bonaventureDear God,

It was so great to see my brother Tim today! I am so glad he decided to take a day away from his vacation at Hilton Head to come see me in Savannah. Still too short a visit but better than none at all!

We did the book tour – Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil  (at noontime) — and it was very interesting to see and hear all about the history associated with the book and the film. I have read the book but not yet seen the movie. Everyone in Savannah simply refers to it as “The Book.” It is all an odd mingling of fact and fiction, actors and actual people, ghosts and gift shops. Part of the tour was a visit to Bonaventure Cemetery where Johnny Mercer is buried. It is also the location where John Berendt had martinis in silver goblets with Miss Harty while sitting on the bench gravestone of Conrad Aieken. A strangely beautiful place that could make me believe in ghosts.

Every corner in Savannah seems to be full of history and significance. We stopped for lunch at Leopold’s – my brother had his eye on the raspberry chocolate swirl ice cream. Leopold’s Ice Cream shop was founded in 1919 by three immigrant brothers from Greece – George, Peter and Basil but it was Peter’s youngest child that took over the family business when his father died. And, Stratton later left Savannah to become a Hollywood producer including films like Mission Impossible 3, The General’s Daughter and The Big Chill. Too bad we didn’t have time to taste that reportedly fabulous ice cream!

After lunch, The Mercer House – location of the famous murder from “The Book.” Our tour guide was a very Southern woman who couldn’t have had her nose any higher in the air as she showed the rooms and referred to the murder as “the incident.” As it turns out Jim Williams (the shooter /murderer) was a graduate of the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota. The Mercer House was built by Johnny Mercer’s grandfather.

The day was winding down and we stopped by the hotel to take a quick snack break and rest before dinner. Our dinner was at Vic’s on the River for 7:30pm.

The building housing, Vic’s (originally used as a warehouse) was built in 1858 and was designed by John Norris – a famous New York architect. He also designed the Mercer House. I decided to enjoy lighter fare (after the Olde Pink House indulgence) and ordered a warm spinach salad, bok choy, whipped sweet potatoes, grilled asparagus and collards. Dessert was a sample of the pralines from The River Sweet Shop.

Too early, I had to say good night and good bye to Tim as he headed back to Hilton Head. Dear God, please guide, guard and protect my brother. Amen.