Tag: Fun

Posted in Holiday Joy, Holidays and Seasonal Changes

Sunday Evening Shenanigans

Posted on by Neal Saye

It’s St. Patrick’s Day eve, and as Robert and I have done the last five or six years, we hightail it out of Dodge (well, Savannah).

“Why,” you may be asking. “Doesn’t Savannah have one of the nation’s largest and most celebrated St. Patrick’s Day bashes/parades?”

Yes, it does. And we have enjoyed them in the past.

But here comes the rub. I moved to Savannah back in 2009, as I was semi-retiring from Georgia Southern University (about an hour north of SAV). I have lived in two Savannah locations , and (incredibly) BOTH were directly on the parade route, which initially sounded great. And I suppose initially it was.

But as the years went by, I began to see aspects of the parade’s insanity. Don’t get me wrong, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations can be so much fun and meaningful: the Greening of the Fountains, the Celtic Cross Ceremony in Emmet Park, the Jasper Green Ceremony in Madison Square, etc.

Savannah’s population is around 150.000, and the parade usually draws at least that many more visitors. And living on the parade route, we have witnessed disappointing human behavior outside our door. Our potted plants being trampled, thrown and broken on the pavement, even urinated upon. (TMI?). Partiers loudly camping outside our door all night the night before the parade.

So anyway, we drove an hour or so south of us to St. Simons Island to a quaint little retro motel (not hotel). Queen’s Court Inn:

We are currently high-energetically super-celebrating St. Patty Eve.

My helpers:

And Robert’s:

It’s deliciously quiet here. And raining softly outside.

celebrate (with a small “c”).

Posted in My Saturday Evening Post

My Saturday Evening Post: 3/8/25 “Gee, What an Airbnb!”

Posted on by Neal Saye

As I mentioned in Friday’s post, Robert and I drove up to Macon, GA, a couple of hours north of Savannah, and checked into a very cool and quirky Airbnb.

The purpose of our trip was to pick up our prizes for participating in the 2024 Georgia Farm Passport program.

Passport: https://search.app/9k7FNoMwS8SUNt2NA

But back to a few interesting features of our Airbnb.

First, look at its frig!

Guests leave notes about their stay.

And when you walk into the living room, you see this:

A simple set of stairs.

Or are they?

And I loved the old trees with Spanish moss in front of the Southern mansion (which had been divided into units for apartments and Airbnb rentals).

I found a description of the trees taped on one of the living room walls:

“The elegant specimen trees out front are Deodar Cedars. Deodar derives from Sanskrit that translates to “timber of the gods.” The tree is native to the Himalayas, where it has been known to reach 250′ tall. It was introduced to Europe in 1822 and to the United States nine years later. This tree is sacred in Hinduism. It produces rose-shaped cones and aromatic oil that naturally deters insects.”

I gathered some of the cones. They really do look like brown roses.

So much more fun than a Holiday Inn Express.

And that’s my Saturday Evening Post.

Posted in The Artful Dodger, Unexpected Art

“The Artful Dodger“ #25

Posted on by Neal Saye

A blog category about finding “art” in unexpected places and situations.

So Robert and I were at Whole Foods today shopping for a few (emphasis “few”) things: his deionized water (don’t get me started), dried porcini mushrooms (don’t get me started, again — one of his recipes) and my white balsamic vinegar, which I REALLY needed for an incredible salad dressing that I have fallen in love with. (I’m a retired English professor, so I know better than to end a sentence with a proposition, but who cares? I’m retired.)

We were successful with finding the water and the white balsamic vinegar. And all went well until we got to the checkout counter.

For some reason when we tried to scan the white balsamic vinegar, it said “Price cannot be resolved” as if we were in some United Nations mediation.

The delightfully beautiful clerk went to try to figure out what the “Resolve” issue was. She came back, beaming and said “It’s free!“

Our (my) white balsamic vinegar when we got home, proudly standing on our counter.

So then (we’re back at Whole Foods now) we went onto our next item, fresh Turmeric!

Okay, explanation. I have been having a bit of an issue with high blood pressure lately. I have been trying to incorporate both fresh ginger and fresh turmeric into our diet.

I put the turmeric down on the scale thingy.

Walked a little closer.

Walked a little closer still and saw her.

Do you see her? She’s walking to the left with a healthy gait. Encouraging me!

HEALTHY ART! AT WHOLE FOODS!

Posted in Robert and …

“Robert and … #44”

Posted on by Neal Saye

A blog category of pics I’ve taken of HR (Hubby Robert) and … well, just about anything.

Robert and … a big hunk of Roquefort cheese.

TIB (Truth in Blogging): I have never bought a hunk of blue cheese before. I usually buy it as a container of crumbles. I was surprised at how much more succulently moist it was compared to my lowly crumbles.

Blue cheese seems to be one of those foods that people either love or hate. Similar to oysters.

TIB 2: HR doesn’t like oysters.

TIB 3: HR doesn’t like blue cheese.

TIB 4: I still like HR.

Here he is, dramatically explaining something or other. I can’t remember what. I wasn’t paying much attention. I was too focused on my blue cheese.

“Roquefort is one of the oldest known cheeses. It was reportedly the favourite cheese of the emperor Charlemagne, and in France it is called le fromage des rois et des papes (the cheese of kings and popes).” Brittanica.com

So what exactly is Roquefort cheese?

“Roquefort is a blue cheese with a unique flavor profile that originates from the picturesque Roquefort-sur-Soulzon region in France. Its distinctively rich, tangy taste and creamy texture have made it an enthusiast’s favorite among cheese lovers around the world. This cheese, aged for three to five months in local limestone caves, holds a protected designation of origin (PDO) status.” cheese.com

thefoodpoet.com
Posted in My Saturday Evening Post

My Saturday Evening Post: 2/15/25 “Mercurial Time”

Posted on by Neal Saye

Robert and I drove down to Jacksonville, Florida recently to pick up our new Series 10 Apple Watches. We were long overdue for upgrades. I had the old Series 4 watch, while Robert had the 6.

I’m still not sure I’m smart enough to understand “smart” watches. I remember a watch being this little device you put on your wrist to tell you the time of day. But, oh no, how yesteryear foolish that belief is! The current time is at the very bottom of the hierarchy of smart watch “capabilities.”

AI OVERVIEW

Wait. I can ovulate? I didn’t know that!

After we got our little computers attached to our wrists, HR and I headed over to The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens near Jacksonville’s Five Points neighborhood to sit a while in the sunshine by the St. John’s River and look cool and … timely.

Frustrated that no one was commenting on my coolness, I started walking around the gardens.

When, lo and behold, I suddenly came face to face with … Mercury!

Do you remember Mercury from your little bit of mythology in school? If not, here’s a brief review.

“Mercury was the Roman god of commerce, messengers, eloquence, travelers, and trickery. In the Roman polytheistic religion of many deities, Mercury was one of the most important. He even earned a rank amongst the Dii Consentes, the 12 most important gods and goddesses in Rome.” Study.com

I was pretty impressed with his resume, BUTT …

…he made no comment about my Apple Watch coolness, so I wasted no time and moved on.