Festival: Stage 6

Inspired by INDIA, this drawing is...exuberant, to say the least. I'm not sure the web log format can handle the magnitude of the entire image. Here are some bite-sized crops. I'll see how I feel about it, later.

It was pretty FUN.

Owens-Thomas Garden Wedding

I've been lucky to work with a sweet & stellar client, designing stationery for a garden wedding at the historic Owens-Thomas House. The frames on the end panels of this tri-fold card are inspired by the leafy, scrolling piers and the decorative roof edge of the famous balcony.

I enjoyed a great tour of the house {did you know it's carriage house is one of the best examples of slave quarters preserved in the nation? and that it was a boarding house when the Marquis de LaFayette visited and spoke from the balcony of the house to the citizens of Savannah?} and photographing its ochre walls as the sun set.

Bloom

Azaleas. Better late than never.

Relief Society Birthday (Gifts)

Visiting Teaching is an awesome and inspired system for taking care of us all. But sometimes you just need a little motivation and inspiration. So I made these.

St. Patrick's Day: after

My St. Patrick's Day reporting is limited to the small sphere which I occupy on my normal walking route, so the epicenter of green paraphernalia (and general carrousing) on River Street is a whole 'nother story. I was expecting more trash but only found the ubiquitous green feathers littering the streets and some plastic cups - and a bit of green silly string. The tourists are all still wearing green! They've been wearing green for the past two weeks. These folks must have entire wardrobes of kelly green.The DAY, March 17 that is, was cold and rainy. No point taking photos. The City must have cleaned up quite efficiently for the walk to be picturesque today.

What about the parade and celebration? I am embarrassed to admit that I heard the bagpipes and drums from my bedroom (which is on the parade route), from under my quilt. I was up all night working until parade time when the tired really hit me. Past parade favorites HERE.

St.Patrick's Day: before

The excitement is in the air...and the stakes and signs are set.
A few captures on the walk from home to work on St. Patrick's Day Eve.

Festival: Stage 5

Caroid & Bile > Tea & Cake

I was lucky to have visitors two weekends in a row - and to end up at the Gryphon Tea Room for lunch two weekend in a row. We headed for my favorite, Back in the Day Bakery, but missed lunchtime by a few minutes so I discovered Gryphon as a marvelous second choice. The food was deeelicious. The CAKE was..well, it made an impression. I do love a good cake in section and my coconut cake was just perfect.

I've walked by on about 546 occasions, give or take a few, and enjoyed the view of this majestic former pharmacy in the corner spot of the equally majestic Scottish Rite Building on the corner of Bull and Charlton, on Madison Square. I've admired the extremely high ceilinged space, intact with the medicine cabinets and counters and shelves, beautiful trim on every inch. It is nicely decorated in a contrasting and slightly exuberant {orange} minimalism by owners, the Savannah College of Art & Design.

I wish I knew more about it. If I had some spare time, I'd investigate at the Georgia Historical Society.

Savannah Spring Breezes...

...have ushered in moments of perfect temperature-ness and outright sun amid the cold flashes and rain. I think the azaleas are just about to bloom. Stay posted.

St. Patrick's Day: way before

Surely you know that Savannah's St. Patrick's Celebration is the SECOND LARGEST in the nation. (New York and Chicage may fight it out for First.)
One of many annual traditions surrounding the celebration is The Greening of the Fountains. Water in all City fountains is dyed green the weekend prior to St. Patrick's Day.Revellers seem to be out really early this year...

(Actually, these were spotted on March 6 ! 11 days before St. Patrick's.)

Festival: Stage 4

President Obama Visits Savannah

It's not every day that the PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES comes to Savannah.
But it happened today!
Too bad it was a very dreary day. Savannah wasn't shining her best.

I noticed the police cars and traffic blockade and crowds gathering on Whitaker Street at Taylor as I walked back to the office from lunch. The owner and the maintenance man at the Inn clued me in that the President was in the neighborhood for lunch at Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House. We set out for a meeting but only made it one block before we were stalled in the confused traffic so we parked at Wayne Street and watched with the crowd at the yellow tape.

Luckily, our timing was perfect. We waited a few minutes, and the motorcade came flying through. As you can see from the photos, they were going fast! However, I saw the smiling face of President Obama, waving as he passed us - and I missed the photo op (He was in the rear seat of the limo in the last photo.) I was too excited. I took my eye to the street rather than the camera. We were surprised at how exciting it was to see the president!

more photos HERE.