"No Sweat Day"

If you're wondering about the title of today's blog, Kathy mentioned that she hates to sweat and really hoped we would have a 'no sweat day.'  We hope to make her dream possible!

Today was full of taking tours around Savannah.  The first tour we took was the Paula Dean tour.  We were signed up for the 10 am tour.  At five minutes before 9 I got a phone call from an unknown number.  It was Old Savanah Tours telling us they were waiting on us.  They had the reservations mixed up but luckily it wasn't a problem. 

Our tour guide was named Anna.  She had that true Southern Georgia accent - very similar to Paula Deen's.  I loved hearing her talk.  She told us she was gullible and believed everything people told her.  She told us a story about believing her brother when he said the city was named after her.  Supposedly when she was a young child she fell into the water and someone yelled 'Save Anna, Save Anna!'

When she found out we were on a Girls Getaway and not related to each other, she said how great that was and not a 'blond among us!'  She asked everyone on the tour if someone had a birthday or anniversary.  No one did.  Then we hear Stacy pipe up and ask "do we get anything free if it is our birthday?"  A man near us who was quick on the draw, started signing the first few bars of "Happy Birthday" to Stacy.  Everyone got a good laugh.  Anna, almost speechless, said she has been giving tours for more than 20 years and NO ONE has ever asked that question before. 

Anna drove us around different parts of Savannah showing us not only points of interest to Paula Deen but interesting sites.  We stopped at the market where Paula bought her produce when she was starting her restaurant.

They had all types of neat things besides just produce - some lucious looking tomatoes, strawberries, lima beans, microwaveable potato bag, wrought iron decor, baskets, etc.  This shop had a door greeter - the biggest cat I've ever seen.  It appeared to weigh 25 pounds plus.

Stacy was enthralled by watching this little lady breaking green beans outside the market and was worried that she probably got paid just pennies to do it.  As we were leaving the area, Stacy asked where that little lady had gone.  Mandy said she was only out front when the tour bus showed up - for appearances' sake!  I think that burst Stacy's bubble. :)

We went to the Byrd Cookie Company.  We got to try diferent samples of cookies - not the kind we bake, but more like tea cake cookies.  Our favorite was the Peach cookie - all except Kathy that doesn't like fruit in anything.  I had to get a small box, they were so good.  I doubt I'll make it home with the cookies.  They also had a triple chocolate and an apple pie that were really good. 

The end of the Paula Deen tour was lunch at Uncle Bubba's Oyster House.  Bubba is Paula's little brother.  His restaurant is between Savannah and Tybee on the marshes.  We had low country boil, chicken fingers, swai fish (type of mile white catfish from Southeast Asia), a gumbo-type rice dish, really good green beans and the best mac and cheese you've ever tasted.  The waiter told us mac and cheese was a true vegetable.  Right.  I've always like vegetables.  I was the only one that would try one of Bubba's charbroiled oysters.  I was afraid it would be slimy but it was actually pretty good.  We finished the meal with yummy baanan pudding.  Sorry I don't have any pictures but we were too anxious to eat!

We could choose to drink water, tea, or homemade lemonade.  That was THE BEST lemonade I've had in a long time.  Stacy, Mandy, and I really enjoyed it.  Stacy and I wondered if we should ask for a 'to go' cup.  Stacy pointed to her glass of lemonade and asked the waiter if she could get a 'to go' cup.  He gave her the WEIRDEST look and asked 'for your lemonade'?  What else????? She kinda laughed and said 'yes'.  After he walked away, one of the other people at the table said maybe she was going to use the to go cup to take home some mac and cheese.  Not a bad idea!  Too bad we didn't ask for another cup.

When we got done with that tour, we signed up for the Historic Savannah Tour.  The day before when we were buying our tickets, we overheard the receptionist hand a tip to a tour guide and talked about how several people had been saying great things about her.  We said we wanted to be on her tour tomorrow.  She told us her name was Angel and she would be working tomorrow.  So after the Paula tour, we hung around for a few minutes to grab Angel's tour.

 Angel was really funny.  We thoroughly enjoyed our tour with her.  She showed us all around the historic and victorian parts of Savannah.  We got to take several pics and tomorrow we get to get on the same tour and get on and off as much as we want. 

She also told us the proper way to pronounce pecan is peeeecaannnn.  I don't think so.

One of the funny things that happened on this tour was the conversation in front of us between two ladies and Angel.  One of the ladies' husband only realized she was gone on to Savannah after she had been 'missing' for 5 days.  Now how could he not have known she wasn't home.  And didn't she tell him or leave a note?  W.E.I.R.D.

After the tours we went back to Tybee and rested a little bit and decided to walk to downtown Tybee, one block over.  It's a street with little restaurants and shops.  We ate pizza and purchased a few souvenirs.

Our day has ended.  ... And it WAS a 'no sweat day.'