Savannah

I spent a big chunk of the following morning in the local public library. There are no t.v.'s at the community, I do know that Ron obviously has a computer but didn't like to ask to use it. And anyway the public library wasn't far away and it's free. The part of the "South" I was in is referred to the "Low Country", it's fairly flat and low lying to the sea. It makes Savannah and Charleston a breeze to walk around, no hills. When the library started getting busy I left and walked down into the historic district and paid to go into the main part of the Telfair Museum. I had hoped that they were were having a free day, but that was not the case. The museum is another case of a rich couple loving art, having no children and deciding to bequeath it to be made into a museum. In this case Mrs. Telfair wasn't quite the art lover that Mrs.Gardener in Boston was. According to the docent at the museum Mrs.Telfair was concerned that she not be forgotten and was quite explicit that her name be above the entrance to the new museum and explicit as to the size of the lettering. Well she got her wish, the original museum now extends to the modern building which houses the contemporary art collection and another house that was deeded to the foundation. The square in front of the house was also renamed Telfair and there is also a local school named after her. I guess it's one way to gain immortality.
The ground floor of the house retains the Telfair's sitting and dining room, the other ground floor rooms having been turned into galleries. At the back of the house has been added a huge extension to increase the gallery space. I enjoyed seeing the rooms as it is a real window on how people lived. In contrast to the Magnolia Plantation in Charleston, most of the furniture in the Telfair Museum was made in America and is about one hundred years younger. I walked through the city to the Thompson - Owens house, the house was deeded to the Telfair Foundation when the last Owens dies unmarried and childless. I think the main claim to fame of the house, at least in the eyes of the locals, is that the Marquis Lafayette stayed a couple of nights here. I gather that he was a general in the American Revolutionary war and something of a hero in the south. Of course he was French! At least I know now why there are so many "Lafayette" streets and towns. I was interested in the house because it had been designed by an English architect, William Jay, who had also designed the "Royal Crescent" in Bath. The house is lovely and there is a really sad story behind it. The original owner lost his money within three years of moving in and had to sell it. The next person had the same problem and then the house became and a bed and breakfast, that's when Lafayette stayed there. Then the Thompson - Owens family bought it and even their line died out.
I had dinner in town instead of at the community, they weren't expecting me and I wanted to ....
I am not sure what I wanted, everyone in the community had been nothing but kindness to me. I think I was feeling unnerved, if that's a word. I have no issue with how they practice their beliefs or their beliefs really but I was uncomfortable in being there as at the moment I don't really believe that there is a god. After dinner I felt in the need of alcohol, I just think that this was a reaction to it not being part of the community's way of life. I don't think I'm an alcoholic, but then alcoholics never do, do they? I went to an Irish bar, in my defence it was close and I am part Irish when it suits me. The barman, Christian, was a good guy and he and another bar patron chatted for a bit. Christian is thinking of going to Korea to teach English. I was going to leave after one beer, but Christian comped me another, so I had two.