We flew out of LaGuardia Airport at 6:30 in the morning. That meant we had to get up at 2:30 in order to be out of the room by 3:00, in order to be at the Crowne Plaza at 4:00 to drop the rental car off. I do not recommend this schedule!
Richard's buddy Peter picked us up at the Savannah airport, and took us to their house in Ridgeland, South Carolina, about 40 miles away. Their house is just fabulous. It sits on 35 mostly wooded acres, and they have quite a menagerie: seven dogs, one cat, and one horse (not to mention a squadron of hummingbirds!). The cat's name is Puce E. Cat, and he took fiendish delight in chasing Joey!
We spent time looking around Ridgeland. Some friends of theirs were remodeling a restaurant, which is next to this small lake. There's also a really nice nature trail nearby: view 1, view 2, view 3. Richard, Joey, and Peter seem very pleased with themselves after checking the trail out.
We spent Tuesday, August 6, in and around Savannah. We started out at Fort Pulaski, site of a Civil War battle. The fort was named for Count Pulaski, a Revolutionary War hero who died in the Battle of Savannah. Here you can see Joey crossing the moat to enter the fort. Barbara, Peter, and Joey check out the cannon on top of the fort. The Confederates thought they were too far away for the Yankees on Tybee Island to hurt them with cannon shot. But they didn't know the Yankees had new cannons with rifled bores, that could shoot a projectile much farther, and inflict much more damage. Richard is looking across toward Tybee Island. So Fort Pulaski was surrendered, and the Yankees turned it into a prison.
After touring the fort, we went in to Savannah, parked the car, and walked down to the Savannah River. This riverboat was making its way by. Savannah is a very old city, and still has cobblestone streets in some places. The old cotton exchange building is down by the river. Next, we started wandering through the squares. There are eight squares in the historic district, each with different statues. Here's Barbara in one of the squares. Sgt. Jasper's statue is in another square. He was a hero because he picked up the flag during the Battle of Savannah (and died for his trouble)! The county Barbara and Peter live in is named after him. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was in another square. The founder of the Georgia Colony was Oglethorpe, whose statue is in Chippewa Square (not in Oglethorpe Square, as you would expect). I figure this picture is worth over $700, because I lost my purse while taking it (cash, credit cards, driver's license, Palm Pilot, and glasses). I have forgiven Savannah for my misfortune, but still hold Mr. Oglethorpe at least partly responsible (if they hadn't put up his statue, I'd still have my purse). There were other interesting things to see, including this cathedral, the DAR cemetery, and the Juliette Gordon Low house (she founded the Girl Scouts).
