Savannah with my Silver Fox - Day 2

Day 2 of "Savannah with my Silver Fox" has been filled with history lessons. We took a trolley tour and heard about many of the famous people and events that have happened in this important city. We learned about James Oglethorpe and his prohibitions against allowing lawyers, strong alcohol or Catholics into the colony. Those big plans didn't last very long, did they? We saw monuments to John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, who only stayed for a few months but then went back to England because he couldn't endure the Savannah heat. We saw several tributes to Johnny Mercer who wrote the lyrics for about 1500 songs and was nominated for 19 Academy Awards. My favorite song of his would have to be "Moon River" because I won a talent contest playing it when I was in the 10th grade. :) We saw the house where the founder of the Girl Scouts was born, and I'm sure you're not surprised that I made this picture of the First Baptist Church which was the only church still standing that carried on with services throughout the duration of the Civil War.I'm not sure who this statue commemorates, but seeing Steve standing there makes me think that I'm sure he could probably be known as "The World's Greatest Granddaddy" one of these days, but I can testify with certainty that he would NOT want a statue made of that honor. Can you see the Carolina live oaks in the background with all that moss hanging down? I understand that they stay green all year long, but you don't want to take any moss home for a souvenir because it's full of chiggers!!! Makes me itch just thinking about it. :(
We ate lunch today at a lovely place called Gryphon (pronounced "griffin") Tea Room. It is operated by students at the Savannah College of Art and Design -- known as SCAD. The picture shows what we could see by looking directly over our table. Isn't that amazing? The room had so many beautiful architectural details and a very special ambience.
Steve had smoked salmon on crostini, spread with goat cheese and a side of cucumber salad.
I had chicken salad with orange souffle and cheese straws. And, by the way, the tea was awesome. I'd love to go back some time with some daughters or some lady friends and enjoy their afternoon tea with scones, sandwiches and sweets. Doesn't that sound prissy?
Many movies have been filmed either entirely or partially in Savannah. The Six Pence Pub, shown below, was featured in a Julia Roberts movie called "Something to Talk About."
In the opening scene of "Forrest Gump," a feather floats from the top of this church steeple pictured below. We saw the square where he sat on the bench and shared his story with bus passengers throughout an afternoon in the movie, but the bench is no longer there. At one of our trolley stops, a Forrest Gump impersonator got on for a couple of minutes saying he needed to go and find Lieutenant Dan. His dress and mannerisms were really good copies of Tom Hanks' character.
We did more walking on our own this afternoon and especially enjoyed a nearby cemetery. One large marker showed the burial spot of a man who had been born on July 8, 1776 -- only 4 days too late to be a bonafide "Yankee Doodle Dandy!" :)
Tonight's dinner was our big splurge of the trip. We had reservations at The Olde Pink House overlooking Reynolds Square. It was built in 1771 and is the oldest mansion in the State of Georgia. It was originally a white house, but the soft native bricks began to bleed through the plastered walls and slowly changed the color to a Jamaican pink. Our table was in the original dining room. With the carefully-chosen classical music playing in the background, it was easy to imagine the family of James Habersham, Jr. eating here by candlelight 241 years ago.
For an appetizer, we had "blackened oysters on the half shell, watermelon relish, pear and apricot chutney and green tomato chow chow." It was so delectable that we were half-way finished before I remembered to get out my camera.

Steve's entree was "crispy-scored flounder with apricot shallot sauce, sweet potato fries and fried green tomatoes." This was a LARGE flounder, but he managed to eat every bite. :)
I had "pecan crusted chicken breast, blackberry bourbon glaze, sweet potato with pecan vanilla butter and fried green tomatoes." Scrumptious and amazing. The same chef has been at the restaurant since 1991. He's worth whatever he's getting paid. That's for sure.
Our server arranged a very special dessert. Notice the message written by the chef in chocolate beside the key lime pie that we shared. The crust of that pie had a secret ingredient which I plan to KEEP as a secret because I hope to serve it to guests of my own very soon. It was the best key lime pie either of us had ever tasted -- and we've had it in many places.
We're back in our room tonight, just relaxing. The staff at this B & B has been so attentive and helpful. They've made suggestions and reservations for us and answered dozens of questions. Tonight there were homemade cookies on our pillow when we got in. Tomorrow promises to be another unique day. Gotta get plenty of rest.

Savannah with my Silver Fox - Day 1

Day 1 of our 41st anniversary trip to Savannah has been a big success. We left home about 7:30 a.m. The weather was perfect, and my little Prius got 48.8 miles per gallon! Woohoo! We don't think we've ever been on I-16 from Macon to Savannah, so that was different, but not particularly remarkable. We listened to a great motivational CD as we drove, but mostly we talked about goals and plans for the future (something we love to do), our amazing children and children-in-law (something that brings us much pleasure), and fun possibilities with the grandkids (probably our favorite topic of all).

We found our Bed and Breakfast with very little trouble, and it is a beautiful place called Presidents' Quarters Inn. Each of the 16 rooms is named for a U.S. President. We're in the Lyndon B Johnson Room -- and no, that would not have been our choice because he is most definitely NOT our favorite president, but it has a king-size bed and was within our budget, so there. It's actually a very comfortable and spacious room as you can see below.

This pretty courtyard is where we'll be having breakfast. Tomorrow it will be the Chef's Special at 8:30 a.m. Ahhhhh.
We decided to walk down to the river and eat tonight at a casual place called Huey's. Thanks, Dinah Gamble, for the recommendation. It was delicious!
Steve and I love raw oysters, but we'd never had them steamed before. They're messy and look as if they've just been scooped up from the swamp, but they were plump and tasty. Yes, we do tend to be adventurous -- within reason.
Steve had the shrimp and grits. Again, thanks Dinah for the suggestion. He said it was great.
I'm allergic to shrimp, so I had an oyster po-boy with a side order of red beans and rice. Can't get enough of those oysters.
After dinner, we took a stroll along the river and thought about how much better we like "our" river -- the one that runs right in front of our house. :) But, this one is nice, too. We also thought about the revenue that Decatur is missing by not doing more development along the beautiful Tennessee River. Maybe in the future there could be something wonderful between Rhodes Ferry Park and down Bank Street. Don't you think?
The place Savannah most reminds us of so far is Guayaquil, Ecuador -- just not so hot. We couldn't help but remember the Malecon and the many great volunteer teams that flew into that airport and began or ended their project in that city. There are similarities to New Orleans, of course, too. Who knows what we'll think after tomorrow's explorations?

Oh yeah. The hotel people did a turn-down service while we were out for dinner, and there are some yummy chocolate treats on our pillows. Guess I'd better check it out. Sleep tight.

ANTICIPATION!!

The suitcases are out. The final loads of laundry are finished. It's about time to get everything packed, so another adventure can begin. Ahhhhhh. Anticipation. Plans. A Clipboard of Fun.

I have some great friends who are "fly by the seat of their pants" kind of people. They get up in the morning and just follow their whims and their moods. I, however, could not be more opposite. When I have a chance to explore new territory, researching and, yes, anticipating, are almost more fun than the actual going/doing/experiencing. I love talking to people who have "been there," and I take great pains to read travelers' reviews and such. I reason that I would hate to spend several days in a place and find out after I leave that a wonderful spot had been just a few blocks away, and I didn't know.

Tomorrow morning Steve and I are driving down to Savannah for a few days to celebrate our 41st anniversary (which actually was last week, but this week was just better for our schedules). Because of many mission trips, veterinary seminars, and all kinds of celebrations that I've been able to dream up through the years, we have had glorious opportunities to see much of the world and this country. But, somehow, we've never made it to Savannah.

After much deliberation, we selected a great-sounding Bed and Breakfast in a prime location, and I have narrowed restaurant choices down to six that fit our criteria. We have a rule on trips like this -- We never eat at chain restaurants just like the ones we have at home. We really enjoy sampling the local culture and cuisine. We're hoping to walk, explore, take pictures, shop, eat, laugh and relax. I have my maps and confirmations printed out, and the car's navigation system is already set to go. Steve actually gets a lot of pleasure out of letting me do the homework and planning and then just watching me reveal the "Clipboard" to him little by little as we go along. You might not believe this, but we went all the way to Hawaii once when he only had "a dollar and a dime" in his pocket . . . and he still had it when we got back!!! He doesn't want to worry about the costs or paying the bills. He just wants to be able to savor the sights, sounds and tastes. I, on the other hand, Mrs. Control Freak of the Universe, LOVE to be "on top of things" and keep the trip running smoothly.

Don't worry. I really don't have an hour-by-hour itinerary ready. Mine has more of a Breakfast -- Morning possibilities -- Lunch -- Afternoon possibilities -- Dinner -- Relaxation kind of look to it. See? There is flexibility built in . . . if you look very carefully. :)

I'm planning several blogs entitled "Savannah with My Silver Fox," so be watching for those in the next few days.

I'm so happy about the fact that we've been married for 41 years and are still in love and hoping for 41 more anniversaries. The weather is gorgeous. I expect the flowers to be spectacular, the buildings to be incredible, and the seafood to be scrumptious. You'd think I was a kid going to Disney World. :)

"Let the Words of My Mouth (and the clicks of my keyboard) . . . "

In the past few days I have had jarring and significant reminders about the power of the words that flow through my head and come out my fingers into my computer keyboard. In one case, a friend I haven't seen in years noticed that I hadn't posted on Facebook in a few days, found out I'd been sick and said she'd "been missing me." She didn't mean that she'd been missing my physical presence, but she had missed my brief quips and descriptions of life in, around, and through the Pearson family. That immediately made me do a mental rewind of the tape recorder to think about what I had been sharing lately.

In another case, a friend chose to share her heart with me and to take our friendship to a deeper level because of some responses I had typed to her over the past several months. Whoa.

Just this morning I found out that a friend stayed up late last night reading every blog I'd ever posted. ALL of them. Talk about sobering. I immediately scrolled through to review them for myself. Were they uplifting? Were they consistent with the Christianity that I profess? I don't think even Steve or my children have stopped to read all of them. I realized that this person now knew a LOT about what makes me tick, what motivates me, who Connie Pearson is and what she believes. I took a big gulp and acknowledged again the tremendous power of words -- for good, for harm, for instruction, for destruction.

James 3:5b-10 describes it powerfully. "See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. . . For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and have been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so."

Because I am married to such a wise man, I have pretty much seen myself as just "the comic relief" for his seriousness. But, in my heart of hearts, I deeply want to be known as a woman of wisdom. I am no longer physically present with many people on a daily or even a weekly basis (unlike my teaching days when I interacted with hundreds each day), but through the amazing connectivity of the internet, my thoughts can be dispersed throughout the U.S. and even to other countries with just a click of the "post" button. Because of these recent reminders, a "default-like" prayer that I learned as a young girl has formed repeatedly in my heart today.

Psalm 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer."

I feel certain that if David were writing these words today he might surely add:

"Let the words of my mouth and the clicks of my keyboard that result from the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer."

Hold me accountable, friends.

It All Began with "Brigadoon"

I must give credit where credit is due and thank my amazing Junior High chorus teacher, Mrs. Annette Shingler, for introducing me to the magic of Broadway musicals. As a 7th grader at Westlawn Junior High School in Huntsville, I heard the story of "Brigadoon," sang the music, and was forever drawn into the world of a play that incorporated singing and dancing, and the feeling of being transported into a make-believe time for a few magical hours. Thank you, Mrs. Shingler.

In a happy turn-of-events, when I went back to school (at age 35) to get a music education degree and did my student teaching, Mrs. Shingler was still going strong and became one of my supervising teachers. She was also STILL introducing students to the wonders of songs from Broadway -- that year it was "Annie Get Your Gun." :)

As a result of her influence, it was natural that I would pass along my love for this vast body of music literature to my own Junior High chorus students during the years I taught that age group. We learned the plot, the characters, and many of the songs from "South Pacific," "The Sound of Music," "West Side Story," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Annie," and "My Fair Lady." Generally, we only covered one per semester, but hopefully if a student stayed in my class for at least 2 years, they discovered a musical that they really liked, and they were able to have their appetites whetted for more.

I was never able to transfer very much of my enthusiasm for musicals over to Steve and Matt, but Steve has indulged me when we've been in New York City and is a good sport about attending at least one show every time. I think even HE would admit to being impressed with the staging and production of "The Lion King." :)

My girls, however, are a different matter. They truly caught the bug, and now it seems that my grandchildren are growing up to love them, too. This past Saturday daughter Julie and granddaughter Allie and I went to the matinee performance of "My Fair Lady."

After the show, I asked Allie what her favorite songs were, and she quickly said "The Rain in Spain," "I Could Have Danced All Night," and "Wouldn't it Be Loverly?" Since she loves to draw, I asked her which scene she would want to go home and illustrate, and she said she wanted to draw Eliza's ball gown. Since she sings so beautifully, I imagine she went to bed with visions of portraying Eliza Doolittle in her head.

Is this the most important thing I wanted my students to learn from me -- and now my grandchildren? Of course not. But, is this something fun and life-enriching that we can enjoy sharing together? Absolutely!

(In a great twist in my life events, I actually now live in a neighborhood called "Brigadoon," and all of the streets have Scottish names. I haven't seen any heather, though, and we are definitely visible for more than one day in every one hundred years. :) You should rent this musical. It's a good one).

Girls of the Round Table

(This cartoon was recommended by my friend Lauren and bears absolutely NO RESEMBLANCE to anyone who might or might not be mentioned in the following post. I promise. It also reminds me that I might need to re-read a book my firstborn daughter gave me a few years ago entitled How Not to Become a Little Old Lady).

One of my favorite perks of retirement -- ranking just slightly under getting to sleep past 5:00 a.m. -- is the luxury of long lunches with good friends. After years of having less than 25 minutes to put away materials for the last class, get out materials for the next class, use the restroom, walk to the far end of the school, go through the cafeteria line, find a place to sit, choke down my food while catching a few sentences of "what's going on in the 1st (2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th) grade world," hurrying back to my room just ahead of the next class, and putting on some fresh lipstick (You didn't really think I'd be able to concentrate on teaching without my lipstick, did you?), leisurely eating while doing something enjoyable is very high on my list of fun things to do. I can't imagine trying to diagram the sentence I just typed.

In the last year, I have started attending a wonderful Bible study on Monday mornings, and invariably several of my fellow attendees "do lunch" afterwards. Some days there are as many as 15-16 who go, but most of the time we have 7 or 8. There are 4 or 5 restaurants that we rotate between, but we are definitely open to trying new places. :) Depending on the tables available in the restaurant, we might end up in a long rectangular arrangement so conversation is only effective with those in close proximity. But this past Monday, we were seated at a large round table, so all of us got to hear everything. Perfect!

I've used the title GIRLS OF THE ROUND TABLE on purpose. This most recent group ranged in age from 45 to 86, with the majority of us being in our 50's and 60's. Surely we have the wisdom that comes with being a "woman," but mentally -- or maybe I should just speak for myself -- we're still girls. Our topics for discussion range from politics to church business, but most often we share about our children, our husbands, and our grandchildren. It's an equal opportunity group, you understand.

Last Monday I found out some pros and cons about taking a cruise, and a few of the hazards involved when a husband retires. One week I learned that one of the women worked for the FBI during the J. Edgar Hoover days, and during another I heard about the amazingly creative business that one of the husbands had started. These women are intelligent, willing-to-be-transparent, and insightful. They are all interested in growing in their Christian faith and learning from each other. Best of all, they love to laugh.

I often wonder what kind of image we project to the people who serve us or who might be observing casually from other tables. Hopefully, we are kind and considerate to our waiter, not being too demanding, and tipping generously. I also hope that we show joy and portray the genuine care that we really do have for one another. Some folks who happen to look might notice a strange habit we've acquired. Now, when there are a lot of us and we're seated in a long rectangle, we usually just ask someone near the middle to say the blessing. But, when the group is smaller, we play a quick thumbs-up game when the food arrives. The last one to catch on and get their thumbs up is the "winner" and has the privilege of saying the blessing. :)

I invariably leave these lunch gatherings with a fresh perspective -- on myself, my marriage, my children, my church, and the world around me. I'm also sharpened by these women -- "Iron sharpens iron, so one man (or woman) sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17 A great investment of time, wouldn't you say?

"Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice." Proverbs 27:9

No Longer My Mother's Culinary World

To put things in perspective, I tasted pizza for the very first time when I was a freshman at Samford University and went on a date in the spring of 1969 with a handsome young man named Tommy Barrett. He took me to a quaint little place called Jim Davenport's Pizza Palace in Mountain Brook (which I have just learned is STILL there -- see picture above). I'm sure he was surprised when he asked me what I wanted on my pizza, and I had no earthly idea what to say. He ordered for us, and when this round, beefy, tomato-y, cheesy, crusty creation was set in the middle of the table, I had NO CLUE what to do next. Can you believe anyone could have actually been taking college classes and be that naive?? I fell instantly in love!!! Tommy was nice, too, but I'm talking about the pizza. :) College days opened up many new worlds for me, with new culinary taste sensations being one of them.

My mother was a great cook. Don't get me wrong. Being able to depend on -- and anticipate -- having roast, mashed potatoes, English peas, rolls and a yummy dessert every Sunday after church and then the leftovers while we watched "Bonanza" on Sunday night is still a delightful childhood memory. As I've mentioned in my blog before, my mother was The Queen of Casseroles. She loved mixing things together into something amazing, and her squash casserole was "to die for." But, she particularly loved collecting and trying dessert recipes. (A funny but frustrating habit that she had was when someone would tell her about a new recipe, she'd write the ingredient list ONLY on any scrap of paper she could find handy. After she died, we discovered many such lists remaining in her handwriting without the benefit of the name of the dish or the instructions for making it). When we were having company, she would first decide on what dessert she'd serve, next what meat, and then "fill in" with casseroles and congealed salads. Believe me, an invitation to Mildred Collier's dining room table was a hot ticket. On the other hand, her meals were fairly predictable. Delicious, mind you, but predictable.

It has occurred to me lately, though, just how many items are appearing in the stores and on restaurant menus that she never got to experience. I'm sure she would have enjoyed most all of them and would have tried fervently to track down the recipe. To my way of thinking, the following terms/items are recent additions to our American way of eating (I'm included some basic definitions for readers from my mother's generation):

panini -- any pressed or toasted sandwich

ciabatta -- a rustic Italian bread, broad and flat

latte -- a coffee drink made with expresso and steamed milk

wrap -- a sort of sandwich made of a soft flatbread rolled around a filling

tortellini -- a ring-shaped pasta typically stuffed with a mix of meat or cheese

smoothie -- a blended beverage made with fresh fruit. It usually has a milkshake consistency.

trifle -- a dessert dish made of multiple layers, typically cake, fruit, custard or whipped cream

blondies -- brownies without the chocolate

salsa -- a sauce, most often spicy and tomato-based, considered to be Mexican cuisine.

Balsamic vinegar, sammies, garlic-mashed cauliflower and tilapia also came to my mind as foods/ingredients my Mother never got a chance to try. Can you name other favorites of yours that have come into being in the past 25 years? Let's make a list. :)