2. Finding beauty—even in a pollen-encrusted pond.
Actually, I think I see a face in there. Do you? I hope he has some Flonase.
3. The amazing and usually taken-for-granted ability to go to a grocery store and buy food. What a privilege and joy!
4. Grandson Daniel running into one of his Savannah buddies in Manhattan last week when he was taking a prospective NYU student tour.
5. Speaking of buddies, here are our Travel Buddies.
See them?
Wait, I haven’t told you about them?! Three little stuffed animals that Robert and I have given to each other over the years. And they go with us on every one of our adventures.
Alvin the Chipmunk, because, according to Robert, I look like him.
So as some of you know, if you follow my blog, HR’s (Husband Robert’s) older cat Boopers passed away recently.
It was a tough transition for Robert.
Robert and Boopers
Boopers’ “brother” Benny has also had a difficult time adjusting to life without Boopers. Especially at night. They often slept together.
Robert and Benny
So Robert recently ordered a HuggieKitty … “companion” for Benny.
DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THESE THINGS?!
HuggieKitty has a heartbeat!
HuggieKitty can purr!
HuggieKitty even has an insertable heat pack to simulate body warmth!
My first thought when HuggieKitty arrived:
“Robert, do you really think Benny is stupid enough to think that is a real cat?! He is much smarter than that. He will have NOTHING to do with … HuggieKitty“
OKAY
P.S. I have ordered a HuggieKitty for myself in case Robert gets a job as a night watchman, or something.
My daily snapshot of Robert’s and my 2023 trip to get away from Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day parade and celebrations.
This morning, after checking out of our cabin at Red Top Mountain State Park in north Georgia, we headed to Atlanta and Emory University to see a couple of exhibits at the Michael Marcos Museum of Art. We visited it before, loved it and have wanted to return.
We never try to go through an entire museum in a single visit, instead spending a bit of time in only one or two areas that peek our interest.
I was especially fascinated by this Chicago street photographer’s black and white paired photos of Chicago’s poorer districts.
Next, Robert seemed to spend an eternity in the Egyptian afterlife exhibit. It really was fascinating. With real mummies!
And here’s HR in the current life interrupting a museum tour on the level below. See him?
I was eavesdropping on a docent-led tour below, and pretended not to know him.
Whew. The things I put up with.
The Egyptians made us hungry, so we headed to Mary Mac’s Tea Room for their southern fried chicken.
Along with sweet potato soufflé, and collard greens with pot liquor.
To burn off some of the calories and to get outside, we rushed over to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens to see the tulips and their new Trolls (!) installation.
I’ll tell you more about the Trolls in other posts.
What a fun third day on our Savannah Saint Patrick’s day escape trip!
So as you regulars know, Robert and I live in beautiful Historic District Savannah … and we’re directly on the route of the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade—one of the largest and longest and “liveliest” (i.e. alcohol-laden) in the nation.
Sidebar: After I retired from my career in the Department of Writing and Linguistics at Georgia Southern University, an hour north of Savannah, I headed down to Savannah. Found a neat little apartment, which was directly on the parade route. I loved those few early years of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and even hosted several parties. Then later when Robert and I moved a few blocks over just off Washington Square, we found ourselves again on the parade route. That sounds convenient and fun, right? Well, we quickly grew tired of the hundreds of thousands of folks who descended upon our small city, with an annual contingent camping outside our apartment the night before the parade, partying noisily throughout the entire night, trampling our outdoor plants, and … using the bathroom in our little alley.
So we started our annual tradition of heading outta Dodge for the week around St. Patrick’s Day.
I thought I’d volunteer to keep you posted on our shenanigans this year so you wouldn’t have to ask.
After hauling as many of our outdoor potted plants inside as we could manage, alerting the cat sitter, and saying a prayer of protection over our abode, we rushed out of the SAV with an Irish blessing.
We headed to north Georgia, stopping in Atlanta for lunch and a visit to our favorite Atlanta artsy destination —the High Museum of Art.
I questioned HR’s gayness when I found him photographing and flirting with an indecisive woman.
He thinks his smile can always get him out of trouble. Ha!
Storming away from him, I went into the craft area, found a large piece of poster paper, and created a little art of my own, which they quickly hung in the Beginner’s Gallery.
Back on speaking terms, we looked at a few more pieces.
Can you sit in/on these?
Deciding we couldn’t, Robert and I drove north of Atlanta to the first destination of our little getaway, a cabin at Red Top Mountain State Park on beautiful Lake Allatoona.
A late afternoon hike.
Here’s Robert conquering … a rock.
Why can’t hills be flat?
OK, enough of this foolishness. I’m eating Robert’s dinner off the grill. See you tomorrow.
1. A beautiful spring (almost) morning walk yesterday around Savannah’s Forsyth Park. Here’s Robert trying to steal the show. But I think the azaleas won.
The azaleas are actually breathtaking for this early in March.
2. The beauty of pine cones.
3. Reaching one thousand (!) meditation sessions this week.
4. Attending the coolest outdoor workshop yesterday evening over on Skidaway Island at the University of Georgia’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography.
For two hours approaching sunset, we hiked among the old growth live oaks and the marsh, ending up at the boardwalk on Wilmington River.
The workshop was for photographers (which HR is, as many of you know). I went along for the ride, walking around and pointing my iPhone camera here and there in what I hoped conveyed a confident “Just look at the depth of field I can evoke from that angle, not to mention the aspect ratio and exposure compensation” sensibility.
Like here …
Don’t I look like I’m doing all those words I said above?Now that’s a tree trunk. HR and some Spanish Moss
And here he is worrying me by getting too close to the muddy marsh and the lurking alligators that are abundant in the area.
NealEnJoy 