Mountain Mornings

"The mountains are calling and I must go."
-John Muir-

It's been unusually cool in my part of the world for the past few days.  Cool enough to have all the windows open to let the cool air in, pretty much unheard of in late July.  Late July and then into August typically leave us in the throes of what I call "suppression heat" where it is so hot and humid that you just lay there, trying not to sweat.  I love the lush green that comes along with that humidity and heat, but I love it from the confines of the air conditioned living room.  So, to be able to keep the windows open for three days and nights straight.............amazingly wonderful.

Yesterday, I woke up in the chilly air buried under my quilts and blankets in a warm little cocoon of perfect snugness, whacked the snooze button on my alarm (it was 0430!!) and gave myself 5 (or 15) minutes to enjoy the cold outside and warm inside.  I love that feeling- when I was a kid, I grew up in a house that didn't have a lot of heating in the back where the bedrooms were.  It would be around 40 degrees in our rooms most mornings, so you learned early that you leapt from bed and hustled down to the kitchen or living room where the woodstove was.  I grew up in the "frozen north" where I once saw the thermometer reach 56 below zero.  Not counting the windchill.  Living in the south doesn't often provide those cool mornings to enjoy.

Once, I spent a significant amount of time in the mountains not far from here.  (Not the Smokies.)  I had the opportunity to spend weekends up on the top of a mountain in a little house and I was able to wake up to mountain mornings that are cool and beautiful, where you can see the steam coming off your coffee and you need a hoodie to ward off the chill.  While I no longer go to that house, I have held onto that feeling of peace and contentment that I would always feel up there.  The last three mornings have reminded me of that feeling and how much I miss it.

The above quote from John Muir keeps cycling through my mind and makes me "itchy" which is to say, makes me want to run away from home and live in the mountains (with my family, of course).  This isn't logistically possible, since I just got a new job in the city, kiddo is in school, and a host of other things that make me a grown-up and limit my ability to simply drop everything and run off into the sunset with abandon. 

But at least I know what I want, so that someday, when the timing is right, I will be able to point my compass in that direction and drink my coffee every morning on my mountain porch, where the sun is crisper, the birds sing sweeter, and all the world is in harmony.

Photo Credit

On Down Savannah Way, Where I Fell in Love

We got to go to Savannah not too long ago.  None of us had ever been, so I didn't know what to expect.  I did know this though:

1. Savannah is a city.
2. I don't really like cities.

I mean- cities are okay and all- but I don't like to be there for more than a day.  I grew up in the middle of nowhere.  I live in the middle of nowhere.  I like the middle of nowhere.  It's quiet and if you hear a gunshot, it's probably the neighbor practicing on his target for hunting season.

Nonetheless, I do love an adventure, so off we went.

And it was just like the songs always say.......you know when you've found The One.

I don't think I can possibly tell you just how amazing Savannah is.  Or how hard I fell for Tybee Island.  Savannah is, as my priest says, just a sleepy little city.  It is clean, well-kept, and slow.  It is how the south is meant to be. 
If you go, I recommend River Street Sweets (on River Street!) where they have melt-in-your-mouth freshly made, still slightly warm Pecan Praline.
Go to Henry's Restaurant for a fantastic and affordable meal, especially breakfast.  It's just a laid back little diner, with the giant grill in full view behind the counter, where you can sit if you so choose.  Or sit back in one of the booths.  And they are so so so friendly.......even the other customers.  Kiddo accidentally dumped an ENTIRE glass of ice water on himself, the table, the seat, the floor.  I jumped up, quickly saturating all the napkins I had when a gentleman at the next table handed me ALL their napkins.  In the meantime, a cook appeared out of nowhere, deftly mopped up the spill, grinned at me, and disappeared again.  GO TO HENRY'S!!!!  It's at 28 Drayton St.
And walk around downtown.  It's huge, quiet, and filled with these squares of live oaks and grass and flowers and benches.

Take a look at Savannah, and then I will get on to Tybee Island....

Open Air Market on River Street- lots of cool stuff.  We bought a duck necklace.

Live Oak filled square. 

Somewhere in downtown, peeking through a hole in the wall.

Live Oaks and Spanish Moss in the morning light.

The bridge over the Savannah River.

So much of Savannah's history has been preserved.  It's marvelous.

Rain Spouts!

The Peacemaker, a ship owned, sailed by, and lived in by the Twelve Tribes.  We got to tour it the next day.

Food on River Street.

River Street is still paved in its original cobblestone and a trolley still runs up and down that track.

Another shot of the Live Oaks.

After a couple of days in Savannah, we had enough time to go spend a couple of hours on Tybee Island.  If I love Savannah, then I would marry Tybee Island and stay married to it for 150 years because it was breathtaking.  It wasn't commercialized.  It is just a sleepy little beach island where you can ride your bike everywhere you need to and the beach is never more than 5 minutes away (usually on foot.)  We went to the Historic Tybee Island Lighthouse and climbed the 172 steps to the top where you could see practically the entire island.  Again, so much of the history of the island is saved and done so tastefully.  Here's Tybee Island........

Tybee Island Lighthouse (still in use today)

View from the top. 

The light itself.

Checking out the view from one of the many landings.  He was so excited that he could see the ocean.

And then we went down to the beach to find seashells.

I really can't express enough how much I loved Savannah and Tybee.  I have every intention to go back and do it soon.  But for now, I will drink coffee from my Tybee Island Lighthouse coffee mug and daydream about the somedays.