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The Isle of Hope Marina is just outside of Savannah. We left Susurra here while we went out to California for Zack and Sieka's wedding on the Solstice. What a glorious wedding. The ceremony was held along side Twin Lakes under the giant trees with the Eastern Slope escarpment as a backdrop. The "chapel" was a log arbor adorned with willows, purple lupine, and satin ribbon. Colin lead the ritual authored by Zack and Sieka. Everyone was beautiful in their gowns and tuxedos. After the literal tying of the knot, we adjourned to a fabulous reception. We watched a great montage of Z and S and their friends and family, Karen sang a celebration song she had written for them, and Tony and his band rocked the house. Sue and company had decorated the place in a most beautiful way and the food was to die for. You had to be there!
When we got back we did some exploring of the neighborhood. First, we grabbed a car and headed for downtown Savannah. We drove through the tree lined streets and parks designed by Oglethorpe back in 18th century. We wandered along River Street doing the tourist thing with thye river on one side and the three story cotton warehouses on the other. Back on the Isle of Hope we walked to Sandfly and checked out a local cemetary. While we were there, a local guy rode up on his bicycle and gave us the short history of Sandfly. Back during and after the War Between the States, runaway and newly freed slaves settled on the island and built a community there. Bounded by "Runaway Negro Creek", Sandfly was one of the first all African American communities. The locals used their construction skills to help each other built homes and roads. The homes of Sandfly are fronted with beautiful flower gardens with the back yards given over to vegetables. They earned cash money by reconstructing roads and homes in and around Savannah. Still today, the carpenters, masons, electricians, and plumbers of Sandfly are sought after by the neighboring folks.
On the Isle of Hope lies the old plantation called Wormslow. Occupied in 1730, the owners build a fortified house of tabby - a mixture of equal parts lime, sand, and oyster shells. The entrance is an allee that's a mile and a half of live oak planted in the 19th century. Pretty neat.
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