Toys and Tickets for Troops

Georgia – Sunday, December 23

What a wonderfully full day! The first thing on the agenda was to shop for toys to put in the Marine Corps Reserve box that we saw last night. We knew Ruby Tuesday would be open at 11, so we went to the WalMart that was right across the parking lot. Needless to say, it was very crowded! Toni was in charge of picking out the toys, and it was a bit discouraging to see how expensive many of them were – and we didn’t really want electronic or battery-operated ones. But, in the end, we ended up with some puzzles, matchbox cars, Monopoly, play-doh, a Dr. Seuss game, and the Memory game. We took it over to Ruby Tuesday and emptied our toys into the box. I had wanted to do a toy donation, but just hadn’t run across any yet, so was glad to finally be able to do it!

Then we drove back into historic Savannah and found a good parking spot by the old theatre, and set out walking. What a beautiful, beautiful city, and it’s so pedestrian friendly. There are blocks of graceful old homes, and dozens of parks (many with statues and plaques) scattered nearly every other block throughout town. Toni and Mom sat and visited a bit while I covered an extra mile or 2. We found a little pub and got some baked Brie and French onion soup to warm up, and then walked around some more. This city is made for walkers! There were lots of horses and carriages out and the clip-clopping of their feet on the cobblestones just added to the charm. There were people riding around in pedi-cabs too. Most places were decked out for the holidays, and everything seemed so festive. We had tickets for the Christmas Tradition show at the historic Savannah Theatre. It was their final show of the season, and we had front row balcony seats, and thoroughly enjoyed a couple hours of Christmas entertainment. During intermission, the MC put a box on the stage and explained that people in the military can get tickets for only $5, and asked for donations to help support the troops (other performances are coming up). That donation opportunity just fell in my lap, and I was happy to go up there and make a donation. Quite a few other people were making donations too. The MC told me that sometimes whole groups of military people come in their uniforms, and they appreciate the chance for their families to enjoy a show here and there for something special.

When the show was over it was beginning to get dark, but we took time for a little more walking. Then we drove out of town a ways to see a walk-through light show at a bamboo conservation garden. It was cold enough out that they put a couple heat lamps out to warm up near. Then we headed to the River Street area of Savannah – a row of shops and restaurants in old cotton warehouses. The steps are steep to get down there, and footing is uneven on the old cobblestones, but there’s a lot of interesting things to see down there. We ended up at a restaurant that served a “low-country boil” – deliciously messy platefuls of boiled crawfish, shrimp, sausage, potatoes, and corn with Cajun seasoning – pretty much all finger food and we dove right in! I’m not really a big shrimp person, but this shrimp was the best I’ve had! This place was also known for oysters, and lots of people were laboriously making their way through buckets of oysters. They look like a lot of work to me with towels to protect fingers and special knives to crack them open!

By the time we were done, the place was clearing out, and we were ready to call it a day.