Because it was so obvious, I couldn’t resist the cheesy title. Not that this was the most enjoyable part of the long day, but because it was certainly the most memorable when we experienced an authentic, old-fashioned Savannah blackout at the end of the night. The day of Saturday, March 15,2008, started innocently enough. Everyone was recovering from their hangovers from the goings-off from the day before. Chris and I (who incidentally did not have hangovers) got up before everyone else and watched Billy Madison on television. Always a nice way to start the day.
All of the men in the house (barring yours truly) was looking forward to the big soccer game on cable that morning. Bear in mind that Ryan and Shannon are both from Northern Ireland and Chris is just weird. In any case, I joined in watching the game. Although I listened to the Flaming Lips on my iPod for the duration of the contest, I honestly rather enjoyed it. Particularly in moments of high tension or refutable calls by the refs - which would prompt Shannon and/or Ryan to rise to their feet and scream vulgar epithets at the television. In a moment of serenity before the game, while sipping coffee with legs neatly crossed, Ryan apologized in advance for his forthcoming ill behavior. No apology was neccesary.
As it was, the team for which they (and naturally I) were rooting lost the game. In the end Derby County (pronounced Darby and tattooed on Ryan’s arm) fell in defeat to Manchester United, 0-1. It was a sullen occasion. An occasion to drink.
Ryan’s wife Becki had gotten the inkling to take out her 1969 Type 3 Volkswagon - one she had owned since she was a teenager, so there was some excitement in the air. Ryan, Becki, Shannon, and Ashleigh all rode in the VW and Chris and I rode together as we headed out to Tybee Island. Not surprisingly, after the sluggish start that morning and the 45-minute hike over to Tybee Island, it was about 3:00pm by the time we sat down for lunch at A-J’s Dockside Cafe.
Sitting out in the warm sunlight as the waters of the Tybee Creek spashed against the dock, I enjoyed this quiet time over crab stew, a cheeseburger, and a few bottles of Corona as much as anything during the weekend. In fact, the alcohol of the previous day only served to give me a slight headache while the Coronas helped me to feel no pain.
Chris, Shannon, Ryan, Becki, Ashleigh, and me at A-J’s
On the dock
We then drove across the island to check out the Tybee Island Light Station and Fort Screven (once commanded by General George C. Marshall). As luck would have it though, both were getting ready to close and had already given out their last tickets to tour them at 4:30. We were about 15 minutes too late. I settled for a shot outside the historic lighthouse. When the lighthouse on Tybee Island was first built in 1736, it was the tallest structure in the United States at 90 feet. The first was destroyed five years later by storm. Two lighthouses later, a third was built in 1773. This one was partially destroyed by the Confederate army, rebuilt starting with the remaining 60-foot base, and later moved back 164 feet from the shoreline of the Savannah harbor. It had quite the history - so it merited a photo.
I think this photo is self-explanatory
Conveniently, right by the lighthouse and Fort Screven was an outdoor pub and eatery called the North Beach Grill. Here we met up with some friends of Becky and Ryan named Kyle and Shana. We also enjoyed the country-western flavored band Train Wrecks while sitting outside and continuing the Corona fiesta for about two hours. Since there was an incoming storm, Becki wanted to get the VW to safety so decided to take it back to Kyle’s place to put it in the garage. Kyle picked up the entire tab (he told us he was loaded - we assumed with money). Had Chris and I known that, we would have ordered more Coronas - and a couple of steaks.
Becki and Ryan enjoy the music of Train Wrecks
So we then took our party to the next party and hung out at Kyle and Shana’s house for another couple of hours while Shana ‘got ready.’ Turns out, she was asleep the whole time, so we were really waiting for nothing at all. Except watching their dogs Tawnee and Jordan. Finally, we headed back into Savannah where we ended up at the Rail pub by about 9pm.
Chris gets contemplative at the Rail
Me and the boys from NornIron
Me, Chris, Ryan, Kyle, Ashleigh, Becki, and Shannon - while the lights were still on
This was okay, although I wasn’t much in the mood for drinking at this point, but the place was relatively un-crowded and the music wasn’t too gosh-durn loud. After a little over an hour, the power went out in the bar. Then we realized it was out all along the street. And finally we discovered that the whole city’s power was out. We heard tales that tornadoes had hit other parts of Georgia - so although, there never actually was any rain in Savannah, the gales of wind had somehow taken out all of the power.
I’m not sure how it happened, but somehow Chris and I ended up outside the bar while everyone else somehow got back in. Initially we had followed Becki outside, then found the nearby hotdog stand, whose lure was simply too overwhelming. By the time we had finished our hotdogs and roamed around in the darkened streets of Georgia’s own version of Mardi Gras, we realized that all of our party had gotten back in the bar.
Eventually - after about an hour and lots of walking in my painful shoes - we got back in the bar, where everyone was still pouring alcohol into themselves. The only good part was that we got more free hotdogs, taking my total to four. Eventually, with no power in the bar, they were forced to kick us out. Many wanted to go back to River Street and with Kyle’s warning that if we didn’t go down there, we “might regret it for the rest of our lives,” everyone ended except Chris and me, who headed back to Ryan and Becky’s place.
Turns out, we didn’t miss much. Except for Ashleigh, who didn’t really want to go down to River Street in the first place, spraining her ankle in the dark, which led to her thinking she needed to go to the hospital at 2:30 in the morning. Chris almost got up to take her, too, until others convinced her that an Ace bandage and a couple of Advil might do the trick.
After about four hours of sleep, Chris and I got ready by flashlight and packed up our stuff in the darkness of the blackout. We heard that the power didn’t come back on until about 8pm the next night - by which time we were almost home.
Up next: the trip home…and Davy Crockett…
Just think of how much more we could have done and seen if we didn’t sit around doing nothing for about 7 hours a day on this trip.
Unfortunately, Ryan’s team Derby County lost, Shannon’s team Everton lost the following day, and my team Arsenal drew 1-1 with Middlesboro. What a terrible weekend for football.
Oh, by the way, I didn’t realize that the dogs were named Tawnee and Jordan. But I do think I know of some people with those names. I thought the dogs were named Brandi and Belle.
Chris
April 20th, 2008
Found yourselves watching Tawnee and Jordan for a while huh? Interesting.
Jackie
July 5th, 2008