Mini-Vacation

With the house settled (mostly) and the spiders clamoring for eminent domain, Mama and Daddy decided to take Little Monster on a trip. Daddy was thinking about the Biltmore, but Mama wanted something a little more Monster-friendly, so everything went into the car and Baby Girl came to Savannah, Georgia.

The trip itself was a bit rainy, and Miss Fuss made it with a minimum of squalls on her part. She got cranky only near the end. As with many road trips, lunch was Cracker Barrel, where Sweet Girl ate chicken and dumplings to her heart's content and took a turn on the little rocker out front. Daddy bought a piece of old-fashioned stick candy and sucked it down to a point. Mama rolled her eyes at him while Little Werewolf slept in the car seat.

When the family arrived at Savannah, Baby Girl decided it was go time, and after a very brief nap, took a stroll down River Street. She loved seeing the Spanish moss and feeling the cobblestones underneath the wheels of her stroller. The street musicians and bright lights of River Street held her rapt attention — but not so much that she couldn't polish off a half-dozen shrimp at the Oyster Bar. After that, she and Daddy climbed up and down the steps of the shorewalk and then headed back to the hotel for a bath and bed. It was ten o'clock before Tiny Terror went to sleep!

Thursday was the big day. It started with waffles for breakfast and after a brief car ride to Tybee Island, Little Monster faced down the ocean! She liked the lapping of the waves over her feet and the feel of floating, but she definitely did not like it when the waves crashed into her. Daddy had to carry her out past the surf, where she kicked her feet like a real water baby.

Swimming is hard work, so Sweet Girl decided to visit the Crab Shack for lunch. Once again, she did damage to a lot of shrimp, plus some potatoes and a cob of corn. She also visited the alligators while she was there, but they were lazy alligators, just basking in the sun. Little Monster scolded them for being so lackadaisical.

No time to rest! When Sweet Girl got back to the hotel, she took a brief moment to catch her breath, then she and Daddy visited the cemetery and the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. She also met a nice puppy dog in one of the city squares, and hollered at a blackbird and a squirrel. Then Mama joined them, whereupon they visited Leopold's for a shake and an ice-cream float. Baby Girl definitely has a sweet tooth when it suits her, and she charmed one of the businessmen in the store.

For dinner, Mama wanted to go to Bistro-Savannah on a friend's recommendation, but they were closed, so Sweet Girl led the charge across the street to Belford's. Little Goblin ate mostly pirate's booty, but she also tried a bit of Daddy's scallops, Mama's crab cakes, and the fried green tomatoes. It is Savannah, after all. Little Monster was adamant in her refusal to wear one shoe and sock, however.

No sooner did Little Monster finish dinner than a rainstorm threatened, so everyone hightailed it back to the hotel, where Baby Girl, despite skipping her morning nap and having only a half-hour afternoon nap, was still going strong. She rampaged around the room and played king-of-the-hill on the bed with an exhausted Mama and Daddy, and only when she finally started getting cranky did she retreat to sleepytime.

The next morning was a sausage and muffin breakfast for the Wee Goblin, and then the return trip to home in Atlanta. A brief stop along the way at Buffalo's took place, where Baby Girl taught them a thing or two about how to eat penne, but after that, Baby Girl was happy to be home and in her own bed.