Savannah, Georgia (Once Upon A Time in the South East, Part I)

When you're a player of the worlds largest online video game, you get to meet people from all over. Most of them will come and go, known only by a screen name and an avatar. Occasionally, you get an email address or a Facebook profile invitation. In some instances, people find love. I have been lucky enough to have met a small number people I consider true friends, and though in some cases we've never met in person, some know me better than people I see every day.

In February of 2013, I was afforded the opportunity to not only meet some of my WoW friends, but to bear witness to one of the most significant days of their lives. It was my first trip to America, and while it was only a week-long visit, it was the highlight of my year.

I start in Savannah, Georgia, where, after getting lost in the Atlanta airport and missing our original flight, we were welcomed into the home of Bo and Taylor.

First breakfast: real, actual, not-imported-across-the-border Krispy Kreme! I specifically noticed the English spelling of doughnut. Hmm... are we sure we're in the U.S.?

Heh, yup. Definitely the U.S.

We spent a good part of a day touring the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Airforce. I'm not a big history or military fanatic, but this is a must-see if you're in Savannah. The site is large and well laid out, and the displays are eye-catching, interesting, and interactive.

There is also an entire wing devoted to the actions of women who filled in at home, and those who took part overseas in military service.

 Also of note, at the beginning of the tour, there was a class of children no more than 6 or 7 years old, if that. They were sitting on the floor in front of a map of Nazi Germany and a lady stood in front of them asking questions about American history. Without being prompted, those children were answering. And they were answering correctly.

"...and after that, in 1939, Hitler attacked..."
*chorus of children* "Poland!"

It kind of blew my mind a little.

There were other parts of Savannah to see as well: 

and Colonial Park Cemetary, which became known as "that really nice one downtown by the plaque commemorating the guy that penned Jingle Bells." (I know, I'm such a tourist)

We overheard a gentleman nearby telling a couple of touristy-types that these graves along the outer edge were those of slaves, who it was felt did not warrant a distinct plot of their own.

I could have spent the entire week just driving and walking the city of Savannah itself. We got soaked in the rain on River Street (accompanied by the loudest thunder I have ever heard) and stumbled into an unknown sports bar for a burger and a drink when our bellies started rumbling.

 

But we did have some nice weather. In fact...

mmmm.... 80 degrees in February....

There was also the trees. 

I love love loved the oak trees with the spanish moss hanging down all over everything. The way they naturally formed tunnels over the road was mesmerizing. I think it's fair to say that these old oaks definitely won out over palm trees as my latest photographic tree obsession.

And aside from the trees, there were these:

and these:

(some of which Taylor was mortified to find I had stood in her yard in my pyjamas to shoot. "It's okay," she was assured. "The neighbours know she's Canadian.")

Oh, and this guy, who flew right over my head. Pretty sure I've never seen anything quite like him:

In the evenings, we frequented a number of restaurants, my favorite of which was The Pirate's House.  There was also La Berry for a treat, and Lulu's Chocolate Bar, which was delightful although not quite the 'family' atmosphere we expected from their website. 

After supper there was downtime, when we hung out and discussed the differences between Canadian and American life as we knew it. There was also a bit of time with these two, although Natalie was mostly interested in watching Dora The Explorer and Anna in playing dressup with the nearest teddy bear:

Our first few days in Georgia panned out better than we could have hoped, aside from a bit of delayed luggage. As the week went on, I realized just how much there was to see in Savannah alone, and as I started to tell this story, I've realized this is definitely going to take more than one blog post!

Tybee Island (Once Upon A Time in the South East, Part II)

The US Route 80 Highway runs from San Diego, California, all the way to the east coast of Georgia. That's Tybee Island, Georgia, to be precise.

  

With a population of approximately 3000, Tybee Island is a city built to accomodate both tourists and locals alike who flock to the miles of beach that make up its eastern coast.

We spent half a day walking the miles of sand, collecting shells, taking in the sights, and enjoying the surreal feeling that comes with being a Canadian on a beach in the middle of February.

I was a bit lovestruck with this fence:

And of course, there were palm trees!

One last look behind and it's on to the next adventure...

Bonaventure Cemetary (Once Upon A Time in the South East, Part III)

After Tybee Island (and a brief consultation with Google Maps) we drove for about twenty minutes to the suburb of Thunderbolt, wherein lies the haunting allure of Bonaventure Cemetary. Made famous when the "bird lady" statue formerly located in the cemetary was photographed for the cover of John Berendt's 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil', Bonaventure's gothic style and immaculately maintained grounds make it a mecca for artistic types seeking creative inspiration.

This one was particularly haunting (and is giving me particular trouble in trying to get the photos uploaded. Perhaps Gracie doesn't want to be any more recognizable than she already is?). A stone marker just outside her fence reads:

Little Gracie Watson was born in 1883, the only child of her parents. Her father was manager of the Pulaski House, one of Savannah's leading hotels, where the beautiful and charming little girl was a favorite with the guests. Two days before Easter, in April 1889, Gracie died of pneumonia at the age of six. In 1890, when the rising sculptor, John Walz, moved to Savannah, he carved from a photograph this life-sized, delicately detailed marble statue, which for almost a century has captured the interest of all passersby.

A gorgeous water feature in the midst of the inscrutable loneliness.

The remarkable beauty of and care put into the upkeep of Bonaventure is a thing to behold in itself. The feeling of peace that you find in just walking through is something that can not be described, only experienced individually deep within one's own soul.