Sunday, August 24, 2014

Heat Wave

Well, we did not come home with a t-shirt, not because we didn't make it to Jen's & Friends, but because they were OUT of them! According to our new friend Julie, another bar owner, August is the slowest tourist month in Savannah, so, many places are out of t-shirts because they need the revenue for every day stuff. Priorities, it's all about priorities.
It is no wonder the tourists stay away because I can tell you it was hot as the dickens! We stayed in an old hotel, a converted cotton warehouse with no swimming pool; as you can imagine, I was longing for one after a hot day of sightseeing. Although I got a good deal on The River Street Inn on Hotels.com, the front side is on E. Bay Street, while the back, pictured above, is on River Street, the main tourist drag, I'm not entirely sure if I can recommend it. If we were to go back to Savannah, I think we'd stay off Broughton Street which is touristy, but not so much.
Of course, I'm getting ahead of myself. You won't be surprised that we stopped several times on our way: first one at Cracker Barrel in Daytona Beach, adjacent to the Speedway.
It was to be a treat for Bruce, but sadly there was super slow service, as well as mediocre food. Onwards to our next stop in St. Augustine. Pray tell, why did we go there? Our friend Dana recently bought a loft in the historic district where she is dying for us to stay for a few nights. Using our handy iPad we were able to navigate the tiny streets to find it. Super cute, and in such a neat location, across the street from this.
It is a well worn tale how we had our two day honeymoon in St. Augustine 41 years ago making it only appropriate to stop! While Bruce took a little nap, I did a bit of roaming; already the heat was blazing! Adjacent to her loft is a beautiful Anglican church.
Back on the road with the air conditioning blasting, we first made our way through Jacksonville, and thank God Bruce was driving because heavy construction on an interstate makes me a nervous wreck when I'm behind the wheel.
Just after entering Georgia, I drove while Bruce was the sightseer and navigator. Truth be told, there is not much to navigate as it is pretty much a straight shot up I-95, but we like staying informed about where we are. 

Instead of taking I-16 into the city, we took the previous exit because Bruce wanted me to drive by an Olive Garden he built there 14 years ago--still looks great. This proved to be perfect because, not only did we get to see the Savannah where the tourists don't go, but it was a good route to get to our first stop, Wormsloe Historic Site, which used to be called Wormsloe Plantation, a name change for obvious reasons. 
What an interesting place! Not only do you learn about the history of Georgia, but the scenery is magnificent. Built by a man named Noble Jones,
who not only had an awesome name, but living up to that name, he played an integral part in shaping Georgia. His accomplishments are too numerous to list; I was especially attracted to his past as a carpenter. It was not he, but his son who planted 400 live oak trees lining the entrance. Spread over 1 1/2 miles, it is not only gorgeous, but the shade is most welcome!
We took the guided tour to the tabby ruins, 
where we learned the meaning of tabby, a word I was most curious about. Are you? Okay--here it is: tabby was dirt mixed with oyster shells and such for building. Now you know.

In spite of the extreme heat, our group pressed on to see the salt marshes,
where water once flowed out to sea before a recent highway project. It is hard to imagine, but there were dozens of little crabs roaming the ground beside the fallen cypress tree.  So, here's what we learned in this spot--all along I-95 there are signs touting the Golden Isles of Georgia, which as it turns out, got it's name from the grasses you see pictured above. In the fall, they turn brownish, and at sundown they allegedly glow golden. Or so he said. 

I wonder how Matt would like baking bread in the oven shown adjacent to the little house below?
Although it was great, I can tell you, I was most grateful to get back into air conditioning! By now the temperature soared to a toasty 97 degrees! 

After finding the hotel, parking the car across the street, and seeing our room, we went back out into the heat. Fortunately, the squares provide some shade making the walk bearable. These guys were making the best of the long summer nights.
Although we talked to them, I'm not sure which one makes the paintings.

So Jen's was just a few blocks away on Bull Street. Arriving at a good time, there were still some seats to be had in the tiny bar where "one and done" was our rule on this visit.  (see previous post) I had some concoction with muddled cilantro, gin, jalapeno juice, and lots of ICE! Bruce tried the Blackberry Lemondrop martini which was way too delicious! While there our friendly bartender recommended a few places to eat, one of which was Baracuda Bob's just down River Street from our hotel. Although newish, with a gorgeous bar, my pimento cheese with green tomato relish and bacon was disappointing.
It is Georgia, for crying out loud, how could the pimento cheese not be delicious?? Hot spicing, that's how. 

A little roaming on River Street, following dinner, and it was bed time for this older couple. Thank God the air conditioning worked beautifully in the room. Good night Savannah. Good night heat.

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