Halloween Fun Foods: 10 '18

My Mom always told me not to play with my food, 

but  when it comes to Halloween,

I just can't resist.

Breakfast:

 Ghoul eyes (Above: Ginger Bread Muffins )

with 

Eyeball pudding ( Below: Vanilla rice pudding)

 Lunch:
Spilled  Brains
(  Above: Gnocchi in Alfredo sauce with meatballs and olives)

Dinner:
Bat Nest  ( Above: Fried chicken Wings on Egg foo Young)
 Spider Webs Tart (Below: Cheese cake)

Post Michael Report: 10'18

We were lucky yesterday here on Pawleys Island.  We had no structural damage, and not even a single brown-out on our electrical system.  Others were not so lucky.  Today we are seeing power outages across large swathes of  South Carolina as the result of Michael's wind and rain. Trees are down on power lines. Trees are down on roads, 

and it is taking forever to get anywhere.

Rain , stay away: 10 '18

The good news is that rainfall along the beaches communities, where we live, is supposed to be light ( 1" maybe)  and over early.

The bad news is that Michael will still be dumping a lot of rain on all those South and North Carolina's inland communities that were ( and still are) flooded by Florence.  It will take several days, but the runoff from Michael's inland-rain will drain into the rivers and bays that surround us. Then, our beach communities will be experiencing road and residential flooding and contaminated drinking water all over again.  (It wasn't until last Thursday that SC Dept of Transportation fully reopened Hyway 17, and our local water company announced the tap water didn't have to be boiled any longer the same day.)  

It's gonna be a long long day: 10 '18

We were awakened by Michael's howling winds before daylight this morning.   While not as powerful as what battered the panhandle yesterday,  they are still a lot more forceful than what we had anticipated and they are getting stronger as the storm gets closer.  

All along Michael's path, there are power outages.  Tornado alerts are posted for areas just to the south of us.  Looks like this is going to be another very long day.

And now it's Michael: 10 '18

As one of my cousin's said. " Hang on you your Bootstraps,  Michaels coming."

This fast-moving Cat. 4 Hurricane is slated to wallop the Florida Panhandle and SE Georgia on Wednesday, then move inland on Thursday to continue to wreak devastation across most of South and North Carolina.

Savannah's St John the Baptist Catholic Cathedral: 10 '18

Yesterday's tour guide had told us that the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is one of the most awe-inspiring buildings in all of historic Savannah Georgia. It is also one of the most popular tourist attractions in all of Savannah.   And to see it, we should get there early,  so it was our first priority of the day. 

The colonial charter of Savannah prohibited Roman Catholics from settling in the city. The English trustees feared that Catholics would be more loyal to the Spanish authorities in Florida than to the English government in Georgia, however, this prohibition faded shortly after the American Revolution. The church's congregation was reorganized about 1796. French Catholic émigrés established the first church in 1799 after they fled Haiti after slave rebellions that began on the Caribbean island in 1791. It became the main church for free blacks from Haiti in the early 19th century. Construction began on the new Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in 1873 and was completed with the addition of the spires in 1896. The structure was nearly destroyed by fire in 1898 but through diligent effort was rebuilt by 1899

St John the Baptist's Cathedral

The building is an excellent example of French Gothic architecture. Outside The 28,000-square-foot cathedral, featuring steeples rising 207 feet in the air.

The interior is even more stunning.

My (CC's)  first reaction was that I had been teleported back in time to the St Agnes Catholic Church ( Los Angeles) which I had attended as a child.   It was not just the gothic architecture,

Rear Nave and Baptismal font

High Alter and Apse

or the spectacular alters,

Side Alter

But  the  starry skies, 

and 

murals on the ceiling

and spectacularly stained glass windows with more instructive murals

Window and decorative murals of the South transept

and the stations of the cross lining each side of the church walls,  

which were hand-carved in the 1800s,

They were hand -painted  

and incredibly-detailed 

It was  all so familiar, I had an almost instant sense of belonging. That feeling was short lived . While Bruce was offering a monetary donation to their coffers, an elderly man approached me and where I was from... I explained and told him I was now living in SC but that I had lived my early childhood in LA; I also told him how amazed I was by how much this beautiful church in Savannah GA resembled to one of my youth. The guy launched into a diatribe about how he couldn't understand how people in California, Oregon and Washington could think the way they do. When I ignored that bait, he said they were 'all crazies' and they should all leave. About then Bruce ( who is never one to back down from an argument) jumped in demanding to know if he meant he the guy would really be happy to see the entire west coast lost to the US. 'Yes', he reaffirmed, 'they are all crazies'.  So much for feeling like I had come home. Needless to say, I did not stick around for the guided tour. I walked out of there more convinced than ever that I had made the right decision in leaving the Catholic Church

That being said Savannah's St John the Baptist Cathedral has one of the richest and culturally diverse histories of any in this country

If you only have a short time in Savannah make sure that you make your way over to this Cathedral. As long as you do not mention you are from anywhere on the west coast, you won't regret it. It is a beautiful French Gothic cathedral, certainly one of the most amazing cathedrals in the south.

Savannah's Temple Mickve Israel: 10 '18

On yesterday's trolley tour, our guide pointed out both Savannah's Catholic Cathedral of St John the Baptist, and the Congregation Mickve Israel, and recommended we tour both. Whenever we visit a new town, Bruce and I usually look up both the local Catholic and  Jewish congregations' places of worship.  It gives us a sense of commonality with the local community.  So it was a no-brainer that we would put these two buildings on our must-see list. Knowing how difficult parking spaces are to find, we got up at first light so we could beat the crowds. First stop: Temple Mickve Israel.  Perhaps we were a little too proactive.  The building doesn't open to the public before 10 am.

.

But the signage was enough to convince us we wanted to come back as soon the doors opened.  In sum, it told us that the Congregation Mickve Israel in Savannah, Georgia, is one of the oldest in the United States, as it was organized in 1735 by mostly Sephardic Jewish immigrants of Spanish-Portuguese extraction from London who arrived in the new colony in 1733. They consecrated their current synagogue, located on Monterey Square in historic Savannah, in 1878. It is a rare example of a Gothic-style synagogue. The synagogue building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Today, the synagogue is a member of the Union for Reform Judaism.

Come 10 o'clock, we were back. This time to take the full tour. Built in Neo-Gothic style that echoes the elaborate architecture of the Victorian period--it is the only synagogue in the United States like it. While a lot simpler in decor than it's Catholic counterpart, the Congregation of Mickve Israel Temple is every bit as rich in history.

The Mickve Israel Temple tour was one of the highlights of our long weekend in Savannah!  Our guide was extraordinarily knowledgeable welcoming.  The tour included:

The Mitzvah

The Baroque style architecture 
and organ were highly progressive enhancements.

as were the beautiful stained glass windows.

The arc contains multiple Torahs including a Holocaust Torah from Poland.

After visiting the main temple, we toured 

the congregation's museum.

It was filled with the artifacts both religious

Deerskin Torahs 

 and secular items detailing all the people, places and events the Congregations members have impacted.

Letters from George Washington and every US President since are on the wall.

All about the Historic Savannah Theater; 10 18

The Savanah Theater facade

Our next stop was to verify the location and directions of The Savannah Theatre where we would be returning to watch a musical revue in the evening.   The Theater is celebrating its 200^th anniversary having opened its doors in 1818. It is one of the country's oldest operating. The theatre has undergone different face-lifts, including a transition to its current Art Deco style as a result of the 1948 fire and has served as both a movie theatre and a live performance venue. This gorgeous and historic theatre rests in the heart of the Savannah Chippewa Square Historic District.

 

Once we saw the place we were all in.

Just a few of the stars that have performed at the Savannah Theatre include Oscar Wilde, Lillian Russell, Otis Skinner, Sarah Bernhardt, and W.C. Fields, among others. Edwin Booth, the brother of the infamous assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth, was also a performer that worked this wonderful theatre. Booth performed a range of Shakespearean roles such as 'Hamlet,' 'Iago,' and 'King Lear.' One of the most notable performances to have taken place in the Historic Savannah Theatre was baseball star Ty Cobb in his role of 'The College Widow' in 1911. Located in the theatre lobby are several newspaper articles, artifacts, and photographs on display to detail the illustrious history of the theatre and how it came to be the beautiful building we see today! 

 But Bruce seemed more impressed  that the Theater was located near Hull Street than any of the historical architecture .

We returned that evening  

to see the limited engagement Piano Men show starring three very talented pianists:  Charles, Sterling, and Bobby. 

Add in singers Matthew & Michelle Meece plus Josh Holley on guitar with his great moves, Danielle Walker on the Sax, Chris Fullerton on drums and our night was made. 

.

The show was excellent. Wonderful music, and the pianists were incredible. Loved the music of  Elton John, 

 Louis Armstrong / Ella  Fitzgerald,

 Billy Joel, Ray Charles, Carol King,and many more. The singers did a great job. Fun and entertainingThey had us laughing and cheering and singing along throughout the entire show.

Savannah = Good eats: 10 '18

One can't go to Savannah without having a meal within a historic building .. Possibly because every building in the city is historic.  All humor aside, the choices are mind-boggling and every one of them so tempting.  We finally settled on lunch in a market district cafe.  Soooo good, but I am sure we could have said the same about almost every other eatery in Savannah.  It really is paradise for foodies.