Savannah Day 3--City Tour

Day three began with a Trolley Tour of historic Savannah. The weather that morning said it was going to rain lightly for a little while, but it managed to "rain lightly" for most of the day. At least the temperature was reasonably warm.

One of the most impressive places we saw on the Trolley Tour was the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. As you can see, it was a majestic building! It was built by the French in 1876, burned in 1898, opened again in 1900, and underwent an extensive restoration in 2000.



Michael Faughn took many great photos on our trip. This is inside the church with some members of our group looking up in awe! The Cathedral now serves as the seat of the diocese for ninety counties in southern Georgia. Thanks for the photos, Mike!

Mike also got a good picture of the Spanish Moss that was hanging on the trees everywhere. We were told not to pick it up off the ground because it had chiggers and other bugs in it. Some wondered if we were told that so we wouldn't be tempted to bring any home?

Another stop was the Sorrel-Weed House. It is one of the oldest and largest homes in Savannah, and is considered a great example of the early architecture. It was the boyhood home of a civil war confederate general, and is also said to be haunted. However, we were not there for the night-time ghost tour! The scene from the movie "Forest Gump" where the feather floats to the ground was filmed from the roof of this house.

Lunch was on our own that day, and we re-grouped after for a tour of the Mercer-Williams
House. Construction on this home began in 1860, and was finished in 1868 after being interrupted by the Civil War.  It was the scene of a murder that is described in the movie, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." It too, is said to be haunted.

The Davenport House was our last tour of the day. It was built in 1820, and was a stately home for many years. However, it became run-down and was almost demolished in 1955. That is when the Historic Savannah Foundation formed. This group has since saved hundreds of buildings in the city--which we were able to enjoy.

It was interesting to see so many things that were constructed in the early years of the formation of our country. The city of Savannah was established in 1733.

We were also treated to Madeira wine tasting at the Davenport House. Importing of that wine played an important role in the history and development of the city.  (Photo of Davenport House is from the Internet).

Now that we were much better informed about the early history of Savannah, and a little damp from walking in and out of the rain showers all day, we were glad to head back to the hotel to get ready for our fantastic evening meal! More on that next time.




   

Southern Region Christmas Party

Southern Region IEAFCS Members and friends met at Kokopelli Golf Club and Restaurant in Marion for their annual holiday outing. We enjoyed good food, good visiting, and good fun!

Those who attended were Rusti Grogan, Joyce Pyatt, Janet Burnett, Carol Schlitt, Kathy Harrison, Ruby Lingle (yes, she is in the very back) Joy Richey, Milly Kaiser, Martha Speir, Martha Winter, Lois Smith, and Patti Faughn.






We were happy to see some individuals who had not been able to join us for a while. And--Lois Smith was a hit with her fancy boots!                               

The gift exchange was exciting as always. Some lost the gifts they had hoped to keep, and others were very entertaining! I will leave it to each of you to see if you can read the message on the towel Martha Speir is holding up! It gave us a good laugh.

Savannah--Day 2

Before leaving Chattanooga we were able to learn much about the area from an excellent guide who gave us a step-on tour. With Lookout Mountain as the backdrop, he told us some of the history and special importance of the city.

Chattanooga is a transit hub because of its location between the Appalachian Mountains and the Cumberland Plateau. Everything pretty much has to go through there to move north or south in that part of the US.

During the Civil War, Chattanooga was the sight
of several battles. These included Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, and Missionary Ridge.  Ulysses S. Grant's army eventually defeated the Confederates there and moved on south to Atlanta.

There is a huge national cemetery where over 50,000 who lost their lives in battle are buried. It is over 120 acres, and funerals are still held there often. One sad note about the cemetery is that many of the interments there are unknown soldiers.

The Chattanooga Choo Choo on top of the monument in this photo is representative of the 1941 song that was featured in a movie and was nominated for an Academy Award. The inspiration for it was the large number of steam locomotives that passed through Chattanooga on their way south.

In 1969 Chattanooga had the distinction of having the dirtiest air in the nation. It's economy was also suffering because of the decline in industry and several other reasons. However, major efforts have been made to transform the city, and it is flourishing today.

It was then time to leave Tennessee and stop for lunch at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen in Marietta, GA. The food was great--and very plentiful! There were lots of naps on the bus as we continued on to Savannah.

And then it was time to eat again--this time at the Pirates House Restaurant that was very near the river in Savannah. After a bountiful buffet, our own personal pirate shared stories about pirates and seamen who came in to the lower levels of the building through a secret tunnel to the river. Part of the building has been there since 1734, which makes it the oldest building in Georgia!

With our city permit safely secured (so that our bus could park in the area) we arrived at our hotel.

Savannah Bus Trip--Day 1

IEAFCS Retirees and Friends were "on the road again" with a trip to Savannah, Georgia the last week of November. Our first stop at Patti's 1880's Settlement near Grand Rivers, KY provided an opportunity for us to begin to get in the Christmas spirit. Beautiful decorations were everywhere!






We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Mr. Bill's.  Some  members of our group had to learn what a "Kentucky Hot Brown" was. (Not necessarily the ones pictured!)

A mid-afternoon stop at a Russell Stover outlet ended with lots of boxes of chocolate making their way on to the bus.

Then it was on to Chattanooga, TN for the evening. We enjoyed a dinner meal at Hennen's Restaurant there.

 
Since it was the last day of Thanksgiving week, our bus ran into considerable traffic, but we make it without incident.  Everyone was glad to arrive at the Best Western Arbor Inn for the night.

We traveled with White Star Tours/B-Jay Travel this year with Carolyn McDonald as our guide. And our own travel expert, Carol Schlitt, provided lots of valuable input as always.