would be better than trying to have a meal.  And it worked!  On Tuesday, we visited a few places in Savannah that Ishy had not been to before: Massie School, an art gallery, Wormsloe Plantation site.  And one place we had been to before: Leopold's Ice Cream Parlor.  And on Wednesday, we really just hung around the condo until time to go to the airport.  During Ishy's visit, I got her hooked on Call the Midwife, so I hope they're going to be showing season 2 on the PBS channel in Rochester next season. 

Ishy viewing the model of the historic district of Savannah at Massie School

Thursday I rested some, and did some laundry, and generally reverted to my solitude.

Friday, I had promised Donna that I would be a docent at the annual Tour of Homes fundraiser.  There are several of these throughout the year in Savannah, but this is the largest.  I stood in a bedroom of a small, but amazing, townhouse that was built in 1875 in the historic district and told visitors about some of the items in the room.  It was so crowded, and the upstairs was so small, (the entire home is only 1200 sq ft) that it was getting clogged and i was getting nervous.  But, we did what we could, and I think it was a success.  After that, the Savannah chapter of the Victorian Society, of which I am a member, had a tour of a huge Victorian home that is under renovation by SCAD students.  There was wine & cheese, and we were able to wander around the house (WAY more than 1200 sq ft) to see what the students were working on.  Levels of wall paint were being uncovered, fireplace mantles researched, stained glass windows cleaned.  It was wonderful.  And, after that, we went to 17 Hundred 90, a local restaurant, for dinner.  We were more tired than hungry, so it was nice to sit and share a hamburg. 





inside the house on the tour where I was stationed



Hardin House, a 1893 Victorian that SCAD students are renovating

The Tour of Homes continued on Saturday.  One of the tours was a walking tour of Bonaventure Cemetery, with actors in costumes pretending to be some of the historic figures buried there.  I've done this before, and wasn't needed for this tour, so Donna & I drove to the cemetery to see some of my "friends".  Luckily, we were there before the rains began, and we were gone before the first drops fell; I don't think they characters were as lucky as we were and probably had to tell their stories in the downpour.  Because we had been docents at a home on Friday, Donna & I had tickets to go on another tour on Saturday.  We visited some lovely townhouses in the historic district.  One of the houses was one Jan & i had visited when she was in town for the book fest last month, and the carpenter working on the home allowed us to go in and snoop around.  It looked very different now that it's furnished and completely renovated.  The homes were all lovely, which goes to show what you can do when you have a LOT of money and can surround yourself with lovely things.  It rained during the afternoon, i I don't think I would have allowed hundred of people with wet and muddy shoes traipse through my hour for a charitable events, but they never approached me to show off my condo, so I think I'm safe from being asked to do that.  We were scheduled to meet the Ladies Dining Out group at a downtown restaurant for dinner that n-evening, so instead of driving back o the condo, Donna & i went to the lobby of the Mulberry Inn to relax, try to dry off a bit, and listen to wonderful piano player Dave Duckworth.  Dinner at the Cha Bella restaurant was delightful, and almost all the group was there.  It's been several months since we've had so many together so it was especially nice.   

a Bonaventure Historical Society member acting as Conrad Aiken

magnificent azaleas in the cemetery

 

 

When I woke up Sunday morning, there were 15 spam messages in my inbox in my Comcast account, which I haven't been using for almost a year.  15!  I contacted them and found out how to remove my name from the list, and I did that immediately, but I still received 10 more during the day.  I think Comcast must have recently sold my address to a list of weight loss / home improvement / singles meeting place / drug company advertisers.  But I really do not like this.  of course, i don't like almost anything Comcast does.  I will have to delete the account, but I hesitate in case there ever is an email I would like to see there.  I always use my yahoo account, but I'm getting a little disgruntled with them, too.  It seems that there's always some "improvement" or "update" that they are proud of, when I would rather see them devote time to eliminating hackers and unwanted spam messages. 

 

Sunday I was at the Bonaventure desk in the morning.  There was a tremendous thunderstorm that rushed through in the morning, and the skies were dark as the rain really pummeled down & lightning flashed.  That was too bad, because the flowers are wonderful right now, but no one would want to walk in the the downpour to see them.  It let up and the sun came out in the afternoon, but by that time, I was napping on my sofa. 

 

I'm still not getting how to put photos in this blog.  I'm having a rough time getting them where I want them easily.  I think I do all right, but it takes forever.  There's got to be an easier way.  It's not easy being a 1950's kind of person in the 21st century! 

3/17/2013

weekly update 3/17/2013

Ishy is here!  I spent the early part of the week getting ready.  I hardly ever clean any more, but I wanted to impress her that I don't live in filth, so I really did what I could to make it as clean as possible. 
 
On Wednesday, I picked her up at the Savannah airport, just around noon.  We got a quick fast-food sandwich, and then headed for Charleston.  In an amazing turn of events, we were able to find our hotel just like homing pigeons.  Our first stop was at the visitors center, where the lady in front of us in line was from Webster, and the young lady who gave us the information grew up in Penfield.  What are the chances?  We had already scheduled a walking ghost tour for that evening, and we lucked out because the tour was right in the same neighborhood as our hotel, and it included our hotel.  We are staying at the Embassy Suites, which was converted from the Citadel military academy to a Hilton hotel in the 1990's.  So, that was pretty cool. 







the atrium in our hotel. the rooms were formerly barracks at the Citadel

some headstones at the Second Presbyterian Church graveyard. we saw these on the ghost walk

 

 

We purchased a pass ticket at the Visitor Center that would get us into 5 historic houses, 2 plantations, an art gallery, and Charleston Museum over 2 consecutive days.  Well, 2 days wouldn't begin to get us into all those places (we never did make it to the Heyward-Washington House or the art gallery), so we decided to begin with the museum and a couple of houses that were quite close to the hotel.  The museum was interesting, and there were many informative displays inside, but it used up a lot of our time.  We then went to the Joseph Manigault and Aiken-Rhett houses, which were close to the museum.  We then hopped on (ok - hopped might not be the verb that best describes how Ishy and I do any kind of stairs or climbing) a free shuttle and took it to the south end of the Charleston peninsula.  Our feet were already begging us to quit, but we'd spend money on these tickets dammit and we were going to see as much as we could.  We toured the Nathaniel Russell House, and the Edmondston-Alston mansion along the battery.  They were both wonderful.  We had to walk a ways to get back to the shuttle stop, so we walked past rainbow row, wonderful pastel colored homes facing the water, not quite like the painted ladies of San Fran but nice nonetheless.  After standing for the trolley for close to 45 minutes, we finally saw it approach, and then watched as it passed us by.  Naturally, when things don't go well for me, what do I do?   I get pissed off, and then I withdraw, and make it very unpleasant for anyone with me.   Fighting that impulse, I strongly suggested that we had better walk back to the hotel in spite of sore feet, because it was not certain when the trolleys would stop running that evening and I didn't want to be standing on the corner all night long.  So, we began the trek back, and just about at City Market, we saw another shuttle approach, and we were able to climb on that one.  It was crowded, and we had to stand, but it got us back to the hotel a lot faster than we would have if we'd hoofed it.  We settled for room service 'burgers that night.  One great thing about the Embassy Suites is the nightly "manager's reception" where drinks are free and snacks are provided.  Nothing eases sore feet like putting them up and having a beer or ten (Ishy) or a vodka martini (me) and some nachos. 

 

 

Ishy standing near a replica of the Hunley, a Civil War submarine, outside the Charleston Museum

rainbow row of houses, and a blue recycling bin, and some tourists

 

Since we needed to use our 2-day pass on consecutive days, and because we were still having trouble with sore feet, we got in our car to drive out to Middleton Plantation early Friday morning.  We got there just as it opened, and were able to take a walking tour of the gardens and grounds, and then another tour of the history of the plantation.  We didn't go into the house because it was an extra fee, and we wanted to see Drayton Hall on the same day, but we did learn a lot about Middleton from the walks we took. After a quick snack, we headed down the road only a few miles to Drayton Hall, which is my favorite plantation.  It is owned by the National Preservation Society, and has not been renovated or furnished, but is simply in the condition that it was left in after the last Drayton lived there in 1974 (and she didn't live there full time, but treated it as a "camp" - no electricity, no indoor plumbing, not a really nice house, but historic).  We had a guided tour through the house which was led by a preservationist and it was interesting.  As we were leaving, we asked the ticket seller at the front gate for a dining recommendation.  She suggested a small southern-favorites food place on the highway back to the hotel.  We ate at the Glass Onion, and Ishy had pork belly (OMG!!!) and I had shrimp & grits.  And we still made it back to the Embassy Suites in time to enjoy free drinks. 

 

gardens at Middleton.  the flowers are beginning come out, but it must be amazing when they are in full bloom

inside Drayton Hall, one of the original fireplace mantles

Ishy with her pork belly dinner

 

 The St Patrick's Day parade in Savannah is HUGE, and it's large in Charleston.  We decided it might be better to avoid downtown, where the parade would be marching, and stay off the shuttles that in all likelihood would be stuck in traffic, and our experience with catching those was iffy at best.  So, after breakfast on Saturday morning, we walked to Liberty Square which was not far from our hotel, and take the boat to Fort Sumter.  That was very interesting.  There was a park ranger who told the crowd a little of the history of the opening shots fired during the Civil War.  It actually took more time to ride the paddle wheel boat out to the island and back than it did to tour the fort, but it was a nice day to be on the water.  When we arrived back in Charleston, we got on another shuttle boat that took us across the Cooper River to Patriot's Point, where the USS Yorktown, a WWII aircraft carrier, and  the USS Laffey, a 1945 destroyer are permanently moored and have been converted to museums.  We climbed up and down stairs & ladders all through the Yorktown to see where the navy personnel lived & worked when they were stationed in the pacific, and looked at many  aircraft that were instrumental in bombing raids and air battles during that war.  It was so interesting to see all that, we didn't have time to go on the destroyer, or the submarines that were on display, or to the Vietnam exhibit showing the living conditions and operational areas used by the navy between 1965-1970.  It was a full day to see as much as we did.  Luckily, there was a nice Italian restaurant that we had noticed the day before that was only 2 blocks from the hotel, so we had dinner there. 

Fort Sumter,as we approached on  our paddlewheel boat

 

a navy aircraft on the platform of the Yorktown

 

Sunday, we got up, packed, checked out of the hotel, and drove back to Savannah.  Ishy had to do some laundry, I had to do this update, and we both needed to rest.  So the narrative of Ishy's visit will continue with next week's update. 

3/10/2013

3/10/2013

As many of you know, I try to decorate my condo for different holidays.  St Patrick's Day is HUGE in Savannah, but there's little other than beer mugs, hats & beads in the stores.  I decided to make a pillow - more specifically, a leprechaun pillow.  Add that to my shamrock place mats, fuzzy lamb, and Belleek mug holding fake shamrocks, and it looks a little more Ireland in here.  Now, if only I could find some Butler's Chocolate! 

I took the car in for new brakes on Monday.  The Goodyear Station where I usually have work done is not far from the condo, so I left the VW there and walked back.  Since I'd been up since before 9 am to get the car there, I almost immediately fell asleep on the sofa when I got back.  The next thing I knew, I looked at the LED on the DVR box by my tv, and it said 432!  I thought it was the clock and that I'd slept for hours!  I haven't moved that fast in years!  Not only did I think I'd missed book club, but I also wondered if I'd be able to waddle back to the station before they closed at 5.  Well, not to worry.  What I'd seen was the CHANNEL 432, which was the last I'd watched before turning the tv off.  It was only about noon.  I had plenty of time.  And I joined the book club group without incident, too. 

Lisa & Dave are back in Savannah from Wales.  Thursdays will usually find them at a local pub, The Rail, and it's a tradition that I believe they will continue.  Donna and I went to The Rail, but they didn't show.  Since Donna had someplace she needed to be, we had to leave, and apparently we missed them by only a few minutes.  There was a message on my phone when I walked back into the condo saying that they knew we had been there, and were sorry they missed us.  I was surprised and pleased when I showed up for my Second Sunday Tour at Bonaventure, that they were there!  (and, in an amazing turn of events, I had remembered to set my clocks, so I was there on time).  It was wonderful to see them, and to meet Joan, Dave's Mom, who is a delightful lady.

Allen's birthday is next week.  My little baby will be 42!  That can't be!  I made a pretty good card for him, I think:

Happy Birthday, Al!

 

I have a big week ahead.  Ishy's coming to visit.  I'm going to have to dust and vacuum, and clean my bathrooms.  I don't do this anymore unless someone is coming.  So, I'd better go rest up now.

 

Happy week, everyone.

3/3/2013

WEEKLY UPDATE  3/3/2013

 

 

Monday morning, I took my car in to have her oil changed.  It's been so long since I've done that, I can't even remember the last time.  But, I'm sure it was time.  As soon as the task was complete, I drove to Daytona, Florida, to spend a day or two with my friend Donna.  She was staying at her sister's condo there, and had invited me to come down for a short visit.    We went out for dinner that evening, and drove into downtown Daytona.  It was a little difficult to see because we were there after dark, and the race had ended and the city was deserted by the time we showed up.  We are quite capable of entertaining ourselves, however, and we played rummikub.  I was beaten badly. 

 

 

The next day it was rainy, but we had planned to tour the Stetson Mansion, which would be indoors.  It was quite wonderful.  It is still a home today, although not still occupied by the Stetson family.  The Stetson Mansion is Florida's first luxury home and the grandest home ever built in Florida during the 19th century!  It was built in 1886 by famed hat maker and philanthropist John B. Stetson.The eclectic and unusual design includes various complicated carvings,10 of the nation's most rare and intricate parquet wood floor patterns, and 10,000 panes of leaded glass windows. The fact that the owners allow tourists to traipse through their home is amazing, but all on the tour we joined were quite respectful.  It is a wonderful home.  No photos were allowed inside, and there were no postcards for sale (I don't have any postcards of my condo, either, so I guess I understand; on the other hand, my condo is not open for tours) so I have no pictures of the interior.  We enjoyed a really nice lunch of mushroom/brie soup and salad bar at a local restaurant and that give us a nice mid-day break.  Since it was still raining as we left, there was not much point in going back to the condo to sit by the pool and read, so we went to another historic house nearby - DeBary Hall.  This was not furnished or remodeled like the Stetson Mansion, but it was  very interesting.  DeBary Hall was the winter retreat of European-born wine mercahnt Frederick deBary.  He built this home as a hunting lodge in 1871.  His last American heir died in 1941, and the estate is now maintained as a historic site.

 

The really amazing thing about this visit to DeBary Hall was that Donna & I had the tour all to ourselves except for one other lone visitor.  Since it was raining,  he was wearing a light jacket, but as the tour continued, he unzipped it and i noticed that he was wearing a Buffalo Bills t-shirt!  What are the chances?  I asked if he was from Buffalo, and he said no, he had been raised in Syracuse.  I told him I was from Rochester, and he asked if I knew of Bauman's farm market in Webster.  Did I?  it was one block away from where Paul Field grew up, one of Paul's best friends growing up was Ronnie Bauman, and we were friends with Ron & Wendy and did things together with our growing families when I was much, much younger!  What a small world! 

Stetson Mansion DeBary Hall

 

I drove back to Savannah Wednesday.  The drive back was a little better than going down, since it wasn't raining.  It proved to me that perhaps I AM able to drive and not crash into anything or endanger others on the highway.  I guess that felt good. 

 

Since then, I've done almost nothing.  It's been quite cold here (well, I guess that's relative, but it's been cold for Savannah, especially since we're all looking forward to it being spring time).  I've been snuggled in under warm covers on my sofa as I read, or watch tv.  Next week should be more of the same, so I might have little to say then. 

 

Hope you are all warm wherever you are.