RANDOMNESS #1 - Savannah - Mikie and I celebrated 30 years of wedded bliss last month, and we took a little trip to Savannah, Georgia to celebrate.
Below you will find many, many pics, and if our trip is of no interest to you (and I would completely understand if that was the case), the Grand-Tot pics are at the end of the blog.
Old Harbour Inn - As is my custom, I first check VRBO and Airbnb before committing to a hotel.
In this particular instance, after looking at thousands of properties (I'm only exaggerating a little), I knew what type of place I wanted to stay while visiting Savannah. Strangely enough, I was able to find exactly what I wanted (and more) at a hotel!
The Old Harbour Inn is built in a warehouse-type building overlooking the Savannah River.
The first thing on my "Must Have" List was a long hallway when you enter. These hallways were in many, many of the historic homes I looked to rent, but to find one in a hotel...
Well, that was icing on the imaginary cake, I tell you!
You must also have brick somewhere (or everywhere) in a Savannah home...
As well as some kind of soothing seascape painting.
It was nice to have a comfortable place to sit with other guests after a long day of sightseeing to compare notes, eat snacks and drink coffee off the lobby area.
However, we still weren't totally sold on Old Harbour Inn.
What was the clincher for me and Mikie, you may ask?
Turn down service every night which included not one, BUT TWO, Klondike ice cream bars left in our freezer.
Yes. It all came down to ice cream.
Story of my life!
Trolley Tours AND The Pirate's House Restaurant - We were told by other tourists to take an entire "off and on" trolley tour, figure out what we wanted to see first...
And then hop back on another trolley tour for a free ride to our first "hop off" spot.
This turned out to be very good advice.
Our trolley tour included a couple of guests along the way. They would board the trolley, spend about three or four minutes talking about their specific place in the history of Savannah and then hop off.
I thought this girl was the cutest thing I had ever seen, and while her thick accent kept me from understanding everything she shared, I really, really liked her outfit!
Mike and I wanted to "hop off" the second trolley ride for a late lunch at The Pirate's House which was Stop Number 7 out of 16.
We had a fantastic lunch, and we asked one of the local "pirates" to give us a free tour of the oldest building in Savannah. It did not disappoint.
The shutters on some of the older homes are crooked for a reason. A crooked window would keep the ghosts (or "haints") out.
The color of the shutters on this house also helped. It is called "haint blue" and you see this color throughout much of Savannah's Historic District.
Colonial Park Cemetery - Fun fact for all of you. Mikie loves historic cemeteries.
In case you didn't know, historic headstones are just really, really old plaques.
It was a plaque reader's paradise!
Broken headstones are pieced together and attached to a wall in the cemetery. There are dozens and dozens of these headstones.
Mike tried to read them all!
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist - By far one of my most favorite places to visit. It is open to the public at odd times. There isn't a specific schedule. Mike and I were fortunate to walk by during one of those times, and we took advantage of the peaceful, beautiful surroundings.
That's some pipe organ, isn't it?
Very impressive.
Forsyth Park - A walk through Forsyth Park on a Saturday is "very much fun." There were street musicians, a Farmer's Market (mostly root veggies, baked goods and crafts), beautiful dogs out walking with their owners, soccer games, the fountain...
I could go on and on.
If I lived in Savannah, I am pretty sure I would spend as many Saturdays as possible in this particular park.
It was lovely.
E Shaver Bookseller - I now have a favorite bookstore. It looks pretty ordinary on the outside...
And smallish...
And typical.
But inside, it is room after tiny room of walls of books, step ups and step downs, the norm AND the unexpected.
What can I say? I loved this store.
I was especially taken with the cozy Children's Section.
Perfect.
And there were giant "bookstore cats." One resided in the window in the front of the store, and this guy roamed throughout the historic book section during our visit.
I want to live here.
Tybee Island - We climbed to the top of the lighthouse on Tybee Island on a very cold, windy January day...
And we were certainly glad we did.
We definitely would like to spend more time on islands if we get to go again.
Me - I hope this is self-explanatory.
The Waving Girl - This is such a sad, sad tale.
This is the story of the life of Florence Martus who was known as The Waving Girl. The daughter of a sergeant stationed at Fort Pulaski, Florence moved to a cottage along the river near the entrance of the harbor with her brother George because he was the keeper of the lighthouse at Cockspur.
Her life at the remote cottage was lonely for her. She developed a close kinship with those on the passing ships and welcomed each one with a wave of her handkerchief. The sailors began returning her greeting by waving back or with a blast of the ship's horn. Eventually she even greeted the ships arriving in the dark by lantern. She did this for over forty years.
There is also an old love story associated with The Waving Girl.
There is a lot of speculation about the Waving Girl having fallen in love with a sailor who never returned to Savannah. Legend has it that when she was 18 and still quite innocent, a dashing Navy lieutenant visited Elba Island and began romancing her. He was from Cape Cod and had come down from his ship's berth in Savannah to join one of the tours she gave at Fort Pulaski. Perhaps he intended to add her to a long list of romantic conquests in various ports around the world. Less likely, he truly fell in love with her, but was unable to keep his promise of marriage. Regardless, after a whirlwind courtship, his ship lifted anchor and he departed Savannah with the assurance that he would return and marry Florence Martus as soon as possible. As a token of his love, he gave her his white Navy neckerchief, which she tearfully waved as his ship passed Elba Island on its way to ports unknown.
In any event, The Waving girl of Savannah legend is pretty popular, and if you visit Savannah, the statue in her honor is one of the things you want to see.
Boats Floating Past Our Window - Not so much on Sunday, but on weekdays and Saturday many, many boats went up and down the Savannah River.
Some of them were smallish...
Others were middle-sized...
And others were ridiculously large.That's it for today. I'll finish up with some trip details and just a few more pics in a few days.
And everyone gave a sigh of relief!
RANDOMNESS #2 - Little Man - Have you ever heard "boy" Mamas talk about the lack of cute/different/unique clothing for babies?
Have you?
I may have found a solution.
RANDOMNESS #3 - Judith - I realize she doesn't exactly look thrilled to be hanging with Nana B on this particular day.
She was VERY tired from all of our fun, and these pics were taken right before she went down for a much-needed nap.
Isn't she beautiful?
Taco-Seasoned Tater Tots
You will need the following:
1 32-ounce package frozen tater tots
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 2. Place tater tots on a baking sheet in a single layer, evenly spaced apart.
3. Sprinkle taco seasoning on tater tots, coating evenly.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until fully cooked, flipping tots half way through.
So simple, and pretty good, too.
NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - Halfway through, the tots looked very dry, so I drizzled just a little olive oil over them and then flipped. I will prepare this again for a quick, slightly different snack.
Pinterest Stuff
Fun Family Traditions that Foster Togetherness
FEBRUARY
Make a bird feeder
Eat groundhog cupcakes (Google "Groundhog Day Cupcakes" for ideas)
Recite 1 Corinthians 13
Host a Mother/Daughter Valentine's Brunch
Make a paper hearts garland
Share a box of chocolates
Have an all-red meal
Go daffodil hunting
Do random acts of kindness
Go ice skating
Have a fantastic week. I'll be back soon with more LOVE to share this February!
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
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