Savannah History 7/31/2017

Just after we arrived at our campsite yesterday, I stepped out of the RV to check on our position relative to utilities. (It is important to make sure that the water, sewer and electric site connections are reasonably close to the RV connections.) Within a minute of my exit, my feet felt like they were on fire. I looked down and  then saw the problem: a fire ant colony occupied the corner edge of the concrete pad on which our picnic table rests. Fortunately (??!!) I only got about 15 bites on my feet. A call to the campground office brought someone who doused the area with ant killer.

Today, after our usual leisurely morning, we set off for Savannah. Our first stop was the Owens-Thomas house, an elegant residence built over a 4 year period and finished in 1820. Our tour guide highlighted many of the home's unique features like an incredible trompe l'oeil  ceiling in the sitting room, a beautiful geometric design amber window in the dining room,

Owens-Thomas House: The design in the wall above the table is cut into the wall and faced
with amber glass to allow more light into the room. The effect is stunning.
The table below was made for the space and is original to the house. 

and brass ornamented stair rails. This home had running water and flush toilets in 1820! We thoroughly enjoyed this tour.

Our next stop was Telfair Academy, within walking distance of the Owens house. It is a former mansion (across the street from the birth home of Juliet Lowe, the founder of the Girl Scouts), now an art museum. It was built 1818-1819.  We were fortunate to have the docent there all to ourselves. She gave us a personalized historical tour of the house/museum. This was originally a family townhouse that became a free art museum  in 1886, one of the first 10 art museums in America. There are some unusually shaped room here: an octagonal drawing room, a round-ended dining room, and a long drawing room with rounded ends.

Next up was the Jepson Center, a contemporary art museum across the street from Telfair Academy and opened in 2006. I must confess, I am not one who "gets" much of contemporary art, even with

the explanations of the artists' intent.Much of his art leaves me cold: a painting of a parquet floor, an installation of multiple TVs running videos of a woman expressing emotion, paint splashed on a canvas etc, etc, etc.

From Jepson, we headed back to the RV for a glass of wine (now

permitted for me now that my kidneys are behaving well), as we relaxed on a perfect evening.