9/27/2015

Weekly Update 9/27/2015 

 

An amazingly busy week – two lectures, two meals out, a visit to a historic church, rummikub, a firehouse visit, an art sale, and my usual DH, The 90 and opening BC. I'm tired just writing about all the things I did this week. 

 

I went to lectures on Tuesday and Thursday this week. Donna went with me both times because I think she is curious, just like I am. The Tuesday one was the first in the fall series sponsored by the Coastal Heritage Society and was at the visitors center. As an added bonus, the “reception” snacks included marvelous cupcakes with icing as tall as the cake itself - just what I love. There were so many to choose from (peanut butter, chocolate and chocolate chip, carrot, red velvet) that I couldn't decide, so I passed on the them all. The talk itself was presented by an employee of Old Fort Jackson that I have heard several times before, but he is always enthusiastic and interesting, and this time he spoke about James Jackson, for whom Fort Jackson is named. Donna and I had planned to try a new burger place in Savannah - Betty Bombers - that we'd heard about from friends. When I saw the lecture that was to be given on Thursday, I really wanted to go, so I told Donna that I'd have to postpone the supper until another time. Well, come to find out, Betty Bombers in in the same building where the lecture was going to be given, so eats are back on! This was the first of the Armstrong University's Moveable Feast lectures that are held throughout the year. The focus of this was Jose Carioca, a Disney cartoon figure, and his role in Brazil becoming an ally of the US during WWII. You might think this would not be interesting, but the wonderful professor from the university who presented this made it fascinating. And as a bonus here, we were given coupons entitling us to a free drink at the American Legion bar following the lecture, and I discovered that they serve Genesee Beer! 

Tuesday's talk

Thursday's talk

Thursday's treat - I should have taken a photo of the cupcakes!

I had to go to a preview of the new fall production that DH will be offering this year. In past years, there's been a interpretation of Yellow Fever, but it's been going for 14 years, and they felt they needed a change. So, this year they will be doing something new. I was excited to see what it would be like, BUT... I arrived on Tuesday morning for the preview, and decided that I wouldn't park in the lot because other docents might want to be closer to the building. I parked at a metered spot not far from DH. And proceeded to deposit my 4 quarters into the machine. Then I realized that it didn't register, and the meter was proudly proclaiming “EXPIRED”. I didn't take my phone, so I wasn't able to call the number to report a malfunction. That rather spoiled the show for me, as all I could think about was whether or not I was going to get a ticket, for something that I really shouldn't since I had put my coins in the meter. I didn't get a ticket, but I was pissed, as only I can get. I will see the program when it's given during October, so I haven't missed much, I guess. 

 

Wednesday, I had to get up early because the Lunch Bunch was meeting at a restaurant in Bluffton, SC. Connie, our leader, had been introduced to author Pat Branning, who wrote Shrimp, Collards & Grits, a cookbook. Naturally, I didn't know who this was since I don't cook, but I'm always ready to go to a new restaurant to eat. It was great, especially the company. 

 

 

I drove back to Savannah in time for my Historic Churches tour at Christ Church that afternoon. Bluffton is really less than an hour's drive away, and I enjoyed the drive with the top down on the car. Christ Church was the first organized church in Savannah, dating to 1733, although the building was not erected until 1744, and the building we were in is the third structure on this site, having been erected in 1838. There is a bell that was forged in New England by the Revere Company in 1819, and this was the home church of Juliet Gordon Low. It was really interesting to be inside the church again (I’d attended a long time ago with Jan Waggoner, and more recently to attend the compline, which isn't sung here any longer) and to learn about it. 

 

Also on Wednesday, as if I hadn't been out and about enough, I went to June and Jimmy's for my weekly Rummikub game. Tom was there because Donna had someplace else to go. I think it's a nice group, and I think we could play, even if there are 5 of us, not the 4 that the game requires.

 

I turned off the a/c this week. I don't know if it might not be a little early, but I did it. Friday was a rainy and dreary day, and I didn't think I would have to fear the sun shining through my west-facing windows and heating up the interior. Besides, I'm ready for some fresh air in here. Perhaps my electric bills will come down to more reasonable levels now. I did receive a COLA increase in my pension - less than $9 - but my property taxes went up almost $200 this year! There's no way anyone can get ahead. 

 

Friday, after DH, I went to The 90. So, what else is new. This time, Helen Jordon joined us, because she's just returned to town from a summer spent in cooler climates. Jan Vach also was there, and I know her through DH and she's a great friend of Suzy, my neighbor. Kay also was there, and we had a wonderful time talking, drinking and eating. 

 

Saturday was another early day. I was on the schedule to open BC, so I was there at 10 am. From there, I went to an open house that was being hosted by the fire department on Wilmington Island. It was really interesting, but actually it was set up more for kids and families than old people. I enjoyed watching the kids, and seeing some of the trucks and equipment. And I talked to one of the firefighters about my smoke detectors. These guys will probably never save my life, or (as I told Officer Snively, I hope to never see him!), but I wanted to thank them for all they do to keep all of us safe. 

 

And, after that, I drove out to Tybee Island (again with the top down - it's been a long time because in the summer here, it's generally too hot, and it's been a rainy fall so far, so having the top down of the little VW was a nice treat) to an art show. My friend Donna Waite, who lives at MP, was exhibiting some of her oil paintings, but there was also jewelry, glassware, watercolors, etc. I bought a print of one of her creations, the Cockspur Lighthouse that is in the Savannah River, not far from Fort Pulaski. I haven't decided if I should put it in the beach room where I sleep, or in the dining room where I have some original artwork - two Carl Lloyds, a Wm Archdeacon of my childhood “swimmin' hole” and an original fabric design by Hannah Flynn. I think I like the dining room.

 

Sunday, I was almost ready to go to Coach's for the football, when I noticed that the Bills didn't play until 4:25. I watched a couple of ho-hum games in my living room before going to the bar. Since there were only 3 games being played late in the afternoon, I got a parking spot right by the door, the waitress was attentive and I got my Millers and wings, the Bills game was on the huge screen that is usually on for Steelers games, and I was able to sit instead of standing up like I sometimes have to do. And it was a great game. Well, actually, it wasn't a good game, but it was a win. Watching the Lions on the Sunday night games wasn't as much fun. I went outside at half time to try to see the eclipse, but I couldn't even see the moon. I don't know if it was too cloudy, or if the moon was too low in the sky. 

I had a great view of the biggest screen at Coach's

not my photo, but if I'd been able to see it, it would have looked like this

 

9/20/2015

Weekly Update 9/20/2015

First thing Monday morning, I received a call about the car. They were looking at her and needed my ok to take it all apart. They called back in just over an hour (I wasn't even out of bed yet) and said she was fixed! It seems as if a small piece of plastic had broken off the airbag mechanism and worked its way under the shift, and that was the problem. They took it out, threw it away, and put the car back together. What I thought was going to cost thousands of dollars for a new transmission turned out to be a half hour of labor costs. That feels good!

 

Monday was also Book club day. The book-of-the-month for September was The Orphan Train. Suzy and Donna joined us because they had both read the book. The club liked the story, but thought it was kind of depressing. Then again, it seems that a lot of the books we read are depressing. 
 
Tuesday, I finally got back to the pool. It was the only day I got there this week, but it felt good to be there. It's getting a little cooler here, but it's still good pool weather. That's also the day I erased all my calendar entries from the phone – again. I didn't realize that the iPad and iPhone sync automatically, so, thinking I only needed one set of schedules, I deleted everything from the iPad to avoid those annoying dings and emails 30 minutes before any event. But it erased them everywhere. I spend most of the day trying to recreate the calendar, and I know I've missed some things. I hope they weren't important ones, like Lisa and Dave coming back to Savannah on Oct 2. 
 
Wednesday was Rummikub night, and June made biscuits, warm from the oven, with slices of ham. Oh, that was good. June is a wonderful cook, and although I tell them that I'm not coming over to be fed, she always delights me with something wonderful. Donna joined us for the games, too, and that was great. 
 
Thursday was a busy day. It was Brian's 42nd birthday (wasn't it just yesterday when I waddled to the car to go to the hospital for this???) and although I tried to be awake at 4:24 am to send him an email, I didn't make it. I had been asked to give a tour at DH because they were having two busloads of tourists come in with Diamond tours. I thought it was only one tour at 2 pm, but there were two - at 2 and 3. I had signed up for a lecture at TLC that began at 4, and because the speaker was someone I really enjoy hearing, I had to rush out of the tour right as it ended (I usually try to hang around to answer questions or chat with the visitors - I’m a grand ambassador for this city). I made it to the Bull Street center just as the lecture began. Donna had saved a seat for me, so I didn't miss any of it. It was wonderful. Architecture in Savannah, past, present, and what might happen in the future. After that, Donna and I went to restaurant that has recently opened - 32 Degrees. The food was good, the server was ok - maybe his first day, but he got the job done - and the prices were very good. We will probably go there again. 
 
Friday when I woke up, I had a brief minute when I convinced myself that I needed to get up and open BC, probably because I was at DH yesterday, but I adjusted quickly and went to DH, not BC, for my normal tours. After that, I went to The 90. Anne, Kay and Suzy joined Donna and me for a drink. That was great. Our little group of regulars is growing, and it's nice to unwind with them.

Saturday, I did have to get up and open BC, then I went back in the afternoon to greet tourists in the afternoon and close up. The fox is still there. We had to warn visitors that it is a wild animal, and please do not feed it, pet it, or encourage it. people have been giving it potato chips and candy bars, and that's probably what is making Buddy so friendly. But it's not good for him, and if he becomes too familiar with the tourists, he could become aggressive and bite someone. He would have to be “taken care of” if that happens. We don't want to lose him, but we'd rather he be trapped and relocated. I don't know what will happen, but we tell the people to leave him alone. No one has to tell me that. 
 
And, then, Sunday. I opened BC, and hung around until time to go to Coach's. Mike, my neighbor downstairs went at 1 pm, too, and Donna came in a little later. Buffalo scored before I even got to the parking lot, so I thought that was a good sign. I was so wrong! It was pretty awful. The penalties were killers, the turnovers hurt, a missed PAT (who does that???) and the storied Defense gave up over 400 passing yards to Brady. In past years, I get a beer in the first half, wings and another beer at the half, and that's it. I had the world's worst waitress. Anyone who knows me is aware of the fact that I'm a pretty good tipper. Not only did I not leave this idiot a tip, but I complained to the manager about her. I said I had never had such poor service there. I got my first beer, gave her my credit card to start my tab, and never saw her again. Other servers were running around, making sure that the customers had what they wanted, asking if there was anything else. I finally asked one of the servers who acted as if she gave a rat's ass if I could get another beer. After 15 minutes, my original server showed up to ask if I wanted a beer. I didn't even bother with the wings, since she didn't seem interested to know if I wanted anything else. Twenty minutes later, when the score was 37-13 and I wanted to leave, she came with the beer. I said I wanted my card and the tab, and she shook her long blond pony tail as if she would do that. Thirty minutes later, she came with the tab, and I gave her cash, and fifteen minutes after that, when I still didn't have my change or credit card, I went to bar. I told the manager that she was awful, that I wanted my change and my card, and that I'd wanted the Bills to win, but two out of three would be acceptable. He apologized and said they were short staffed, and she was overwhelmed. Funny how it just seemed to be her, not any of the other servers. But hey, I will avoid her in the future. And it was really the score that was a disappointment, the service at the bar was secondary. 

 

9/13/2015

Weekly Update 9/13/2015 

 

More tennis this week. While most of the matches early in the week were not that exciting, the Serena / Venus match had to be watched! It was hard to believe that Serena was denied her Grand Slam. Once she was past Venus, there was no one who should have been able to stop her (actually, Venus wasn't much of a threat, either). So imagine how stunned I was when she lost in the semis on Friday. As luck would have it, Friday is my afternoon to give tours at DH. There were no visitors for the first two tours, so I didn't have anything to do until half the afternoon was gone. I “watched” the match on my phone, and couldn't believe the outcome. Luckily, I have given about 7 million tours, and can pretty much give them in my sleep, because my mind just wasn't on it as I tried to tell the tourists about the Davenports. Probably not one of my best tours. The mens' semifinals were boring, and both the finals were anti-climatic. What am I going to do all this week, now that the tennis over? I may have to pick up a book again. 

 

This was the week of the returning wanderers. I went to both Donna's and Suzy's condos to vacuum up the dead bugs (surprisingly few) and make sure everything looked ok. In both places, I was going to turn on fans to get some cooler air circulating, but it's not been as hot for a few days, so I didn't need to do that. Now we're just waiting for Lisa and Dave to get back next month, and we'll all be complete! Donna arrived on Wednesday; Suzy and Doc came back on Thursday. Donna and I met Connie for lunch on Thursday, to get a chance for them to see each other, and for me to listen to Connie's stories about her Viking River Cruise. It sounded great. Thursday evening, a few of us from the condo met at the clubhouse (we would have been by the pool, but there was a storm - again!) to tell stories of what everyone had been doing all summer. That was nice. 

 

Since this was Donna's first Friday back in town, I went to The 90. Kay joined us for a drink, so they had to listen to me go on and on about the tennis. I'm not that fascinating to listen to in the best of circumstances, but I can be even more boring than normal when no one wants to hear what I’m talking about. I got Martha (the bartender, and now my friend) to change the tv channel to the tennis, but the Djokovic match was so boring, even I couldn't watch. There was a couple there that had been on one of my tours in the afternoon. That's always fun. Sometimes, if I see someone at BC that I'd also seen at DH, I tell them that I'm the mayor of Savannah, but they know that's not true. 

 

Last Week when I played Rummikub with June and Jimmy, I took my iPad to show them some of the games I play. June was interested, so on Friday, she went to Verizon bought one for herself. She called to see if I could help her set up the wifi connection in her condo, so she could have it connected to load some apps. I didn't think I could do that, but I told her I'd try. After about an hour, and phone calls to have passwords and user names reset, we did it! I think she's going to like it. 

 

Saturday, I got out all the Buffalo Bills stuff and redecorated the condo. It looks as if a real fan lives here! I've got the license plate back on the car, the front door mat placed outside and the welcoming pineapple is sporting the Bills cap. I hung the shower curtain on the window in the blue bedroom, and made my t-shirts into pillows for the bed there. All of the stuffed buffaloes are on display in the living room. I hoped I hadn't jinxed the team. And I guess I didn't! They had a wonderful win over the Colts. Now every team in the AFC East is tied in first place with all records being 1-0. I had for give my Second Sunday tour at BC, but I was dressed in my Bills shirt, and glanced at the scores on the phone every chance I got. I joked to my friends in the BHS that if they think I'm bad watching sports while giving a tour here, they would should have seen me Friday at DH!

Also on Saturday evening, I attended the opening concert of the Savannah Philharmonic. One thing about the concerts here is that they often give a pre-concert talk, and tell about the music that will be preformed - a little background of the composers, and what the music is meant to to make the audience feel. I find these talks invaluable. Although I had the background for the first piece, I still didn't get it. It was composed specifically for nationally renowned double bass player who was born and raised in Savannah, and it was only written within the last ten years. Joseph Conyers, for whom this was written, performed the music for the first time in Savannah this evening. But, try as I might, I could not hear rain or wind, all I heard was deep notes. After the intermission, a symphony by Johannes Brahms was performed, and I enjoyed this much more. As the music played, I could almost see the sunrise over the Alps. It was wonderful. Both performances were grand, really, but I guess I'm too old to appreciate the newer music. 

 

At BC, I was more interested in the Bills game than in giving a tour, but since they took an early lead, and never lost it, I didn't need to watch too closely. One thing about BC that has been on facebook and in the news here, is about a fox that lives in the cemetery. This fox has become quite tame, and there have been lots of pictures of it in the media. I don't like it. Of course, I don't like dogs and cats, so a fox is really something I wouldn't think is “cute” or “darling”. I told my tour that if we did see the fox, they would be on their own, because I would be getting back to lock myself in me car as fast as I could. But we never saw it. (I didn't take this photo - it was on fb)

 As I was driving to the Lucas Theater in downtown Savannah on Saturday, and again on Sunday as I went to the cemetery, I knew something wasn't right with the car. I'm having trouble shifting, and, although I can drive the car, I know it's not right. So I stopped at the Goodyear Service Center as I was returning Sunday from BC, and left my little car there with long explanations about why I think she needs some care. They will check her out early tomorrow morning, and I fear I will need a new transmission. This car is getting to be expensive!

9/6/2015

Weekly Update 9/6/2015 

 

Another incredibly boring week. Blame it on being the first week of the US Open tennis tournament, which meant I spent a lot of time in front of tv, watching the matches. Serena is still in it, and I'm pulling for her to get the Grand Slam. I only went to the pool one time this week, so it's really boring. 

 

I didn't go to a planned lecture because it was raining Tuesday evening. But Sandy came over for a while on Monday. I haven't seen her in ages, so it was good to get caught up with her. I went to The 90 after DH on Friday, but first stopped at President's Quarters to bother Connie for a few minutes at her job there. I saw Jim at The 90, too. They just got back from a Viking River cruise and loved it. I'll get a chance to talk to her about it more, but I wanted to welcome them back. Saturday was Sylvia's birthday, and she invited a few friends over. She has the best get-togethers! All her friends are intelligent, well-read, traveled women who have wonderful stories. I enjoy that group very much. I also played Rummikub with June and Jim on Wednesday, and was invited back again on Sunday for dinner. I should have taken my camera because she made banana foster for dessert, and the flames would have made a nice photo, but I didn't. Because they are native Savannahians, and have been involved in the community all their lives, it's great to listen to the stories they have about growing up here. 

 

But besides those things, I just sat. I like to sit.