remember when i asked everyone if there was anything they wanted me to bring back for them? as in a PAINTING? well, no takers for any of my work stateside this trip. but DOZENS of requests for the SALT! ha! Aunts and Uncles, friends, friends of friends…out for drinks last night, Grant: "You don't by chance have any of that salt?" jeez, what did i start?! of course, i did have a container in my purse, specially for him. i had a feeling eight containers would hardly be enough. i didn't pack like three (very cute) outfits to make room for that stuff folks! next thing you know, a complete stranger is gonna stop me in the street.."You the girl with the salt?" oh wait, we're in Savannah–"Yoo da ladie wid da salts?"
the salt, for those not in the know, is Fleur de Sel, sea salt harvested naturally in France. it's a table salt, a finishing salt..large humid pink-gray grains and honest god tastes better than any other you've ever used. who knew salt could taste other than, well, salt? but it does.
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Mr. Grant Nelson still has an endless supply of enthusiasm and energy…when he wears green, like he did last night, i am always reminded of that hyperactive Lucky Charms leprachaun bouncing and leapy about, tossing little bits of colored marshmellow happiness over the world.
Miss Dawn, with that sweet exterior, can still knock you flat with a totally honest statement out of the blue. i mean totally honest. about things like your tarty past. and usually in front of a dishy guy you've just met.
Miss Sony is not at all high maintainence. really, she's not. not one bit.
Savannah is muggy and warm..80degrees today, some sun, and lots of humidity. it rained at 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon..just out of nowhere, downpour! i'd missed that. i hadn't missed that Savannah smell though..we could even catch a whiff of it in the airplane during our descent! pulp factory, salt water, horse shit. yum. -
thank god for Miss Dawn…not only did she pick me up at the airport last night, she got me into my house! turns out the key i thought was my apartment key when i packed was not afterall. just when i thought i'd have to crash at lovely Dawn's for the night and fork out god knows how much to the locksmith in the morning…she suggested checking above the doorframe. bingo! a spare key! though not so good to have it so available to god knows who, last night, it was a welcome sight. i was in!
and what greeted me? the apt. was clean and lights working..not that; it was much, much worse. a GIANT CREEPY HOUSEPLANT of proportions never before seen by me. and you know how i feel about houseplants. it was like huge, green juicy arms reaching out to strangle me. ugh! so, brave and bold Dawn removed it to the balcony. my hero! -
NON-DAIRY CREAMER -just think about that for a minute. eeew.
ONE SIZE FITS ALL -sure, right.
LAST CHANCE FOR STARBUCKS BEFORE TERMINAL TWO -at JFK, i laughed out loud.
STYROFOAM CUPS -i swear, that's what's causing all the cancer.
MUFFINS BUILT LIKE MISSILE SILOS -they are unbelievable huge. hm, wonder how i got fat?
BEVERAGE MAY BE HOT WARNINGS -now, that is just funny. hm, it's a cup of HOT coffee?!?!
WE USE REAL MARGARINE -honest, that's what the sign said, and so proudly!
THE TO-GO CUP -ok, this one's handy..not finished with your cocktail, friends want to leave? take it with you! -
after a nine hour flight to NYC, making my way through customs, getting my suitcase re-checked through to Savannah and i still had two hours to kill. what do you think i wanted more than anything else? a cigarette of course! i know JFK airport..near gate 15 there's a bar, i can have a smoke! and maybe a cocktail, what the heck. wait! NY passed that no smoking anywhere ever law. no smoking–not even in a BAR. you must be kidding me, i just came from France where you can smoke in the doctor's office waiting room!
you should have seen me..scrambling up and down escalators, through mouse maze corridors desperate for a way to the outdoors! finally, a glimmer of sunlight through sliding glass doors, and there in the distance, yes..the elusive, secretive creatures known as 'smokers' dejectedly huddled together. now, how do i get out there? that's right, charm the security guard.
lesson? always wear a low cut sweater when flying in the American north.
by comparison: the Atlanta airport? the stewardess on the flight ANNOUNCED the location of the smoking lounge as we taxied to the gate!!! i love the south! 🙂 -
i've arrived safe and sound, despite a 9 hour flight (and that was just the first of three flights) seated next to Louisiana's answer to the Missing Link! i've even managed, to my pleasant surprise to get online at home! the apartment is all in order..very well cared for, the lights are on, i don't know what i was worried about. so…the blog continues…
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well, i'm off to America tomorrow morning. to my loyal public, my apologies..blog entries and updates will be few and far between the next ten days. rest assured that when i return there will be loads of pictures and amusing anecdotes, more than a few embarrassingly alchohol related no doubt.
bye! -
Evening Windows, acrylic and pastel on paper, 20" x 20"
i've posted quite a few new pieces recently, visit the girl at large gallery here. any last minute requests from the States, let me know now and i'll throw it in my suitcase! -
imagine a place where you can buy a loaf of fresh bread, made each day by a master baker who rises before the sun does, for a mere, guarenteed 65 cents. and there is a bakery like this on nearly every other block.
and envision also on nearly every other block, or at least within a few minutes walk, a wine shop stocked to the gills with the finest wines you'll find anywhere. and you can buy a good wine, i mean a GOOD wine (as in it tastes good to you and there is no other criteria for enjoyment) for less than six dollars. for ten to fifteen dollars you can have a bottle of superb wine that back in the States, you would have had to cross state lines to have the privilege of paying fourty dollars to a snooty, malcontent clerk for.
imagine a place where you can sit at a warm and inviting coffee shop, order the smallest item, a coffee for a trifling 1.00 and stay at that table the entire day thereafter, never being bothered to move on. and there is a choice of such establishments, including some actually on a beach, yes, you can put your toes in the sand, sit in a comfortable chair under an umbrella and sip coffee THE ENTIRE DAY for one dollar. ok, maybe two dollars, a second cup of coffee never hurt anyone.
and think about this one: no one ever, EVER asks what you do for a living. they frequently and enthusiastically ask you, however, and get this: what you do for FUN. that's right, for PLEASURE. they don't ask where you went to college, they assume you know how to find the knowledge you seek. they don't ask you what kind of car you drive, it's not the car but it's contents (YOU!) that interest them. for status conscious Americans, i repeat: in this place, you will NEVER be asked what you do to earn a living. they want to know HOW you DO your LIVING.
and imagine even the smallest of towns have shoppers enough (of the sort who care enough about their evening meal to prepare for it in the morning) to support daily open air fresh produce markets. and at this market there is always someone who knows more about cheese than you ever believed humanly possible. and it's actually interesting information. and another fellow down the way has the same vast knowledge of nothing but sausage. and another holds a doctoral degree in mushrooms. again, all of it interesting and useful. this is not your pimply-faced highschool grocery mega-mania supercenter produce department stock boy flunkie. these guys live this stuff. and you gain at the table, ten-fold, for the difference i can tell you.
imagine that it is generally agreed amongst the people of this place, that in order to avoid the stress that the inevitable dings, scratches, miffs and clunks that driving and parking in small and winding lanes can create, they've all agreed that the OUTSIDE of all vehicles in fact belongs to NO ONE. an individual only owns the INSIDE of a car. the condition of the paint job is of no concern whatsoever, it's not yours anyway. poof! in one fell swoop, no worries! so what that the delivery truck engraved the side of the car?, he has every right to if he needs to get through that way, it belongs to everyone afterall. it's a free country.
and dogs and babies are welcome (and truly welcomed, with coos, cuddles and smiles) everywhere..every shop, every restaurant. even the foo-foo ones, where occassionally, wonders!, a dog may actually be enjoying quite a fine meal in the chair next to you. and FIVE YEAR OLDS regularly order huge bowls of MUSSELS and eat them, unaided, with relish. and someone will bring your dog a bowl of water, or warm your baby's bottle, often without being asked, every time.
imagine a people so comfortable with advances and tradition at the same time as to have clothed their street sweepers (individual men, not the vehicles) with insulated, wind and rain resisitant day-glow reflective uniforms of the most advanced variety (picture a HazMat suit) and then equipped them with a wood handled broom made of dried twigs bound together with a bit of string, a style of broom in use since i imagine the Middle Ages. it works. the best of both worlds, in teams of four (for the smoking break rotation), moving cleanly down your street every morning.
this is the France, my little piece of France, that i will miss next week. bless her. -
just got notice that my renter is not staying on another year, whereas i am. (in france i mean). so, if anyone out there knows of someone looking to rent a one bedroom apartment in Savannah's historic district starting Jan.1, drop me a line. i'm hoping to get it listed and even a showing or two in while i'm there. in case anyone's interested, and doesn't know them already (right, few would, what with my no-drop-by policy), here are the details:
one bedroom, one bath, heartpine wood floors, high ceilings, moldings, french doors open onto balcony with leafy view of Ogelthorpe Square, all new bathroom and eat in kitchen–all new fixtures and appliances including gas stove. renovated last year down to the light switches. a/c unit, updated lighting and a good sized closet. laundry in building. apt. is in quiet corner, top floor of 1920's building in the heart of Historic District..corner of State and Oglethorpe. water included, elect. and gas not included. one small dog or cat ok. furnished or unfurnished, negotiable accordingly.
