Savannah Tuesday

Dortha and I attended our Weight Watchers meeting this morning, and again we both had good news with our weigh-in. We were espcially pleased about that, since we've been enjoying some dynamite Southern cooking, thanks to Paula Deen and her brother!

Jim had put a pot of chili in the crockpot early this morning After our meeting, as we sat in the Castle with Mark and Dortha, discussing our afternoon plans, the good smell got to us, and we decided to go ahead and have a bowl of chili before going anywhere!

With the clouds still hanging around, it seemed like a good day to visit Bonaventure Cemetery. . Jim wanted to get some pictures, and I'd hoped to find the "Bird Girl" statue featured in the book and movie, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", which was set here in Savannah. Unfortunately, when we got to the cemetery, we found out the statue was moved to the museum. I'll have to go see it there.

It's been said that John Berendt's book, based on true events that occurred in Savannah, had a huge impact on the tourist industry of the city. The book and movie paid tribute to singer/songwriter Johnny Mercer (1909 - 1976), who was born in Savannah. He wrote many songs that were popular in the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's, including "Moon River". The story is that of Jim Williams, an antiques dealer and restorer, who killed his assistant. At the time, Mr. Williams lived in the Mercer House, which was built by Johnny Mercer's great-grandfather, Confederate General Hugh Weeden Mercer in 1860.

While we were at the cemetery, we found the Mercer family's burial plot, shown below:

There are many very interesting markers in this very old cemetery, which to me, exemplifies the ethereal quality of this area.

We spent quite a bit of time exploring the cemetery before the mosquitos drove us out. We then went downtown, where we found the Mercer House. It is a large house, taking up an entire city block. It's currently owned by Jim Williams' sister and is open to the public for tours:

It was time to head back home, where we had some down time before enjoying a dinner of chili, this time with grilled brats and fat free hot dogs. Dortha baked a great angel food pineapple cake.

It's been another great day, and we're glad to be enjoying a quiet evening at home.