Georgia on My Mind...

Hey y'all!

I hope that all our readers are having a wonderful Labor Day weekend.  (To reminisce on the meaning of the holiday and some other fun bits related to Labor Day, you can peruse my posts from last year here and here).  And on a side note, I simply cannot believe that a year has gone by since I wrote those.  It's so trite but so true - time flies when you're having fun, and it flies faster and faster the older you get...

True to the times a'flyin' thought, my family just returned from a wonderful week-long getaway to St. Simon's Island, Georgia.  I've been to this special place many times over the years, both with family and friends.  It's one of those places I hold near and dear to my heart.  This time, we stayed in the beautiful High Tide Cottage and loved it so much, we can't wait to go back and stay here again.  It's right on the beach on the southern side of the island, just up from the pier.   

Isn't she gorgeous??

We stayed on the penthouse level of the house, which was just perfect because it has an elevator (we brought along my 90 year old grandmother, Nanny, and she can't navigate stairs anymore).   We had ample room for all of us that went, and we were a big group!  My husband and I went, along with our son, my dad and step mom, the aforementioned Nanny, and my mother-in-law and sister-in-law too.  We highly recommend this house for anyone taking a trip to the gorgeous Georgia coast!  The owner and manager, Marjorie, is very nice as well.  Southern hospitality at it's best.

We ate at 'most all our SSI favorites, including Gnat's Landing, Bubba Garcia's, Crab Trap, Crab Daddy's, Palmer's Cafe, and the hubs and I even got away for a date night at the Georgian Room at the Cloister.  I cannot even begin to describe the utter fabulousness that was that meal.  We did the chef's tasting menu, along with the wine pairings, and each and every last morsel was fabulous.  I loved that the menu had a southern-vibe.... the first course was a fancy little sandwich that was essentially the best darn pork slider you've ever put in your mouth.  The bun practically melted on first bite, the meat was unreal, and it had a fried pickle - the most delicate of fried pickles, though, but of course - and pimiento cheese for its garnish.  The rest of the meal was comprised of such goodies as raw tuna with avocado and corn relish, the best hickory-smelling beef brisket I've ever had, and a delectable banana and chocolate dessert.  The wine pairings were perfect too, and the sommelier did a great job briefing us with each new glass.  I told my hubs, much to his feigned dismay, that I really felt right at home at the ol' Cloister and just couldn't wait to come back.  ;o)

In keeping with my low country getaway, I chose Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil as my beach read, by John Berendt.  Y'all, I've seen this movie before, but ohhhhh, the book is so deliciously good too.  If you haven't read this, you've got to.  It's just such a fascinating tale about the people and places of Savannah, another town that my husband and I just adore - and one only about an hour from St. Simon's Island.  I've got to re-watch the movie now, and I can't wait to again watch Kevin Spacey, John Cusack, and the Lady Chablis in action.  Speaking of the Lady Chablis, the movie wisely toned her down from the book - in other words, from real life.  She is hilarious, but obscene too.  I'd like to see her drag show one night.... maybe I can convince Catherine to go with me.  I think the Doll, as she often calls herself, would hit it off quite nicely with us Buncolator gals, don't you?  :o)

My week was just full of little moments of Southern coincidences, and that's why I chose Georgia on My Mind as the title of this week's ramblings... in reading Berendt's work, I had forgotten that Sonny Seiler, one of Jim Williams' true-life trial lawyers, was such a large part of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.  And as those of you who've read the book or watched the movie no doubt recall, he is just about the biggest Georgia Bulldogs fan to ever walk the streets of Savannah.  Besides Georgia being a top-notch school in a gorgeous little town with a flourishing alumni, I would think that being owner to the Uga bloodline could do that to a person.  (For those of you not in the Bulldog-know, Uga is the beloved English Bulldog mascot of the University of Georgia... see below for a picture of Russ, now Uga IX.  He does indeed belong to Seiler, and he's a handsome devil, don't you think?)  And for one last aside to those of you who aren't Georgia fans out there, cut me a little slack in my perhaps-annoying love for the school.... I have two UGA degrees and about eight years spent living in dear ol' Athens, after all.  ;o)  Reading about Seiler's love for the school was appropriately-timed, as this was opening week for college football.  Thankfully, my beloved Dawgs knocked out a win yesterday, starting this season out just right.   

For those unfamiliar with the lay of the land down here, this map shows where St. Simon's Island is located.

 

The famous SSI lighthouse.

 

One of SSI's B & B's... gotta love that Spanish moss!!

 

A view of one of SSI's parks

 


The SSI Pier



 


Not only did Jack Davis' illustrations also grace Mad Magazine, but he also drew some famous Georgia Bulldogs illustrations.  St. Simon's Island is somewhat an extension of Athens, though, in terms of its people and their collegiate loyalties, so no surprise there.



  

Inside Gnat's Landing... we love the casual vibe.

 

We just love breakfast at this SSI standby.  They also serve their delicious meals on Fiestaware too, which just so happens to be my everyday-ware.  Pretty colors, durable, and made in America by the Homer Laughlin company.  What else could a girl ask for in her dishes, I ask?  :o)

 

 

Inside Palmer's... don't you love the giant fork and knife on the wall??  And I love the owners and staff here... such down to earth folks.

The gorgeous Cloister, my new home away from home, haha.

 

The Georgian Room at the Cloister

 

The last table in this shot is the very table upon which my hubby and I enjoyed our date night.  All together now, awwww. 

 

 

 

Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia





Russ, now Uga IX

 


Cusack and the real life Lady Chablis, in the infamous debutante ball scene.  Hilarious.

 

This is Duke, our American Bulldog rescue.  I couldn't help but end this post with a few shots of him.  We think of him as our own personal Dawgs mascot.  Damn good dog!  (That's a UGA saying, non-SEC friends, I'm not just being foul-mouthed).

 

 

 

Have a great week, readers, and enjoy your Labor Day tomorrow.

 

.... and Go Dawgs!! 

 

xoxo

 

Lindsay