Onward, Ever Onward

Next Stop Diamondhead (No, not that one)

Featured Guests: Jon & Angela 

Length of Relationship: Jon - 40 years Angela - 15ish years

Background: Jon & Michael worked at Pepsi for several years and they bonded as they dealt with the Pepsi "culture". It was said that when you were hired at Pepsi, someone at Corporate fireda gun with a silver bullet and you don't know where and you don't know when, but one day you know you will get that silver bullet in your back. Michael left Pepsi  to become an entrepreneur by investing in a new franchise and becoming an Area Franchisee for Mail Boxes Etc. Jon left Pepsi only to come back and then leave again, but managed to exit unscathed.

We were just "passing through" Diamondhead with only an opportunity for lunch (great gumbo Angela) and a quick tour of the coast narrated by  Jon & Angela and then we were off to Mobile.

Mobile

There is nothing to say about Mobile. Well we had a dinner that lasted no more than one-half hour and was grossly overpriced. Not a fine dining experience.

Tallahassee

There is only a little more to say about Tallahassee. It is the state capital. We got there on the day that Roe vs Wade was overturned. As we drove to dinner we passed the State House and the steps were filled with demonstrators. "Michael, look!" I yelled. They're protesting! In Florida! There's hope!" When we got to the restaurant and I had a wine in front of me, Michael said to me kindly "You know dear, they might not have been protesting. They might have been celebrating. It is Florida." Well I couldn't read the signs or hear the chants, but I like to think at least some of them were protesting. The restaurant had lobbyist dive written all over it. My sorbet had large chunks of inedible pineapple protruding from it. Another in a long line of overpriced subpar meals thus far on the trip.

Savannah

At last a city with substance! Savannah is beautiful as you'll see from the photos. It was still an inferno with temps pushing 95 bolstered by that lovely Southern humidity. A saving grace is that Savannah has squares, parks and shade aplenty to help mitigate the heat. 

We spent a lovely day exploring the waterfront (touristy but interesting) and the historic area around Forsyth Park. Michael's photos will lead you through our tour.

A dock leading out to the estuary on Tybee Island.

As we were searching for restaurants on our first foray to Tybee Island, we encountered these two characters who wanted their picture taken. We promised them fame, fortune and a placement in the blog.

The Cotton Exchange on the Savannah Bluff.

Below the bluff is the river with its tourist paddle boat (which uses diesel engines, not steam) whose paddles are only for show.

We came across this Coast Guard boat with this dummy sunbathing. 

Wandering around Savannah, one of the many interesting things are the old mansions. This was the Kessler Armstrong Mansion. This is a nationally significant example of Italian Renaissance Revival architecture.

In fitting with the Italian character of the mansion, Il Porcellino, the Wild Boar of Florence graces the garden. 

The Forsyth Park fountain is iconic, is over 150 years old but is not unique. The fountain was ordered from a catalogue and similar fountains exist in New York, Peru and France.

This is one of the figures spraying water in the fountain...

and this swan is another.

The spanish moss draped trees are resplendent throughout the park.

Hodgson Hall is the home of the Georgia Historical Society. Built in 1876 it was designed by the founder of the American Institute of Architects, Detlef Lienau.

Jepson House Education Center was originally built in 1856 as a private residence for Thomas Holcombe as a grand Italianate mansion.  It has since been acquired by the Georgia Historical Society for use as its Education Center.

This is the mansion featured in the non-fiction novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

A monument to Casimir Pulaski in Monterey Square. This is a 19th century monument to Pulaski, who lost his life during the siege of Savannah during the Revolutionary War and was credited with saving the life of George Washington.

Details of the Italian marble monument.

Congregation Mickve Israel was founded in 1733, shortly after the founding of Savannah. It is the third oldest Jewish congregation in the US. The synagogue was built in 1878.

The Comer House once hosted Jefferson Davis.

This very interesting building currently house SCAD (Savannah College of Art & Design). It previously housed the Savannah Volunteer Guards.

The tree lined streets of the historic district of Savannah help to shade it from the intense sun and moderate the temperatures.

The architecture of the Savannah buildings speaks to the importance of this Southern city.

The climate is very conducive to the greenery of the city.

The Green-Meldrim mansion is an example of residential Gothic Revival architecture. The mansion was offered by Green to William Tecumseh Sherman for use as his headquarters, which Sherman used for that purpose from December 22, 1864 to February 1, 1865.

This monument was erected to Sgt. William Jasper in Madison Square. Jasper was mortally wounded on September 9, 1779 fighting against the British.

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist with its twin steeples stands out in Savannah...

as does the gold dome of Savannah City Hall.

We made the mistake of going to Tybee Island on a summer weekend and trying to eat. Not doable. That lack of availability combined with lackluster, overpriced meals was definitely bumming us out. And then...

Deirdre Meets Phobia #53

I didn't even know I had this one. After our failed dinner on Tybee Island, we vowed to return. So we set out on a quiet Monday morning to return to Tybee Island and rent a kayak to explore the channels and marshes which are quite scenic. (Michael was missing his kayaking and since we rent a tandem kayak and Michael paddles while I enjoy the scenery this seemed like a great plan. The golden-haired surfer dude who was giving us the safety/trail pitch looked at us and said, "I recommend the shorter, easier paddle, especially for you guys." Here it comes again --- the "old thing". Michael fixed him with a stare and said, "I paddle 15 kilometers three times a week." That shut him up.

So, off we go. I, who know nothing and actually contribute nothing to the kayaking endeavor, suggest that if Michael gets out of the current from the receding tide by paddling closer to the reeds he can expend less energy. And this is true. Until there is a god awful, thunderous crash and water swells into the kayak while it rocks vigorously from side to side. "Hang on" exhorts Michael. A very substantial alligator had launched itself out of the reeds to about a foot from Michael. Luckily it didn't take a second shot at us and the kayak we rented was very stable. I pretty much whined and moaned until Michael dropped me off at the dock so he could continue to paddle in peace.  As we pulled in the Golden Boy said snarkily, " Well that was a short paddle. Was it fun?" "It was great until the gator attack", I replied. He was struck mute, which was pretty nice. He gathered his wits and immediately began to refute our "story". "Oh, it was probably a sea turtle...a gar... a dolphin." We did not recant. It was clear they didn't believe us or didn't want to believe us. "Fine we said, have it your way. Here's our card. Email us when it eats someone." 

Michael traded the tandem kayak for a single and kayaked into the bay where he did see a gar leap straight up out of the water (further confirming it was no gar previously) and also encountered a pod of dolphins on his return swimming around the kayak. Upon Michael's return from his solo paddle we were off to lunch.

Seated at a lovely table at a lovely restaurant on the same lovely estuary, we asked our waitress if they had gators in the water in front of the restaurant. "Oh god yes, many. You know that enclosure we have with all the gators in it. They're all local." Well somebody was fibbing earlier, eh?

When we spoke to son Alex he was somewhat reassuring, "I think it's the time of year they lay their eggs. It was probably a female alligator just protecting her nest and you just got too close." Well (fun fact) alligators do lay their eggs in the last week of June thru early July, but I'm not convinced. She seemed a tad too eager... With a sense of relief for surviving our encounter we left Savannah and made a brief stop at a plantation and then the amazing town of Beaufort, SC. (Filming location for The Big Chill.)

While it was impossible to get a photo of the gar leaping out of the water, I did manage to get photos of this dolphin...

and this dolphin swimming near the kayak.

A sign outside The Crab Shack, inviting patrons to "Feed the Gators!".

Our wonderful waitress appeared in this stylish aluminum foil headdress at one point during our meal.

The estuary by the restaurant where the gators abound.

The Crab Shack (which claims to be the oldest, original crab shack in the US) has some unique decorations...

and Jimmy Buffet songs issued forth from the loudspeakers.

Some of the gators lounging in the enclosed pool by the restaurant available to be fed.

Deirdre swears this gator mounted on the side of The Crab Shack must have been the size of the gator that went for us.

The 1.5 mile entrance to the Wormsloe Historic Site in Savannah is lined on either side by 400 stately live oak trees dripping with spanish moss.

It is impossible to get an idea of the expanse of this tree lined drive in just one photo.

This is the part of the remains of the 1745 tabby house constructed by Noble Jones, an early colonist and contemporary of James Oglethorpe. Noble was granted 500 acres on the Isle of Hope in 1736.  Tabby construction was common in the area due to the availability of the materials --- equal parts sand, oyster shells, lime and water were mixed in molds to create building blocks. The building was covered with a smooth layer of quicklime plaster.

More Gator Tales in Bluffton

Our next stop was to the historic town of Bluffton, which is on the mainland across from Hilton Head to visit my (Deirdre's) cousin and his wife.

Featured Guests: Scott & Joann

Known since: Scott (since birth) Joann 55ish years.

Anecdote: When we were kids, Scott would come and visit us for a week or two each summer as he and my brother were very close in age. Scott was a sort of finicky eater while my mother was an adherent of the clean plate club. The major clash involved peas. Not able to exert her full parental mojo on Scott, mom would dole out peas one by one in increasing numbers meal to meal and summer to summer. It was the food equivalent of Chinese water torture. Scott may still not eat peas...

Still not quite over the gator encounter, we were recounting the tale to Scott & Joann over cocktails. "Yeah, said Scott, "'those suckers are mean." He then regaled us with the story of a neighbor's mishap. They live in a planned community in which houses surround small ponds. One day his friend was walking on the edge of his pond which also borders a golf course. Out of nowhere this gator leaps out and grabs the guy by his ankle and starts to pull him towards the water. He's screaming and manages to lean down and pull the gators jaws apart. But the gator pulls free and then grabs his calf and is really working to drag him into the pond. The guy is still (of course) screaming and a golfing foursome hears him. One guy runs over with his club and pummels the gator until it lets go of the guy. The guy ends up needing about 160 stitches.

Scott's takeaway: "Dee, think about it. A foursome and only one guy runs over and helps. Last time I'd play with those guys." I love Scott.  After a great meal together and overnight visit we were off to Charleston.