Wednesday, December 15, 2010

More Savannah Photos

Ivy covered apartments
Lily fountain in the back gardens of the Thomas Home
Street of stones
Bright berries on an espaliered shrub in a formal garden.
The garden path
 Last of fall
 River front shop
Gray brick street
Palm
Wrought iron stairway
River front side of upper street buildings
The Savannah Queen
Airplane passing low over the river
Old train depot
Back of statue at Telfair Mansion and art museum.
 My favorite shop display
 Cook's mobile
Wonderful trees in one of the 22 town squares
A store front and staircase to apartments
High class apartments
 Table made of a bald cypress log
Spreading oak trees
Ivy  and moss clinging to a wrought iron fence above a brick wall
Brickwork and ivy on an old house 
Gate to a cobblestone courtyard beside an old church building
My sky window
A slate tiled sidewalk
A mansion with a widow's walk
 Fountain in Forsyth Park
Formal garden in winter

What a great southern porch!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Savannah,Georgi— a Beautiful Place


 Savannah Georgia is a lovely place to visit even in December. Ron and I were there  to attend an aircraft convention. Ron taught pilots and worked in the showroom selling engines and answering questions. 


I toured the city taking photographs and drinking in the sights, shopping and exploring. The streets are famed for magnificent live oak trees, but I saw many palms.


 I loved the way this old building looked for the riverfront. It now is home of the Chart House restaurant. I imagined a place for sailors to buy or study voyage charts and maps of the oceans and ports. We had a fine dinner here. Ron ate blackened salmon and I had lobster. We were seated inside one of the windows on the far side upstairs with a night view of the river.

This boat was parked at the riverfront and in season is used for dinner cruises on the Savannah River.


This is the view from our hotel window. The balcony is above the fourth floor.

The cobblestone river street. 
A tourist enjoying a pedicab ride.
 Strings of lights run up the palm trees.

Yachts frequent the river dock. 

 I always look for birds.
 Vic's on the Riiver. Our favorite dessert was served here after an elegant dinner. t was called The Berry Basket. The "basket" was made of pecan pastry--thin and lacy. The berries were raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries. They were topped with ice cream and drizzled with a special creamy syrup.
The ferry boat was decorated with this figure.

The ferry boat took us to and from the convention center several times a day.

What do you think of this little tourist wearing her mother's sunglasses? What a solemn pose for a child dressed so brightly.






 The cotton Exchange building, which once was a center for all sales and shipment of cotton on the river. 


 Fire bombing demonstration above the river.
 The center of Old City Market, where the original farmer's market was once locate, is now a cluster of tourist shops.

Telfair art building (Note the bird on the statue's head.)
  I loved the wrought iron balconies, stair rails, and fences.
Shops and art galleries are everywhere.


Mansion houses sit in quiet majesty along narrow streets.
 Live oaks on one of the 22 city squares that serve as parks.


My new friend Doris and I ate at Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House on Jones Street. There was the finest fried chicken I have ever experienced. Each table seated ten people and and twenty-four serving dishes were passed around filled with such foods as creamed corn , biscuits, peas, butter beans, squash, turnips, greens and salad, sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes, cornbread, dressing, cabbage, etc., with  banana pudding for dessert and sweet iced tea to wash it down.


The sun reflected off the windows behind a row of crepe myrtle trees.


 Iron work and amazing window frames.


Many old brick buildings with fancy designs.

 The oldest live oak tree. It is located in Forsyth Park.
 Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is a Catholic church open for tours. Doris and I were in awe.

 Tug boats escorted huge ships past my hotel window.


 The streets and sidewalks were brick, gray bricks, tiled or patterned red bricks. Elegant  walking for pigeons.

 Little school girls getting off the ferry. It was a cold but sunny morning.

 I can't resist taking pictures of interesting plants.
 And awesome huge trees.
 More iron stair rails and posts.
 Marble columns and iron stair rails.
 Fallen leaves on the brick sidewalk.

 An interesting fellow named Fletcher.

 Inside the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist  are arching ceilings, stained glass windows, 
and a fantastic pipe organ.



Ah, orange berries are winter's flowers.

 Railroad building.(One of my favorites.)


I visited the River Street Sweets candy store and watched as they dipped trays of caramel apples and spooned up pecan pralines. Can you smell them?


This is the lobby of the Hyatt Hotel where we stayed. After our first night, we were switched to a nice third floor suite that overlooked the Savannah River. It was very comfortable.


A gray brick street.

 Trees strung with moss gracing a park. I enjoyed seeing this wreath of apples and berries on a balcony.

 Another balcony  was decorated for the holidays with a tree and large red bows.

 The gate in the wall.


 A poinsetta stairway to a three story home.
Brick design of the city streets. 
What a beautiful place to walk. Some day I hope to go back to Georgia and see more of Savannah, tour more mansions, and taste again the fine southern foods and seafoods of the coast. I also hope to go out to Little Tybee Island and see the lighthouse and to Wormsloe Plantation. (Yes, I did eat at Paula Deen's restaurant, Lady and Sons.)