Look for our series on our most recent trip to Scotland.

WISDOM-JOURNEYS

Savannah, Georgia

            In a previous post, I wrote about my anticipation of our Mother-Daughter Retreat in Savannah, GA. I had not been to Savannah before and I must say I was not disappointed in any way.  This city is so beautiful and so charming that almost immediately; I began thinking about returning for our next year’s M-D retreat.

            We arrived at our hotel, The Inn at Ellis Square (innatellissquare.com), late Friday afternoon. The hotel was lovely and the rooms were nicely appointed. It was recently redone and the designers won the Historic Preservation Award for their work. After resting awhile, we had light hors d’erves and crudites. Those of us who had been to the city before talked about what to see again, those who hadn't   talked about how excited we were at next day’s prospects.

On Friday evening, we took the Haunted Trolley Tour (savannahtours.us). Savannah is known to be one of the most haunted cities in the country. The driver was so funny and knew all the spookiest spots. Some of us had “ghost hunters” type of experiences, including my husband, who is not given to such things. After that, we took a stroll by the river back to the hotel.

After a great breakfast at the hotel, which consisted of all kinds of southern favorites, we walked down the street to the trolley stop. We boarded and took a morning tour of the city. Again, the driver was very knowledgeable and extremely entertaining. 

We had lunch, during which I had Fried Green Tomatoes for the first time. This is a southern staple and although they were not exactly as I had envisioned, they were tasty.  We returned to the trolley and stopped at sights we had picked out on the morning ride.

Saturday afternoon we took a tour of the lovely and historic Owens-Thomas house (Telfair.org), which is on the National Historic Register. Architect William Jay built the house for a wealthy cotton merchant in 1816-1819.  The same family owned the house from 1830 until 1951. The house and garden is beautiful and gracious. It also has several quirks including doors that go nowhere.  The only complaint I might have is that the guide was uninformed. He could not answer many of our questions.  We visited the gift shop, which is in the original carriage house and urban slave quarters. We then went to the famous Leopold’s (leopoldsicecream.com) for ice cream. I had chocolate with raspberry preserves swirled through, YUM! We continued on our tour until dinnertime, when we stopped at the Pirates House (thepirateshouse.com). This place is on the sight of Savannah’s original experimental garden.  Experimental in the testing of what plants would grow well in the environment.  The building is old and funky.  I had the best salmon since visiting Scotland. An actual “Pirate” led us on a guided tour and gave us a fascinating history. 

After checkout on Sunday morning, we did some shopping at the Market.  We then went to the beautiful Forsythe Park.  Forsythe Park is a large green area in the historic downtown. Large trees, a central fountain, paths and benches adorn this wonderful space. We had our “Honoring Feminine Energy” ceremony led by Shamanic Practitioner, Lisa Rowe (828-645-9155).

Lisa is WISDOM-JOURNEYS chosen guide for this type of ceremony. I so enjoyed this trip for personal reasons. I had a great opportunity to know the women who attended much better, along with learning more about my daughter and even myself.

If you ever get the chance to go to Savannah, please take it. You will not regret it.    I am looking forward to going again and maybe again after that. 

Museum Trip

Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, South Carolina.

April 19 & 20, 2013

        Wisdom-Journeys Travel Circle just returned from our weekend trip to The Columbia Museum of Art, in Columbia, SC. We had a wonderful time. The company was pleasant and the art was magnificent. The museum hosted a traveling exhibit of Impressionist paintings. We saw works by Monet, Cassatt, Manet, Degas, Boudin, Forain, among many others. We were a little disappointed that there was no Van Gogh; however, the rest made up for Vincent’s absence. The Impressionist’s uses of color and light with the exuberance of nature were at the time not well received by the critics or the public. Change sometimes comes slowly. The museum’s permanent collection was also impressive.  I had not before this seen Renaissance Religious art up close. Within the gold leaf halos are tiny radiating lines. Also within the leafing are tiny circles most likely made with some type of tool other than a brush. Some of the garments had swirling, spiraling designs made from scraping away the top layer of paint to reveal another layer of paint underneath.

        After several hours of enjoying the museum, we had a late lunch at a coffee/sandwich shop called DRIP, which is located on Main Street. The people working there were pleasant and helpful.  The sandwiches were creative and delicious and the coffee devotees among us thought the beverage was some of the best they’d tasted. Something to do with the way it was brewed. Check this place out the next time you’re in Columbia.

        After lunch, we explored the city some. There are beautiful gardens surrounding the courthouse and a local historic cemetery is within walking distance.

        We all had a great time and look forward to our future trips together. Won’t you join us?

We just announced a new trip to the Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, SC.

Mother-Daughter Retreat to Savannah, GA

When I was a young girl, an organization my Mother and Grandmother belonged to, held a Mother-Daughter luncheon on the Saturday before Mother's Day. 

I looked forward to this event each year. We would get dressed up, sometimes even getting new clothes. This was in the early 60's when women and girls still hats and gloves on special occasions. 

The menu consisted of what I thought was extremely fancy food. My favorite was a ripe tomato stuffed with chicken salad. I would have a "Shirley Temple", a sophisticated concoction of ginger ale and maraschino cherries. For dessert we would have pettifours and I was allowed to drink tea. 

So what does all this have to do with Savannah? Well, when I think of a gracious Southern town, where women may still wear hats and gloves, I think of Savannah. This may be complete fantasy on my part, but it's  a nice thought. I've heard that the reason General Sherman did not burn Savannah during the Civil War was because he found it such a lovely and charming place. I'm sure there is more to the story.

So, I'm inviting you to join us on our Mother-Daughter Weekend Retreat  to Savannah, GA in May of 2013. We'll stay in a hotel built in the 1850's, have a trolley  tour of the Historic District, have lunch at 'The Lady and Sons" restaurant and experience and partake in  a ceremony to honor Mothers. Enjoy being driven by a chauffeur while relaxing on the way to our destination.  

Call(828-301-2268) or E-mail(wisdomjourneys@gmail.com) for further information.

What century do you live in?

                Most of us have heard this question, usually when we make a comment or statement that seems out of date. Wisdom-Journeys just returned from a weekend at the Carolina Renaissance Festival near Charlotte, North Carolina. Our group spent two days in the 16^th century, or at least a 21^st century depiction of this time gone by. The organizers did an excellent job of helping the attendees suspend reality.

We all dressed in period garb. This is not required, but it helped us get in the mood and mindset, besides its fun. Many people in attendance put a great deal of thought and effort into their costumes, not to mention money. Some outfits were exquisitely beautiful; some had great attention paid to detail and authenticity. Then there were some outfits that were just outrageous, like the bearded man dressed as a woman, false cleavage and all and his female companion dressed as a pirate.  There were any number of princesses, fairies, knights and wizards. Then there were the ‘Dragon People”. These costumes were so detailed, so meticulously created, so amazing. There is a TV show called “Face Off”, where people create original costumes based on specific themes. The contestants are aspiring movie special effects designers.  The creators of the “Dragon People” would have won hands down in any of these contests.

                Bruce and I have new outfits this year. We are Lord and Lady Douglass of Brulin Manor. We will add accoutrement's and refinements to our costumes and persona's in the coming years. Some in our group dressed as peasants and farmers and one member dressed as an alchemist/wizard. The wizardry was evident when she used her everyday clothing to create an outfit representative of her chosen character. I’m grateful there are times and places where I can feel free to let one of my inner persons out in an environment of camaraderie and fun.

                We attended several shows and entertainments, including the hilariously funny, “Hey, Nunnie, Nunnie” show featuring two less than reverent Catholic Nuns. Some shows are educational, such as the show based on the Royal Art of Falconry.  Hawking was a sport that the upper-class enjoyed immensely. The presenter instructed the show- goers about different species of birds and whatever natural skill each has.  Children love this show partly because the birds fly over the audience and swoop and soar above their heads. I’m sure the adults were wondering if they were going to get pooped on, I know I was.

There are any numbers of shops selling period finery, fantasy items and things I’m sure did not exist in the 16^th century, like fused glass, vials of Fairy Dust and leather bustiers.

And of course there is the food, including such medieval staples as pizza, frozen Margaritas, chocolate covered strawberries and Chicken Teriyaki.  But most important of all are the enormous roasted turkey legs.  These are delicious and completely portable. I saw several small children enjoying these hunks of meat, which were as big as the child’s forearm.

We all had a grand time at the Faire and look forward to next year. Perhaps some of you will join us on a future trip. Even though we enjoyed our trip to the 16^th century immensely, we love living in the 21^st. with our microwaves and king-sized beds.