i'm here. i'm tired. i obviously have some catching up to do, but i'm going to go explore.
in the meantime, feel free to peruse the pics--they are all up. if you watch in slideshow mode, click 'show file name' for descriptors. fair warning..there are A LOT of balloon pics!
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Saturday, October 06, 2007
road trip: day 4 (mississippi bound)
travel time: 10 hrs. 13 min.
distance: 669 miles
average speed: 78 mph
just outside macon,georgia came a last minute recollection. a passing comment uttered some time ago. but now, it was stuck in my head. as it would turn out, this memory came just in time, and with help from a few friends chained to their computers, i was able to confirm my destination.
exiting the freeway just a few short miles after receiving that confirmation, my anticipation began slowly building. it had 25 miles to build, and i was making my way deeper into the isolated back woods of georgia.
there were no signs telling me where i needed to go—no mention at all. had i not been driving with a specific purpose, and the aid of my gps, i likely would have missed it entirely. i certainly never would have found it on my own.
none to soon, i arrived at my destination, and was immediately overcome with a sense of gratitude. often i find myself grateful for authenticity—for a truthfulness that rarely exists. so often in my travels, i have found it lacking where i hoped for and expected more. but as i pulled up to the whistle stop café in juliette, i was incredibly excited to find that it was exactly as i had expected.
situated caddy-corner, railroad tracks on one side, and a small street on the other, the whistle stop sits, exactly as it appeared so many years ago now, beckoning you to come in and enjoy some fried green tomatoes.
i couldn’t resist that call, and when i opened the screen door, letting it close with a loud bang behind me, i was even more amazed that the interior of the café also appeared to have been plucked directly from the silver screen. but in this case art imitated life, instead of the other way around.
the café was quiet, with the exception of that screen door slamming from time to time. at the counter sat a couple of obvious locals, and in addition to me, there were two occupied tables with visitors from other parts. i must admit that i was shocked. how was it that this place wasn’t full of people? was it the lack of signage or direction? was it the nature of it’s ‘hidden’ location? is it just that so few are aware of its existence? i can’t say for sure, but again i found myself grateful.
rather than contending with obnoxious tourists (i fall into the latter, not former category), i was able to enjoy my meal in peace, marveling at the integrity of the structure.
the waitress approached, ‘can i get you something to drink?’
‘diet coke please.’
‘tomatoes?’
‘yes please
that was that. drinking my cola from a mason jar, i gobbled up the tomatoes, dipped in a spicy horseradish sauce. truth be told, i don’t really like tomatoes—but i liked these. maybe it was psychological, but i was so happy to be there.
after my mid-day snack, i got back on the road towards mississippi. i would be meeting laura and robert for the first time after having heard about them for years and years. i was not to be disappointed as they were everything i had expected and more. their graciousness in accepting a virtual stranger into their home was only enhanced by the experience of actually spending time with—i was laughing from the minute i walked through the door!
we chatted and laughed for quite awhile, and finally, it was time to call it a night.
distance: 669 miles
average speed: 78 mph
just outside macon,georgia came a last minute recollection. a passing comment uttered some time ago. but now, it was stuck in my head. as it would turn out, this memory came just in time, and with help from a few friends chained to their computers, i was able to confirm my destination.
exiting the freeway just a few short miles after receiving that confirmation, my anticipation began slowly building. it had 25 miles to build, and i was making my way deeper into the isolated back woods of georgia.
there were no signs telling me where i needed to go—no mention at all. had i not been driving with a specific purpose, and the aid of my gps, i likely would have missed it entirely. i certainly never would have found it on my own.
none to soon, i arrived at my destination, and was immediately overcome with a sense of gratitude. often i find myself grateful for authenticity—for a truthfulness that rarely exists. so often in my travels, i have found it lacking where i hoped for and expected more. but as i pulled up to the whistle stop café in juliette, i was incredibly excited to find that it was exactly as i had expected.
situated caddy-corner, railroad tracks on one side, and a small street on the other, the whistle stop sits, exactly as it appeared so many years ago now, beckoning you to come in and enjoy some fried green tomatoes.i couldn’t resist that call, and when i opened the screen door, letting it close with a loud bang behind me, i was even more amazed that the interior of the café also appeared to have been plucked directly from the silver screen. but in this case art imitated life, instead of the other way around.
the café was quiet, with the exception of that screen door slamming from time to time. at the counter sat a couple of obvious locals, and in addition to me, there were two occupied tables with visitors from other parts. i must admit that i was shocked. how was it that this place wasn’t full of people? was it the lack of signage or direction? was it the nature of it’s ‘hidden’ location? is it just that so few are aware of its existence? i can’t say for sure, but again i found myself grateful.
rather than contending with obnoxious tourists (i fall into the latter, not former category), i was able to enjoy my meal in peace, marveling at the integrity of the structure.
the waitress approached, ‘can i get you something to drink?’
‘diet coke please.’
‘tomatoes?’
‘yes please
that was that. drinking my cola from a mason jar, i gobbled up the tomatoes, dipped in a spicy horseradish sauce. truth be told, i don’t really like tomatoes—but i liked these. maybe it was psychological, but i was so happy to be there.we chatted and laughed for quite awhile, and finally, it was time to call it a night.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
road trip: day 3 (savannah)
ah, savannah!
unfortunately, it was a rainy day, but after checking out weather.com last night, i was prepared, and determined to make the best of it.
i was up at 7am, but spent some time taking care of some personal business, so it was about 10:30am when i got out of the hotel. based on anne's suggestion, i opted to hop on one of the many trolley tours that take you through the historic district. it seemed like a great idea since, 1) i would be dry, and 2) it would give me an overview of the city, and i could later decide where i wanted to spend more time.
the tour was very comprehensive. the guide drove us around the city for an hour and a half and gave a lot of historical information as we passed by the various sites. the historic district is as beautiful as i expected, even in the rain. spanish moss hangs from every tree, and the houses seem to have been made specifically for the purpose of drinking mint juleps on front porches. it was everything i expected it to be.
me on the trolley tour
following the trolley tour, i was starving! i debated hitting paula deen's well known lady and sons restaurant, but the truth is, i don't like southern food. even when i lived in north carolina, i could never get my head (or taste buds) around collard greens, grits...and frankly, fried chicken is okay, but not my favorite way to eat chicken. so i decided i'd rather have food that i liked, and i walked up to city market where i found a cafe and ordered a bbq chicken sandwich. now THAT was tasty! the place was kind of a dive, which made the food even more tasty, and i found that eating in a restaurant by myself, for the first time in a long time, was completely bearable:)
following my yummy bbq, i stopped at a nearby candy maker and picked up some divinity and pralines--both seeming the perfect southern desserts. i paused in a covered gazebo to stay dry while savoring my treats. i haven't had divinity in ages, and it was absolutely delicious! i know how difficult it is to make, which made me appreciate it even more. while enjoying my cover and my sugar, i was joined by a local character who chatted me up a bit before i decided to get on with my agenda.
mmmm...divine
the next stop was the telfair museum.
i'd be lying if i didn't admit that much of my interest in visiting savannah has been associated with 'midnight in the garden of good and evil'. i read the book when it was released, and the descriptions of the local 'cast' and setting have called to me. as such, seeing the bird girl statue pictured on the cover of the book was a necessity.
the statue used to guard a grave in bonaventure cemetery, but after the book/movie, the grave was receiving a great deal of abuse, and the statue was moved to the telfair. it's quite a lovely statue actually. it is very serene and calming, and i can imagine that the effect of it's original placement would have been even more so.
unfortunately, pictures were not allowed, so i had to settle for one outside.
telfair museum
i enjoyed the remainder of the afternoon wandering around the various squares, pausing in chippewa to reflect on forrest gump's box of chocolates.
i continued my wanderings, pausing at the birthplace of juliette gordon low, and appreciating some of the more 'decorative' oddities savannah has to offer.
the aforementioned 'decorative oddities'
eventually, it was time to dry out! it had rained all day, and i had spent the majority of my time outside, so i needed a break before determining how i would spend the rest of the day. i came back to the hotel, uploaded photos, and managed to fall asleep.
about two and a half hours later, i woke up to my phone ringing. first anne, then julie. i called anne back and mentioned that i kind of felt 'done' with savannah--like i had seen what there was to see. i was asking her what i was missing, but she had had a similar experience here. then i mentioned that i had considered taking a ghost tour, and she encouraged me to follow through. my head was killing me, and it was still raining. but i knew i would probably regret it, since 1) who knows if/when i will ever be back here, and 2) savannah is known for being fairly haunted, and i LOVE a good haunting!
colonial cemetery
i stopped for a bite on the way back to the historic district, and arrived a bit early. i killed some time in my car (it was dry there), and then went to meet the guide at the colonial cemetery.
as it turns out, i absolutely would have regretted it.
i was the only person on the tour, which meant my guide, tana, could personalize it and show me things that aren't usually included. it didn't hurt that we got along quite easily.
the tour was a 90 minute walking tour, and it was awesome. i learned all sorts of fun facts, and it was on this tour that i learned some of the quirkier things about the city--the ones that interest me.
i was amused to learn that standing on the sidewalk outside the fence of the cemetery, we were actually standing on graves they had decided to pave over. in fact there are several former cemeteries in the city that have been paved over and now have buildings on them!
i was also amused by the mass grave for yellow fever victims. 666 of them died, but the savannahns refused to put '666' on the grave, so instead put 'almost 700'.
there were many great stories and quirky facts about the city, and i was so glad i had fought the headache and the rain, and my laziness, to go. as it turned out, the headache meds kicked in and the rain stopped just as the tour began, which made for an absolutely delightful experience.
me and my private tour guide, tana
i plan on/hope to sleep in tomorrow, at which point i will get on the road to make the 10+ hour drive to mississippi and the schuckman's, who will be escorting me around new orleans on friday. yay!
for those who haven't realized yet, i'm posting photos as i go, and they can be found here. and by the way, why are you all so silent?!
unfortunately, it was a rainy day, but after checking out weather.com last night, i was prepared, and determined to make the best of it.
i was up at 7am, but spent some time taking care of some personal business, so it was about 10:30am when i got out of the hotel. based on anne's suggestion, i opted to hop on one of the many trolley tours that take you through the historic district. it seemed like a great idea since, 1) i would be dry, and 2) it would give me an overview of the city, and i could later decide where i wanted to spend more time.
the tour was very comprehensive. the guide drove us around the city for an hour and a half and gave a lot of historical information as we passed by the various sites. the historic district is as beautiful as i expected, even in the rain. spanish moss hangs from every tree, and the houses seem to have been made specifically for the purpose of drinking mint juleps on front porches. it was everything i expected it to be.
me on the trolley tourfollowing the trolley tour, i was starving! i debated hitting paula deen's well known lady and sons restaurant, but the truth is, i don't like southern food. even when i lived in north carolina, i could never get my head (or taste buds) around collard greens, grits...and frankly, fried chicken is okay, but not my favorite way to eat chicken. so i decided i'd rather have food that i liked, and i walked up to city market where i found a cafe and ordered a bbq chicken sandwich. now THAT was tasty! the place was kind of a dive, which made the food even more tasty, and i found that eating in a restaurant by myself, for the first time in a long time, was completely bearable:)
following my yummy bbq, i stopped at a nearby candy maker and picked up some divinity and pralines--both seeming the perfect southern desserts. i paused in a covered gazebo to stay dry while savoring my treats. i haven't had divinity in ages, and it was absolutely delicious! i know how difficult it is to make, which made me appreciate it even more. while enjoying my cover and my sugar, i was joined by a local character who chatted me up a bit before i decided to get on with my agenda.
mmmm...divinethe next stop was the telfair museum.
i'd be lying if i didn't admit that much of my interest in visiting savannah has been associated with 'midnight in the garden of good and evil'. i read the book when it was released, and the descriptions of the local 'cast' and setting have called to me. as such, seeing the bird girl statue pictured on the cover of the book was a necessity.
the statue used to guard a grave in bonaventure cemetery, but after the book/movie, the grave was receiving a great deal of abuse, and the statue was moved to the telfair. it's quite a lovely statue actually. it is very serene and calming, and i can imagine that the effect of it's original placement would have been even more so.
unfortunately, pictures were not allowed, so i had to settle for one outside.
telfair museumi enjoyed the remainder of the afternoon wandering around the various squares, pausing in chippewa to reflect on forrest gump's box of chocolates.
i continued my wanderings, pausing at the birthplace of juliette gordon low, and appreciating some of the more 'decorative' oddities savannah has to offer.
the aforementioned 'decorative oddities'eventually, it was time to dry out! it had rained all day, and i had spent the majority of my time outside, so i needed a break before determining how i would spend the rest of the day. i came back to the hotel, uploaded photos, and managed to fall asleep.
about two and a half hours later, i woke up to my phone ringing. first anne, then julie. i called anne back and mentioned that i kind of felt 'done' with savannah--like i had seen what there was to see. i was asking her what i was missing, but she had had a similar experience here. then i mentioned that i had considered taking a ghost tour, and she encouraged me to follow through. my head was killing me, and it was still raining. but i knew i would probably regret it, since 1) who knows if/when i will ever be back here, and 2) savannah is known for being fairly haunted, and i LOVE a good haunting!
colonial cemeteryi stopped for a bite on the way back to the historic district, and arrived a bit early. i killed some time in my car (it was dry there), and then went to meet the guide at the colonial cemetery.
as it turns out, i absolutely would have regretted it.
i was the only person on the tour, which meant my guide, tana, could personalize it and show me things that aren't usually included. it didn't hurt that we got along quite easily.
the tour was a 90 minute walking tour, and it was awesome. i learned all sorts of fun facts, and it was on this tour that i learned some of the quirkier things about the city--the ones that interest me.
i was amused to learn that standing on the sidewalk outside the fence of the cemetery, we were actually standing on graves they had decided to pave over. in fact there are several former cemeteries in the city that have been paved over and now have buildings on them!
i was also amused by the mass grave for yellow fever victims. 666 of them died, but the savannahns refused to put '666' on the grave, so instead put 'almost 700'.
there were many great stories and quirky facts about the city, and i was so glad i had fought the headache and the rain, and my laziness, to go. as it turned out, the headache meds kicked in and the rain stopped just as the tour began, which made for an absolutely delightful experience.
me and my private tour guide, tanai plan on/hope to sleep in tomorrow, at which point i will get on the road to make the 10+ hour drive to mississippi and the schuckman's, who will be escorting me around new orleans on friday. yay!
for those who haven't realized yet, i'm posting photos as i go, and they can be found here. and by the way, why are you all so silent?!
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