3/27/2022

Weekly Update 03/27/2022

Kay needed to get some work done on Monday, so Lisa and I drove to Beaufort for a little sightseeing. We were rather surprised at how many restaurants and shops were closed on Monday, but we did find a delightful place to eat shrimp po boys on the patio overlooking the marina. We took ourselves on a walking tour and saw many lovely homes and churches. Because the Union army occupied Beaufort throughout most of the Civil War, the houses were not destroyed. In fact, many were occupied by high ranking officials, or turned into hospitals. There are still a lot of them standing, and they are still in wonderful condition.

Because I want to give Lisa time to do things without me hanging around all the time, I went to City Hall on Tuesday like I always do. She met Donna and had a few hours visiting with her. Lisa and I met up again in the afternoon, and we went back to the apartment. We picked up Kay and take out salads and ate them together and then watched some tv. Pretty boring, but it is just so wonderful to be with my best friends, just doing nothing.

I went to DH on Wednesday. It rained all day which made it difficult to begin the tours, as I had to get wet going from the admissions center to the house museum. But what’s going to happen? – my beautifully coiffed hair will be messed, my make up will run? I did my tours and they were fine. I had my car, and Lisa and Kay drove Kay’s car and we met at Paula Deen’s on Wilmington Island with the ladies I occasionally meet for happy hour. They all know Lisa and Kay, too, so it was a good chance to be together. We weren’t there for too long, and then the three of us went to Crystal Beer parlor for supper.

Wednesday had been a very busy day, and Thursday the rain continued all day. Kay had to work; Lisa and I did nothing. She had some shopping to do at Walmart because some of the items are not unavailable in UK, and she wanted to buy them to take back. So she did that while I did napped. We just had Panda Express take out for supper. My fortune stated that “you have a contagious exuberance for life”. Well, they sure missed the mark on that one!

Connie came to Savannah from Wilmington NC to see Lisa on Friday. Just like most Friday evenings before the pandemic, we all met at The 90 for drinks. Connie has a lot of friends (Lisa, Kay and I know most of those people too), so it was like a reunion. I really enjoyed that. The three of us left and went to Treylor Park. It was very busy and reservations would have meant a long wait, but seating on the patio is first come first served. We opted for that and we sat outside for a quick supper.

On Saturday, Connie was going to meet Suzy for brunch at Collins Quarter and she asked if Lisa and I could join them. Food? We’ll be there! The wait for a table was almost an hour, but once we sat outside, with our glasses of champagne, and wonderful food, it was all good. We had a chance to wander around the Farmer’s Market, and Lisa and I bought some Brussels Sprouts. Vicki, Larry and Patsy came to Savannah to see Connie, and I wanted to see them, too, so I stayed in the city while Lisa drove back to Pooler to pick up Kay. We all met up on River Street. We sat there and people watched (it’s prom time here, and we laughed and laughed remembering our dresses. But I also like laughing at how some tourists dress). That was relaxing and fun. Connie, Lisa, Kay and I went to Churchill’s for supper. Again, it was crowded, but there was no wait for the rooftop patio, so we chose a table there. Instead of ordering full meals, we got about eight different appetizers and shared. They all were great, and no one left that table hungry.

Sunday was another rather lazy day, but it was great. Kay made very good mac and cheese, and I roasted the Brussels sprouts. We sat on the porch and drank and ate and listened to oldies, singing along. The weather was perfect, and it was a treat to relax with my best friends.

I have had new photos of Adrian. He had his first visit to the zoo this week, and it looks as if he likes it. He really has the best little smile!

3/20/2022

 

Weekly Update 03/20/2022

All week I was pretty much preparing for Lisa’s visit. I got a haircut and pedi on Monday. The pedi is fine, the haircut is too short. I cleaned all week, but I did it in little spurts – one day the floors, one day the bathrooms, TWO days the porch. The pine dust on the floor, carpet and furniture was unbelievable. I needed to bring the furniture in and hose it down in the shower, but it looks ever so much better now. I got the car washed. I did not shop too much for groceries, because we’ll be eating out a lot.

On Tuesday, I met with the Pooler Library book club in person at the library for the first time ever. Faces that I had only seen on the screen at a zoom meeting were right there in the same room. It was great. The discussion was good, and I think that’s because we all read the same book. I have high hopes that now that we we can meet in person again, this book club might be more enjoyable for me.

The forecast for Wednesday was 100% rain all day long. I rather dreaded going to DH, because with all the new construction, and the questions about how and where to begin the tour, I wasn’t sure if I would be soaking wet for most of the day. But it only sprinkled briefly for one tour, and the others were fine. Some day soon, this will all be familiar again, and I’ll know exactly what I need to do. But for an old person like me, all change is difficult.

Thursday was St Patrick’s Day. I wanted to avoid downtown. I like that the City is enthusiastic about welcoming the Irish, but I don’t need to be a part of it. Many people have Irish flags hanging from their porches, and all the fountains are filled with green water. This was the first time in three years that the parade has been held, and everyone looked forward to it – except me. The best I could do was to wear a green shirt.

And then, and then…

Lisa arrived about 12:30 Friday afternoon. Man, it was good to see her! She let herself in the gate (I’d given her the code), and I didn’t even know she was here until I had a knock at the door. We had a little time for her to settle in and visit, but the rental car she drove from Florida needed to be returned to the airport. After that we drove downtown, but had no time to get out and walk. We just went past some of the biggest changes since she went away like the Power Plant district, past her old house on East Broad Street, around Forsyth Park, and then went back out to Pooler to pickup take away food and get Kay. The three of us spent a nice evening just being together again.

Saturday, we started off with Story Time With Great Grannie. I read a couple of books to Adrian, and Lisa got to see how absolutely adorable he is. Because we had tickets for the evening performance of Mama Mia at the Savannah Theater, we picked up Kay in the afternoon. We went to eat at Tequila Town, a favorite restaurant. We stopped quickly at The Rail bar, but didn’t stay for too long. The people watching near City Market was excellent. We all enjoyed the musical very much, and it was wonderful! We danced and sang, and just had a great time.

Sunday we met Kay for breakfast (and Bloody Mary’s) at a restaurant in Pooler. But that was it. I needed to take a nap, and that left Lisa with an opportunity to read her book. We watched another video and played some Rummikub. Lisa, my personal IT guy, helped me with loading photos on the pc and updating itunes. She put the Mama Mia cast recording on my phone. Because my car doesn’t have a cd player, this is the only way we’ll be able to sing along with Abba as we drive around this week.

The week ahead is going to be full and amazing.

3/13/2022

 

Weekly Update 03/13/2022

I started off the week on a sour note. I had an appointment for an oil change, but guess what? They found another nail in one of my tires, and it couldn’t be plugged. So I spend more time and money at the Goodyear than I wanted to. And it didn’t end there: I’d been promising myself that I would go to Culver’s and get a frozen custard for more than a week, and I was really ready. I could taste the vanilla and feel the smoothness before I even got there. But when I got there – the dining area was closed. I could have waited in the drive thru for an hour, but I didn’t want to do that. So, I feel I was cheated out the frozen custard.

Tuesday evening, the Savannah Victorian Society had their first meeting in over a year. Jamie Creadle from DH gave a talk about meats in the 19^th century. It seems as if I’ve been telling my tourists at DH the right thing all alone – Isaiah Davenport could purchase meat from a butcher at City Market, or he might slaughter a pig in his own backyard. He’d also have poultry available there, but they would probably be more for eggs than meat. His enslaved people could fish in the rivers and creeks nearby, or again fish could be purchased at City Market or at the wharf.

At Davenport House this week for my tours, I had to begin by entering through a gate that has always been kept locked. Being someone who resists change in any form, this was not easy. I felt I adapted quite well. Rain was forecast for all afternoon, and that would be a problem because that gate is quite far away from the admissions. Luckily, it held off, and all my tourists kept dry. Rain is forecast for this Wednesday, too, so we’ll see how it works out.

I zoomed with the Friends of Mt Hope Cemetery on Saturday. The lecture was about Abelard Reynolds, an early pioneer in Rochester and creator of the original Reynolds Arcade on Main Street. It was really interesting. I set my clocks ahead before I went to bed that night, but I was still confused. I think Georgia is doing away with DST and this might be the last time I have to spring ahead or fall back. I hope so.

On Sunday afternoon, I went to the fabulous Lucas Theater for a SCAD production of All Shook Up, a musical that featured Elvis Presley songs. I left plenty of time to drive there, find a place to park, and get a seat before the curtain. However, I was late because I waited for 20 minutes for a train to cross the road. The play was great, and I loved it. I was a little surprised that most of the audience was a lot younger than I am (perhaps SCADies who had friends in the show???). I thought it would only appeal to those of us of a certain age. Another thing: I didn’t need to wear a mask, but I did have to go through a metal detector to be sure I wasn’t entering with a firearm.

Adrian is amazing. He has learned that if he can get his belly off the floor, he’s able to move forward. He’s now crawling across the floor as if he’s always done it.

3/6/2022

 

Weekly Update 03/6/2022

I ate out a lot this week. Monday I met June for Rummikub, followed by barbecue at Bowties. As luck would have it, Bowties Food Truck was at the apartments on Wednesday, so I got another great pulled pork meal when I got home from Davenport House. And, on Tuesday, as I was driving back home from city hall, I decided to stop at a place I pass all the time on Route 21. It’s a barbecue pit called Smokey’s. It looks as if it might fall down at any minute, and it’s not always open. I also wonder about health inspections. But it has intrigued me. The food was WONDERFUL! Very tasty and the serving were huge. The lady who served me was very kind and friendly, and offered me a sample of the potato salad when I asked it it was good. I’m glad I finally stopped.

Davenport House moved the offices, the gift shop, the admissions, and the restrooms across the lane to the Kennedy Primacy last week. When I went in to do my tours this week, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Also, the back yard is torn up as they are beginning to build a shed there. I’m not sure, but I think it’s the where the Davenport family had a carriage house / barn, and they’re going to try to recreate that, but it will be used for storage for tables, chairs, etc that are used for the Tea in the Garden, the garden party, weddings, things like that. So, I had to adjust the beginning of the tour a bit, as I’m now entering through the back door, instead of the front door, but the rest of the tour remains the same. As the tourist season is picking up now, I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it soon.

Thursday afternoon was TLC book club. This is the group that meets to discuss a British mystery each month. I’m embarrassed to say that I did not read the book, Raven Black by Ann Cleeves. When I was talking to the librarian last week (the Pooler librarian leads TLC book club discussions), I mentioned that I had not been able to borrow a copy of the book, although I’d placed a hold weeks ago. She tried to find an online ebook, but I wasn’t going to pay $15 to read a book on my iPad. She also suggested that I watch a video. The Shetland Series, originally broadcast on BBC, included the Raven Black story. That’s what I did. I was able to follow the discussion, but I confessed to my fellow readers that I had cheated.

Since Thursday, I’ve done almost nothing. I’ve had three glorious days of sleeping late, reading, watching tv, eating, and going no place. With gas prices skyrocketing (up nearly a dollar this last week alone!), it might be better to entertain myself by just staying home.

Adrian is amazing! I think he may follow the family trend of musical ability, as I’ve seen videos of him playing a piano duet with Mommy, and also pounding out a tune on a xylophone.

The azaleas in Savannah are magnificent again. I couldn’t help but take pictures.