Savannah – Page 8

Sunday Evening Shenanigans

Posted on March 16, 2025March 16, 2025 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”).

Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 2/28/25

Posted on February 28, 2025 by Neal Saye

My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.

1. Signs of approaching Springtime in Savannah.

2. The ability to hear. And to mindfully know, in the moment, that we are hearing.

3. Boardwalks. Especially as they weather and age a bit.

4. This cool sign we came upon this morn in Savannah’s eclectic and edgy Victorian District.

5. Rest.

May you have a restful weekend ahead.

Beautiful Savannah

There’s a Story Here Somewhere

Posted on February 25, 2025February 26, 2025 by Neal Saye

Walking through Savannah’s Colonial Park Cemetery this morning with HR, we came across this bench.

There has to be a story somewhere. Is the story’s central character Mary Helen Ray, whose name is on the bench?

Or maybe one of the nearly 700 folks who died during a yellow fever epidemic in Savannah: “The most macabre bit of history involves a subtly tweaked fact on a historical marker about the yellow fever. According to the marker, ‘nearly 700’ victims of the 1820 yellow fever epidemic were buried in a mass grave, but historical records allegedly show that exactly 666 people are buried in the grave. Nearly 700, indeed.” savannahnow.com.

Here’s a link to an interesting story about Colonial Park Cemetery:

https://www.savannahnow.com/story/lifestyle/2021/08/04/savannah-history-cemeteries-colonial-park-yellow-fever-deaths-graves/5476392001/#

Oh, and for extra credit, here is Robert sitting in a bunch of ginkgo biloba leaves at one of the entrances to Colonial Park Cemetery …

That’s probably a story in itself.

Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 2/21/25

Posted on February 21, 2025 by Neal Saye

My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.

1. The amazingly resilient beauty of Savannah’s Resurrection Fern.

The green plant growing on the live oak tree behind me, Pleopeltis polypodioides, commonly known as Resurrection Fern, is “a native plant known for its ability to survive extreme dehydration and revive when exposed to water. Appearance and behavior: During dry periods, the fern shrivels and turns brown, resembling a dead clump of leaves. It can lose up to 97% of its water content, while most plants can only tolerate a 10% loss.”

“When it rains, the fern uncurls and turns green within hours.” National Wildlife Federation

(I need a little of what it has!)

2. Recognizing that two out of three isn’t bad.

High School Basketballer Grandson Gabriel practicing three-pointers

3. Going on a fascinating Savannah Port Tour this week.

Savannah has one of the busiest ports in the nation. We live a few blocks from the Savannah River, walk along it often but have never toured the port.

Fascinating!

Here we are with our nee bestie tour buddies.

There’s also a massive yacht repair facility …

The white structure to the right is actually a large yacht which had been “shrink wrapped” for some kind of moisture-control work.

What a fun couple of hours.

4. The joy of simple, delicious food.

I love being able to pull my grandmother’s large cast iron skillet off our cool, little rack …

… and toss in a couple of seasoned chicken thighs, along with whatever vegetables are on hand (cherry tomatoes, carrots and onions this time).

5. The truth of this little placard outside a business on a recent morning walk here in Savannah.

Whatever your definition of “good” may be, may you have it this day … and this weekend.

Art Joy

Drag On

Posted on February 17, 2025 by Neal Saye

In a recent post, I mentioned that one of the major donors for the current Savannah Performing Arts Festival withdrew his funding because the festival was to include a section on the Art of Drag.

Art. Key word …. “Art.”

This injustice, of course, follows a dangerously growing trend led by the Trump regime to damage/destroy trans and LGBTQ rights in the United States, a country that proclaims liberty and justice FOR ALL.

Apparently, “ALL” now means white and straight.