Savannah Joy – Page 4

SCAD-ing Outta Retirement

Posted on September 11, 2012September 12, 2012 by Neal Saye

BFF’s–Blog Follower Friends (or anyone at any restaurant where I’ve eaten for the past two and a half months; or at the Post Office; or at Savannah’s coffee shops) know that on June 21, I retired from Georgia Southern University after teaching English there for twenty-four years. [First retirement post. Second retirement post. My final GSU Walking Tour.] And I had such a fun retiring summer! Sitting in my backyard, visiting a vineyard, embracing the Savannah Asian Festival, getting put in jail, exploring a fort, going to a Savannah Sand Gnats game, Tybee Island partying, etc.

But then summer started to come to an end, and (as all teachers know) the REAL new year started–the Academic Year. I grew a bit restless. And thought about getting a part-time job to keep me off the streets and such, but neither of my Top Five Prospective Second Careers panned out:

1. Tug Boat Operator.

2. Little Caesars Sign Dancer. I became interested in this one because the LCSDers at the corner of Montgomery Cross and Waters here in Savannah always seem SO enthusiastic. So I researched the job a little. Here’s the description and qualifications from the Little Caesars website:

“Get paid to dance and have FUN! Part-time Sign Dancer job available! Are you an outgoing energetic individual looking for work? Are you someone who can attract attention? Do you like having fun at work and staying positive?” So far, so good. Work SHOULD be fun! And I write a happiness blog! This job seemed right up my alley.

“If so, this is the job for you! We are looking for a part-time Sign Dancer who can hold a sign and have fun at the same time. We are not just looking for your average sign holder. We are looking for someone who can dance with a sign and attract attention.” Again, surely I could HOLD a sign and have fun in a non-average way.

Requirements:

You must be very ENERGETIC and get people’s ATTENTION!!!
You must be in decent health. You will be outside.
You must be able to wave at passing cars while on duty. I’m friendly!
You must be able to stand the entire shift. I’m a teacher. I stand all the time!
You must have reliable transportation and arrive on time.
You must be able to pass a drug test. What about Allegra or Tums?
You must be at least 18 years old. I’m SO over 18! This job is MINE, I thought!

But alas, after hours practicing with a broom in the backyard, I came to find out that Little Caesars wants sign dancers who are not quite so OVER 18.

3. Quality Control Praline Taster at River Street Sweets. (Pure pralines, NOT turtles!) Jen, can you HELP ME OUT HERE??!!

4. Famous Italian singer.

5. Part-time CEO of Apple. Afterall, I HAVE read the Steve Jobs biography, I have an iPhone, and I realize that Jobs and I have a whole lot in common, well except for the LSD, and the no-deoderant issue, and the need for absolute control (okay, maybe we have that one a little bit in common).

Anyway, recently I started seeing all those pencils and notebooks and protractors (is there really such a need for those things nowadays?) and composition books (does anybody else out there like to smell, really smell, composition books?) at just about every store I entered. And, still frustrated and pouting with hurt feelings over the Little Caesars debacle, I decided to go to Craig’s List to see what kind of jobs were available. Bad idea. I won’t even begin to tell you what kinds of “job opportunities” I saw there. So after an hour and a half, I left that site.

Then, after Googling “part-time job” + “$250,000 per year” + “low-to-no work requirement” and only getting hits for “U.S. Vice President” and “Ostrich Feather Fanner for the Kardashians,” I got down to business and Googled “part-time job” + “Savannah” + “education,” and an adjunct position posting at SCAD came up. SCAD is the Savannah College of Art and Design, an incredibly beautiful and innovative art school scattered primarily throughout the historic district of my city. Thrilled, I looked into the requirements, and soon after was asked to come do a teaching demonstration.

Initially terrified that I COULD NOT TEACH ART (well, actually I can do some cool little foam-board pictures with macaroni, dried pinto beans, glitter and Elmer’s Glue), I stopped hyperventilating and realized I would be teaching composition (my old stomping ground). The demo and subsequent interview process went well, and they offered me the job! (I figure I can work in the macaroni pics eventually.)

Doing a tad of research about SCAD faculty, I discovered on the college website that SCAD faculty include:

Emmy® Award winners
Academy Award® winners
Fulbright scholars
Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize winner
National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship recipient
British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award nominee
LEED-accredited professionals
U.S. patent holders
Scholars published in academic journals
Best-selling authors
AIGA Award winners
Character animators for Beowulf, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and The Chronicles of Narnia
Illustrators for The New Yorker, Time, Disney and NASA
Visual effects artists for Titanic and Jurassic Park
Sequential artists for Dark Horse, DC Comics, Marvel, Cartoon Network and Warner Bros.
Producer of Fried Green Tomatoes and The Breakfast Club
Writer for The Cosby Show and As the World Turns
Script Supervisor for Driving Miss Daisy

WOW!

I felt a bit overwhelmed. But then I checked back a while later, and lo and behold, something about Yours Truly was added!

Finalist, Eighth Grade Spelling Bee (perhaps would have gone further but spelled “Georgia” as “Jeorgia” due to nerves)

*****************************************************************************************************************

I am thrilled, THRILLED to be a part of the SCAD faculty on a part-time basis. I will be teaching international students English composition. I’m looking forward to this next phase of my teaching career and life.

Here’s the building where I teach:

It used to be the old Savannah jail.

I put retirement in jail.

Later.

Joy in Nature, Savannah Joy

Welcome to My Backyard, the Alley of the Angels

Posted on July 6, 2012January 5, 2023 by Neal Saye

Welcome to the alley of the angels

Hey, they say your eyes can gleam

When you can a just tell the truth all night

(And you can chase them dreams all night)

Welcome to the alley of the angels.

— John Cougar Mellencamp

Places–I love the poetic resonance of that word. Some places are special; you had them growing up, of course you did. And do now. Magical places. Special because of their cocoonishness, or their broad openness. Their smell, or their connection to friends or family. Their lightness, or darkness. Their safety, or risk.

So I was aghast a few years back when I attended a writing conference at the Sea Turtle Inn in Atlantic Beach, FL, and one afternoon decided to skip the meetings and drive down memory lane. I headed south to Jacksonville Beach to find the motel where my family and I vacationed from about the time I was six or seven till I went away to college. It had those wonderful beds where you inserted a quarter into the headboard, and the mattress vibrated! For fifteen minutes! My mother, father and brothers would all hop on. Who needed the Ritz?

I knew exactly where the Horseshoe Motel stood. I had been there SO many times as a kid. But I started to doubt myself when I passed the lifeguard station and came to the ridiculously sharp turn in the road far beyond my memory motel location. I can be dense, so it took me at least three to-and-fro trips before I realized (admitted?) that the place had been demolished for a condo. Sad. A childhood place gone for good.

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************

I live in beautiful downtown Savannah, smack-dab in the middle of the nation’s largest historic district, to be exact. I can hear the huge freighters blowing their bass notes at night …

… as well as the clatter of horseshoes as carriages tour past Colonial Park Cemetery across the street.

I love walking the Savannah streets, breathing history.

*********************************************************************************************************************************************

I don’t really have a backyard, in the traditional sense of the word. But, boy, do I have a backyard! It’s really a small alley, which runs behind the building where I live.

Even though it is communal, and somewhat small, there are hidden crannies where one can sit and read, or laptop, or daydream. It exudes a trace of otherwordliness, a fragrance of excursion. I step into my “backyard,” and suddenly I’m in Europe–Florence, Italy perhaps, trying to decide on which trattoria to frequent. I sit to read in its botanical wealth and am lost, not just in the book’s maze, but in the place, the green, the leafyness, the nowness of nature.

This place calls me to look up, to pause and see.

To view from unfamiliar perspectives and angles.

A tremendous perk of having place appreciation is that windows appear, and open (or shut), and allow you to see just what you desire to see. Or simply, and deliciously, to dream.

There’s power in place.

Both growth and potential growth. Both static and kinetic.

Sometimes sitting is all that’s needed in life. To embrace “is-ness,” accept “am-ness.” Breathing in, breathing out.

A sense and celebration of place, our place, they gift us with calm assurance that we are where we are, for good reason. That rhythm and movement take us (or keep us) where we need to be.

My backyard invites me to …

And such encouragement affirms the heart of this attempt at blogging.

Posted with Blogsy

Savannah Joy

Oh, the People You Meet at the Savannah Asian Festival!

Posted on June 24, 2012June 24, 2012 by Neal Saye

Yesterday I attended the 2012 Savannah Asian Festival at the Civic Center. What a fun experience.

(Isn’t this a beautiful picture? Uh, the one below, not above. Well, unless you want to say that the one above is also beautiful and be rewarded with, I don’t know, valuable prizes or something.)

I sort of borrowed/stole the above pic from the Facebook page of the beautiful Tuquyen Mach, reporter extraordinaire with WSAV here in Savannah and emcee for this year’s festival (as she was last year).

Here I am cornering the very gracious Tuguyen before she headed back onstage to announce the next festival act.

I love the great attendance at the various festivals held in Savannah. Everyone knows about our city’s St. Patrick’s Day and the Savannah Music Festival, both held each spring, but other events, such as the Irish Festival and this one, also bring out hordes of folks. The civic center was packed.

Hello! Hello! These golden waving cats are bestowing good luck on all passersby. I stood there an hour.

I met some of THE MOST fascinating people. Here I am with Tae Kwon Do Grand Master Jong H. Lee.

And here’s upbeat, helpful Oscar demonstrating his expertise with sais (traditional Okinawan martial arts weapons).

And look at this beautiful Thai princess. I think I was more impressed with her, than she with me. Without land and fortune (only blog fame), she refused to accept my proposal of marriage. Why didn’t I dress better?!

I met some very friendly folks from Crimson Art Henna, based out of Athens, GA. (Henna is an ancient art in which an organic paste is applied to the skin, leaving a reddish-brown stain that lasts from one to three weeks. www.CrimsonArt.com)

I ended up eating a WONDERFUL lunch of delicious rice noodles and savory beefsteak with onions from these ladies.

(For some reason, I think they got the distinct impression that I am famous. I MUST stop introducing myself with, “Hello, you look great! Care to have your picture taken with me? I’m a world famous blogger. No telling how many people around the planet will see this post! Now move to the left a little.)

I loved this festival and all these folks.

I got lost only once.

One of the high points for me was the performance of the Matsuriza Taiko Drummers. Here’s a tiny bit of it–when I joined in.

Okay, okay maybe not my finest video work to date, but you get the “sound” idea.

Here’s to you the bamboo of good fortune. May all blessings come your way!

Amazing festival! Go to 2013’s event. As a matter of fact, let’s all go together.

My only regret about this terrific event is that I didn’t get to hop up onstage and perform like I did at the Irish Festival. Oh well, as the Braves say, there’s always next year.

Savannah Joy

I’m a Famous Fashion Model

Posted on May 22, 2012May 23, 2012 by Neal Saye

Last Friday night I ventured into unfamiliar territory by attending the beautifully chic Looking Back to the Future: Ralph Rucci Evolved fashion exhibition and reception at the SCAD Museum of Art in downtown Savannah. (Not familiar with SCAD? It’s the Savannah College of Art and Design, with an incredible campus scattered all over the Historic District.) Here I am beforehand, perusing the invitation and trying to decide three things.

1. Who Ralph Rucci is. I thought at first that maybe he was related to Susan Lucci (aka Erica Kane–All My Children), before realizing I confused the “L” and “R” of the last name.

2. If “reception” might translate into “jumbo Savannah shrimp and mojitos.”

3. If (since this was a fashion event) I had anything cool to wear that wouldn’t make my butt look big. (Could I wear skinny jeans at my age?)

A bit of research revealed that Rucci is a well known American fashion designer, with a line called Chado Ralph Lucci (“chado” coming from Japanese tea ceremonies which pay close attention to detail and expertise). His work “always embodies the same formula: the collections present the most beautiful rainwear, outerwear, furs, leathers, embroidery and rich hand techniques, dance dresses, and drop-dead evening gowns.”

Not 100% sure why, I decided to go.

I’m so glad I did.

Because now I’m famous. (More about that later.)

I arrived about 6:30 p.m. at the amazingly beautiful museum, which was created within a crumbling National Historic Landmark railroad warehouse, part of the large Central of Georgia Railroad Depot complex.

Here I am with docent extraordinaire Brianne Shew (a SCAD Fashion Design student) who introduced me to the exhibition and explained that “couture” is high-quality, custom made clothing, usually with 80% or more of the piece hand sewn. (And I finally learned how to pronounce the word: “koo-toor”: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=couture.)

And here I am with one of the mannequins (right before I got a mean look/”no, no” headshake from another docent for getting too close to the mannequin/womannequin).

While browsing through the exhibit, I met a guy with the coolest pants. Upon introducing myself and my blog, I discovered that Mangue Banzima had recently moved with his family from New York and now owns Qui? Inc., an image consulting firm. Mangue is married to the lovely Isolde Brielmaier, art historian and chief curator of exhibitions of the SCAD museums. He writes a fascinating fashion blog: http://www.quistyle.com/blog (where you can see many photos from the Ralph Rucci exhibit). As a matter of fact, at his blog, Mangue welcomes your own fashion photo submissions.

And at one point Mangue took my picture and included it in his blog: http://www.quistyle.com/blog/page/5 (scroll down). WHY on earth didn’t I dress up more?! Still, since I’m now famous, from now on please treat me with the respect I deserve.

While at the museum I stuck my head in a couple of the other exhibits. Here I am sitting in the dark watching a video of frozen shoes sinking into a hole.

And, then, at another exhibit, trying to take a stand and march to my own beat:

But failing and succumbing to the crowd:

Oh well. Come on, join us.

I really had a wonderful time at the SCADMoA and the Rucci show. When you can, go!

Leaving, I said goodbye to yet another friendly and helpful Scadite, student Cory Elder, a SCAD painting major.

Moral of story: go where you haven’t gone before, try something new or challenging. Stretch. Who knows, you might become famous too.

P.S. If you have any suggestions for MY new fashion line, let me know ASAP. Thank you.

Joy in Nature, Savannah Joy

Earth Day 2012 — Reposted

Posted on April 25, 2012April 25, 2012 by Neal Saye

Did last weekend’s Earth Day register in your world? After talking to a number of folks so far this week, I saw that many were not aware of the special day which is dedicated to raising awareness of our most precious natural resource. So I decided to repost my Earth Day post (silliness and all).

Since everyday should be Earth Day, here’s hoping you have a great EARTH WEDNESDAY with me!

One of the most FUN aspects of living in the beautiful city of Savannah GA is enJoying the wide variety of festivals and events celebrated in the city (Savannah Music festival, Jewish Food Festival, Asian Festival, that big green one in mid-March, etc.). Well yesterday heralded another great celebration–Earth Day 2012–held in Savannah’s living room, Forsyth Park.

Let’s be honest–so often we take this amazing planet for granted, like air, and forget that our Earth is alive–and continually giving us life. Indeed, our JOY as humans is inseparable from the health of our planet. I love the Native American proverb, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”

I hope you have been taking the time this week to reflect on the beauty and generosity of our planet–and to consider ways to make her healthier and happier.

Last Saturday morning, I arrived at Savannah’s Forsyth Park about eleven, and the place was already packed with Earth Day-ers. For some reason (which I should probably discuss with my therapist) I headed straight for the little alligator and the big owl.

Confession: I stopped at the next tent initially because I saw a book being prominently featured, Holy Sh**: Managing Manure to Save Mankind by Gene Logsdon. (Should I start using it as a text in my comp classes?) I met a very cool guy named Andy Schwartz, founder and compost chief of Grow.Eat.Repeat., a Savannah-based sustainability organization.

Check out his fascinating and encouraging website at www.grow-eat-repeat.com. Andy also has a blog, so we’re blog brothers!

Next I ran into my buddy, the always hip, happy and upbeat Ellie Covington. (I want Ellie to help me buy some hats.)

Still sort of meandering aimlessly around the park (a major life strategy of mine), I saw these girls wearing tutus and fresh from their 5K run. Sometimes I don’t ask questions–I just try to go with the flow. (I noticed their breast cancer awareness ribbons, and then it hit me that they had participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. I plan to run in it next year … or maybe walk.)

(I think they thought I was famous. I might have told them I was.)

Walking around a corner I literally bumped into Mrs. Helen Cobham who asked if I wanted to play a game and win some vegetable or flower seeds. (Actually I misunderstood and thought she said vegetables or flowers, not just seeds. And I don’t have a yard. But wanting to be nice on Earth Day and all, I thought, why not?) In the game I had to name at least two of earth’s cycles in order to win a prize.

Okay, now listen, let me tangent talk a bit and explain an issue I’ve had all my life. If someone asks me a question out of the blue, I go blank, like Lady Gaga at a beef gorging festival, or answer quickly and foolishly before thinking. For example, in the 8th grade by a MIRACLE OF GOD, I made it to the one-word final of the class spelling bee. I was given the word, “Georgia.” I knew I had won as I immediately jumped up and down and blurted out “J.E.O.R.G.I.A.”! Face beet red. But really, J and G are sort of alike.

Earth’s cycles? Hmmm. All I could think of was the word “motorcycle” at first and then the “cycle of life” and finally the “cycle of seasons,” which I knew HAD to be the right answer, so I yelled, “THE SEASONS!!,” like Oprah shrieking for her audience members to feel under their seats for a new Ipad. Helen looked at me with pity, and at the same time a man nudged me and pointed at the game poster board (I got the impression he thought HE was about to win a truckload of vegetables and wanted the competition gone). Looking at the board, I saw that the cycles (nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, etc.) were actually written in various sentences there. End result:

(Which, when all is said and done, makes me feel a little better about the spelling bee.)

Feeling on a winner’s high, I kept going, stopping in awe (really) at Elizabeth Conlon’s amazing display of herbs and vegetables growing from a tower planter device:

Take a look at Elizabeth’s tower gardens at www.elizabethc.towergarden.com.

Here I am with two fun and friendly bread and pasta makers:

One of my favorite stops was a short visit with gentle-spirited and wonderfully encouraging (as well as talented) Matthew Cooper and his didgeridoos, the grand instruments in the pics below.

Listen to his music at www.DreamtimeSynastry.com.

At one point I saw an empty tent booth, decided to take advantage of it, and offer a service of my own:

Oh, my service?

All I can say is I know a WHOLE lot of folks who are going to be sorry one of these days.

Seriously, I LOVED the message of the festival: let’s all take part in the loving care of our planet.

A hardworking fun group of eco-students from Savannah State:

Oh and I won the door prize!

(Helicopter rides available soon … with famous blogger.)

WHAT A HAPPY, HAPPY EARTH DAY!

P.S. If I missed any vendor that I visited with, and you would like your info added, please share it in the comment section, and I will make amends.

For those who are interested, I’m including a wonderful poem, “Planet Earth.”

Planet Earth

It has to be spread out, the skin of this planet,
has to be ironed, the sea in its whiteness;
and the hands keep on moving,
smoothing the holy surfaces.

‘In Praise of Ironing’, PABLO NERUDA

It has to be loved the way a laundress loves her linens,
the way she moves her hands caressing the fine muslins
knowing their warp and woof,
like a lover coaxing, or a mother praising.
It has to be loved as if it were embroidered
with flowers and birds and two joined hearts upon it.
It has to be stretched and stroked.
It has to be celebrated.
O this great beloved world and all the creatures in it.
It has to be spread out, the skin of this planet.

The trees must be washed, and the grasses and mosses.
They have to be polished as if made of green brass.
The rivers and little streams with their hidden cresses
and pale-coloured pebbles
and their fool’s gold
must be washed and starched or shined into brightness,
the sheets of lake water
smoothed with the hand
and the foam of the oceans pressed into neatness.
It has to be ironed, the sea in its whiteness;

and pleated and goffered, the flower-blue sea
the protean, wine-dark, grey, green, sea
with its metres of satin and bolts of brocade.
And sky – such an O! overhead – night and day
must be burnished and rubbed
by hands that are loving
so the blue blazons forth
and the stars keep on shining
within and above
and the hands keep on moving.

It has to be made bright, the skin of this planet
till it shines in the sun like gold leaf.
Archangels then will attend to its metals
and polish the rods of its rain.
Seraphim will stop singing hosannas
to shower it with blessings and blisses and praises
and, newly in love,
we must draw it and paint it
our pencils and brushes and loving caresses
smoothing the holy surfaces.

From Planet Earth: Poems Selected and New, by P.K. Page
Copyright © P.K. Page, 2002

You can also hear the poet read her work:

Breaking News, Joy in Nature, Savannah Joy

Happy Earth Day 2012 — Part Two

Posted on April 22, 2012May 5, 2021 by Neal Saye

I hope you take the time this week to reflect on the beauty and generosity of our planet–and to consider ways to make her healthier and happier.

Yesterday morning, I arrived at Savannah’s Forsyth Park about eleven, and the place was already packed with Earth Day-ers. For some reason (which I should probably discuss with my therapist) I headed straight for the little alligator and the big owl.

Check out his fascinating and encouraging website at www.grow-eat-repeat.com. Andy also has a blog, so we’re blog brothers!

Next I ran into my buddy, the always hip, happy and upbeat Ellie Covington. (I want Ellie to help me buy some hats.)

(I think they thought I was famous. I might have told them I was.)

(Which, when all is said and done, makes me feel a little better about the spelling bee.)

Feeling on a winner’s high, I kept going, stopping in awe (really) at Elizabeth Conlon’s amazing display of herbs and vegetables growing from a tower planter device:

Take a look at Elizabeth’s tower gardens at www.elizabethc.towergarden.com.

Here I am with two fun and friendly bread and pasta makers:

One of my favorite stops was a short visit with gentle-spirited and wonderfully encouraging (as well as talented) Matthew Cooper and his didgeridoos, the grand instruments in the pics below.

Listen to his music at www.DreamtimeSynastry.com.

At one point I saw an empty tent booth, decided to take advantage of it, and offer a service of my own:

Oh, my service?

All I can say is I know a WHOLE lot of folks who are going to be sorry one of these days.

Seriously, I LOVED the message of the festival: let’s all take part in the loving care of our planet.

A hardworking fun group of eco-students from Savannah State:

Oh and I won the door prize!

(Helicopter rides available soon … with famous blogger.)

WHAT A HAPPY, HAPPY EARTH DAY!

P.S. If I missed any vendor that I visited with, and you would like your info added, please share it in the comment section, and I will make amends.

For those who are interested, I’m including a wonderful poem, “Planet Earth.”

Planet Earth

It has to be spread out, the skin of this planet,
has to be ironed, the sea in its whiteness;
and the hands keep on moving,
smoothing the holy surfaces.

‘In Praise of Ironing’, PABLO NERUDA

You can also hear the poet read her work:

Five Friday Happy Bringers, Savannah Joy

Five Friday Happy Bringers (4/20/12)

Posted on April 20, 2012April 20, 2012 by Neal Saye

Friday! Five Things:

1. Rainbows. I saw this double rainbow on my way home from work from Statesboro to Savannah.

2. Elephant Ears. (There’s a long true story here involving New Orleans, Cafe Du Monde, a fortune teller and late night. But that’s for another post.)

3. Learning how to be happier. And taking voluntary steps toward that goal.

4. Chilling out at Chili’s. Last night I went to Chili’s for those spicy chicken crispers (yum).

The visit was made more fun by running into Tiffani, a Chili’s worker extraordinaire (whom I had not seen in quite a while). Tiffani ALWAYS has a smile and a laugh. She radiates happiness. Here she is (and of course I had to give her a blog card).

Go Tiffani!

5. Being able to breathe deeply and feel the essence of life flowing in and out of my body.

HAPPY WEEKEND TO YOU ALL!

Savannah Joy

Tybee or Not Tybee?

Posted on April 15, 2012April 17, 2012 by Neal Saye

Sunday has always been a mixed-blessing day to me. I realize that technically (at least from the Christian church perspective) Sunday is the BEGINNING of the new week, right? But let’s be honest–doesn’t it really feel more like the end? Right now it’s 8:58 p.m., and little tears are beginning to form in my eyes because the weekend is at its close.

BUT WHAT A GRAND SUNDAY I HAD!

First, I slept in and walked to J. Christopher’s for an interesting-looking and delicious-tasting breakfast, their spinach-bacon skillet:

Capital Y Yum. (But seriously, does it look more like a skeleton, a rabbit or Mickey Mouse to you? I couldn’t decide.)

Now this next part is bad, and you will probably judge me and call me mean names, such as “heathen” and “reprobate,” but I decided to skip my usual Sunday morning church attendance today. I’m not sure why. Instead, feeling aromatic, I wandered around Savannah’s historic district and smelled gardens. Then I drove to Tybee Island to smell the salt watery beach. (Part of the reasoning here went something like this: “Walking beside the ocean waves and breathing deeply will be like having a gigantic Neti Pot working on my allergies.” I’m so good at affirmations now that I can come up with one to justify ’bout anything: “This maple frosted Dunkin Donuts donut is a warm, joyful nugget of golden comfort and love.” )

When I crossed the bridge onto the island and got to the light at Chu’s, something told me (I like how “something told me” sounds–as if I’m a big-time metaphysical) to turn left and go to the lighthouse. So I did. The rest of today’s post will be primarily visual, with few commercial interruptions–just an occassional/explanatory/superfluous note.

I don’t know what made me want to fire upon the lighthouse. But after being told to leave the property, I RAN down to the beach, rolled up my jeans, (Isn’t that supposed to be cool? If so, why was I the ONLY one on the beach with long pants, and why didn’t it occur to me to wear something like, I don’t know, a bathing suit?!) and pretended to be a famous blogger looking for material.

Here I am standing on a rock. Remember, Sunday is a slow news day.

And here I am posing with a beautiful couple, Tamara and Pernell, that I ran into (okay, interrupted) as they were being photographed in various spots along the gorgeous, sparkling beach.

All in all a really fun afternoon at the ocean.

Five Friday Happy Bringers, Savannah Joy

Five Friday Happy Bringers (4/13/12)

Posted on April 13, 2012April 14, 2012 by Neal Saye

Hey, hey, it’s wonderful Friday once again, and here are Five Things I’m happy about:

1. Today, enjoying so much a great lunchtime experience at Back in the Day Bakery on Bull Street in Savannah. I’ve eaten there before (oh gosh, their cupcakes!) but noon today was especially fun and scrumptious. I ordered the meaty State Fair sandwich, two lavender cookies (yes, lavender) and sweet tea. While at the counter, I noticed a brand new Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook and learned that the owners are on a book tour and will be appearing on Martha Stewart on Monday. (I want to appear on Martha Stewart.)

Here’s cool and hip Stephanie serving the State Fair:

And here’s Stephanie with a couple of beautiful co-workers in front of the new cookbook:

2. Appreciating smart people who can do amazing feats like build bridges. The old drawbridge leading onto Skidaway Island was up when I drove out to visit my daughter this afternoon. A brand new TALL bridge is being built. You can see part of it in this pic I took from my car.

I just find it so amazing that the bridge is going up because of ideas and plans and drawings made by women and men. I need to be smarter.

3. We found out this week that Emily’s twins are one of each–a boy and a girl!

4. The excitement of the promise and newness of springtime.

5. Play

Have a good tasting, smart, twin-sized, playful, spring weekend!