Georgia on my mind....

I try so hard to keep up with my blogging only to fall behind, yet again! Savannah seems so long ago but we were actually there only a mere two weeks ago. We straggled into Savannah late in the afternoon, completely exhausted from running around in St. Augustine and parked at a Walmart overnight. We found the cheapest gas we've seen since leaving Cedar Key.

We moved over to park in the visitor's center in the morning which was much cheaper than than the St. Augustine visitor center parking - $12 for 48 hours each for Bebe and the Subie. I had wanted to park either sideways or take up two spots since we were so long but when I found out you pay for how many spots you take up I worked with Bill to fit us into one spot by backing her up all the way over the center divider & it was perfect - but, you do get what you pay for! The visitor center is right next to SCAD, Savannah College of Art & Design and there are a lot of "kids" wandering around at night through the parking lot. Buses also use this parking lot and can be quite loud with their diesel engines. But we stuck it out for 2 nights because it was soooo conveniently located. We jumped on one of the tourist trolleys to hear some history and get the lay of the land. And then we jumped off to grab a frozen mint julep & do a little window shopping. The architecture in Savannah is breathtaking, as are the lovely little parks every couple of blocks, complete with rod-iron benches & statuary. Everything emanates history and secrets and, as many will have you believe, ghosts!

Our friend Jeanette had been in Savannah a few weeks before us and had her hair colored a fabulous shade of purple at the Color Boxx and I had a feeling I would find someone there that would "hear" my vision for my hair. I have been coloring my hair most of my life but since I started going gray I have to have my roots done every 4 weeks. Living our lifestyle this has become quite a burden. I really wanted to "embrace my gray" but everyone I told this to either said I was too young to go gray or that my hair wasn't gray enough to work around. But then I hadn't met Niki, the owner of Color Boxx, until I stopped in for a consult and to see if anyone had time in the next couple of days to color my hair. She was the ultimate professional and asked all about my lifestyle, I told her what I was hoping for and she HEARD me! I came back a few days later and she worked her magic, leaving some of the gray, giving me some crazy pink and blonde highlights. I think my gray can grow in around this without making too much of a statement. We had a great time, found out we had a lot in common and although it cost me a fricken' fortune I was very, very happy!

I was really surprised how young the population was in Savannah, the SCAD buildings are all over the city with buses that shuttle the students around. We rode our bikes all over Savannah and they never fail to open doors to interesting conversation. Jeanette and Dennis' favorites became ours and we loved the Kayak Kafe and The Distillery, which happened to be right next to the visitor's center. The Distillery was celebrating Craft Beer Week and had some amazing beers on tap and Bill was very happy that they made a pretty mean martini too. We tried fried alligator and made it to Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House for one of their famous family style meals - thanks to our hash friend, Wendy in SF, for that tip! We road our bikes down to the waterfront at night and through the pouring rain, just for fun. Actually we never drove our car the entire time in Savannah, a perfect visit in my book!

While waiting in the long line at Mrs. Wilkes' a local told us about Tybee Island and since we were looking for a bit of "down-time" we got online and found an RV park and moved there for the weekend. Unloaded the bikes in the drizzle and headed out to the Sundae Cafe for a fabulous meal with an interesting beer. Tybee Island is only 30 minutes from Savannah, it's a little beach town and the day we got there was their infamous Beach Bum Parade. Unfortunately the skies had opened up and it was pouring - not a problem for those in the parade since it's all about dousing everyone with water but we just weren't up for it.

The next day dawned a sunny beach day and we went for a run to check out the place and found the old fort they use as a hurricane storm shelter and a great lighthouse

...Bill had fun making 4 attempts to get to the beach (without my assistance as I was getting my hair done)...he finally made it there just before I got home 4 hours later!! But he had fun and it was a mindless day spent just the way a Saturday should be spent.