christmas adventure

The road trip with my brother, MM, took us to Savannah, Charleston, and a few places in between. We stayed at a bed and breakfast on Tybee Island, just south of Savannah, and in a cabin in Givhan’s Ferry State Park, just north of Charleston. The sibling get-together was completed when other brother and his lovely wife (CC & EC) joined us on Christmas day for the Charleston portion of the trip. Our time included much walking of beautiful streets and squares, taking in American history, sitting in coffee shops, frequenting used book stores, sitting by the fire, eating home cooked meals, trying local fare at cafes, and playing many games of spades. I loved the patterns and lines I found everywhere I looked, and the siblings were patient with me as I enjoyed capturing some of it through the lens of my camera. Here is a taste of what we saw in these (basically unedited) photos.

Staircases to the row of shops, bars, and restaurants by the riverfront in Savannah. The upper level has some fun antique stores worth browsing.

These wall of tombstones was on the outer edge of a large cemetery in Savannah. If I remember correctly, the last person to be buried here was laid to rest around 200 years ago. That is a long time ago for this country. However, it seems kind of sad that these tombstones have left their owners in unmarked graves.

Black and white homes. Walking the streets of Savannah.

Door to Fort Pulaski. The fort is a National Monument and is definitely worth visiting. Even learned a bit about the origins of baseball on the tour–back then a home run was a bad thing as it meant search for the ball outside of the fort’s walls.

This door was a lower door to a large house in Charleston; a large porch sat on top of this door.

Doors and shutters came of all shapes, sizes and shades in Charleston. Most did not have screen doors, and this was the only screen door not completed closed.

Some homes in Charleston had courtyards or yards. Although simple, this space was made more appealing by the beautiful gate baring me from entering.

Plants flowed over the walls, gates, and fences of many Charleston homes.

Tomorrow morning my Christmas Adventure begins.I hope you all have a wonderful time celebrating Jesus’ birth with friends or family.  Stories and pictures from the adventure to come.

In the South, mac ‘n cheese is not just something you feed to kids and it does not just come out of a box. It is soul food and it is artisan food. Here, you don’t mess with mac ‘n cheese, and you certainly don’t look down on anyone who orders some when out for dinner. Instead, you smile–because now you too can order mac ‘n cheese without looking like you do not have any taste. 

So, last weekend my brother and his girlfriend participated in a mac ‘n cheese cook-off party. And they won. 

They brilliantly started with the “Best Mac ‘N Cheese Ever,” the winner of Emeril’s Mac ‘N Cheese search. You can find that recipe plus a whole bunch more here. Then they made a few modifications:

• use extra, extra sharp cheddar (gives more of a cheesy vs just creamy taste- I found my cheeses at trader joes)
• cut up bacon into little bits before you cook it (saves fingers from grease burns when attempting to crumble later)
• we used less gruyere and more cheddar
• we used about 3/4 of the milk suggested
• use Japanese Bread Crumbs called Panko (I think they sell them in most grocery stores) rather than hohum western bread crumbs
• finally, I added cheddar to the topping as well- I like cheddar that much

Ok people…that’s it. Now go and embrace mac ‘n cheese in all of its glory. Don’t laugh–just embrace.

I’m not talking about the temperature outside or what form the water falling from the sky is taking. If that mattered, I would be sorely disappointed by the cold rain falling from the sky or my childhood beach Christmases. Rather, it has everything to do with the atmosphere, the mind, and the heart. 

My tree is up. Yes, it is fake, and I love it. My parents (mom was the key character) got me an ornament every year of my childhood and young adult life. Now these eclectic ornaments decorate my little tree. Last week a friend asked what was at the top of my tree. An angel of course. Only she lacks oversized wings, glitter, red lips, and the general stateliness that characterize angel tree toppers of the country I currently call home. My unassuming angel of plain cloth was created in the part of the Holy Land called Jordan. The white lights on the tree provide beautiful light–and they are on whenever I am both home and awake.

My nativity scenes are out. Scenes. Right now I have four–one of which is at the office. It is my hope to slowly gather nativity scenes from around the world. My childhood has etched into my head what I think the scene might have looked like. This image was developed during my times wandering the streets and markets of such cities as Cairo, Jerusalem and Damascus. I imagine the characters had olive skin tones and wore long dresses. Everyone’s childhood has impacted how they imagine the story of Christ’s birth. And that is why I have no problems having a nativity set with white characters. It will just not be my only set.

What else is there? Christmas music on the radio, the advent wreath and stories at church, preparations for celebrations and feasts to come, and general merriment. It is a good season. It is a merry season. And the temperature has so little to do with it.

Found this photo while looking for another. It was taken during the fall camping trip near Asheville, NC. This part of the hike reminded me of all sorts of books where the characters walk through tunnels made from trees and bushes, and of magical forests.