Places to Go (Vacation) - A Bicyle Built for Fifteen, Peach Sangria, and Drag Queens During Moms' Weekend in Savannah, GA

In case I haven't mentioned this enough already - I love our neighborhood, it's like a party that never stops. Well, until the party moves. A good friend/neighbor/soccer coach/ awesome female was turning 40 - the perfect excuse for a celebratory weekend getaway.

Savannah is a slow town, not a lot of museums or organized activities. No open container laws (i.e. you can walk and drink). Streets full of little shops and boutiques and yummy food. Perfect for relaxation. And friends.

And drag queens.

And 15 person bicyle-like contraptions.

And sangria. PEACH SANGRIA. got to love the south.





















I thought the slow ride pub crawl would be part drinking and part history tour. But it was 100% drinking. On a bike built for 15. With cup holders. Which we probably needed more than the history part.

















Light like this doesn't exist in Arlington. So I made my friends jump around for an impromptu photoshoot. I still don't really know how to photograph Savannah's crazy intense sunset, but it was fun to experience.















We spent a lot of time wandering around. Well, some of us used maps. And I followed the people with maps.



The hat stayed on for one hot second. Not that I blame Dori for taking it off.



There is something rather awesome about strolling around with a rum and coke in hand. My eyes are courtesy of Janet, who is a genius at makeup stuff. On the upside, I loved it. On the downside, I now need to learn how to make myself up. How is there always so much more to learn in life?



Janeese found an online list of the top 25 things to do in Savannah. Number 16 was a drag show with Lady Chablis. When in Rome . . .













Lady Chablis had a missing front tooth, a bad attitude, and kept talking about her pussy juice (ick). In other words, Lady Chablis was sort of a bust. But her friends kept us entertained.



After numerous failed weight loss attempts (I still blame my extra 10 pounds on December's broken foot), this is my new diet plan - find a drag queen to accompany me everywhere. All of a sudden I'm tiny. As in TINY!!









On our last night we ate dinner at Billy's Place, which was pretty much perfect. Amazing food (as in AMAZING!!!), great service, and a female "piano" man who takes requests (yes, I did cry during "In My Life", wouldn't you?), but was quiet enough that we could still talk and bond and drink. and drink. and drink. Seriously, five stars all the way.
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So that was last weekend. This weekend involves a return to "real life" (i.e. back to back soccer games, sleepovers, and cocktails on the porch). Whatever you're up to, I hope it's fantastic!! Happy Friday!!

Places to Go (Vacation) - Savannah, GA, Part III - Oatland Island Wildlife Center. The Second Stop on Our Roadtrip of the South.

On our last day in Savannah, we braved the 90+ degree heat and spent the morning at Oatland Island Wildlife Center. I must say, this place was pretty awesome. A trail meanders through the property, which includes a boardwalk through wetlands, interspersed along the trail are various animal habitats. We saw alligators, deer, wolves, a fox, a (sleeping) cougar, a crane, bison, and various birds. So beautiful. The kids loved running on the shaded paths and trying to find lizards. Dan and I loved the beautiful scenery, especially the spanish moss everywhere. The entire loop is quite long (I think the visitors' center guide told us it was about 1.5 miles), but luckily the shade (and water bottles) kept us going. Plus, we all were pretty excited about the lack of crowds. The kids fell asleep as soon as we we got back on the road, which made the 2.5 hour drive perfect for us adults. NEXT (and final) STOP, CHARLESTON, SC!!



HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!! TODAY IS T'S 2 YEAR BIRTHDAY, which just seems crazy, but in a good way. They really do grow up so fast.

WEEKEND LINKS:

*My post on making sunprints is in a contest, please click here to vote for me!!!

*Gorgeous.

*Truths for mature humans. Funny.

*Lovely paintings.

*Is it a magazine or a collection of wall prints? I love this idea, I want a copy.

*I guess we need to learn to embrace the heat.

*If you live in the DC area and aren't busy busy this Sunday, a flash mob is scheduled at 1:30 in Old Town Alexandria, Waterfront and Marina near Torpedo Factory (in front of the eating hall)

More Info:
This is for Melanie Wiggins and Molly Norrbom's senior project at H-B Woodlawn! We are having a flash mob (surprise choreographed dance party) on the Waterfront and would love for you to join us! The song is "Bang on the Drum All Day" by Todd Rundgren (to practice - link to the video here and use the first minute). The video explains the dance steps and timing.

Invite everyone you know and everyone you don't know, too - friends, neighbors, family, etc. Come a little bit early so you can casually wander around and blend in with the crowd.

At 1:30 the music will start playing and Melanie will begin dancing awkwardly by herself. Then a few others (you know who you are) will join in. When the singer says "everybody" and starts singing, everyone else should jump in! When the song ends (after about a minute) we will nonchalantly blend back in with the crowd.


So I didn't intend to dress T and Dan like twins, but I'm so glad that it worked out that way. Yay fate!!

Places to Go (Vacation) - Savannah, GA, Part II - Ellis Square Spraypark & The Waterfront. The Second Stop on Our Roadtrip of the South.

The girls and I spent the afternoon at the splashpark/water feature in Ellis Square while T napped (we stayed in a suite at the Inn on Ellis Square, which was incredibly low priced for a great location, I highly suggest it). The girls "splashed" over an hour, plus the water feature was quite lovely - the synched fountains made it look like the water was dancing.

By early evening, F had her PJs on and was ready for bed, but Dan and I REALLY wanted to walk on the waterfront so we dragged (yes, dragged) F out of bed and watched the big boats for awhile (seriously, so so big) as the late evening sun surrounded everything in a golden glow.



RANDOM LINKS:

*The Fresh Air Fund is looking for volunteers this summer. Sounds like a great charity, click here for the info.

*I know we just returned from vacation, but I really want to go here and here. Maybe one day.

*Lots of strawberry recipes. Lots. Click here (we made the strawberry shortcake popsicles using fresh-picked strawberries from a friend, wow they were yummy). In case the first list wasn't enough, there are hundreds more here.

*Funny (actually I'm not sure funny is the right word, but I can't think of a better one. suggestions?).

*I love this photo. And this series of photos. And this photographer.

*Maybe getting old isn't so bad after all, this lady looks like she's having the time of her life, of course I'd be happy too if I had her house.

*Asparagus/lemon/goat cheese pasta = yummy.

*Beautiful, inspiring photos and words.