03-15-11 Beware, the Ides of March

03-15-11
“Beware, the Ides of March”
“I’m your vehicle, baby! I’ll take you anywhere you wan to go”
Woke up (8am), got out of bed (sleeping bag) dragged a comb…no I didn’t, been awhile since I bothered.
I did plan to better my camping situation. As I typed up notes and tried to charge my dying phone (It’s been getting only one or two of 4 possible charge bars for the past three weeks.. Something on the phone is messed up and won’t hold the charging cable on it’s own so I have to manually hold it in place and even then it will only take up to 3 bars which quickly reverts to two or even just one bar. I NEED to get a new cell phone pronto, but the whole labyrinthine cell phone market just frustrates me. Let me get a phone with the features I want Cheap and let me apply whatever plan I want to it!
I’m noticing all of the spots I could have had the night before with the proper amperage were all taken…but…as I typed, the spot ahead of me vacated. I finished my page and took my laptop over to that spots’ outlet and tried to fire it up. Success!
I off loaded everything out of my tent and stuck it on the roof and trunk of my car and drove it all over to the new spot returning for the tent and ground tarp which I carried over by hand. I measured the distance from the outlet to the “sandbox”: the tent was going on and figured about 50 feet was needed. I finished setting up camp and went to access the internet at the ranger station. Found out about local stores that might have extension cords from a camp host. Learned of a Walmart not too far away and went to get the extension cord there and check our cell phone possibilities there. Got a 50 foot extension cord; the person who worked the cell phone section had gone to break so I bought a replacement set of sandals and headed back to camp. Got a call from my buddy, Michael who will be hosting me this Sunday in Hilton Head. He was coming over to the Savannah area to pick up a comedian for his Comedy Club there and we arranged to meet up in downtown Savannah later in the day. I typed some more notes and accessed the internet to try to check gas prices; check my messages route myself to today’s meeting and upload some of the pictures I’d taken over the last few days.
Driving in Savannah is tricky if you know the place, if you’re like me, It’s a crapshoot. I found myself driving the wrong direction on the backside of Paula Dean’s store. Luckily no one was driving the proper direction at the time and I reversed directions with only one onlooker the wiser.
Finding a parking space at one of the myriad “squares” this one dubbed “Orleans:” I waited for my friend. He called just after I parked and said he was about 20 minutes away. I bided my time feeding the meter, attempting to recharge my cell and exploring a local delicacy - “boiled peanuts”.
Mike arrives and we proceed to walk from our square near the back of the civic center towards the river. We’re catching up while searching for an outdoor eatery where we can have something to eat and have Mischa with us. There are a lot of people with dogs on these streets, which somehow encourages me and yet I’m not seeing many dogs sitting at outside tables. We find an Ice Cream shop and I sit outside while Mike checks out the inside. Steinbeck was correct about dogs being conversation starters. I dare say there was more interest in Mischa than in me, which is understandable. Few stranger want to come up and pet me on sight…at least it’s been the case for the last few decades.
We continues our search for a place to eat. While it was warm enough for a scoop, we were more in the mood for a sandwich or a slice of pizza. I also wanted to get a shot of Lady & Sons restaurant. Being a Food Network fan I wanted to see Paula Dean’s original restaurant (or at least it’s current location). Along the way I talked to Mike about my journey, showed him pictures of my “Allman Brothers pilgrimage of the day before - pictures and videos from Macon & Statesboro.
Two blocks from Bay St. and a dozen or so “squares”, I ask a city worker if he knows where Lady & Sons is. We’re almost in visible sight of it. “See that street right there? Go to it and make a left. It’s down near the end on this side.”
As we move towards that direction I recognize the little street I drove the wrong way on. It’s the back side of where her restaurant is! (In fact, I’d driven right past it without knowing it. The outside doesn’t look as you might imagine.)
We know we wont be able to eat there - the dog, prices and waiting lines and all, but I get what I came for…a few snapshots! Time is running out for Mike as he has to pick up his Comic from the Airport around 4pm and it’s close to 3:15 already. Across the street is a pizzaria called “Sweet Melissa’s” which I find ironically appropriate due to yesterdays Allman Brothers tour.
I wait outside as Michael buys the slices. Many, many people pass by commenting on Mischa, some wanting to pet her. On family had an attraction to her. The youngest son wanted to pet her, while the mother talked about a dog they had that had looked like her. They drifted by a few times before we got our slices and left. We’d see them again.
Finally with soda in Styrofoam cups (doesn’t the south get that it never biodegrades!) and slices in hand we head towards the river to find a perch to eat our slices with Mischa in peace. We go to Washington Square. (it may actually be called Johnson Square - but I call it Washington Square because there is a big statue of him in the center) and we climb onto the steps of the statue to eat our meal and continue to talk.
Finishing, we head to the river walk and we see a building the Freemason’s house or customs house and speculate on the slaves sold there. Mike says he took a tour once and asked if slaves were sold there and was told “no”, but he looked it up in the internet and found that they had, indeed been sold there. I told him about the effect of the Oscar Brown, Jr. song “Bid ‘em In” had had on me back in 1964 when I had first heard it. It’s Oscar conducting a slave sale. Perhaps the should just admit to it and play that piece on a loop - like at Disneyland.
Anyway we walk back and discover finding “our” square from the town’s myriad of squares is no easy task.
After many meanderings and passing the family who liked Mischa a lot “Oh, there’s our friends again” the mother said from her sidewalk table.
By a fluke I recognized a landmark and we found our way back. We said goodbyes while making plans for me coming to Hilton Head on Sunday to begin my South Carolina week.