Date Night

It's Greg Allman's fault.

After a lovely dinner at Avia watching the happenings in Ellis Square, we made our way to the Civic Center for his concert.

It was date night and we were making the most of it! Sarah dripped beauty on the sidewalk,s leaving those we passed with wide eyes and gaping mouths. I was happy and we were both enjoying the overwhelming charms of downtown Savannah.

The city has not been a destination of choice over the past couple of years. It consumed my life for more than two decades and I think the place is better off because of it. Then it became a road that I drove through to get to the airport.

The times that I did make my way into the city it was a chore. There were endless hours of negotiations with attorneys at Hunter, McClean, Exley & Dunn, homeless friends who love me still wanting to meet for coffee and advice, and there is this Board Chair who chooses to remain anonymous who just won't go away and remains an evil pain in the ass.

There were exceptions of course. Long lunch conversations at Soho with Stacy Jennings. Popping into the office of Shirley Sessions and Kim Fitz just to say hello and catch up. Mary Ann Beil continues to educate me on the merits of Celtic Christianity (meaning she shoves it down my throat over lunch). Returning to Johnny Harris' for lunch with Ben Barnes and Herb McKenzie.

For the most part though, I've avoided the city. I gave it everything I had and the city took it.

I'm an international Beach Bum these days.

I write every morning and help people throughout the world try to do things better the rest of the day. Well ... when I'm not walking Goddess, sitting on a sad little holy dock, naked tanning on a beloved back deck, attending Bored meetings, gathering with the Carnival of Friends, doing something for Bar Church or sticking my toes in the sand.

But it was time for a date.

It's impossible to have a date on Tybee as every time that we go out we find ourselves suddenly surrounded by people we love. Even if we don't go out, they break into the house (right Dedra? Twice so far today and it's not even 9 a..m.).

So we made our way alone into Savannah. God blessed this date because we found parking ... good parking! For free! We had the most romantic of dinners at Avia. We strolled the city squares. We picked up our tickets. Making our way inside the Johnny Mercer Theater, we stopped for cocktails. (OK one of the great things about Savannah is that you can have a cocktail party anywhere and at anytime. You can carry your cocktail with you anywhere you want to go and it is not against the law. New Orleans is the only other city in the United States that is so enlightened. Otherwise you have to go to the rest of the world for moveable cocktail feasts!).

Anyway we stood in line because the economy is so bad that the Savannah Civic Center only employs two bartenders for 17,000 people. I didn't mind. Sarah was dripping beauty. I'm happier than I've ever been. We're getting ready to see freaking Greg Allman!

Then it happened.

Tybee had followed us. O Johnny and O Judy (not to be confused with Johnny O and Judy O) tapped us on the shoulder and took our picture. It was good, they are our friends ... though I fail to understand the whole Davidson thing.

Then we saw a great show.

Afterwards, O Johnny and O Judy broke into our car to ride home with us.

A little after midnight, they invited us in for cocktails.

Tybee is significantly more liberal than Savannah.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this, Newt Gingrich apparently did something. I don't know what ... divorced somebody else while staying married at the same time or winning a primary. I'm not certain but I do know that Jack Kingston supports whatever it is.

Then Date Night came to an end.

Well ...

It did and it didn't.

I can't wait for our next date!